The Archive contains every book of rules ever published for a tabletop roleplaying game called “Dungeons & Dragons.” The game’s many editions are infeasible complex, with one including almost 80 official rule books, plus many more compatible supplementary books.
Tabletop role-playing games have one defining characteristic: you can do whatever you want. The rules provide a rough framework which the Dungeon Master uses to adjudicate how player actions should be resolved. Sometimes, there is a clear rule (like how many times you can attack on your turn). Sometimes there is not (what does it take to bribe an official?). Still other times, there is a clear rule about there not being a rule (“Improvising an Action” in combat). In a sense, this makes the game very ease, as you do not need to know the rules to play.
This rules-light approach works. It lends itself more towards narrative-driven games, and avoids dealing with some of the math and strategy elements of other playstyles. However, an over-reliance on rule-light can lead to a distancing from the mechanics that make D&D a dice game rather than a storytelling activity.
At the core of D&D, there are two games: the game of story and the game of strategy. The whole game works best when these sub-games are in balance. The adrenaline high of rolling a natural 20 at a critical story moment makes it more exciting and memorable that if the conclusion was inevitable. The determination to win the super-chess game of D&D combat is all the more intense when you know the fate of the fate of the world hangs in the balance. The risk of failure inherent in the mechanics, and the promise of reward in the story compliment one another.
Given the importance of both aspects, one would hope they were fairly represented in discussion. If it makes the game more fun, we should spend as much time discussing how to write interesting characters and engage with the world as we do the mechanical strengths and weaknesses of kobolds. But that is not the case. Or at least, that is not the case across mediums. The Player’s Handbook dedicates about 20 of 300 pages to character — the rest is about mechanics. The Internet, on the other hand, seems to focus more on group social dynamics, and roleplaying. Neither of these things is bad, but I think we could find more ways to enjoy the game if we bridged this gap. As this is the Internet, I will try to restore balance by enthusing about mechanics and strategy.
This article is intended to serve as an introduction to D&D strategy for players who are not that interested in mechanics. It will set the stage for a series of class-by-class articles introducing how to build effective characters and avoid the frustration of being unable to translate an awesome character idea into realities you enjoy playing. This is not a guide to min-maxing or character optimisation — my goal is to help you make an effective character: one that is capable of fulfilling whatever dream you have for them.
How to Play: the Numbers
We cannot hide from the maths involved in D&D. Although we do not need to perform statistical analysis, a quick review of some maths will help us compare mechanics. We need to understand enough maths to determine if one option is better or worse than another. Fortunately, the maths is quite simple, and is the same for decisions about the weapon to use and the actions to take in combat.
Suitably Big Numbers
It is highly likely that the first thing you will do when playing D&D is make a character. This requires determining ability scores by one of many methods. What should you do? How do we decide which ability scores should be high, and which do not matter? Beyond that, how do we determine if an ability score is good or bad?
I have elsewhere mentioned RPGBOT’s analysis of ability score numbers. They show that the Monster Manual expects your core ability score — the one that determines your attack bonus — should start at 16, then increase to 18 at level 4 and 20 and level 8. The game does not leave a lot of freedom here: if you do not meet this requirement, you will succeed less frequently than the game expects. The same maths also determines the save DC for casters.
The Player’s Handbook specifies the Primary Abilities of all classes, so it is normally easy to identify. A few classes have multiple primary abilities — these classes are sometimes described as MAD (multi-ability dependent). The obvious ones are the Paladin and Ranger, who need an attack ability and a spell ability. Certain subclasses can turn normal classes MAD, such as the Eldritch Knight, whose spells rely on Intelligence. These subclasses are not made so obvious, so be alert for this in characters who use weapons and spells.
After establishing your primary ability scores, and making sure they (ideally) start at 16, we can move to other abilities. This is where we have a bit more flexibility. Here is a summary.
Strength
Strength is used for most melee attacks. It is also used for determining carrying capacity, but this rule is normally ignored. Saves are normally to avoid forced movement or being knocked down in melee. Aside from those using finesse weapons, most melee characters will have Strength as a primary anyway. Everyone else will want to avoid needing to make these saves by staying far away from enemies. If this is not a primary ability, there is little reason to invest in it.
Dexterity
Dexterity is the best ability score in the game. It is used for ranged and finesse weapons, and is added to AC, so has defensive and offensive value. It applies to more skills than Strength, and my experience is that balancing with Acrobatics and group Stealth rolls are more common that situations were everyone must make an Athletics check — breaking down doors can be left to Strength-based characters. Dexterity saves are very common (area of effect spells, breath weapons, and so forth), and usually reduce damage taken, which is valuable for everyone. It also applies to Initiative — we will return to this under combat. As a result, Dexterity is valuable for any character who does not wear heavy armour (which does not let you add your modifier to AC) or medium armour (which caps the bonus at +2).
