Coming back to DnD after a decade long hiatus. My kid and her friends are now getting into it, and I am trying to help them learn how to play the game and have fun. 5e seems pretty similar to 3e, but I have some questions I am trying to get clear on before I try to explain to the kids the character creation process. I am hoping this forum is a place where I can get answers to my probably stupid questions...
1) Am I understanding correctly that, when the player chooses a race, she must also choose one of the subraces of that race. In other words, if the player wants to be an elf, she must then choose between high elf, wood elf, etc? The ability score bonuses for her character would be +2 dex and +1 to either intelligence or wisdom, depending on which subrace she chose, correct?
2) I am trying to understand the spell slots by level chart vs. the explanation for prepared spells. The rules seem to be saying, for example, that a level 3 cleric has four level 1 slots and two level 2 slots, but that, for the available prepared spells, the calculation is wisdom modifier + class level. Does this mean that if the wisdom modifier is only +1, that a 3rd level cleric would only be able to prepare 4 spells?
3) Cantrips...I think this is a new thing since 3e...Do cantrips stack with the prepared spells? In other words, can a cleric take "minor healing" as a cantrip to use once per day and use a spell slot for that same spell? It would mean that she could cast "minor healing" two times that day, once as a cantrip and once as a spell from the prepared list, correct?
4) Skills seem to be handled quite differently from 3e...help on this?
Thanks for any help you all can provide me, and sorry for the dumb questions!
1 - correct. Race/sub race together usually give +2 to one stat and +1 to another.
2- how spell slots and prepared spells work depend on the class, and is described in each class’s rules for spellcasting. I think you’ve got the cleric ones right, though. Know all the cleric spells of appropriate level and pick which ones to prepare each day, and are able to prepare cleric level + wisdom mod. Note that the spells you can cast are limited just by your spell slots and which spells you prepared, nothing else. You could use all your slots to cast one spell a bunch of times, you can use them all on different spells, whatever you want.
3- First, cantrip spells are labeled as such - you can’t take a level one spell “as a cantrip”. See, for example, guidance. Second, cantrips do not take spell slots and can be cast as many times per day as you like. A cleric starts knowing 3 cantrips, as per the table on the cleric page.
Coming back to DnD after a decade long hiatus. My kid and her friends are now getting into it, and I am trying to help them learn how to play the game and have fun. 5e seems pretty similar to 3e, but I have some questions I am trying to get clear on before I try to explain to the kids the character creation process. I am hoping this forum is a place where I can get answers to my probably stupid questions...
1) Am I understanding correctly that, when the player chooses a race, she must also choose one of the subraces of that race. In other words, if the player wants to be an elf, she must then choose between high elf, wood elf, etc? The ability score bonuses for her character would be +2 dex and +1 to either intelligence or wisdom, depending on which subrace she chose, correct?
2) I am trying to understand the spell slots by level chart vs. the explanation for prepared spells. The rules seem to be saying, for example, that a level 3 cleric has four level 1 slots and two level 2 slots, but that, for the available prepared spells, the calculation is wisdom modifier + class level. Does this mean that if the wisdom modifier is only +1, that a 3rd level cleric would only be able to prepare 4 spells?
3) Cantrips...I think this is a new thing since 3e...Do cantrips stack with the prepared spells? In other words, can a cleric take "minor healing" as a cantrip to use once per day and use a spell slot for that same spell? It would mean that she could cast "minor healing" two times that day, once as a cantrip and once as a spell from the prepared list, correct?
4) Skills seem to be handled quite differently from 3e...help on this?
Thanks for any help you all can provide me, and sorry for the dumb questions!
-- Matt
1. That's correct. The race/subrace organization is a way for the sourcebooks to describe the common features of the different subraces first, then list the distinctions from one subrace to another. So with Elves for example, it discusses things that apply to all types of Elves, both storywise and mechanically, then goes into specifics for Wood Elves, High Elves etc. and talks about the things that make them unique. It's possible a subrace will have a feature that they get instead of a base feature for the race. If so, the book will say that specifically.
