Hey y'all,

For newbies to D&D, or those just new to this site, like me, here's a list of Acronyms that may help you.

If you experienced folks will help me out, and provide me with any additional ones that are in common use in D&D and here, I will continue to update it from time to time. For those who helped me on that other, related thread, sorry 'bout the formatting screw up. I couldn't fix it, so I started this new thread to give us all a fresh start.

D&D Acronym List (Ongoing. Will continue to add to it, with your help.)

AC__Armor Class

AE / AoE__Area of Effect

AL__Adventurers League

AO / AoO__Attack of Opportunity (Opportunity Attack)

ASI__Ability Score Increase

BB__Booming Blade

BBE / BBEG__ Big Bad Evil / Big Bad Evil Guy/Gal

CP__Copper Pieces

CR__Challenge Rating

DC__Difficulty Class

DDB / DNDB__D&D Beyond

DM__Dungeon Master

DMPC__Dungeon Master's Player Character

DPR__Damage Per Round

EB__Eldritch Blast

EP__Electrum Pieces

EXP /XP__Experience Points

FLGS / LGS__Friendly Local Game Store / Local Game Store

GFB__Green Flame Blade

GM__Game Master

GP__Gold Pieces

GWM__Great Weapons Master

HAM__Heavy Armor Master

HD__Hit Dice

HP__Hit Points

LOH__Lay On Hands

MAD__Multi-Ability (score) Dependent

NPC__Non Player Character

OA__Opportunity Attack (Attack of Opportunity)

OGL__Open Gaming License

OOC__Out Of Character

OP__Original Poster, Over Powered

PAM__Pole Arms Master

PbP / PBP__Play-by-Post

PC__Player Character

PP__Platinum Piece

PVE__Player Versus Environment

PVM__Player Versus Monsters

PVP__Player Versus Player

RAI__Rules As Intended

RAW__Rules As Written

RNG__Random Number Generation

RP__Role Play

RPG__Role Play Game

SAD__Single-Ability (score) Dependent

SP__Silver Pieces

SRD__Standard Reference Document

SS__Sharp Shooter

THP__Temporary Hit Points

TPK__Total Party Kill

TTRPG__Table Top Role Play Game

TWF__Two Weapon Fighting

VTT_Virtual Table Top

WotC__Wizards of the Coast

XBE__Crossbow Expert

Books/Modules:

BG:DiA__Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

CoS__Curse of Strahd

DMG__Dungeon Master's Guide

LMoP__Lost Mine of Phandelver

MM__Monster Manual

MOoT__Mythic Odyssey of Theros

MotM / MMM__(Mordenkainen Presents) Monsters of the Multiverse

MToF__Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes

PHB__Player's Handbook

RotFM__Rime of the Frostmaiden

SCAG__Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide

ToA__Tomb of Annihialtion

TCoE__Tasha's Cauldron of Everything

UA__Unearthed Arcana

VGtM__Volo's Guide to Monsters

VRGtR__Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft

XGtE__Xanathar's Guide to Everything

Abbreviations:

STR__Strength

DEX__Dexterity

CON__Constitution

INT__Intelligence

WIS__Wisdom

CHA__Charisma

Adv__Advantage

Char Gen__Character Generation

Disadv__Disadvantage

Crit__Critical Hit

Dmg__Damage

Init__Initiative

Inv__Inventory

Xbow__crossbow

A couple of misspellings...

NPV should be NPC.

Baulder's Gate should be Baldur's Gate.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Couple of additions:

XGtE - Xanathar's Guide to Everything.

MToF - Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes.

Those are common ones that you have equivalents listed. After that, it depends on how thorough you want to be.

Done and done. Sorry I can't change the thread title; saw it after it was too late.

Dm - dungeon master

Gm- game master

PvP - Player vs player

Rp - Role play

WotC - Wizards of the coast

Gp- Gold pieces

Sp - Silver pieces

Cp- Copper pieces

Ee- electrum(?) pieces

Pp- platinum pieces

Thanks! Goin' out to eat. Will add to list after I come back.

