Roll20 is an online platform used for hosting Dungeons and Dragons campaigns, as well as other tabletop pen and paper games. It is a great way to interact with not only your friends, but also your character. Roll20 automatically calculates damage, hit points, armor class, and many more important parts of Dungeons and Dragons.
Welcome to Roll20! This Roll20 tutorial will help you get started playing the game. There are a lot of different menus to navigate through and options to select from, so it can be overwhelming at first. But with this guide, you will be able to set up your character so you can start playing.
Creating a Character
To create a character in DND, you first need to create a character sheet on Roll20. The character sheet is where you will store all of your character’s information. This includes your name, race, class, alignment, hit points, skills and feats. After you have created your character sheet, you will need to create a campaign on Roll20. A campaign is simply a set of rules that govern how your characters interact with each other and the world around them. Once you have created your campaign and characters, you are ready to begin playing! ..
Your character name: Class: Subclass: Level: Race: Subrace: ..
We’ve chosen our class and race, and now it’s time to get started on our wizarding journey.
This secondary field allows you to enter your character’s background, alignment, and the total number of experience points. Keep in mind that experience points might not be necessary if your Dungeon Master uses the milestone leveling method.
Entering Character Stats
To enter your stats in the game, first click on the “Stats” button in the top left corner of the screen. This will open up a small window below the “Status” window. In this window, you’ll see three small round areas: Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. The larger number is your modifier and is automatically calculated. For example, if you enter 20 in the Strength field, you get a modifier of +5. To change your character’s stats during battle, simply click on one of the stat icons and drag it to where you want it to be. You can also type in a new value if you’re not sure what it is. Once you’ve finished entering all your stats, hit “OK” to close out of Stats mode and return to the game. ..
If you’re a rogue, you can choose to have your proficiency bonus calculated automatically or to choose to have it based on your class.
Armor Class is automatically calculated when you add armor to your inventory. The Initiative field is your modifier and is also automatically calculated. Speed is based on your character, but you have to manually enter that. For most races in D&D, your base speed is 30 feet per turn.
Personality Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws are not a necessary part of gameplay. The Hit Dice field is based on your level and class. If you need to roll a Hit Die at any point during gameplay, just click the “Hit Dice” word at the bottom. Beside the Hit Dice field, Death Saves can be clicked on or off. You can also click “Death Saves” to automatically roll the dice. ..
To add your Proficiency to any Skill roll automatically, click the checkbox beside it.
Adding Character Items
You can drag and drop your gear onto your character sheet. The right side of your screen should show several options at the top of the screen. Select the icon that looks like an “i” in the middle of a circle.
In this example, we have given our Wizard a Battleaxe. Because there are two different ways to attack with a Battleaxe, Roll20 has added both options to the Attacks & Spellcasting menu.
Click the name of the weapon to see its Attack Roll and Damage.
When you drag an item from the Compendium onto your sheet, it is automatically added to this field and calculates the weight of each item. Unless your DM has a penchant for tedium, weight will rarely play a role in the game. ..
Glamoured Studded Leather Armor has automatically increased the character’s Armor Class to 13.
Adding Spells
Selecting a spell from the Spells tab will allow you to cast that spell using your current action points.
You can select any of the plus symbols on the screen to manually add spells, but the easiest way to do so is to drag and drop spells from the Compendium onto the spell page. This will automatically set up everything from range and spell card output to damage rolls and saving throws.
Adding Bio Info
The Bio section of the character creation screen is where you can enter important information about your character, such as their appearance, allies and organizations they belong to, and more. This section will help you remember important details about your character and keep track of the treasure they have. ..
Your Dungeon Master may place more importance on backstory than others, depending on the game’s setting and how it is run.
This guide will help you get your character sheet set up so that you can dive into a game of Roll20. After all, the best teacher is experience—whether that experience is playing in a campaign yourself, or trying to take on an Ancient Red Dragon at level one.
