Dungeons and Dragons help...

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Me and my friends are all pretty new to D&D, and our first campaign wasn't following the rules properly. (we only used the modifiers for abilities and attacks, and only used d20 and d4 dice)

But we are now starting fresh with new character sheets for our characters and I have the core rule books. But there are a few questions I have for things I don't understand. I am also DM in a few months so some of my questions are based on monsters and stuff.

1. Skill points. I'm not entirely sure what these are or what they do, but I have a vague idea. What are they actually used for? And as a Halfling Rogue, I know i have (8+intelligence modifier)x4, but I don't know what that number means. So as a level 1 Halfling Rogue, how many skills do I get to start and how many each time I level up (I'm level 3).

2. What is Touch, Flat-footed, the saving throws, grapple, damage reduction (and armor class in general), initiative, nonlethal damage, and what is the difference between Feats and special abilities?

3. In the Monster Manual, what are initiative, advancement, level adjustment, and what is the difference between attack and full attack? Also, on a monster, i.e. a hydra, in Hit dice, it says 5d10+28 (55hp). If it is already giving you the HP and the attacks later on, what does the dice throw do?

Sorry I had so many questions, as I say, I am new to the game. We play with 3.5 edition if that makes a difference to your answer.

Thanks

First you need a players handbook, or the Dungeon Master's Guide, really, it explains all the rules, breaks down game play, when to add skill modifiers to rolls, etc.

Skill points are what you add to certain rolls pertaining to that skill (sneaking, climbing, lying, etc).
As for your (8+intelligence modifier)x4, what box is it in on your character sheet?
The player handbook tells you how many skill points you start with and how many you acquire and when with leveling up. As well as when you gain abilities and feats.
Touch attacks from the http://www.dandwiki.com/ are "Some attacks disregard armor, including shields and natural armor. In these cases, the attacker makes a touch attack roll (either ranged or melee). When you are the target of a touch attack, your AC doesn’t include any armor bonus, shield bonus, or natural armor bonus. All other modifiers, such as your size modifier, Dexterity modifier, and deflection bonus (if any) apply normally. "
Flat footed is "A character who has not yet acted during a combat is flat-footed, not yet reacting normally to the situation. A flat-footed character loses his Dexterity bonus to AC (if any) and cannot make attacks of opportunity. " from the above source. (You might want to use that website for any unfamiliar terms).

Initiative is the roll that determines what sequence characters (players and monsters) go, specifically in fighting. It is rolled with a d20

Level adjustment, to adjust the monster based on the players level. You have to roll attack to see if your attack even hits, then if it hits you roll damage. Say a number is 3d4+2, you would roll 3 d4, sum up those numbers, and add 2. This would what you would apply to what ever it is for.

I actually suggest you might consider reading the fanfiction Harry Potter/ D&D cross over
Harry Potter and the Natural 20. I am not the author, but it is an example of how the idea of mechanisms of D&D work.

I've never really read through 3.x before (we started with 2nd Edition, and when we switched to 3rd, the DMs learned the rules and I just played), but 1st, 2nd, and Basic do a pretty good job of explaining everything to you, and have certain sections laid out especially for beginning players. If you don't have your own copy of 3.5 to read, you might want to try finding a PDF online or something (there might even be RTF or HTML versions out there), especially if you're planning on DMing. 1st didn't have an index, but I think most of the rest of them do, and they make it pretty easy to find any specific information you might be looking for.

I think most of the stuff you're asking about would be in the first couple chapters of the book though, especially under Character Creation.

Hmm, I checked to see if DNDClassics.com has copies of 3.x, but all they have is something called the Rules Compendium, which sounds like it's a concise "here's just the rules" kind of book, without all the "newbie friendly" explanation text.

It means to roll a ten sided die five times and add 28 to the result (the "ones" ten, numbered 0-9, not the 00, 10, 20 one). A roll of "0" would be treated as "10". In the older books, it would say (33-78), maybe 55 is the average or just an example or something.

I do have copies of the Player's Handbook, DM's Guide, and Monster Manual because I found them cheap on e-bay. It's just that I would like some of the things to be explained in 'baby language' because some of it I don't quite get.

With the skills, I get what they are and what they are for, I just don't understand the numbers. Like where the different things go on the sheet.
In the Player's handbook, under Rogue, it says,
Skill points at first level: (8+int modifier) x 4
Skill points at each Additional level: 8 + int modifier

Later on, there is the Halfling Rogue starting package (lucky for me) and in that it says,
Skill selection: Pick a number of skills equal to 8+int modifier.