Quote from first_rolled_a_die_in_1976 >>

Thanks! Goin' out to eat. Will add to list after I come back.

 

 Np, enjoy food

Books or adventures:
ToA = Tomb of Annihilation
RotFM = Rime of the Frostmaiden
VRGtR = Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft

Gameplay, mechanics, or miscellaneous:
DMPC = Dungeon Master's Player Character
OOC = Out of Character
UA = Unearthed Arcana
AL = Adventurers League
FLGS = Friendly Local Game Store
PbP = Play-by-post
LOH = Lay On Hands
ASI = Ability Score Increase

Dmg - Damage? It’s the same acronym as dungeon master guide though.

Lol, if anything, this thread is making me realize how much jargon we have in this hobby. A lot of it comes from the greater gaming world, too. Like DPS.

I feel like a quick jaunt over to the Tips & Tactics forum will reveal a lot more, too. 

Quote from BL4cKBE4r >>

Dmg - Damage? It’s the same acronym as dungeon master guide though.

 
Technically dmg as damage is an abbreviation (shortening of a word) not an acronym (representing a phrase by its initials).

The clue is capitalisation. Acronyms should be capitalised but abbreviations would not be. 

dmg = damage

DMG = Dungeon Master's Guide.

Updated! Thanks!

Keep 'em coming!

Quote from Cyb3rM1nd >>

Quote from BL4cKBE4r >>

Dmg - Damage? It’s the same acronym as dungeon master guide though.

 
Technically dmg as damage is an abbreviation (shortening of a word) not an acronym (representing a phrase by its initials).

The clue is capitalisation. Acronyms should be capitalised but abbreviations would not be. 

dmg = damage

DMG = Dungeon Master's Guide.

 Thx, didn’t notice the caps. Soz

Quote from Cyb3rM1nd >>

Quote from BL4cKBE4r >>

Dmg - Damage? It’s the same acronym as dungeon master guide though.

 
Technically dmg as damage is an abbreviation (shortening of a word) not an acronym (representing a phrase by its initials).

The clue is capitalisation. Acronyms should be capitalised but abbreviations would not be. 

dmg = damage

DMG = Dungeon Master's Guide.

 Technically, those are both abbreviations.  To be an acronym, it needs to spell out a word or name.  For example, MCU is an abbreviation, SHIELD is an acronym.

My D&D experience sees the use of quite a few acronyms on a regular basis:

SNAFU - FUBAR - FAD - BOHICA - DILLIGAF - GFDI 

Can't say what they mean, though, without risking a ban from the Forums.

Quote from first_rolled_a_die_in_1976 >>

Hey y'all,

For newbies to D&D, or those just new to this site, like me, here's a list of Acronyms that may help you…

If you experienced folks will help me out, and provide me with any additional ones that are in common use in D&D ..,

D&D Acronym List (Ongoing. Will continue to add to it, with your help.)… 

 

 

DDB__D&D Beyond

 

 
D&D Dungeons and Dragons.

“oh thank you captain obvious!” 🥹 no no please, no thanks are necessary! 

sorry, couldn’t help myself

OP can also mean “Over Powered.”

Possible contributions:

• GFB __ green flame blade
• DPR __ damage per round
• AC __ armor class
• HP __ hit points
• HD __ hit die/dice
• THP __ temporary hit points
  
