Ok, so, I know nothing about DnD at all. But I was watching a few youtubers play some DnD and it looks like it could be fun. But I have a ton of questions:
1: So, what is the deal with Beyond? What are the plans for the future? Is it just like a resource place? Can you play a campaign online here? Do you need external sources to do any kind of online play? Really, just kinda add anything you can think of on those lines.
2: I'm given to understand that DnD can sometimes be complex. Or at least, it looks like it to me. Is this place simple enough to use do you find both for creating campaigns and for playing them? Imagine you are just a guy walking into a DnD Beyond place for the first time after watching some YT vids. What do you think?
3: Do I need to pay anything to use stuff? If so, what? That 300 pound Legend Edition looks painful, I could buy a game console for that probably. And I'm not a fan of subs when I'm not even sure I will get into this.
You can find all of the rules you need to start playing D&D here for free in the Basic Rules.
The additional books, including Player's Handbook, add more complexity and options to the game.
My biggest advice to you though, if you would like to get involved in D&D is to find someone experienced, who will let you join in a game, so you can experience it with people who know the game. Your local gaming hobby store may well have a D&D day/evening.
1) D&D Beyond is not a Virtual TableTop, is an official digital resource for all the D&D content. If you want to play online, what you really need is a chat, phone chat or video chat. Aside from the digital books, DDB offers a character builder, campaign management, homebrew management and listing of spells, monsters and items. Only the copyrighted content needs a purchase the rest is free.
2) D&D can be simple and complex depending on the group you are playing with.
3) If you are a new player, you can use the basic rules to start, and those are free. Then, if you really enjoy the game, you can think to make some purchases. The Legendary Bundle is not necessary as it gives you all the released content. You can think of purchasing only the books that are interesting to you.
4) Join a group! Even if it is just a play-by-post on this site or anywhere else. Learn by playing.
Just to add to what our mighty Mods already said: aside from the Basic Rule, ALL TOOLS ARE ALSO FREE in DDB! This is important to point out, imho, as some people might think they need a subscription in order to use them. That's not the case. All the buttons you have at the top of the page (Characters, Spells, Items etc.) are free to use as much as you want.
The only thing to keep in mind is that the Basic Rules have a limited number of options in terms of character creation, spells and monsters, but there's more than enough there to organise an introductory game and learn to play.
In regards to the paid resources, the Legendary Bundle sure seems daunting, but there are a couple of things to consider: you get everything that has been officially released until now, 15% discounted plus 15% on any other official manual/supplement/adventure released from now on. Also keep into consideration that physical books cost more than what you would pay here on DDB, so you would be saving anyway.
That being said, you do not NEED everything that is in the Legendary Bundle, not at the beginning at least. I would personally suggest to maybe buy Lost Mines of Phandelver as a starter: it provides a good introductory adventure that can be run even by unexperienced Dungeon Masters and makes you learn the game in a simple and fun enough way. The "boxed" version also includes pre-generated characters, but given how DDB works (the 6 character slots for non-subscribers) they are not included. You can anyway download pre-generated characters from here (second half of the page), there you have A LOT of premade characters ready for the taking to use in any adventure, be it as playing characters, support characters controlled by the DM etc.
After your first adventure (be it LMoP or one created by the DM) you can see if you like the game and if you want to invest into it. Should the cost of the Legendary Bundle still seem too high, you could start by buying the Player's Handbook and the Monster's Manual (the first one much more important than the second, but it's nice to have A LOT of monsters to choose from :) ). That would already open up a multitude of new options and possibilities. After that... well it really depends on what you/your group wants to do: do you want to play more published adventures? there are entire campaigns being sold here on DDB (I personally advice playing Curse of Strahd for a somewhat long-running cohesive campaign, or Tales From the Yawning Portal for a plethora of old-but-gold standalone adventures for different level ranges); do you want to play original, home-made adventures but want more character options/monsters? Xanathar's Guide to Everything and Volo's Guide to Monsters got you covered with a large amount of new options on both.
All of the above would not technically require a subscription, as what the two subscription tiers do is: Hero Tier -> removes ads and gives an infinite amount of character slots Master Tier -> removes ads, unlimited character slots and content sharing. Content sharing means that you have 3 campaign slots to share everything and anything you have bought with up to 12 characters/players per-campaign (so a grand total of 36 characters/players).
Hope the above is of any help, but believe me there's much more to DDB and to D&D itself, and DDB is about to receive a nice overhaul of the character builder part (possibly more info on this will be released Tuesday 21st in the livestream from BadEye) and in the near future a complete Campaign Manager, with more options and tools.