Constitution
Constitution lets you hold your breath (which is rarely important) and gives you hitpoints (which are always important). Constitution saves are common due to poison, and for concentration checks. While not particularly exciting, everyone benefits from a higher constitution. However, it is worth noting that (as with avoiding Strength saves), casters should generally leave taking damage to martial characters, so should not need to make concentration checks frequently (unless they are melee casters like Hexblades).
Intelligence
Intelligence saves are overwhelmingly rare. Of the Intelligence skills, four are about knowledge, and one is Investigation. Knowledge checks are generally trivial — as in, they relate to trivia. Critical information must be available by other means, as you might fail the check. Aside from convenience, all you lose by not having these abilities are fun facts about the world. Investigation competes with Perception, and depending on the DM can have limited value. Prioritise other abilities.
Wisdom
Wisdom saves are common, and Perception is the most-rolled skill in the game. Effects that require Wisdom saves are often quite frustrating, like Fear and Paralysis — many abilities designed to take a character out of the fight temporarily are Wisdom saves. As both saves and skills are useful, high Wisdom is valuable.
Charisma
Charisma saves are rare, and Charisma skills all relate to social interactions, which are often a minor feature. Common wisdom has labeled Charisma the dump stat, and unless your game has a strong focus on social interactions you should listen to it.
Fun Ability Scores
This list suggests that all characters should put Dexterity, Constitution, and Wisdom first, and to a certain extent that is true. However, these are just the simplest ways to avoid certain hazards, and it can be fun to use other methods. A low-HP wizard who relies on wards and Shield to avoid taking damage, or a Barbarian who relies on their sorcerer counterspelling attempts to control their mind both find alternative (much more interesting) ways of dealing with these problems. If you feel daring, leave a vulnerability in your character so that you must find a way to address it.
Average Rolls
The other bit of maths we need to look at is dice rolls. How do we compare 1d12 and 2d6, and how much is the modifier worth compared with the size of the dice?
First, how to compare dice. For this, we need to calculate an average roll — an indication of a typical roll. We could use a mean or a median. The median is the “middle value” if we put all the possible results in a row — half the time, we will be above it, and half the time we will be below it. The mean represents the center of the probability distribution produced by rolling the dice. For a single dice roll, these will be the same. Rolling 1d6 produces the following distribution: [1,2,3,4,5,6]. The median is 3.5, as it is half way between 3 and 4. The mean is the sum of all values divided by the number of values, so is also 3.5. Because there is a symmetric distribution, the mean will be half way between the highest and lowest values, so we can quickly calculate it as (1+6)/2.
The differences only start to matter on more complex distributions. For example, when rolling 1d20 at advantage, the mean is 13.8, but the median is 15. The middle of the sequence is 15, but the smaller numbers that occur less frequently are far enough from the center of the distribution to pull it down to 13.8. Medians are generally considered a better average for skewed distributions like this, but mean dice rolls are easier to calculate. As we are looking for a rough comparison, we can take a shortcut and use the mean.
We can calculate the value of a modifier by considering how much better it makes our results. If we were making attack rolls against an AC of 11, rolling 1d20 would succeed 50% of the time, and rolling 1d20+1 would succeed in 55% of rolls. It is better by 5%. This increase will depend on the dice we roll: a +1 bonus on 1d4 gives a 25% boost.
Examples
This stuff is a bit confusing, so here are some comparisons:
The Greataxe and Greatsword are both Heavy, Two-Handed weapons. The Greataxe deals 1d12 damage, weighs 7lb, and costs 30gp. The Greatsword deals 2d6 damage, weighs 6lb, and costs 50gp. Which should a new Barbarian use?
First, we can remove unimportant details. The weight difference is negligible, and they are both available as starting gear, so we can ignore cost. That leaves damage. The mean damage from the Greataxe is (12+1)/2, so 6.5. The mean for the Greatsword will be double the mean of 1d6, which is 3.5, for a final value of 7. The Greatsword wins! For a better picture of what is happening, check out AnyDice to try plotting these distributions.
To keep things complicated, Barbarians eventually get Brutal Critical, which lets them roll an extra dice on a critical hit. With a Greataxe, this will be an extra 1d12 (6.5), but with a Greatsword it will only be 1d6 (3.5). Critical hits are rare, but are more common if you use Reckless Attacks, so at this point it may be worth switching. Then again, you might have a magic weapon that changes the maths again.
Is it better to use a Greatsword, or a Longsword and shield?
We probably will not reach a clear answer for this, but we can look at the maths to inform our decision. This is clearly a trade-off — more damage or more AC. The question is how significant it is.
A Shield gives a +2 bonus to AC. As attack rolls use 1d20, this makes you 10% harder to hit. I will leave out the detailed argument, as we have done a lot of maths, but this can also be expressed as you taking 10% less damage.
A Greatsword has mean damage of 7, and a Longsword in one hand is 4.5. If we assume Strength is your primary ability score, and that you have a +4 modifier, this gives final damage values of 11 and 8.5. The Greatsword does about 30% more damage.
