Campaign: The game you play in, comprising the world, the characters, and the PCs, is often called a "campaign." In this way you might play in a D20 Modern Shadow Chasers campaign, or a Superheroes campaign, or a D&D campaign, like RPG Ike's Shroud Isle campaign.

Class: Basically, the character's class is its job in the world (although everyone's job description generally works out to be "kick ass," but each class does so in different ways). The core classes include Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Sorceror, and Wizard. Each class has different strengths and weaknesses, and combining them into multi-class characters allows you to make almost any kind of fantasy character you can think of.

Critical Hit: Every time a character or monster swings a sword, slashes with a claw, snaps with its teeth, or aims the ray of a spell, there's a chance that the attack will do far more damage than normal--this is called a critical hit, which often marks a turning point in a battle. Critical hits happen when naturally high numbers come up on the D20 roll (se Natural 20 and Natural 1, below).

D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, D20: A short version for dice with different numbers of sides. A D4 is a four-sided die, while a D20 has, of course, twenty. Other dice sizes are rumoured, but uncomfirmed.

DM: The dungeon master is the game's referee. Technically he's a player like the others, but he runs everything in the game other than the other players, including driving the story, providing plot hooks, controlling monsters, and acting as the arbiter of all events in that campaign world. In the games I've been involved, we never refer to this player as the "dungeon master," much preferring the far less nerdy DM, or alternately the GM, or game master.

DMG: The Dungeon Master's Guide, one of the three core books you'll need to play D&D.

EXP: Experience points, which are a measure of your general power level, are earned through performing quests, defeating monsters, and (in many cases) awarded by the DM for particularly heroic actions or good roleplaying.

Homebrew: A campaign wherein the world, encounters, and story are largely designed by the DM and not taken from some other source, especially published works.

House Rule(s): Standards set by a particular gaming group or DM that do not necessarily cross over into, or even originate from, any published source. House rules can be simple, like all gnomes in your campaign know an extra language, or complex, like using D6s instead of D20s to determine success.

Natural 1: The worst possible result on a D20 (see above) roll. Rolling a 1 often means an automatic failure, no matter how skilled the character is.

Natural 20: The best possible result on a D20 (see above) roll. Rolling a 20 often means an automatic success, no matter how foolish or hopeless the action.

PC: Player Character. A person who plays D&D who is not the DM (see above).

PH: The Player's Handbook, the only core book every player should have. The PH contains everything you need to make and maintain a heroic character.

Race: Your species. Common choices include dwarf, elf, gnome, half-elf, halfling, half-orc, and human. Each has different strengths and weaknesses.

Session: A time period when you and your buddies have gotten together to play D&D or another RPG. Also often referred to as a game session. There are no rules governing session length, but groups often play for 5 hours or so.

TPK: Total Player Kill. The unfortunate death of all the PCs (see above). TPKs sometimes end campaigns, but are often simply recharging and refactoring points for a group of players as they decide what, and how, they want to play next.

XP: Experience points. See also EXP, above.

Last updated on June 13, 2008 by RPG Ike