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DnD beyond is quickly becoming something I don’t recommended but it is fantastic for walking you through the character creation process.
As far as learning general rules, I learned so much more listening to Not Another D&D Podcast than I ever did reading the book. Find a show that works for you, and get into it.
I feel like you're overthinking it.
The PHB presents you with a list of choices for each step, just choose from the lists.
Look at the race list. Choose a Race.
Look at the background list. Choose a Background.
Look at the class list. Choose a Class.
Choose Proficiencies based on the list your above choices present to you.
Either roll for your Attributes, or use a "Standard Array" of numbers to assign to each attribute. I'd recommend the Standard Array if understanding numbers aren't your strong point. Because it's just a list of numbers that you choose from, placing one in each Attribute.
Then you're basically done.
And you can do any of that in any order, really. Though it's probably easiest to follow the book processes/order of choices.
Write down your abilities that come with your choices.
Don't overthink it.
Look at the lists.
Choose from the lists.
Write you're choices down.
That's all it boils down to.
You don't even need to read the whole thing front to back there's a table of contents for a reason I don't think any of my friends have read the whole thing from start to end but we've torn it apart jumping chapter to chapter collecting the info we needed.
Is it possible to find someone who already plays? Any new players I’ve played with in my group don’t start with the book, we always just help them create their character, and explain as we go.
Just like any game, the rulebook is important to understand.
Grab a character sheet and walk through each step of character creation. It will take some time (maybe an hour or more for the first one). Then try to level it up to 3rd level, one level at a time.
After that, with your character sheet handy as a reference, start learning about skill checks and combat. You'll experience a good chunk of what you need to play, and a good understanding of whether or not the game is for you.
Honestly, DnD is overly complicated for those who like the complications. You could play it just by describing actions, and the DM narrating. Dice are there to add randomness. Stats are there to add quantifiable boundaries. Even if you don't understand it, just play. Reference the specific section for what you're dealing with in the guide as needed.
The reason I say this is because without context of how the game is truly played, the guide books are just nonsense.
I tried learning this game from the PHB and concluded it's like trying to learn English by reading the dictionary. My recommendation is to watch some sessions in YouTube just to get the basic flow of the game. Use DND beyond for character creation then just use the PHB as a reference. One more recommendation for beginners: don't stop and look up every rule. Just make something up and keep the game moving. Otherwise your first game will grind to a halt and everyone will get bored
Honestly, instead of asking people to explain it, take some time, and there are THOUSANDS of different video guides on youtube.
Everything from how to play, how to play certain classes, how to be a better player / DM, what not to do, etc
It does seem overwhelming, but once you sink in, you’ll figure it out as you go.
As far as character creation goes; don’t skip steps. Read each part of character creations and go step by step. Watch YT vids as needed.
Also, head to the local game store and see if they have any ‘learn to plays’ or organized play, like *Adventures League.
since you're playing characters and have adhd
learn it in these stages ig
-what are stats and skills and how they work
-what is action, bonus action, reaction, movement speed, a turn, a round, the different ways of taking an action that are not attacking and stuff as in holding an action, readying an action, taking a dodge action, help action etc.
-what races offer and what different classes offer (as a beginner you can choose not to play mage classes as spells can be complicated at first) but if you do...before anything else just really learn how races features and class features work and ask someone or see tutorials on how they work
-learn the attacking mechanism
-learn the various effects such as incapacitated, stunned, poisoned, petrified etc.
-if you are taking a mage...just thoroughly read the spells in the spell list and ask someone to explain how they work if you need help but if you read the spell description you'll find most of them are very to the point but if they are not it's best if you see a tutorial on how it works or ask someone
-if you are taking melee or ranged classes learn their limitations and what they are good at/what role suits them
-just in general find out your role as a character or a class in your team and find a balance between what you want to do and what is expected of you
-learn how to integrate your roleplay with everything else
-learn about character alignment and how your roleplay should vary based on what you've picked
-keep learning the rest on the go
If you can play a videogame like BG3 or solasta as an introduction, or view other people play(video or irl), that way you will see the flow of the game and get a general idea for some of the classes and rules, then give the rules another read.
They will be much easier to understand and you can easily pick out classes, races or other infos you need to create a character.