2. The spell slots can be treated much like a currency, or that ticket book you used to get for the rides at Disneyland(I may be dating myself with that analogy). Casting a spell requires "spending" a spell slot of a high-enough level. You can "overpay", sometimes causing the effect of the spell to be enhanced(usually increasing the damage or number of targets), but you can never "underpay". In terms of which spells you can cast, each class has its own rule. For some, like a Bard or a Sorcerer, you learn a specific number of spells that increases as you level up. Those are your spells, you can cast any of them on a given day as many times as you have spell slots to do so. Wizards learn spells as the level up as well, which are inscribed in their spellbook. They learn more than most classes, 2 per level. Plus, if they find another wizard's spellbook, or a spell scroll, they can copy the spell into their own spellbook. But at the start of each day, they have to pick a subset of those spells, and those are the ones they can pick from that day. The only exceptions are ritual spells, they can be cast as rituals(taking 10 minutes longer) right out of the book and without costing a spell slot. Divine casters like the Cleric, Druid and Paladin, don't have to "learn" a specific subset. They have access to the entire spell list for their class, but like Wizards have to pick a subset each day. They just get to pick from the entire spell list rather than from a very large subset of it. :)
In addition, many subclass options come with a small set of bonus spells. In most cases, the character always has access to cast these spells and they don't count towards the number of spells they can prepare each day. Except Warlocks, their "bonus spells" are just additions to the list they can pick from when leveling up. Grrrr *shakes fist*
Long story short, you're right about the Cleric, mostly. In addition to the Level+WisMod number, they also have the spells from their Domain list prepared every day as a bonus. Sometimes these are Cleric spells that are thematically appropriate for their Domain, sometimes they're spells that aren't on the normal Cleric list at all.
3) When it comes to preparing spells and spending spell slots, cantrips are totally separate from all that math. You can never cast them with spell slots, you never need to. The effects described in the cantrip's description that increase at higher levels increase with your character's total level, not your level in that class(in case you decide to multiclass). It's one of the only abilities that scales with character vs class level, along with your Proficiency Bonus. Speaking of...
4) Skill/Tool checks are all based on three things: a d20 roll, an ability modifier, and a bonus based on Proficiency. Most of the time, a skill is tied to a specific ability, like Athletics with Strength, or Intimidation with Charisma. In addition, as a benefit from your race, class, background or maybe a feat, you may be Proficient in that skill or with that tool. If so, you also add your Proficiency Bonus(determined by your overall character level) to the roll. Some abilities will let you add double your Proficiency Bonus(such as the Expertise feature of Rogues), and some let you add a partial bonus(the Jack-Of-All-Trades feature of Bards lets you add half your bonus if you aren't already Proficient). Proficiency-based bonuses to skill/tool checks don't stack. If somehow you get the benefit of Proficiency from two different sources, you only add one of them to the roll(usually one of the abilities will say it applies only to checks where you aren't already proficient, to avoid this). In some cases, the DM will decide to use a different ability score from the one usually associated with the skill based on circumstance. That's why the book describes them like "Make a Strength(Athletics) check". A popular example is for a DM to let a Barbarian to make a Strength(Intimidation) check instead of a Charisma(Intimidation) check, maybe by bending a heavy metal bar in front of the target indicating he's next. :) Also, tool checks can sometimes use different abilities based on what you're trying to do with the tool. Someone using Calligrapher's Supplies to replicate a formal document that's right in front of them might call for a Dexterity-based check. If they're trying to duplicate it from memory however, Intelligence might be more appropriate than Dexterity. In addition, if you have proficiency in two different things that complement each other, your DM might grant you Advantage on the roll. If you're looking for a secret door in a stone wall and you're proficient in both Investigation and Mason's Tools, your DM might decide you can make the Intelligence(Investigation) check with Advantage. Xanathar's Guide To Everything talks about these types of synergies between skill & tool proficiencies.
It sounds like you mostly understand 1 and 2. To ease the "spells prepared" confusion, I'll point out that the same spell can be cast multiple times per day as long as you have unused slots (of equal or higher level).
Cantrips can't be cast with spell slots and leveled spells can't be selected as cantrips. They are completely separate types of spells.
Skills are pretty straightforward. Every skill corresponds to an ability modifier. You add your proficiency modifier to your skill bonus if you are proficient in that skill from background, class, or race.
2) Yes, but lots of spells have At Higher Levels in their description, which makes casting using higher slots still worthwhile.
3) These are effectively 0th level spells. They are they own spells, and use character level for progression instead of class level. You cannot higher level cast them using spell slots. You have unlimited uses of cantrips that you know.
4) In 3e, if a class give 4 + INT skill points (x3 at first level), most people just picked that many skills and maxed their points into them and didn't bother with splitting points around too much. Rather than have to deal with the book-keeping of skill points for 5e, the skill points have been effectively replaced with "proficiency bonus" and you just pick the skills that you would have maxed out anyway. And unlike 3e (where only your class granted skill points), now your class, background, and sometimes race can grant skill proficiency. Also note that the range of possible values is a lot smaller in 5e than 3e, which is a design decision on WotC's part to keep things a bit more balanced.
The use of the term "cantrip" can be kind of confusing, since it's not a commonly used term even in fantasy stories. I find it easier sometimes to explain them as just "Level Zero" spells... they're a completely different type of spell and are balanced around being something that the caster can do over and over again all day long for free.
As far as skills. Let’s continue to use your level 3 cleric with a WIS modifier of +1as an example (not a great stat for a cleric who uses WIS as his spellcasting ability I would add, but that’s beside the point).