So I don't really get what this means, or how many skills I get, and how the skill points are distributed throughout my skills.

Okay, here's the thing with skills. The idea is that each class gets a number of skill points, with 4 times as many awarded at level 1. So a Rogue with 10 INT would get 8 more skills points per level, but gets 32 skills points (8x4) at level 1. You then plug these skill points into the skills you want your Rogue to know. Now, here's the important part, a character can only have a skill number that is 3 points higher than their current level, so at level one, if you chose to put points into Listen, it can only reach a score of 4 (but it can be further modified by ability modifiers and other bonuses). A good way to keep things simple is that every time your character levels up, just plug the new skill points into the skills you already have points in. So for the Rogue, he would have 8 skills that he always knows, and would proceed to increase by one point every level.

I'm just going to suggest what skills are best for your Rogue in case you can't decide what he should know. A decent Rogue should keep the following skills maxed out: Spot, Listen, Search, Disable Device, Move Silently, Hide, Open Lock, and Sleight of Hand. There is a list of these skills on page 63 of the Player's Handbook so you can check which skills fit a class best. Skills that a class isn't proficient in are known as Cross Class Skills. Cross Class Skills are not recommended, as they cost twice as many skill points to increase, and max out at only half the value the value. So while your rogue might be able to get his Hide skill up to 4 at level 1, spellcraft would still take 4 skill points, but only end up at a score of 2.

Skill points are figured out at each level depending on the class or monster hit die. You would take your INT mod which is your INT score minus ten and then the quantity of that result divided by 2 --- (INT Mode - 10) / 2 For the rogue, you get (8 + int mod) * 4 skill points at first level. So for example you have a 16 INT for your rogue. Your INT mode is 3. (16-10)/2 =3 Then your skill points at first level is (8+3)*4 = 44. You then allocate those skill points to your skills. Subsequent levels don't get the x4 multiple. They only would get the 8+3 which is 11. The 8 may be a different number.

A touch is any attack/action/spell that would require a char/monster to thematically touch something. A spell like Arcane Lock requires the mage to be right next to the portal/door they are going to secure. A magic missile is ranged and not a touch attack. The touch bypasses certain types of armor class because it wouldn't apply whereas a non-touch attack would have to take into account the armor class bonuses from various sources. Flat-footed as an example is where a char/monster is caught completely by surprise or they are disabled in a way. A rogue's sneak attack if successful will use flat-footed, and if a char/monster is bound or paralyzed and cannot move, they would use flat-footed. There are definitions in the back of the players handbook for these that probably explain them better than I do.

Saving throws are Reflex, Fortitude, and Will. They reflect that you may get a save against something depending on what it is. Can you dodge a fireball. You may partly dodge out of the way and get half damage. Is your char healthy enough to resist poison, they might get a fort save against it to reduce or mitigate the effects. Some mage is trying to be a dick and mind control your char, you might get a will save to resist their attempt. Usually whatever effect is being done will outline if a save is given to the target and what happens after such as reduced effects, or no effects at all.

I've never played a grapple char so I'm no help to you there with explaining it. I don't have a rulebook in front of me and I don't remember.

Damage reduction is a reduction in damage. It's usually indicated by a number slash and a dash or type of damage -- DR 5/- DR 5/+1 weapon, DR 5/anarchic, DR 5/fire DR 5/piercing The left number is how much the damage is reduced. The right info is the condition in which it is not reduced. So DR 5/- reduces everything except force damage. Force damage goes through everything. DR 5/+1 weapon reduces damage from any source unless it's a weapon with a +1 enhancement bonus. DR 5/anarchic would reduce the 5 damage from any source unless it was alignment typed anarchic. DR 5/fire won't work on fire. I'm sure you get it right now. There are many things that are standard such as alignment(LG, NG, CG, etc...), energy type(acid, electricity, fire, cold, sonic), weapon enhancement(+1, +2, +3), weapon material(silver, steel, mithril, adamantine etc...) type(piercing, bludgeoning, slashing) that can be used in damage reduction. And remember that force damage goes through all damage reduction.

Initiative is turn order. The DEX mod affects this. You roll a D20 and add your Initiative mod and whoever has the highest goes first, next highest goes next. If there is a tie, you then look at who has the highest DEX mod and the higher DEX mod goes first out of tie. If there is a tie in the DEX mod then who ever has the highest DEX goes first. If that's a tie, then the DM can decide which goes first.
You can hold and/or ready actions which may alter your turn order, and some spell or item affects may change your initiative after combat has started to move you up or down in the order.

I've never played a char with nonlethal damage so I don't have it memorized.

