Combat is a key component of Dungeons & Dragons. Of course there are other elements to the game – exploration, puzzles, and social interactions, for example – but the meat of gameplay (and most of the abilities on your character sheet) centers around the D&D combat rules. This can be intimidating; D&D combat actions are complex, with pages and pages 2024 Player’s Handbook devoted to D&D combat rules. This leaves players looking for a way to have D&D combat explained in a way that makes sense. We’ve been playing and running games of Dungeons & Dragons for years, and we’ve seen just about every question, rules clarification, and wild ideas in (and out of) the book. So we present to you our D&D combat guide for new players and old!

Teachers and parents alike are looking for ways to teach kids sign language. And while children’s sign language classes, sign language video tutorials, and family sign language lessons are all great ways to learn, it can be a challenge to get children invested. We’ve already seen how Dungeons & Dragons can be used to teach social emotional learning skills, and some teachers are even using D&D in the classroom – why not use D&D to teach sign language? We got the chance to speak to Rich Oxenham, who, after over a decade spent working with the Deaf community, tried to do just that, and co-created a family business along the way! Here’s what he had to say about his journey to teach sign language with Dungeons & Dragons.

Though dragons are definitely the most iconic creature in Dungeons & Dragons, there are plenty of other monsters to encounter. In fact, there are actually dinosaur D&D stats in the official books! There are detailed attacks, ability scores, and lore for tons of different dinosaurs, all inspired by their actual historical counterparts. Check out our D&D dinosaurs list to compare stats, learn a little paleontology, and maybe even craft your own D&D dinosaur build!

Kids have all kinds of different nerdy interests: one might watch anime and play video games, another might draw Pokemon and read sci-fi, and another might make steampunk jewelry and play Dungeons & Dragons. The geek scene is ever-expanding, and plenty of kids are flocking to what were previously fringe interests. With that interest can come a desire to participate IRL – to participate, oftentimes, by going to a geek convention. And parents, understandably, have questions. Can kids go to comic con? Where can I find family friendly conventions? Underneath all these questions is this: how do I let my child explore their interests while keeping them safe? I’ve been to conventions from anime to sci-fi, from 200 people in a hotel ballroom to tens of thousands in a sprawling convention center, and I’m here to be your guide to finding family friendly conventions!

Plenty of players have gone beyond the limits of the official books and created their own Dungeons & Dragons homebrew. With homebrewing, you can custom-build elements and craft exactly the kind of game you want to play in exactly the kind of world you want to play it in. Not only can players make a D&D homebrew class, wield homebrew items, and take homebrew feats, but Dungeon Masters can create D&D homebrew races for their world alongside homebrew monsters, NPCs, or even an entire universe! It’s a lot to think about, but we’re here to give you the basics for how to get started creating your very own Dungeons & Dragons homebrew creations.

If you’re on the internet, you’ve already seen plenty of Dungeons & Dragons alignment chart memes. Whether it’s how to squeeze toothpaste, mark a book, or arrange a room, there’s probably a 3x3 grid out there with spots filled in for lawful good, neutral good, chaotic good, lawful neutral, true neutral, chaotic neutral, lawful evil, neutral evil, and chaotic evil. We have to admit – these can be pretty hilarious. But did you know that the D&D character alignment chart is actually an important part of playing the game? Lest you ever leave that tiny little “Alignment” box empty (or miss out on being able to explain the origin of one of the best memes around), we’ll tell you everything you need to know about the 9 character alignments in Dungeons & Dragons. 

With the release of the live action How To Train Your Dragon on June 13th, we’ve been thinking a lot about the world of Berk and the dragons that live in it. And, naturally, that got us wondering about how to do a How To Train Your Dragon D&D Campaign . What kinds of homebrew dragons, character builds, and adventures have people come up with? And the internet did not disappoint. We poked around and found some clever How To Train Your Dragon 5e creations to share with you all! 

Players from all across the internet love a funny D&D story – we know, because we’re among them! There’s nothing that feels quite like getting to hear awesome silly moments from a D&D campaign, unless it’s sharing your own epic D&D stories of natural 20s, plans gone wrong, or times the players stumped the Dungeon Master! We’ve been running games at Young Dragonslayers for five years now, and we’ve got the zaniest, most creative players in the world: tweens and teens! So sit back, relax, and enjoy these absolutely hilarious but delightfully wholesome D&D stories from our campaigns.

Shows like Critical Role, Dimension 20, and The Adventure Zone are called “Actual Play” – shows where people tell a story by playing Dungeons & Dragons (and games like it). These shows, and plenty more like them, have become hugely popular, spinning off into live performances, production companies, and even animated TV shows. We already went over everything you need to know about actual-play shows in general, but today we wanted to address some questions about what shows like Dimension 20 are rated. Is it okay for a 12 year old to watch Critical Role? Should you let your child listen to The Adventure Zone? Are there actual play shows for kids specifically? We’ll provide you with everything you need to know to determine what D&D shows are good for kids in your family.