At level 3, every player--regardless of class—has a proficiency bonus of +2. (It bumps to +3 at level 5) So any skills they’re proficient in get +2 on top of their ability modifier. So your Cleric, proficient in Perception, (a WIS based skill), gets +3 total when asked to make a perception check. However, this cleric is not proficient in Animal Handling (also a WIS based skill), so if asked to make an animal handling check, he only adds the +1 from his WIS modifier, and that’s his total for the check.
Thank you all so much for all of the generous and clear explanations. I think I've got it all straight now, and I'm glad to be getting back into dungeoning. Now I just need to find some adults to play with, too ;-).
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Hello all,
Coming back to DnD after a decade long hiatus. My kid and her friends are now getting into it, and I am trying to help them learn how to play the game and have fun. 5e seems pretty similar to 3e, but I have some questions I am trying to get clear on before I try to explain to the kids the character creation process. I am hoping this forum is a place where I can get answers to my probably stupid questions...
1) Am I understanding correctly that, when the player chooses a race, she must also choose one of the subraces of that race. In other words, if the player wants to be an elf, she must then choose between high elf, wood elf, etc? The ability score bonuses for her character would be +2 dex and +1 to either intelligence or wisdom, depending on which subrace she chose, correct?
2) I am trying to understand the spell slots by level chart vs. the explanation for prepared spells. The rules seem to be saying, for example, that a level 3 cleric has four level 1 slots and two level 2 slots, but that, for the available prepared spells, the calculation is wisdom modifier + class level. Does this mean that if the wisdom modifier is only +1, that a 3rd level cleric would only be able to prepare 4 spells?
3) Cantrips...I think this is a new thing since 3e...Do cantrips stack with the prepared spells? In other words, can a cleric take "minor healing" as a cantrip to use once per day and use a spell slot for that same spell? It would mean that she could cast "minor healing" two times that day, once as a cantrip and once as a spell from the prepared list, correct?
4) Skills seem to be handled quite differently from 3e...help on this?
Thanks for any help you all can provide me, and sorry for the dumb questions!
-- Matt
1 - correct. Race/sub race together usually give +2 to one stat and +1 to another.
2- how spell slots and prepared spells work depend on the class, and is described in each class’s rules for spellcasting. I think you’ve got the cleric ones right, though. Know all the cleric spells of appropriate level and pick which ones to prepare each day, and are able to prepare cleric level + wisdom mod. Note that the spells you can cast are limited just by your spell slots and which spells you prepared, nothing else. You could use all your slots to cast one spell a bunch of times, you can use them all on different spells, whatever you want.
3- First, cantrip spells are labeled as such - you can’t take a level one spell “as a cantrip”. See, for example, guidance. Second, cantrips do not take spell slots and can be cast as many times per day as you like. A cleric starts knowing 3 cantrips, as per the table on the cleric page.
Skills are described at https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/basic-rules/using-ability-scores#Skills .
Basically, if a character is proficient in a skill, it just means they add their proficiency bonus to ability checks where that skill is relevant.
1. That's correct. The race/subrace organization is a way for the sourcebooks to describe the common features of the different subraces first, then list the distinctions from one subrace to another. So with Elves for example, it discusses things that apply to all types of Elves, both storywise and mechanically, then goes into specifics for Wood Elves, High Elves etc. and talks about the things that make them unique. It's possible a subrace will have a feature that they get instead of a base feature for the race. If so, the book will say that specifically.
2. The spell slots can be treated much like a currency, or that ticket book you used to get for the rides at Disneyland(I may be dating myself with that analogy). Casting a spell requires "spending" a spell slot of a high-enough level. You can "overpay", sometimes causing the effect of the spell to be enhanced(usually increasing the damage or number of targets), but you can never "underpay". In terms of which spells you can cast, each class has its own rule. For some, like a Bard or a Sorcerer, you learn a specific number of spells that increases as you level up. Those are your spells, you can cast any of them on a given day as many times as you have spell slots to do so. Wizards learn spells as the level up as well, which are inscribed in their spellbook. They learn more than most classes, 2 per level. Plus, if they find another wizard's spellbook, or a spell scroll, they can copy the spell into their own spellbook. But at the start of each day, they have to pick a subset of those spells, and those are the ones they can pick from that day. The only exceptions are ritual spells, they can be cast as rituals(taking 10 minutes longer) right out of the book and without costing a spell slot. Divine casters like the Cleric, Druid and Paladin, don't have to "learn" a specific subset. They have access to the entire spell list for their class, but like Wizards have to pick a subset each day. They just get to pick from the entire spell list rather than from a very large subset of it. :)
In addition, many subclass options come with a small set of bonus spells. In most cases, the character always has access to cast these spells and they don't count towards the number of spells they can prepare each day. Except Warlocks, their "bonus spells" are just additions to the list they can pick from when leveling up. Grrrr *shakes fist*
Long story short, you're right about the Cleric, mostly. In addition to the Level+WisMod number, they also have the spells from their Domain list prepared every day as a bonus. Sometimes these are Cleric spells that are thematically appropriate for their Domain, sometimes they're spells that aren't on the normal Cleric list at all.