The difference between a feat and special ability is that a feat is chosen when a char class allows them to take a feat and a char reaches a level to have a feat. A char auto gains a feat at lvls 1,3,6,9,12,15,etc... A fighter class gives a fighter feat at first level and second level, and every other level after. Feats are typed. So a fighter can only gain fighter feats and can only pick from general or fighter typed feats. Some feats have pre-reqs that need to be met before you can pick them. A special ability can be given through several methods including a feat. A class may give one such as a clerics turn dead ability, or an item may give you one that you activate to do something, or divine intervention, or some spells, or skill tricks. In reality a feat and a special ability serve the same purpose in that they give a char more functionality to do something but mechanically are acquired differently.

In MM, initiative is the same as initiative for a player. If a char has something like a companion animal or familiar or summons, that creature may have a different initiative mod than the char itself. As a DM, I'd recommend treating any player animals/monsters that have a different init mod than the player they are tied to have the same init mod and thus do things on the same turn in a round.

Advancement for a monster is what size the creature is depending on its level. So for example a purple worm starts out as Gargantuan size, and it's advancement is 16-32 HD (Gargantuan), 33-48 HD (Colossal). If you look at its hit die, you see that it starts at 16D10+112. You can then see that it starts as a 16 lvl hit die creature and its HD is 1D10+7(the +7 is from the CON mod) If you were to build a purple worm that would be lvl 33 or higher, you can then increase its size to colossal and it's HD accordingly to 33D10 + 231. That's what advancement is about. It may say that it's per class level which means that there is no size change unless something through a class gives it a change in its size.

A level adjustment is a way to balance power. There is another term called ECL or effective character level. A human rogue that is lvl 3 has an ecl of 3. A dwarf fighter that's lvl 3 has an ecl of 3. An Aasimar has a +1 lvl adjustment because of all the extra stuff it gets for being an Aasimar and thus an Aasimar that's a lvl 3 cleric has an ECL of 4 even though it's lvl 3. I'd recommend going by ECL when having players create their characters like starting a game where each player starts with an ECL of 2, which allows for those races that have a +1 lvl adjustment to be picked but you only have one class lvl instead of 2. You can also say, starting ECL is 1 which locks out those options.

The hit die for the hydra you used for an example has an average result of 55hp for the roll of 5D10+28. That 55hp is just a way to help DMs with throwing an encounter together. If your players had to face ten hydras in a row or all at once, you wouldn't want to roll 10 times, do math, and figure it out for each one. Just put 55hp for each one to be easier, or use DM discretion and up or lower it if you feel like it. By using the average result you just saved a lot of time.

Hope this helps.

(8+int mod)x4, you get a number of skill points equal to your intelligence modifier (which is based on the number in your intelligence box), add 8 to it, and muliply the whole thing by 4. So if your intelligence mod is 2, you add 8 and 2 to get 10, then multiply that by 4 to get 40.

As a halfling rouge your number of skills equals 8 plus that intellegence modifier. (There should be a chart that says if your charisma, intelligence, constitution etc is between 1-x the modifier is 1, between x-y, the modifier is 2 etc).

i do not have too much experience with D&D 3rd and 3.5 editions (which it appears you are going to play, seeing the amount of skill points) but the basic concepts didn't change too much going into pathfinder (my personal favourite of the series), i shall try to explain briefly:

a skill point represents an amount of training your character has had, making him better at that skill.
typically, if a skill is used, you roll a d20, then add the relevant skill modifier, your skill bonus and some assorted other effects (magic, items, circomstance, feats...) for a total that is used to determine success.
for class skills (which are listed at the start of the class you are playing in the players handbook) each point gives you a bonus of 1 on your roll, and you can have a number of points equal to your level +4 (so, a total of 7 points for a bonus of 7 for your level 3 rogue), class skills for rogues include (but are not limited to) spot, sneak and tumble.

for the other skills (called cross-class) you need to spend 2 points for one bonus, and you can only have as much points as your level per skill (in your specific case: 3 points, for a bonus of 1.5, which is rounded down), the rest works the same (an example for a rogue is concentration)

note that you can put all the skill points you get at a new level into one and the same skill, the limit i mentioned is the max total you can have.