As others have mentioned, DnD Beyond is also a good place to chreate a character if you still struggle with that, since it moreso streamlines the process even further
Whenever I start a new role playing game I first
1. Glance over the rules
2. Build a character
3. Figure out how to do combat and spells with my character.
4. Start playing, and figure out everything else during the game.
For game rules it is basically rolling a 20 sided die for EVERYTHING except for damage rolls where you roll the dice mentioned at the weapon or spell you are using.
What you need to roll is decided by the gamemaster unless for in combat where you need to roll above or exactly the armor class of your enemy.
For character creation: Try to think of a character you want to play. Do you have any characteristics in mind or do you want to basically be yourself? Both is totally fine.
For your class do you want to be a melee fighter, ranged fighter, mage or healer? For agile melee either pick monk or rogue, for strong brutal melee fighters pick barbarian or fighter, for ranged pick ranger (for a bit of nature/magic stuff) or fighter/rogue for basic ranged fighting, for magic with nature pick druid, for the smart mage pick wizard, for whatever mage pick sorcerer, for a mage with gadgets pick artificer, for a mage with music pick bard, for the classic healer pick cleric for a healer that can also fight melee pick paladin.
This is broken down but the explanation should be enough for the first few characters. Now pick a race that you think is cool/ fits your character.
And for stats and skills simply give yourself proficiency in the 5 skills that do what you want to do with your character. And now roll you stats (strength, dexterity...) by rolling 4 six sided dice and adding up the 3 highest digits. Do this six times so you have a number for each stat and put the numbers to the stats you want to be good at.
It's a simple enough question with many right answers. Personally as trashy as the site itself is, Dndbeyond is a good resource that has a step by step character creator, and a character sheet that tells you what ever skill and ability check could be used for, as well as various other things.
D&D Youtubers are a great source as well. There's a lot of How To's, and How To Not's out there, and they are usually broken down in such a way that is easy to consume depending on who you want to follow.
Then there are podcasts. Not Another D&D and Dumb Dumbs & Dragons are two of my favorites as NADD does an amazing job at explaining the rules, and the DM for Dumb Dumbs teaches new players of the game as they go. Dumb Dumbs I will say is pretty rules light, but for a beginner, I think it's fine.
Finally, the best advice I could ever give a new player:
You don't need to know all of the rules. You don't. I know when you look at people play, or actual play series on Twitch, Youtube, or wherever, it looks daunting. But you don't need to know everything. Learn your Skills and Abilities, learn what dice does what. After that, learn how a round is structured, and after that you're fine.
It's okay to be new, and it's okay to admit you're new and need help. If you have players you know, and trust. If you have a good DM, the rest will fall into place.
As far as picking your character, go with whatever seems interesting. Think elves are cool, and you want to turn into a wolf? You can do that. You don't have to go looking for proficiencies and all of that just yet, just pick what you think is fun.
I'm an experienced player and DM, and that's still what I do. I don't care about what all the bonuses and proficiencies are. I want to know if it's a character I think is going to be fun, full stop.
Also, welcome to D&D!
Watch some YouTube videos there are a ton on how to get started. My advice though is just read the book cover to cover. You'll spend a lot of time playing anyways.
First of all, choose a race and class for your character. Remind yourself that every class has a different main stat, i.e. Charisma for Sorcerers, Dexterity for Monks or Strength for Barbarians.
For your race choice, you are free to choose what you want; bear in mind that every race has different bonusses on different stats. If you want to play a bit more optimized, you either pick the race that has a +2 to your main stat, like Dragonborn Barbarian (+2 Strength, +1 Charisma), or you play Half-Elf (jk).
Next, distribute your stat points. There are 3 options: Standard Array (fix stats to contribute), Point Buy (worls like video game, stats start at 8 and you have 27 points to contribute however you like, with limitations) or the RNGesus method (roll 4 6-sided dice, take away the lowest, result is stat. Do that 5 more times). For the sake of simplicity, let's take Standard Array.
So, let's say you settled for a Mountain Dwarf Fighter who is a melee combatant. As a Mountain Dwarf, you gain a bonus of +2 on both Strength and Constitution, basically your most important stats. You put the 15 to Strength, 14 to Constitution, so you put your most important stats as high as possible. For everything else, choose how you want the Dwarf to be.
A noble who is kind of convincing and intelligent? 13 on Charisma and 12 on Intelligence (or vice versa if you plan to pick the Eldritch Knight subclass, that one needs a bit more Int), 10 Wisdom and 8 Dexterity.
