Play DnD for free!
Did you know you can get the basic rules of D&D for free? No, you don’t need pirated scans of books or dodgy copies, WotC will give you the basic rules for free on their website with their blessing.
The free basic DnD rules let you play from level 1 all the way to level 20. Play as either a cleric, fighter, rogue, and wizard, as well as a single subclass for each of them. The free PDF rulebook contains all you need to start playing including character sheets, character creation, spells and backgrounds.
The free basic rules for DnD presented in four sections:
- Character Creation – The rules you need in order to create the character you will play in the game including information on the choice of race, class, backgrounds and the equipment your character can use.
- How to Play – This section covers the dice rolls you will need to make to determine whether your character’s actions succeed or fail, describing rules for exploration, interaction, and combat.
- Magic – The nature of magic in D&D along with rules for casting spells which may be available to wizards and other spellcasters in the game.
- DMs Tools – Information for the dungeon master to start building adventures including combat encounters, magic items and and stat blocks for monsters.
What to do next?
After you have tried out the basic rules, there are literally thousands of different ways to continue playing with your group. While you could carry on making your own adventures indefinitely from the free downloadable D&D rules, if you do want to spend a little money, here are our suggestions of a few essential D&D supplements to make your game as fun and easy to run as possible.
Starter Set
Essentials Kit
The Dungeons and Dragons Essentials kit is a fantastic resource. We really love this kit as it contains everything you need to start playing. A printed version of the basic rulebook, along with a full adventure to run with your players. There are 6 blank character sheets, a dungeon master screen, 11 dice, a double sided map, and 81 cards for the magic items and sidekicks that feature in this adventure.
While the set supports up to one Dungeon Master and five players, this is also the first official D&D 5th edition product supporting play with only a DM and a single player, thanks to the introduction of sidekicks to fill the role of other players in the party.
Player’s Handbook
If you are a player you’ll eventually want a copy of the Player’s Handbook. This is the essential reference for every Dungeons & Dragons roleplayer. The D&D Player’s Handbook contains rules for character creation and advancement, backgrounds and skills, exploration and combat, equipment, spells, and much more. This book contains rules for many more races and classes than are in the free basic rules. If you want to play as a Tiefling Warlock or a Half Orc Barbarian, you’ll need a copy of this book.
Dungeon Master’s Guide
The DM’s Guide contains all of the rules and inspiration a Dungeon Master needs to run an awesome D&D campaign. In this book we find world-building tips and tools, information on creating believable and memorable dungeons and adventures. There are hundreds of magic items and some introductory monster stat blocks. The authors expand upon this with the accompanying tome, the D&D Monster Manual.