as a rogue, you indeed get 8 skill points per level, and an adittional point for each intelligende modifier (or: for every 2 points in the ability score, 10-11 is a modifier of 0, 12-13 is 1, 13-14 is 2, 8-9 is -1, 6-7 is -2...), so is i assume you have an intelligence of 12, you will get a total of 9 skill points each level.
the way 3rd and 3.5 work is that you get 4 times your skill points at first level (becouse there are so many to choose from). your level 3 rogue with 12 intelligence will therefor have 9 points per level, and 3 times that as a bonus, 4x9 at first level (or 36), and 9 for levels 2 and 3 (and each extra level you get), for a grand total of 54 skillpoints at level 3


touhc and flat-footed two relatively common attacks characters (and monsters) get subjected to, different from their regular armor class.
regular armor class (i think, i'm not sure here) is 10 plus your dexterity bonus (up to a maximum depending on your worn armor), plus your armor value, plus your shield value, plus extra's (just as with the skills: magic, feats, class specials, race specials...), which is the number an attack roll (a d20 plus strength for melee or dexterity for ranged) must match or beat to do damage; the armor class (or AC) represents both how hard it is to hit in the first place (dexterity, or 'dodging') and how hard it is to hit hard enough to hurt (armor+shield, or block and deflection)
flat-footed means that the attacked creature is not aware of his attacker and does not try to 'dodge', in this situation you do not get your dexterity bonus to armor, if you had any to begin with (as a rogue, you should have quite some, so flat-footed for you will hurt). typically this state happens if the attacker gets the surprise or is invisible
touch AC is a different situation, and mainly used for magic attacks, in this case you don't have to hit trough the armor, only to actually 'touch' the enemy (hence the name), for example a lightning bolt, if it touches you, i hurts. these attacks go against the touch armor class which is only your dexterity, but ignores armor and shield (for a rogue, you probarbly wont have a shield and light armor, so this isn't too bad for you)

initiative shows in what order the combat goes, it is determined simply by a d20 plus your dexterity modifier, the highest total goes first

damage reduction is just what is says: every attack you get has reduced damage by that amount, except if it is a certain type (for example, resist 5/silver, common for undead) reduces all non-magical attacks (magic always breaks damage resist) by 5 damage, unless you use a silver weapon.

grapple is a special manouver that allows you to 'grab' your opponent, neither of you can then do anything as long as you two stay grappled, but both of you are flat-footed (so: easier to hit) for your friends that are trying to attack it (how to actually grapple; i'm not sure)

non-leathal damage is what is says again, you can choose to do non-leathal damage on your attack, by taking a penalty to your attacks (-4, i think). if the total damage of your opponent is equal or greater then its hitpoints, it is unconcious, but if some of the damage was nonleathat, it is not dead yet and can be interrogated later (it's rarely used though)

saving throws are your defence for things other then direct attacks, traps, poison, domination... for example, if someone throws a fireball, the target doesn't get any effect from his armor, but he can make a 'reflex save' to reduce the damage, this is (surprise) a d20 roll with the bonus for your class and level (it's in the book)

finally, feats are a mention of special training that can give you some extra abilities (better initiative, training with a certain weapon, a better skill bonus....) and are typically things your character has 'learned'; it is possible to gain a special ability from this.

special abilities are things that not everyone can do, these can be gotten from feats or your class ('learned') or from your race (like darkvision)


initiative here is the monsters bonus, the number you add to a d20 to determine turn order in combat.

advancement is a special mention should you want to make a stronger version of this creature for your players to fight

level adjustment is in case a player wants to play as that race, some races are just stronger then others, the adjustment counts as a caracter level.
for example: you have a race with a level adjustment of 3, that means that you are already concidered a level 3 player, so a level 1 rogue of that race is a level 4 character for everything that effects levels (like the experience needed to levelup, but not for skills or hitpoins, as those go of class level, not character level).

an attack is a single action, you shoot one arrow or swipe once with your sword, and aside from that you can still move, drink a potion or whatever you want to do in a turn.
a full attack is different, if you do this, you only get to attack and do nothing else, this does, however, allow you to attack with all your weapons (all weapons you are currently holding, that is) and also all your natural weapons (for monsters: think of claws, bites, tail slaps...), and if you are a high enough level, you can get several attacks with your main weapon. (for example, if you have a base attack bonus of 6/1, yuo get one attack with a bonus of 6 plus your strength and one of 1 plus your strength, in a normal attack you only get the one with 6)

as for the monster hitpoints, the number in brackets is indeed the average and is there to quickly choose your monsters, the dice are mentioned for 2 reasons.
1) if you want a bit more randomness in the fight, it can turn out easier or harder depending on how you roll and
2) some magic effects depend on the 'hit dice' of the monster, this is the equivalent of a players level, your hydra has 5 hit dice.
this is relevalt becouse, for example, the spell 'sleep' can only effect creatures up to 5 hit dice, so your hydra can be put to sleep (if it fails the associated will save), but a hill giant with 6 hit dice is completely uneffected.