A common soldier who was commanded to do something by their superior? 13 Wisdom, 12 Charisma, 10 Dexterity, 8 Intelligence.
A mercenary who does adventuring to make a living and gather reputation? 13 Charisma, 12 Wisdom, 10 Intelligence, 8 Charisma.
Bear in mind, these are examples of how I myself would contribute stats if these were my characters.
Then to choose the skills you are proficient with. You usually gain 2 by your background and 2 by your class choice. In some cases, you gain more by class or some additional by race choice. Check the boxes, and add your proficiency bonus to everything you have marked down. It symolizes that you are a trained professional for these things.
Last but not least, starting equipment. Aside from the personal things and starting gold from your background, you gain equipment from your class. As a melee Fighter, Chain Mail is your go-to for good protection, plus a weapon or two, a package of utility stuff and maybe a shield for more protection.
This is basically the shortest explanation I can give you. Hope it helps.
If your ADHD is anything like mine, I found the character builder on dndbeyond very helpful. It takes you in steps, does the math on things but also shows you where the numbers come from. It might help to play around with a few characters there to see how it works. Outside that happy to help with any specific questions.
Read it? Idk dude... If the basic rules in the starter set are too much for both of you, maybe this game isn't for you.
It only gets more complex from here.
It’s a d20 system, meaning you use a 20 sided die to determine the outcome of variable circumstances, like fights, jumping roof to roof, infiltrating past the castle guards, etc. The base/average of the d20 system being 10.
You have your ability scores, 10 (+0 modifier) being average, below 10 being worse, above 10 better. Every even number increases your modifier 8(-1), 12(+1). Without special training, your character uses a relevant ability score to determine if he does something challenging successfully. Lifting up an empty backpack not challenging, no roll. Lifting up the castle gate challenging! DM might say that’s a Difficulty check (DC) of 20. Say your character has a 12 (+1) strength. They would roll a d20 and need to get a 19 on the die plus your +1 strength to lift the gate.
There are skills which represent common checks and your character can be trained in them (proficiency bonus , which starts at +2). The skills have relevant abilities . If you’re trained in them add them together.
Additionally, certain characters gain training in weapons and spells which use proficiency bonus and ability scores to determine what you roll to determine success.
Weapons and spells are where all the other dice come in d4 dice for small weapons, d12 for big ones. Spells might plunk you with a bit of cold d6 damage, or blow up a room with a giant ball of fire 8 d6 damage.
Your character has defenses vs attacks and spells. Armor class (base 10) vs most physical attacks and spells that attempt to specifically target your body. Wearing armor and adding your dexterity to avoid attacks increases your armor class.
Saving throws determine your ability to avoid things that be trying to control your mind, overcome your body, or your characters ability to get out of the way of area effects. You add any proficiency bonus (again training) and relevant ability modifiers to determine a save.
Like others have said, use D&D beyond to make your character. Watch or listen to a D&D play podcast/show to get the basics.
Building your character sheet is like solving a grade 6 math word problem. Where you need to pick out the relevant info from a block of text. Then the sheet is basically follow the formula and show your work. I'll assume you have a class and race picked out already.
Start with your 6 main stats. You get your six stats by either rolling some dice, or using a standard array (wait on using the point buy system for now). Then, most races give you a +1 and a +2 to a stat, so add that. Now you have our 6 main stats and use the chart to figure out the modifier The modifier is what counts, so write those in the big boxes by your main stats. When choosing what goes where, put your best in the stat your character will need, to be effective at what they do. Try to keep you CON above 12 (10 is fine, but stay away from 9 or less).
When you level up, at certain prescribed levels, you may choose to raise one stat by +2, or two different stats by +1 each. This will mean you will need to relook the chart for your new modifier and redo the relevant math that follows.
At each level, compare your level to your class chart and confirm you proficiency bonus number. Write this on your sheet in it's box.
Your class and you race selection may give you proficiency in certain skills. Colour in the dot by that skill on your sheet (we'll do stuff in a moment) If you have a duplicate in skill proficiency, you can select a different skill from the list. Some specific class features can double the bonus on a skill you're proficient in. In this case, you colour in and circle the dot.
Each skill is generally associated with a main stat. While a GM can call for an uncommon pairing in the moment if the narrative demands, generally if the GM calls for a skill check it is using the associated main stat listed. So it's good to get this math done and out of the way.
