TableForge
Never played a tabletop RPG before? This primer explains everything you'll encounter at the table: dice, ability scores, combat, and spells, in plain language. Come back whenever something in the game is unclear.
A tabletop RPG (roleplaying game) is a collaborative storytelling game. One player acts as the Dungeon Master (DM): they describe the world, control monsters and NPCs (non-player characters), and referee the rules. Everyone else plays a character: a hero with unique abilities, history, and goals.
There's no board and no winning condition. Instead, the DM narrates a situation, players decide what their characters do, and dice determine whether risky actions succeed. The story emerges from that back-and-forth.
In TableForge, the DM is an AI. You create a character and play, and the AI narrates the story, asks for dice rolls, and responds to your actions.
D&D uses several different dice, each named after its number of sides. The letter d stands for "die": a d20 is a 20-sided die, a d6 is a standard 6-sided die, and so on.
Dice notation like 2d6+3 means: roll two 6-sided dice, add the results together, then add 3. So if you roll a 4 and a 2, the total is 4+2+3 = 9.
On an attack roll, rolling a 20 on the d20 (a natural 20) automatically hits and scores a critical hit, which doubles the attack's damage dice. You still add your usual modifier once, so a critical hit with a 1d8+3 weapon rolls 2d8+3, not double the total. Rolling a 1 (a natural 1) automatically misses, whatever your bonuses.
On ability checks and saving throws, a natural 20 or 1 carries no special rule: those resolve on the total against the target number like any other roll.
Every character has six ability scores (usually ranging 1–20) that describe their natural talents. Each score produces a modifier, the number you actually add to dice rolls. The formula: (score − 10) ÷ 2, rounded down.
| Score | Modifier | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | −1 | Below average |
| 10 | +0 | Average |
| 12 | +1 | Above average |
| 14 | +2 | Talented |
| 16 | +3 | Exceptional |
| 18 | +4 | Elite, as good as most adventurers get at level 1 |
Physical power. Melee attacks, carrying capacity, breaking things.
Agility and reflexes. Ranged attacks, stealth, dodging, and Initiative (who goes first in combat).
Endurance. Adds to your HP every level. Helps maintain concentration on spells when hurt.
Memory and reasoning. Investigation, knowledge, and Wizard spellcasting.
Perception and intuition. Noticing things, reading people, Cleric and Druid spellcasting.
Personality and social grace. Persuasion, deception, Bard and Sorcerer spellcasting.
A flat bonus added to rolls for things your character is trained in. Certain weapons, skills, saving throws, and tools. It starts at +2 at level 1 and increases as you gain levels (reaching +6 at level 17+). You'll see it added on top of the relevant ability modifier.
When something bad happens (a fireball, a poison, a mind-control spell), your character makes a saving throw to resist or reduce it. Roll a d20, add the relevant ability modifier (and proficiency bonus if trained). Meet or beat the DC (Difficulty Class) and you succeed.
Skills are specific applications of ability scores. Stealth uses Dexterity; Persuasion uses Charisma; History uses Intelligence. The DM sets a DC, you roll d20 + modifier (+ proficiency if trained), and compare. Hover any skill name on your character sheet for a full description.
When combat starts, everyone rolls a d20 + their Dexterity modifier. This is called rolling for Initiative. The result determines turn order: highest goes first. The order stays fixed each round (a round represents ~6 seconds of in-game time).
On your turn you get:
Roll a d20 and add your attack bonus. If the result equals or beats the target's Armor Class (AC), the attack hits. Then roll damage dice and subtract from the target's Hit Points (HP). At 0 HP, a creature falls unconscious (players) or dies (enemies).
| Stat | What it means |
|---|---|
| HP (Hit Points) | Your health. When it hits 0, you fall unconscious. Heal with spells, potions, or resting. |
| AC (Armor Class) | How hard you are to hit. Attackers must roll ≥ your AC to land a hit. Armor and Dexterity raise it. |
| Hit Die | The die you roll to gain HP when leveling up (d6 for fragile classes, d12 for Barbarians). Also rolled to recover HP during a Short Rest. |
| Hit Dice | Your pool of Hit Dice for short resting. You regain all of them on a Long Rest. |
Attacks deal specific types of damage. Some creatures resist (take half) or are immune (take none) to certain types:
Sometimes circumstances help or hinder you. Advantage: roll two d20s and take the higher. Disadvantage: roll two d20s and take the lower. They cancel each other out if you have both simultaneously.
Some classes (Wizards, Clerics, Sorcerers, Bards, Druids, etc.) can cast magical spells. Spells range from damage-dealing fireballs to healing, protection, mind control, and beyond.
Spellcasters have a limited number of spell slots per day, organized by level (1st through 9th). Casting a spell consumes one slot of that spell's level or higher. You recover all slots after a Long Rest (8 hours of sleep). Think of them as "charges" for your most powerful abilities.
Cantrips are free spells: no slot required, unlimited uses. They're weaker than leveled spells but always available. Most casters start with 2–4 cantrips (e.g., Firebolt, Mage Hand, Sacred Flame).
| Term | What it means |
|---|---|
| Concentration | You must maintain focus to keep the spell active. Taking damage may break it. You can only concentrate on one spell at a time. |
| Ritual | Can be cast without a spell slot if you spend 10 extra minutes. Useful outside combat for utility spells. |
| Save DC | The number enemies must roll (on a saving throw) to resist your spell. Higher = harder to resist. |
| Spell Attack | For spells that call for an attack roll instead of a save. Roll d20 + this bonus against the target's AC. |
| V (Verbal) | Requires speaking aloud. Can't be cast if silenced. |
| S (Somatic) | Requires precise hand gestures. Needs a free hand. |
| M (Material) | Requires a physical ingredient, usually covered by a spell component pouch or arcane focus. |
D&D uses four coin types. Gold is the standard:
| Coin | Abbreviation | Value in GP |
|---|---|---|
| Copper Piece | CP | 0.01 GP (100 CP = 1 GP) |
| Silver Piece | SP | 0.1 GP (10 SP = 1 GP) |
| Gold Piece | GP | 1 GP, the standard unit |
| Platinum Piece | PP | 10 GP, rare and valuable |
Alignment is a shorthand for a character's moral and ethical worldview, expressed on two axes:
Combined, these form nine alignments: Lawful Good (the classic hero), True Neutral (guided by balance), Chaotic Evil (destructive and selfish), and everything in between.
Alignment is a personality guide, not a cage. Characters grow, change, and sometimes act against type. It's a starting point for roleplay, not a rigid rule.
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