• Adv __ advantage
• Disadv __ disadvantage
• AoO __ attacks of opportunity
• AoE __ area of effect
• ASI __ ability score improvement/increase (or, alternately, the point at which such an improvement is available, which is also used for feat selection)
• Crit __ critical hit, rolling a natural 20 on a d20 die, usually only applicable for attack rolls and death saving throws. Also known as: "Nat 20"
• DC __ difficulty class
• d4 __ a four-sided die (multiples are Xd4 where X = the number of d4)
• d6 __ a six-sided die (multiples are Xd6 where X = the number of d6)
• d8 __ an eight-sided die (multiples are Xd8 where X = the number of d8)
• d10 __ a ten-sided die (multiples are Xd10 where X = the number of d10)
• d12 __ a twelve-sided die (multiples are Xd12 where X = the number of d12)
• d20 __ a twenty-sided die (multiples are Xd20 where X = the number of d20)
• stat __ another term for "ability score" used as shorthand
• [Class] X __ "X" levels in a class, where X is a number
• Barb __ shorthand for barbarian, not to be confused with "Bard"
• Wiz __ shorthand for wizard
• Sorc __ shorthand for sorcerer
• Pal __ shorthand for paladin; can also be "Pally"
• [Class1] X / [Class2] Y __ notation referring to multiclassing and level-splits between classes; e.g. Wizard 6 / Paladin 14 
• EK __ typically shorthand for "Eldritch Knight" the Fighter subclass, but can also refer to "Echo Knight" the Fighter subclass
• RK __ typically shorthand for "Rune Knight" the Fighter Subclass
• Mercer __ referencing Matthew Mercer, dungeon master for Critical Role, a popular actual play livestream and podcast; also creator of Explorer's Guide to Wildemount; often used to differentiate between Matthew Colville and Matthew Mercer, both of whom are popular third-party contributors to 5E
• 5E __ the 5th Edition of Dungeons and Dragons; other such editions include 1E (also known as BECMI), AD&D, 2E, 3E, 3.5E, 4E; other such notations might include PF1E (for Pathfinder 1st Edition) and PF2E (for Pathfinder 2nd Edition)
• OGL __ Open Gaming License, usually referencing version 1.0a
• 3PP __ third-party provider / publisher, a source of content for an edition of Dungeons and Dragons that is not Wizards of the Coast
• XP / EXP __ experience points, the default method of a character growing and leveling up, often acquired through participation and combat encounters
• FLGS / LGS __ friendly local gaming store / local gaming store
• MAD __ multi-ability score-dependent; requiring more than one ability score to be invested into in order to make the most out of a character concept
• SAD __ single-ability score-dependent; requiring one ability score to be invested into in order to make the most out of a character concept
• OSR __ old-school revival / renaissance / rules
• PBP __ play by post; see the Play by Post forums for more information
• PVE __ players versus environment; typically how D&D is played, in which player characters face challenges from the world around them set up by the DM
• PVP __ player versus player; a situation in which a player character challenges another player character, or does something to deliberately negatively impact the party of player characters, often by way of combat
• RNG __ random number generation, often used to refer to a player or character's luck
• SRD __ standard reference document
• TPK __ total party kill, a scenario in which every player character dies

Other jargon contributions:

• build = how a player character is "built", usually with the nuts and bolts of mechanics as a focus
• toon = the character you're playing, short for cartoon, adopted from MMORPGs like World of Warcraft and Everquest; not as popular, succeeded by "build"
• dip = a level or short sequence of levels taken in a class separate from your main class
• dump stat = a stat (ability score) deliberately made weaker because it does not contribute to the greater goal of a character or build; a wizard might "dump" STR, for example, because they gain little mechanical benefit from putting points in STR
• caster = someone who uses spells to fuel their primary abilities and style
• half caster = someone who has "half" of the spellcasting progression of a full caster (see: full caster); typically refers to paladins, rangers, and artificers
• full caster = someone who has "full" spellcasting progression; typically refers to clerics, druids, sorcerers, bards, and wizards
• third caster = someone who has a "third" of the spellcasting progression of a full caster (see: full caster); typically refers to the Arcane Trickster subclass for Rogues and the Eldritch Knight subclass for Fighters
• martial = someone who uses weapons, armor, and usually a focus on physical stats (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution) without the aid of spells to fuel their primary abilities and style
• gish = a type of character that has both martial capabilities (that is, primarily focused around using a weapon) and caster capabilities (primarily focusing on using spell slots)

List updated!

OA = Opportunity Attack

Quote from IamSposta >>

OA = Opportunity Attack

 Also written as AOO - Attack Of Opportunity