To play D&D, you need one person to be the Dungeon Master and other players (three to six are best) to play adventurers. Which role is right for you?
If you want to be one of the protagonists in your group’s adventures, consider being a player. Here’s what players do:
Make a Character. Your character is your alter ego in the fantasy world of the game. After you read this chapter, use the rules in chapter 2 to create your character.
Team Up. Your character joins the other players’ characters to form an adventuring party. These adventurers are allies who face challenges and fantastical situations together. Each character brings distinctive capabilities, which ideally complement those of the other characters.
Venture Forth. Your character’s group explores locations and events presented by the DM. You can respond to them in any way you can imagine, guided by the rules in this book. Although the DM controls all the monsters you encounter, the DM isn’t your adversary. The DM guides your party’s journey as your characters become more powerful.
If you want to be the mastermind of the game, consider being the DM. Here’s what DMs do:
Build Adventures. You prepare the adventures that the players experience. In the Dungeon Master’s Guide, you’ll find advice for how to create adventures and even whole worlds.
Guide the Story. You narrate much of the action during play, describing locations and creatures that the adventurers face. The players decide what their characters do as they navigate hazards and choose what to explore. Then you use a combination of imagination and the game’s rules to determine the results of the adventurers’ decisions.
Adjudicate the Rules. You oversee how the group uses the game’s rules, making sure the rules serve the group’s fun. You’ll want to read the rest of this chapter to understand those rules, and you’ll find the rules glossary essential.