New to Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) or other Tabletop Role Playing Games (TTRPGs)? Confused by all the lingo, jargon and acronyms? We’ve all been there, and each one of us has gone through the “oh my goodness I’m so overwhelmed, what does everything MEAN” phase, and many of us have been too afraid to ask.
Well, good news! We’re here to help!
Below is a list of the most common acronyms to help you stay in the loop.
1e, 2e, 3e, 3.5e, 4e, 5e – These are the different editions of Dungeons & Dragons.
AC – Armor Class.
AD&D – Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.
AoE – Area of Effect
BBEG – Big, Bad, Evil Guy. Typically the main boss of the entire campaign.
CHA – Charisma. One of your ability scores in D&D and related systems.
CON – Constitution. One of your ability scores in D&D and related systems.
CP – Copper Pieces.
CR – Challenge Rating. This helps Game Masters and Dungeon Masters determine the difficulty of a monster.
D&D – Dungeons & Dragons.
D4 – A four-sided die
D6 – A six-sided die
D8 – An eight-sided die
D10 – I think you see where we’re going with this. A ten-sided die.
D12 – A twelve-sided die.
D20 – A twenty-sided die.
D100 – A one-hungdred-sided die.
DC – Difficulty Class, a number you must meet or exceed with a roll of a 20-sided die plus bonuses to succeed in the action you wish to perform.
DEX – Dexterity. One of your ability scores in D&D and related systems.
DM – Dungeon Master, another name for a Game Master but used specifically for D&D. The DM is the person running the game and acting as a storyteller and referee.
dX or XdY (where X and Y are numbers). d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20 are the most common ones you’ll hear. This is a shorthand notation for referencing dice. In this case, (x) refers to the number of sides on a die. If there is a number before the “d”, in the “Y” position, such as “2d4”, that number indicates how many times you would roll that die. For “2d4” you would roll 2 four-sided dice, or one 4-sided dice two times. If there is a “+Z” after your 2d4, such as “2d4+1”, that “+1” is referring to the appropriate modifier for that roll. A modifier can be found as the small number above your ability score.
EP – Electrum Pieces.
GM – Game Master, the more generic name for a DM (Dungeon Master). Used in all non-D&D TTRPGs.
GP – Gold Pieces.
HP – Hit Points. The amount of damage your character can take before falling unconscious.
INT – Intelligence. One of your ability scores in D&D and related systems.
LARP – Live Action Role-Playing. Not a tabletop game, but rather a full out role-playing game where players dress up and actually act out their character and their character’s actions.
LMoP – Lost Mine of Phandelver.
Min/Max – Minimizing and Maximizing. Refers to the process of putting your higher numbers in the abilities your class uses and the low numbers in what it doesn’t. In other words, focusing on optimizing for your skills without worrying about balancing out the rest of your character.
Mini – A miniature figurine that is used to represent an NPC, character or monster on a map or play map when playing in person.
MM – Monster Manual. This is a book specific to Dungeons and Dragons.
NPC – Non-Player Character. Characters that are played by the GM or DM rather than the players.
OP – Over Powered
ORPG – Online Role-Playing Game.
OGL – Open Gaming License.
PC – Player Character.
PF – Pathfinder. A popular TTRPG.
PHB – Player’s Handbook. An important book specifically for, and created by, Dungeons and Dragons.
PFRPG – Pathfinder Role-playing Game.
PP – Platinum Pieces.
RAI – Rules as Intended.
RAW – Rules as Written.
RPG – Role-Playing Game.
SP – Silver Piece
STR – Strength. One of your ability scores in D&D and related systems.
TPK – Total Party Kill. When all players in the party die.
TTRPG – Tabletop Role-Playing Game. Games like Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Warhammer, Starfinder, etc.
V, M, S – Spell components (things that are required to cast a spell). V stands for Verbal, M stands for Material, and S stands for Somatic.
WIS – Wisdom. One of your ability scores in D&D and related systems.
WOTC – Wizards of the Coast. The company who created and produced of Dungeons & Dragons.
XP – Experience Points. The points that are awarded to characters for their accomplishments and applied toward character advancement.
