Glossary for new players

A character sheet is full of terms that experienced players use without thinking. These are the ones new players ask about most, in roughly the order you'll meet them at the table.

Open the generator to build a character in a minute, or keep reading to understand each step.

D20 Test: Any roll of a twenty-sided die to see whether you succeed: an ability check, a saving throw, or an attack roll. Roll, add modifiers, and compare to a target number.
Ability check: A D20 Test to do something uncertain, such as climbing a wall (Strength) or recalling lore (Intelligence). Add your Proficiency Bonus if a skill you're proficient in applies.
Saving throw: A D20 Test to resist a danger, such as dodging a fireball (Dexterity) or resisting a mind-affecting spell (Wisdom). Each class is proficient in two saves.
Attack roll: A D20 Test to hit a target. If the total equals or exceeds the target's Armor Class, the attack hits.
Difficulty Class (DC): The number you need to meet or beat on an ability check or saving throw. A medium task is DC 15.
Armor Class (AC): How hard you are to hit. Without armor it's 10 + your Dexterity modifier.
Advantage and Disadvantage: Roll two d20s and take the higher (Advantage) or lower (Disadvantage). If you have both, they cancel out.
Proficiency Bonus: A bonus added to rolls you're trained in: proficient skills, saves, weapons, tools, and spell attacks. It's +2 at levels 1 to 4.
Expertise: Doubles your Proficiency Bonus for one skill. Rogues, Bards, and some other classes gain it.
Hit Points (HP): Your ability to keep fighting. At 0 Hit Points you fall unconscious and start making Death Saving Throws.
Hit Dice: Dice you can spend during a Short Rest to recover Hit Points. You have one per level.
Short Rest and Long Rest: A Short Rest is an hour of downtime; a Long Rest is eight hours. Many features recover on one or the other.
Initiative: A Dexterity check at the start of combat that sets the order of turns.
Action, Bonus Action, and Reaction: On your turn you can move and take one action. Some features give you a Bonus Action as well. A Reaction is a response you can take once per round, even on another creature's turn.
Opportunity Attack: When an enemy leaves your reach, you can use your Reaction to make one melee attack against it.
Cantrip: A spell you can cast at will, without using a spell slot.
Spell slot: The resource you spend to cast spells of level 1 and higher. Slots return after a Long Rest (a Warlock's return after a Short Rest).
Prepared spells: The spells you have ready to cast. Most casters can change their prepared spells after a Long Rest.
Concentration: Some spells last only while you concentrate. You can concentrate on one spell at a time, and taking damage forces a Constitution save to keep it.
Weapon Mastery: A 2024 feature that lets martial characters use a weapon's special property, such as Topple or Vex.
Heroic Inspiration: A reward that lets you reroll any die once. Humans gain it after every Long Rest.
Passive Perception: 10 + your Perception modifier. The game master uses it to see whether you notice something without rolling.
Darkvision: Within the listed range, you see in Dim Light as if it were Bright Light and in Darkness as if it were Dim Light.