We can now put numbers to the trade-off. Would you rather be 10% harder to hit, or deal 30% more damage? To answer that, we need to understand combat.
How to Play: Combat
The vast majority of D&D’s rules are devoted to combat — both general game mechanics and specific class features are overwhelmingly focused on killing things in turn order. As these mechanics are what we will use the most, we need to understand how to act effectively. To do so, we must think about combat differently than how it normally looks.
D&D combat is an asymmetric game played by two sides. Each side has a pool of actions, but can lose them in certain situations. The goal is to reduce the other side’s pool of actions to zero.
I admit, this is a strange description, but it is true. In most cases, the PCs’ goal is to kill everything they are fighting, and the monsters want to kill the PCs — while there are variations (defend a position, kill a captain, etc.), I will focus on this common case and let you reapply it as as needed. Although each PC is controlled by a different player, the players (and allied NPCs) ultimately form one unified team. This means they can work together: the best strategy is not for a single PC to advance towards the goal as efficiently as possible, but for the party as a whole to make progress.
Action Economy
I described the two teams as each having a pool of actions, and the goal as reducing your enemy’s pool to zero. This framework can help us discuss the Action Economy: how much stuff your side can do in a round, compared with the enemy. The intuition here is that having more actions lets you do more stuff – this is why ten thousand kobolds are more dangerous than one dragon. As with the real world, a numeric advantage goes a long way towards winning a fight. This leads to our first strategic priority: get the Action Economy in your favor. Let us examine the ways we can do this.
The best approach is to kill them. Dead enemies (and fully dead undead) cannot take actions for the rest of the fight. Mechanically, this is easy to do. Damage will reliably stop your enemy hurting you. The sooner you kill someone, the fewer actions they can take in the fight. Ideally, you want to win initiative and kill them before their first action. Failing that, be sure to focus your fire: if your team deals 100 points of damage to your enemy, you will either have killed several, and can focus on the rest; or you will have wounded all, but not swung the balance in your favor.
Sometimes, it is easier to stop an enemy briefly than kill them. Paralysis, Stun, and Banishment all temporarily change the Action Economy. Mind control is particularly effective, as one side loses actions and the other gains them. These effects are powerful, but are best used against more powerful targets for several reasons. First, boss monsters tend to have more hitpoints, so take longer to kill — getting them out of the way gives time to kill everything else. Second, unlike dealing damage, which is normally permanent, the action you spent stopping the enemy is a significant cost for a temporary benefit. As you are spending actions from your side’s pool to remove actions from the other side, you should ensure that they lose more. Stopping a goblin making one attack is not a great trade-off; stopping an epic dragon making six deadly attacks, is much better.
If you cannot kill or temporarily stop an enemy, you can thwart them. Certain monsters need certain situations to function effectively. Assassins need a way to get advantage to use sneak attack; snipers need line of sight; slow enemies need you to be near by. Deny them this, and they will not be able to use their most powerful options. The assassin must choose to make a regular strike, or devout actions to getting into a better position; the archer must move out of cover, or at least take penalties for cover.
Each of these points also applies in reverse. Your side is most powerful when everyone can act, so try not to die. If your allies are paralyses, free them — dispelling the effect has an action cost, as you cannot do anything else, but injuring a caster will both bring them closer to death and force a concentration check. Finally, ensure your efforts are not thwarted. Pick your battlefield and position yourself strategically, but more importantly pay attention to your allies. Create opportunities for your rouge to sneak attack. Stop enemies reaching your concentrating caster. Corner fast foes and ground flying monsters.
How to Play: Multiclassing
It is possible for a character to take levels in different classes. Multiclassing is difficult to do well, but with careful thought can be fund.
The first problem with multiclassing is ability scores. If the different classes have different primary ability scores, you must normally ensure they are both high enough, which is not always possible with some ability score generation methods. This problem can be sidestepped with certain class features (like Hexblades, who can replace a Fighter’s Strength with Charisma), magic items, or careful selection of features (picking only spells that do not involve saves or spell attacks).
The second is level scaling. Most classes unlock more powerful features at higher levels. Casters get higher level spells, Rogues get more sneak attack, and Fighters get more attacks. Built carelessly, a multiclass character can end up functioning like two characters, each at only half the character’s level, who must share their action each turn. To avoid this, pick classes that with good synergy. For example, a Rogue’s Sneak Attack and Cunning Action can be used by most martial characters without stopping them doing something else.
Effective multiclassing is possible, and can lead to really interesting characters. However, it is very complicated. You will spend a lot of time puzzling out interactions between abilities from different classes that were not designed to work together. If that sounds exciting, great! If not, stick to one class.
Time to Get Started
This introduction already gives you more than enough to start understanding the strategies at play in D&D, so there is no need to wait for the next article. Go and play! Start experimenting with character ideas and mechanics to find out what you like, and compare them to the class analysis that forms the rest of this series, starting next time with the unstoppable force of nature that is the Barbarian.