If you have any doubt, do not hesitate in asking here in the forums, there's a lot of extremely friendly and helpful people 'round here, and if you are from the US, I'd suggest you give a look at the Looking for Players & Groups section of the forum, where you can find a lot of people looking for others to play, either here via play-by-post or online or even around a table, should you be in the same city/nearby.
That's it, I am done with the wall of text :P Again, hope this was in any way useful :)
I second the suggestion of Lost Mine of Phandelver, it's a great introduction to the game. The only thing I'd add is possibly consider buying it on roll20 if you're the kind of player that would like to use maps and miniatures. I'd definitely recommend buying the Player's Handbook here on D&D Beyond if you decide to pursue the hobby further too.
I second the suggestion of Lost Mine of Phandelver, it's a great introduction to the game. The only thing I'd add is possibly consider buying it on roll20 if you're the kind of player that would like to use maps and miniatures. I'd definitely recommend buying the Player's Handbook here on D&D Beyond if you decide to pursue the hobby further too.
While a good suggestion (albeit I am not sure suggesting to buy something on another platform is allowed :P [then again we are still waiting news on the hinted at possible integration between DDB and Roll20 from some time ago]), I am not sure it's the best way to go for complete newcomers to the hobby.
While the visual representation and clever use of the maps and resources of Roll20 can be really useful and time-saving (I use it myself), I think it might be a bit overwhelming to people not used to roleplaying, and/or it could take away from the actual role-play part, making it look more like an adventure game (let's not forget LMoP is quite combat-heavy as an adventure, so all the maps and combats might just make the players only want to move to the next combat to roll dice). Also, using Roll20 is no small feat for a new DM, should it be that the OP wants to play with other newcomers.
All that being said, a VTT is definitely a good tool to have if you game with people online, just maybe not for complete newcomers ;)
I third Lost Mine, but only if you are planning on DMing. As a player, you don’t need it.
The DM is going to end up spending more than a player to get the “full” game. Both will need a Players Handbook (PHB), but the DM will need the other two core books, the Dungon Master Guide and the Monster Manual. After that, the DM would buy the Adventure Moduals to run the game, or not and homebrew the story.
The other player resources, are optional. As a player, you can get the full experance with just the PHB. The others just expand our options.
With D&D Beyond, not only is the price usually half of the physical copy, if there is a subclass, Spell, or item you want from a book, you can buy just that. You don’t have to buy the full product I’d you don’t think you’ll use it. If you deside to go back and get the full product, then the amount you sent will be applied to the final price. You will not pay more than the listed price.
Plenty of good responses already in this thread, but some of them are a bit in the weeds, so I will try to keep it as simple as I can
1: DnDbeyond is an online repository for D&D rule books. You can see those under the compendium section. The Basic rules are free, but have limited options compared to some of the other rules. The Core rules are the players handbook, monster manual, and dungeon masters guide. These add more options, and most people who play would use at least these books.. there are other books under the rules section, but these are next level options by the time you would even consider using these, you would be far enough along to know what they are.
DnDbeyond is also an online repository for official premade adventures - which you can also see under the compendium. When playing D&D the Dungeon Master can either homebrew his own adventures, or use premade ones. the ones you see in the compendium section are official D&D adventures. As said elsewhere on this thread, Lost Mines of Phandelver is a good intro adventure, and in fact comes with the "starter set" that can be purchased in game shops or on amazon.
DnDBeyond is also an online character builder and repository for character sheets. The players in D&D play characters, and the sheets are how they keep track of their stats, abilities, money, spells, etc.
The above mentioned components are all linked in DnDBeyond, which is super helpful, and can
DnDbeyond doesn't really provide any tools to play games online.
2: D&D can be complex. this tool helps reduce the complexity, but I don't know how great it is to teach someone to play. watching youtube videos, getting the starter set I mention above, or finding a game at a local game store are good ways to learn.
3: other than the basic rules mentioned above, you need to pay for the content you'd like to use. no beginner should buy the legendary set. Hell I don't even have it because it includes all the publshed official adventures, and I'll never run them. The subs improve the service - removing ads, giving more character sheets (I think free limits you at 6) and lastly allows sharing of paid content (at the master tier). you can try the service free, and see if you like it.
as a total newbie, you may well consider buying the books here vs paper books - beyond that I wouldn't invest much until you are sure you like it.
2: I'm given to understand that DnD can sometimes be complex. Or at least, it looks like it to me. Is this place simple enough to use do you find both for creating campaigns and for playing them? Imagine you are just a guy walking into a DnD Beyond place for the first time after watching some YT vids. What do you think?
