The three main pillars of D&D play are social interaction, exploration, and combat. Whichever one you’re experiencing, the game unfolds according to this basic pattern: 1: The Game Master Describes a Scene. The GM tells the players where their adventurers are and what’s around them (how many doors lead out of a room, what’s on a table, and so on). 2: The Players Describe What Their Characters Do. Typically, the characters stick together as they travel through a dungeon or another environment. Sometimes different adventurers do different things: one adventurer might search a treasure chest while a second examines a mysterious symbol engraved on a wall and a third keeps watch for monsters. Outside combat, the GM ensures that every character has a chance to act and decides how to resolve their activity. In combat, the characters take turns. 3: The GM Narrates the Results of the Adventurers’ Actions. Sometimes resolving a task is easy. If an adventurer walks across a room and tries to open a door, the GM might say the door opens and describe what lies beyond. But the door might be locked, the floor might hide a trap, or some other circumstance might make it challenging for an adventurer to complete a task. In those cases, the GM might ask the player to roll a die to help determine what happens. Describing the results often leads to another decision point, which brings the game back to step 1. This pattern holds during every game session (each time you sit down to play D&D), whether the adventurers are talking to a noble, exploring a ruin, or fighting a dragon. In certain situations—particularly combat—the action is more structured, and everyone takes turns. The Six Abilities All creatures—characters and monsters—have six abilities that measure physical and mental characteristics, as shown on the Ability Descriptions table. Ability Descriptions AbilityScore Measures ... StrengthPhysical might DexterityAgility, reflexes, and balance ConstitutionHealth and stamina IntelligenceReasoning and memory WisdomPerceptiveness and mental fortitude CharismaConfidence, poise, and charm Ability Scores Each ability has a score from 1 to 20, although some monsters have a score as high as 30. The score represents the magnitude of an ability. The Ability Scores table summarizes what the scores mean. Ability Scores ScoreMeaning 1This is the lowest a score can normally go. If an effect reduces a score to 0, that effect explains what happens. 2–9This represents a weak capability. 10 – 11This represents the human average. 12–19This represents a strong capability. 20This is the highest an adventurer’s score can go unless a feature says otherwise. 21–29This represents an extraordinary capability. 30This is the highest a score can go. Ability Modifiers Each ability has a modifier that you apply whenever you make a D20 Test with that ability (explained in “D20 Tests”). An ability modifier is derived from its score, as shown in the Ability Modifiers table.

Ability Modifiers ScoreModifier 1−5 2–3−4 4–5−3 6–7−2 8–9−1 10 – 11+0 12–13+1 14–15+2 ScoreModifier 16 –17+3 18 –19+4 20 –21+5 22–23+6 24–25+7 26–27+8 28–29+9 30+10