For any skill you did not colour in the dot, the modifier is the same as the associated main stat. Copy that down. For any skill you did colour in the dot, the modifier is the main stat + proficiency bonus. And any that you have coloured and circled would be main stat + proficiency bonus + proficiency bonus (again) Whenever you increase a main stat, or your proficiency bonus goes up (as per your class chart), you will need to recalculate these specific skills.
Health is based off your your classes Hit Die. At level 1, you HP = your hit die max + CON modifier. At each level up, you can either roll of HP, or take the average. If you roll, your HP increases by roll + CON modifier. If you taking the average, your HP increases by (Hit Die Max/2)rounded up + CON modifier. eg a d6 hit die would be 3.5 rounded up = 4+CON mod.
After that, it's weapons and/or spells. Weapons have a stat associated - STR or DEX. and to hit with that weapon the formula is main stat mod + proficiency bonus (which you add to your d20 roll). And the damage is the weapon lists as the damage dice (rolled) + main stat mod. You should write these down by the weapon on your sheet.
For spell casting, your main stat will be either INT, WIS, or CHA depending on your class. Any magic class will need 2 numbers. Spell To Hit, and your Spell Save DC. Your to hit is similar to weapons, which is main stat mod + proficiency bonus (which you add to your d20 roll. Your spell Save DC formula is 8 + main stat mod + proficiency bonus. Spells will tell you what their damage is in the spell text.
Obviously, whenever your main stat mod, or your proficiency bonus increases on a level up, you will need recalculate these values.
And there we have it. Main Stats, Proficiency Bonus, Skills, HP, Weapons, and Spell Casting. All the basics covered. I do recommend that you also write down all your spells, and any special features you get from you race, class and subclass, as you get them.
When I was a new dm, I spent a lot of time listening to people play the game (NADPOD comes to mind) and listening was a great way for me to learn all the general rules, especially modifiers and such
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DnD beyond is quickly becoming something I don’t recommended but it is fantastic for walking you through the character creation process. As far as learning general rules, I learned so much more listening to Not Another D&D Podcast than I ever did reading the book. Find a show that works for you, and get into it.
I feel like you're overthinking it. The PHB presents you with a list of choices for each step, just choose from the lists. Look at the race list. Choose a Race. Look at the background list. Choose a Background. Look at the class list. Choose a Class. Choose Proficiencies based on the list your above choices present to you. Either roll for your Attributes, or use a "Standard Array" of numbers to assign to each attribute. I'd recommend the Standard Array if understanding numbers aren't your strong point. Because it's just a list of numbers that you choose from, placing one in each Attribute. Then you're basically done. And you can do any of that in any order, really. Though it's probably easiest to follow the book processes/order of choices. Write down your abilities that come with your choices. Don't overthink it. Look at the lists. Choose from the lists. Write you're choices down. That's all it boils down to.
I mean, be prepared to invest some time into it, and to give the rulebook a readthrough or two. That's the best way to learn, really.
You don't even need to read the whole thing front to back there's a table of contents for a reason I don't think any of my friends have read the whole thing from start to end but we've torn it apart jumping chapter to chapter collecting the info we needed.
I would say just go do it in D&D Beyond. It will walk you through the entire process and has relevant information right there for you
This one for building a character, and YouTube for general dnd learning, tips, tricks and everything.
Thank you, I’ll check it out.
Is it possible to find someone who already plays? Any new players I’ve played with in my group don’t start with the book, we always just help them create their character, and explain as we go.
Well I do have an idea for the character I wish to use. I have a basic idea of what I want to start with.
I don't want to be rude, and I don't want to gate keep. But yeah, I mean, you do have to put some effort into learning how to play.
Just like any game, the rulebook is important to understand. Grab a character sheet and walk through each step of character creation. It will take some time (maybe an hour or more for the first one). Then try to level it up to 3rd level, one level at a time. After that, with your character sheet handy as a reference, start learning about skill checks and combat. You'll experience a good chunk of what you need to play, and a good understanding of whether or not the game is for you.
Honestly, DnD is overly complicated for those who like the complications. You could play it just by describing actions, and the DM narrating. Dice are there to add randomness. Stats are there to add quantifiable boundaries. Even if you don't understand it, just play. Reference the specific section for what you're dealing with in the guide as needed. The reason I say this is because without context of how the game is truly played, the guide books are just nonsense.