3) When it comes to preparing spells and spending spell slots, cantrips are totally separate from all that math. You can never cast them with spell slots, you never need to. The effects described in the cantrip's description that increase at higher levels increase with your character's total level, not your level in that class(in case you decide to multiclass). It's one of the only abilities that scales with character vs class level, along with your Proficiency Bonus. Speaking of...
4) Skill/Tool checks are all based on three things: a d20 roll, an ability modifier, and a bonus based on Proficiency. Most of the time, a skill is tied to a specific ability, like Athletics with Strength, or Intimidation with Charisma. In addition, as a benefit from your race, class, background or maybe a feat, you may be Proficient in that skill or with that tool. If so, you also add your Proficiency Bonus(determined by your overall character level) to the roll. Some abilities will let you add double your Proficiency Bonus(such as the Expertise feature of Rogues), and some let you add a partial bonus(the Jack-Of-All-Trades feature of Bards lets you add half your bonus if you aren't already Proficient). Proficiency-based bonuses to skill/tool checks don't stack. If somehow you get the benefit of Proficiency from two different sources, you only add one of them to the roll(usually one of the abilities will say it applies only to checks where you aren't already proficient, to avoid this). In some cases, the DM will decide to use a different ability score from the one usually associated with the skill based on circumstance. That's why the book describes them like "Make a Strength(Athletics) check". A popular example is for a DM to let a Barbarian to make a Strength(Intimidation) check instead of a Charisma(Intimidation) check, maybe by bending a heavy metal bar in front of the target indicating he's next. :) Also, tool checks can sometimes use different abilities based on what you're trying to do with the tool. Someone using Calligrapher's Supplies to replicate a formal document that's right in front of them might call for a Dexterity-based check. If they're trying to duplicate it from memory however, Intelligence might be more appropriate than Dexterity. In addition, if you have proficiency in two different things that complement each other, your DM might grant you Advantage on the roll. If you're looking for a secret door in a stone wall and you're proficient in both Investigation and Mason's Tools, your DM might decide you can make the Intelligence(Investigation) check with Advantage. Xanathar's Guide To Everything talks about these types of synergies between skill & tool proficiencies.
It sounds like you mostly understand 1 and 2. To ease the "spells prepared" confusion, I'll point out that the same spell can be cast multiple times per day as long as you have unused slots (of equal or higher level).
Cantrips can't be cast with spell slots and leveled spells can't be selected as cantrips. They are completely separate types of spells.
Skills are pretty straightforward. Every skill corresponds to an ability modifier. You add your proficiency modifier to your skill bonus if you are proficient in that skill from background, class, or race.
1) Yes
2) Yes, but lots of spells have At Higher Levels in their description, which makes casting using higher slots still worthwhile.
3) These are effectively 0th level spells. They are they own spells, and use character level for progression instead of class level. You cannot higher level cast them using spell slots. You have unlimited uses of cantrips that you know.
4) In 3e, if a class give 4 + INT skill points (x3 at first level), most people just picked that many skills and maxed their points into them and didn't bother with splitting points around too much. Rather than have to deal with the book-keeping of skill points for 5e, the skill points have been effectively replaced with "proficiency bonus" and you just pick the skills that you would have maxed out anyway. And unlike 3e (where only your class granted skill points), now your class, background, and sometimes race can grant skill proficiency. Also note that the range of possible values is a lot smaller in 5e than 3e, which is a design decision on WotC's part to keep things a bit more balanced.
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The use of the term "cantrip" can be kind of confusing, since it's not a commonly used term even in fantasy stories. I find it easier sometimes to explain them as just "Level Zero" spells... they're a completely different type of spell and are balanced around being something that the caster can do over and over again all day long for free.
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As far as skills. Let’s continue to use your level 3 cleric with a WIS modifier of +1as an example (not a great stat for a cleric who uses WIS as his spellcasting ability I would add, but that’s beside the point).
At level 3, every player--regardless of class—has a proficiency bonus of +2. (It bumps to +3 at level 5) So any skills they’re proficient in get +2 on top of their ability modifier. So your Cleric, proficient in Perception, (a WIS based skill), gets +3 total when asked to make a perception check. However, this cleric is not proficient in Animal Handling (also a WIS based skill), so if asked to make an animal handling check, he only adds the +1 from his WIS modifier, and that’s his total for the check.
Thank you all so much for all of the generous and clear explanations. I think I've got it all straight now, and I'm glad to be getting back into dungeoning. Now I just need to find some adults to play with, too ;-).