One of the greatest joys in Dungeons & Dragons is getting to live out wild imaginary adventures: going on quests, finding lost treasure, and of course…adopting D&D pets. There are a variety of ways to get pets in D&D; you can befriend a wild animal, summon a creature with a magic item, or even create a pet by casting magic spells! We’ll go through all of these options to let you know exactly how you can get a pet in Dungeons & Dragons. 

From the first origins of the game, people have been asking a lot of questions about the intersection of Christianity and Dungeons & Dragons. During the Satanic Panic, many Christians hated D&D and were told D&D was demonic and sinful. Though that turned out to be false, some Christians are still wary of the game, while other Christians love D&D and have their games influenced by their faith. We’re here to discuss ways that Christians can play D&D and use it to uphold Christian values like building community, telling truth, and and even sharing Jesus!

Since the introduction of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) in 1974, there have been a lot of questions about the game. Is it safe to play D&D? Are there demons in D&D? Can Christians play D&D? The answer, especially throughout the “Satanic Panic” of the 1980s seemed to be a resounding “no,” but the years since have given people a chance to reevaluate. I’m Jaclyn Lewis, former youth minister, current professional Dungeon Master and parent, and I had the chance to interview Pastor Derek W. White, a minister with the United Methodist Church, long-time Dungeon Master and the creator of the D&D satanic panic movie documentary. We’re here to explore what is controversial about D&D, what the Bible has to say about D&D and what Christians need to know about Dungeons & Dragons.  

Becoming a professional Dungeon Master is more than just being a good DM; to be paid to DM online, you also need to engage in some self-promotion. Professional DM jobs require marketing yourself, advertising your games, and getting hired as a DM online by a consistent base of clients in order to make money as a DM. We’ll talk you through some of the strategies you can use to market yourself and your games so that you can get to the best part of pro DMing: running games of Dungeons & Dragons!

Many hopeful Dungeons & Dragons players struggle to find groups to play with in person – or, an all-too-common situation, they found a group, only to have it fall apart. This leaves many D&D players searching for D&D group finders, places to play D&D online, or even an app for finding D&D groups. While I do love playing Dungeons & Dragons around a physical table with my local friends, the vast majority of my games are online: whether through Discord servers, Zoom rooms, or Roll20 games. Not only are there lots of great tools to play online; sometimes, it truly is the best option to be able to find people to play D&D with. Here are some of the ways I’ve found people to play D&D online with and a few more I recommend from my experience running online D&D groups.

With the release of the Lego Dungeons & Dragons set (not to mention the huge crossover between Lego fans and D&D fans), a lot of people are wondering how they can use their Legos to play D&D. How are Legos good for D&D games? What can Legos be used for in D&D? What are the best Lego minifigures for D&D? How do you come up with ideas for a Lego D&D adventure? We’re Young Dragonslayers (an online D&D club for tweens and teens), and we’ve teamed up with Infinibrix (a D&D-style game that uses Lego pieces to create epic, zany adventures for any age) to tell you how you can best use Legos in your D&D games and beyond!

Dungeons and Dragons is a popular game for people of all ages. This leaves a lot of parents asking questions about the game. Is DnD appropriate for my kids? How old does my child have to be to play DnD? Can a 7 or 8 year old play DnD? We’re a group of parents, educators, and gamers who run games for young players, so we have a pretty good idea of when to start children on D&D and how they can have the best experience.

The pantheon of Dungeons & Dragons is vast, containing mythological deities from our world, like Asmodeus, alongside original gods, like Selûne. When playing a D&D character with divine powers, like a cleric or paladin, you get to choose one of these deities to get power from - plus you may encounter them along your adventures! If you’re a fan of Norse mythology, you may wonder what Norse gods are in D&D and how you could incorporate them in a Norse mythology campaign or into your own D&D character. If that’s you, read on!

For years, people played Dungeons & Dragons at tables in homes, libraries, and convention centers. But with the dawn of the internet, many started playing online and, particularly around the height of the pandemic, switching to more robust tools like Discord. We started Young Dragonslayers during the pandemic and have exclusively run games online, several of them using Discord, so we have a few tips and tricks to share about how to get started playing D&D on Discord. 

The new Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual brings a fresh look at popular monsters in D&D 5e. You may be familiar with some monsters, but did you know that many of them were actually directly inspired by Lord of the Rings! Here are a few classic monsters from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, their Dungeons & Dragons counterparts, and how the new D&D monsters 2024 shape up. 

When most people think of a Dungeons & Dragons campaign, they usually picture the action happening on land: in castles, caves, cities, forts, mountains, roads, and, of course, dungeons. But some adventures are not content to stay landlocked - they call for the pull of the saltwater, to sail on a ship, fight aquatic monsters, and explore the depths of the ocean. If you’re an old or new Dungeon Master looking for unique D&D campaign ideas, why not look to the water? We’re professional DMs over here (I know, it is the coolest job), so we have a few ideas for themes, plot hooks, and settings to inspire exciting and memorable D&D sessions that your players will love.