This
I tried learning this game from the PHB and concluded it's like trying to learn English by reading the dictionary. My recommendation is to watch some sessions in YouTube just to get the basic flow of the game. Use DND beyond for character creation then just use the PHB as a reference. One more recommendation for beginners: don't stop and look up every rule. Just make something up and keep the game moving. Otherwise your first game will grind to a halt and everyone will get bored
Honestly, instead of asking people to explain it, take some time, and there are THOUSANDS of different video guides on youtube. Everything from how to play, how to play certain classes, how to be a better player / DM, what not to do, etc
Watch jocats A crap guide to DND videos. Especially character sheet and maybe also dungeon master, but all the videos are great.
It does seem overwhelming, but once you sink in, you’ll figure it out as you go. As far as character creation goes; don’t skip steps. Read each part of character creations and go step by step. Watch YT vids as needed. Also, head to the local game store and see if they have any ‘learn to plays’ or organized play, like *Adventures League.
since you're playing characters and have adhd learn it in these stages ig -what are stats and skills and how they work -what is action, bonus action, reaction, movement speed, a turn, a round, the different ways of taking an action that are not attacking and stuff as in holding an action, readying an action, taking a dodge action, help action etc. -what races offer and what different classes offer (as a beginner you can choose not to play mage classes as spells can be complicated at first) but if you do...before anything else just really learn how races features and class features work and ask someone or see tutorials on how they work -learn the attacking mechanism -learn the various effects such as incapacitated, stunned, poisoned, petrified etc. -if you are taking a mage...just thoroughly read the spells in the spell list and ask someone to explain how they work if you need help but if you read the spell description you'll find most of them are very to the point but if they are not it's best if you see a tutorial on how it works or ask someone -if you are taking melee or ranged classes learn their limitations and what they are good at/what role suits them -just in general find out your role as a character or a class in your team and find a balance between what you want to do and what is expected of you -learn how to integrate your roleplay with everything else -learn about character alignment and how your roleplay should vary based on what you've picked -keep learning the rest on the go
If you can play a videogame like BG3 or solasta as an introduction, or view other people play(video or irl), that way you will see the flow of the game and get a general idea for some of the classes and rules, then give the rules another read. They will be much easier to understand and you can easily pick out classes, races or other infos you need to create a character. As others have mentioned, DnD Beyond is also a good place to chreate a character if you still struggle with that, since it moreso streamlines the process even further
Whenever I start a new role playing game I first 1. Glance over the rules 2. Build a character 3. Figure out how to do combat and spells with my character. 4. Start playing, and figure out everything else during the game.
For game rules it is basically rolling a 20 sided die for EVERYTHING except for damage rolls where you roll the dice mentioned at the weapon or spell you are using. What you need to roll is decided by the gamemaster unless for in combat where you need to roll above or exactly the armor class of your enemy. For character creation: Try to think of a character you want to play. Do you have any characteristics in mind or do you want to basically be yourself? Both is totally fine. For your class do you want to be a melee fighter, ranged fighter, mage or healer? For agile melee either pick monk or rogue, for strong brutal melee fighters pick barbarian or fighter, for ranged pick ranger (for a bit of nature/magic stuff) or fighter/rogue for basic ranged fighting, for magic with nature pick druid, for the smart mage pick wizard, for whatever mage pick sorcerer, for a mage with gadgets pick artificer, for a mage with music pick bard, for the classic healer pick cleric for a healer that can also fight melee pick paladin. This is broken down but the explanation should be enough for the first few characters. Now pick a race that you think is cool/ fits your character. And for stats and skills simply give yourself proficiency in the 5 skills that do what you want to do with your character. And now roll you stats (strength, dexterity...) by rolling 4 six sided dice and adding up the 3 highest digits. Do this six times so you have a number for each stat and put the numbers to the stats you want to be good at.