Without paying a cent, you can use your account here to make 6 characters in the Character Builder which uses the free D&D 5e rules in the form of the Basic Rules (technically the SRD). This can be a huge help in understanding how a character works. Use the builder to tinker and see how the various rules and systems interact on the character sheet.
If you want more functionality to the builder, you can purchase more options. If you want the full Player's Handbook, for instance, you can buy that. If you want more character slots, you can subscribe to the Hero Tier. If you want even more character options, there is the Volo's and Xanathar's rulebooks. And if you want to share your content with other players, you can get a Master Tier subscription.
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Ok, so, I know nothing about DnD at all. But I was watching a few youtubers play some DnD and it looks like it could be fun. But I have a ton of questions:
1: So, what is the deal with Beyond? What are the plans for the future? Is it just like a resource place? Can you play a campaign online here? Do you need external sources to do any kind of online play? Really, just kinda add anything you can think of on those lines.
2: I'm given to understand that DnD can sometimes be complex. Or at least, it looks like it to me. Is this place simple enough to use do you find both for creating campaigns and for playing them? Imagine you are just a guy walking into a DnD Beyond place for the first time after watching some YT vids. What do you think?
3: Do I need to pay anything to use stuff? If so, what? That 300 pound Legend Edition looks painful, I could buy a game console for that probably. And I'm not a fan of subs when I'm not even sure I will get into this.
4: Any tips?
You can find all of the rules you need to start playing D&D here for free in the Basic Rules.
The additional books, including Player's Handbook, add more complexity and options to the game.
My biggest advice to you though, if you would like to get involved in D&D is to find someone experienced, who will let you join in a game, so you can experience it with people who know the game. Your local gaming hobby store may well have a D&D day/evening.
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If you need help with homebrew, please post on the homebrew forums, where multiple staff and moderators can read your post and help you!
"We got this, no problem! I'll take the twenty on the left - you guys handle the one on the right!"🔊
Hi Kylestien, here my answer:
1) D&D Beyond is not a Virtual TableTop, is an official digital resource for all the D&D content. If you want to play online, what you really need is a chat, phone chat or video chat. Aside from the digital books, DDB offers a character builder, campaign management, homebrew management and listing of spells, monsters and items. Only the copyrighted content needs a purchase the rest is free.
2) D&D can be simple and complex depending on the group you are playing with.
3) If you are a new player, you can use the basic rules to start, and those are free. Then, if you really enjoy the game, you can think to make some purchases. The Legendary Bundle is not necessary as it gives you all the released content. You can think of purchasing only the books that are interesting to you.
4) Join a group! Even if it is just a play-by-post on this site or anywhere else. Learn by playing.
Just to add to what our mighty Mods already said: aside from the Basic Rule, ALL TOOLS ARE ALSO FREE in DDB!
This is important to point out, imho, as some people might think they need a subscription in order to use them. That's not the case. All the buttons you have at the top of the page (Characters, Spells, Items etc.) are free to use as much as you want.
The only thing to keep in mind is that the Basic Rules have a limited number of options in terms of character creation, spells and monsters, but there's more than enough there to organise an introductory game and learn to play.
In regards to the paid resources, the Legendary Bundle sure seems daunting, but there are a couple of things to consider: you get everything that has been officially released until now, 15% discounted plus 15% on any other official manual/supplement/adventure released from now on. Also keep into consideration that physical books cost more than what you would pay here on DDB, so you would be saving anyway.
That being said, you do not NEED everything that is in the Legendary Bundle, not at the beginning at least. I would personally suggest to maybe buy Lost Mines of Phandelver as a starter: it provides a good introductory adventure that can be run even by unexperienced Dungeon Masters and makes you learn the game in a simple and fun enough way. The "boxed" version also includes pre-generated characters, but given how DDB works (the 6 character slots for non-subscribers) they are not included. You can anyway download pre-generated characters from here (second half of the page), there you have A LOT of premade characters ready for the taking to use in any adventure, be it as playing characters, support characters controlled by the DM etc.
After your first adventure (be it LMoP or one created by the DM) you can see if you like the game and if you want to invest into it. Should the cost of the Legendary Bundle still seem too high, you could start by buying the Player's Handbook and the Monster's Manual (the first one much more important than the second, but it's nice to have A LOT of monsters to choose from :) ). That would already open up a multitude of new options and possibilities.