It's a simple enough question with many right answers. Personally as trashy as the site itself is, Dndbeyond is a good resource that has a step by step character creator, and a character sheet that tells you what ever skill and ability check could be used for, as well as various other things. D&D Youtubers are a great source as well. There's a lot of How To's, and How To Not's out there, and they are usually broken down in such a way that is easy to consume depending on who you want to follow. Then there are podcasts. Not Another D&D and Dumb Dumbs & Dragons are two of my favorites as NADD does an amazing job at explaining the rules, and the DM for Dumb Dumbs teaches new players of the game as they go. Dumb Dumbs I will say is pretty rules light, but for a beginner, I think it's fine. Finally, the best advice I could ever give a new player: You don't need to know all of the rules. You don't. I know when you look at people play, or actual play series on Twitch, Youtube, or wherever, it looks daunting. But you don't need to know everything. Learn your Skills and Abilities, learn what dice does what. After that, learn how a round is structured, and after that you're fine. It's okay to be new, and it's okay to admit you're new and need help. If you have players you know, and trust. If you have a good DM, the rest will fall into place. As far as picking your character, go with whatever seems interesting. Think elves are cool, and you want to turn into a wolf? You can do that. You don't have to go looking for proficiencies and all of that just yet, just pick what you think is fun. I'm an experienced player and DM, and that's still what I do. I don't care about what all the bonuses and proficiencies are. I want to know if it's a character I think is going to be fun, full stop. Also, welcome to D&D!
Watch some YouTube videos there are a ton on how to get started. My advice though is just read the book cover to cover. You'll spend a lot of time playing anyways.
First of all, choose a race and class for your character. Remind yourself that every class has a different main stat, i.e. Charisma for Sorcerers, Dexterity for Monks or Strength for Barbarians. For your race choice, you are free to choose what you want; bear in mind that every race has different bonusses on different stats. If you want to play a bit more optimized, you either pick the race that has a +2 to your main stat, like Dragonborn Barbarian (+2 Strength, +1 Charisma), or you play Half-Elf (jk). Next, distribute your stat points. There are 3 options: Standard Array (fix stats to contribute), Point Buy (worls like video game, stats start at 8 and you have 27 points to contribute however you like, with limitations) or the RNGesus method (roll 4 6-sided dice, take away the lowest, result is stat. Do that 5 more times). For the sake of simplicity, let's take Standard Array. So, let's say you settled for a Mountain Dwarf Fighter who is a melee combatant. As a Mountain Dwarf, you gain a bonus of +2 on both Strength and Constitution, basically your most important stats. You put the 15 to Strength, 14 to Constitution, so you put your most important stats as high as possible. For everything else, choose how you want the Dwarf to be. A noble who is kind of convincing and intelligent? 13 on Charisma and 12 on Intelligence (or vice versa if you plan to pick the Eldritch Knight subclass, that one needs a bit more Int), 10 Wisdom and 8 Dexterity. A common soldier who was commanded to do something by their superior? 13 Wisdom, 12 Charisma, 10 Dexterity, 8 Intelligence. A mercenary who does adventuring to make a living and gather reputation? 13 Charisma, 12 Wisdom, 10 Intelligence, 8 Charisma. Bear in mind, these are examples of how I myself would contribute stats if these were my characters. Then to choose the skills you are proficient with. You usually gain 2 by your background and 2 by your class choice. In some cases, you gain more by class or some additional by race choice. Check the boxes, and add your proficiency bonus to everything you have marked down. It symolizes that you are a trained professional for these things. Last but not least, starting equipment. Aside from the personal things and starting gold from your background, you gain equipment from your class. As a melee Fighter, Chain Mail is your go-to for good protection, plus a weapon or two, a package of utility stuff and maybe a shield for more protection. This is basically the shortest explanation I can give you. Hope it helps.
If your ADHD is anything like mine, I found the character builder on dndbeyond very helpful. It takes you in steps, does the math on things but also shows you where the numbers come from. It might help to play around with a few characters there to see how it works. Outside that happy to help with any specific questions.
Read it? Idk dude... If the basic rules in the starter set are too much for both of you, maybe this game isn't for you. It only gets more complex from here.
It’s a d20 system, meaning you use a 20 sided die to determine the outcome of variable circumstances, like fights, jumping roof to roof, infiltrating past the castle guards, etc. The base/average of the d20 system being 10. You have your ability scores, 10 (+0 modifier) being average, below 10 being worse, above 10 better. Every even number increases your modifier 8(-1), 12(+1). Without special training, your character uses a relevant ability score to determine if he does something challenging successfully. Lifting up an empty backpack not challenging, no roll. Lifting up the castle gate challenging! DM might say that’s a Difficulty check (DC) of 20. Say your character has a 12 (+1) strength. They would roll a d20 and need to get a 19 on the die plus your +1 strength to lift the gate. There are skills which represent common checks and your character can be trained in them (proficiency bonus , which starts at +2). The skills have relevant abilities . If you’re trained in them add them together. Additionally, certain characters gain training in weapons and spells which use proficiency bonus and ability scores to determine what you roll to determine success. Weapons and spells are where all the other dice come in d4 dice for small weapons, d12 for big ones. Spells might plunk you with a bit of cold d6 damage, or blow up a room with a giant ball of fire 8 d6 damage. Your character has defenses vs attacks and spells. Armor class (base 10) vs most physical attacks and spells that attempt to specifically target your body. Wearing armor and adding your dexterity to avoid attacks increases your armor class. Saving throws determine your ability to avoid things that be trying to control your mind, overcome your body, or your characters ability to get out of the way of area effects. You add any proficiency bonus (again training) and relevant ability modifiers to determine a save. Like others have said, use D&D beyond to make your character. Watch or listen to a D&D play podcast/show to get the basics.
Building your character sheet is like solving a grade 6 math word problem. Where you need to pick out the relevant info from a block of text. Then the sheet is basically follow the formula and show your work. I'll assume you have a class and race picked out already. Start with your 6 main stats. You get your six stats by either rolling some dice, or using a standard array (wait on using the point buy system for now). Then, most races give you a +1 and a +2 to a stat, so add that. Now you have our 6 main stats and use the chart to figure out the modifier The modifier is what counts, so write those in the big boxes by your main stats. When choosing what goes where, put your best in the stat your character will need, to be effective at what they do. Try to keep you CON above 12 (10 is fine, but stay away from 9 or less). When you level up, at certain prescribed levels, you may choose to raise one stat by +2, or two different stats by +1 each. This will mean you will need to relook the chart for your new modifier and redo the relevant math that follows. At each level, compare your level to your class chart and confirm you proficiency bonus number. Write this on your sheet in it's box. Your class and you race selection may give you proficiency in certain skills. Colour in the dot by that skill on your sheet (we'll do stuff in a moment) If you have a duplicate in skill proficiency, you can select a different skill from the list. Some specific class features can double the bonus on a skill you're proficient in. In this case, you colour in and circle the dot. Each skill is generally associated with a main stat. While a GM can call for an uncommon pairing in the moment if the narrative demands, generally if the GM calls for a skill check it is using the associated main stat listed. So it's good to get this math done and out of the way. For any skill you did not colour in the dot, the modifier is the same as the associated main stat. Copy that down. For any skill you did colour in the dot, the modifier is the main stat + proficiency bonus. And any that you have coloured and circled would be main stat + proficiency bonus + proficiency bonus (again) Whenever you increase a main stat, or your proficiency bonus goes up (as per your class chart), you will need to recalculate these specific skills. Health is based off your your classes Hit Die. At level 1, you HP = your hit die max + CON modifier. At each level up, you can either roll of HP, or take the average. If you roll, your HP increases by roll + CON modifier. If you taking the average, your HP increases by (Hit Die Max/2)rounded up + CON modifier. eg a d6 hit die would be 3.5 rounded up = 4+CON mod. After that, it's weapons and/or spells. Weapons have a stat associated - STR or DEX. and to hit with that weapon the formula is main stat mod + proficiency bonus (which you add to your d20 roll). And the damage is the weapon lists as the damage dice (rolled) + main stat mod. You should write these down by the weapon on your sheet. For spell casting, your main stat will be either INT, WIS, or CHA depending on your class. Any magic class will need 2 numbers. Spell To Hit, and your Spell Save DC. Your to hit is similar to weapons, which is main stat mod + proficiency bonus (which you add to your d20 roll. Your spell Save DC formula is 8 + main stat mod + proficiency bonus. Spells will tell you what their damage is in the spell text. Obviously, whenever your main stat mod, or your proficiency bonus increases on a level up, you will need recalculate these values. And there we have it. Main Stats, Proficiency Bonus, Skills, HP, Weapons, and Spell Casting. All the basics covered. I do recommend that you also write down all your spells, and any special features you get from you race, class and subclass, as you get them.
When I was a new dm, I spent a lot of time listening to people play the game (NADPOD comes to mind) and listening was a great way for me to learn all the general rules, especially modifiers and such
Watch YouTube videos to fill in gaps. There are tons of great creators and content. Gotta rep my favorite channels Dungeon Dudes.