After that... well it really depends on what you/your group wants to do: do you want to play more published adventures? there are entire campaigns being sold here on DDB (I personally advice playing Curse of Strahd for a somewhat long-running cohesive campaign, or Tales From the Yawning Portal for a plethora of old-but-gold standalone adventures for different level ranges); do you want to play original, home-made adventures but want more character options/monsters? Xanathar's Guide to Everything and Volo's Guide to Monsters got you covered with a large amount of new options on both.
All of the above would not technically require a subscription, as what the two subscription tiers do is:
Hero Tier -> removes ads and gives an infinite amount of character slots
Master Tier -> removes ads, unlimited character slots and content sharing. Content sharing means that you have 3 campaign slots to share everything and anything you have bought with up to 12 characters/players per-campaign (so a grand total of 36 characters/players).
Hope the above is of any help, but believe me there's much more to DDB and to D&D itself, and DDB is about to receive a nice overhaul of the character builder part (possibly more info on this will be released Tuesday 21st in the livestream from BadEye) and in the near future a complete Campaign Manager, with more options and tools.
If you have any doubt, do not hesitate in asking here in the forums, there's a lot of extremely friendly and helpful people 'round here, and if you are from the US, I'd suggest you give a look at the Looking for Players & Groups section of the forum, where you can find a lot of people looking for others to play, either here via play-by-post or online or even around a table, should you be in the same city/nearby.
That's it, I am done with the wall of text :P
Again, hope this was in any way useful :)
Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games
I second the suggestion of Lost Mine of Phandelver, it's a great introduction to the game. The only thing I'd add is possibly consider buying it on roll20 if you're the kind of player that would like to use maps and miniatures. I'd definitely recommend buying the Player's Handbook here on D&D Beyond if you decide to pursue the hobby further too.
Born in Italy, moved a bunch, living in Spain, my heart always belonged to Roleplaying Games
I third Lost Mine, but only if you are planning on DMing. As a player, you don’t need it.
The DM is going to end up spending more than a player to get the “full” game. Both will need a Players Handbook (PHB), but the DM will need the other two core books, the Dungon Master Guide and the Monster Manual. After that, the DM would buy the Adventure Moduals to run the game, or not and homebrew the story.
The other player resources, are optional. As a player, you can get the full experance with just the PHB. The others just expand our options.
With D&D Beyond, not only is the price usually half of the physical copy, if there is a subclass, Spell, or item you want from a book, you can buy just that. You don’t have to buy the full product I’d you don’t think you’ll use it. If you deside to go back and get the full product, then the amount you sent will be applied to the final price. You will not pay more than the listed price.
Plenty of good responses already in this thread, but some of them are a bit in the weeds, so I will try to keep it as simple as I can
1: DnDbeyond is an online repository for D&D rule books. You can see those under the compendium section. The Basic rules are free, but have limited options compared to some of the other rules. The Core rules are the players handbook, monster manual, and dungeon masters guide. These add more options, and most people who play would use at least these books.. there are other books under the rules section, but these are next level options by the time you would even consider using these, you would be far enough along to know what they are.
DnDbeyond is also an online repository for official premade adventures - which you can also see under the compendium. When playing D&D the Dungeon Master can either homebrew his own adventures, or use premade ones. the ones you see in the compendium section are official D&D adventures. As said elsewhere on this thread, Lost Mines of Phandelver is a good intro adventure, and in fact comes with the "starter set" that can be purchased in game shops or on amazon.
DnDBeyond is also an online character builder and repository for character sheets. The players in D&D play characters, and the sheets are how they keep track of their stats, abilities, money, spells, etc.
The above mentioned components are all linked in DnDBeyond, which is super helpful, and can
DnDbeyond doesn't really provide any tools to play games online.
2: D&D can be complex. this tool helps reduce the complexity, but I don't know how great it is to teach someone to play. watching youtube videos, getting the starter set I mention above, or finding a game at a local game store are good ways to learn.
3: other than the basic rules mentioned above, you need to pay for the content you'd like to use. no beginner should buy the legendary set. Hell I don't even have it because it includes all the publshed official adventures, and I'll never run them. The subs improve the service - removing ads, giving more character sheets (I think free limits you at 6) and lastly allows sharing of paid content (at the master tier). you can try the service free, and see if you like it.
as a total newbie, you may well consider buying the books here vs paper books - beyond that I wouldn't invest much until you are sure you like it.
Legendary Bundle ~ Master Tier
If you want more functionality to the builder, you can purchase more options. If you want the full Player's Handbook, for instance, you can buy that. If you want more character slots, you can subscribe to the Hero Tier. If you want even more character options, there is the Volo's and Xanathar's rulebooks. And if you want to share your content with other players, you can get a Master Tier subscription.