Library › Game systems › Tabletop Roleplaying Games › Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons 5e (2014)

Dungeons & Dragons 5e (2014)

Overview

Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (D&D 5E) is a heroic fantasy tabletop roleplaying game published by Wizards of the Coast. Released in 2014, it is the edition that brought D&D from a niche hobby into mainstream pop culture - showing up in TV shows, podcasts, and actual-play streams, and introducing millions of new players to the hobby for the first time. 5E was designed after a massive public playtest ("D&D Next") with the explicit goal of being approachable to newcomers while still satisfying veteran players. The Basic Rules are free, and a game can start with nothing more than those rules, some friends, and a set of dice (or a digital dice roller https://groupfinder.gg/library?category=tools-platforms&f1=143 app). In 2024 the core rules received a significant revision, now commonly referred to as
Dungeons & Dragons 5.5E (2024)
Dungeons & Dragons 5.5e (2024)Dungeons & Dragons 5.5E (commonly called the "2024 rules" or "D&D 2024") is the revised and updated...Beginner-friendlyHigh-Fantasy
. Both versions are fully compatible and most groups mix material freely. The system it directly evolved from is
Dungeons & Dragons 4E (2008)
Dungeons & Dragons 4E (2008)Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition is a tactical, combat-focused tabletop roleplaying system released by...Beginner-friendlyHigh-Fantasy

Description

In D&D 5E, players create fantasy adventurers (a half-orc barbarian, an elven wizard, a tiefling rogue) and one player takes on the role of the Dungeon Master (DM). The DM builds and describes the world, voices the non-player characters (NPCs), controls the monsters, and acts as both the lead storyteller and the rules referee. There is no board. The game is a conversation: the DM describes a scene, the players say what their characters do, and the dice decide what happens when the outcome is uncertain. A typical session runs three to four hours with a group of three to six players plus the DM. The game describes itself as resting on "Three Pillars": Combat, Exploration, and Social Interaction. A single session might include all three, from tracking a monster through the wilderness and negotiating with a shady merchant to fighting a troll at the entrance to a cave. Combat is the most mechanically detailed of the three and tends to take up the largest share of table time, though groups are free to lean as hard into roleplaying or exploration as they like. The default assumption is a high-fantasy world filled with magic, monsters, and ancient ruins. The flagship published setting is the Forgotten Realms, but Wizards of the Coast has released adventures across a range of worlds, and many DMs create their own. The game does not ship a single canon story. Every table's story is different, shaped by what the players do. 5E is designed to be approachable. The core philosophy is "rulings over rules," meaning that when something comes up that the rules do not explicitly cover, the DM is encouraged to make a quick call and keep the game moving rather than stopping to look things up. The rules reward creativity and improvisation, and the system explicitly expects that no one at the table has memorized the entire rulebook. That said, the DM carries most of the preparation work between sessions: building encounters, preparing maps, and keeping the story moving. Players can show up with nothing but their character sheet and a set of dice. Find a D&D group to play with https://groupfinder.gg/lfg/dnd

Key features

The Core d20 Mechanic

Nearly every meaningful action in the game is resolved the same way. The player rolls a twenty-sided die (d20), adds a relevant modifier from their character's abilities or skills, and compares the total to a target number called the Difficulty Class (DC), which is set by the DM. Meet or beat the number, and the attempt succeeds. This single mechanic covers everything from swinging a sword to picking a lock to persuading a king, which means learning one procedure teaches a player most of what they need to play the game.

Advantage and Disadvantage

This is 5E's signature innovation and one of its most praised design choices. Instead of stacking small numerical bonuses and penalties for situational factors (+2 for higher ground, -1 for dim light, +1 from a blessing), the system uses a binary. A character either has Advantage or Disadvantage on a roll. With Advantage, the player rolls two twenty-sided dice (2d20) and takes the higher result. With Disadvantage, they roll two and take the lower. It replaces an entire layer of bookkeeping with a single, intuitive rule that keeps the game moving.

Races, Classes, and Character Creation

Character creation is where most players first fall in love with the game. Players choose a Race (or Species, in later printings) such as Human, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, Dragonborn, or Tiefling, and a Class that defines their abilities and role in the group. The twelve core classes range from the spell-slinging Wizard and the heavily armored Fighter to the nature-bound Druid and the musically inclined Bard. A character can be a dwarven paladin, a half-elf warlock, or a gnome barbarian. The combinations are intentionally wide open, and building the character is often the first creative act of the game.

Subclasses

While players choose their Class at level one, they branch into a specialized Subclass typically between levels one and three. A Fighter might become a Battle Master (focused on tactical maneuvers) or an Eldritch Knight (a fighter who also casts spells). A Cleric chooses a divine Domain, such as Life, War, or Trickery, that shapes their abilities and identity. Subclasses let two players at the same table both play Rogues while feeling entirely different in combat and roleplay.

Backgrounds

Beyond stats and abilities, every character picks a Background (Acolyte, Criminal, Sailor, Noble, Folk Hero, and dozens more) that represents who they were before the adventure began. A Background grants additional skill proficiencies and, more importantly, comes with built-in story hooks: Personality Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws. These are concrete roleplaying prompts that give a new player something to play even before they have figured out their character's voice. A Folk Hero might have a bond to the village they swore to protect. A Criminal might have a flaw that they cannot resist a risky score.

Bounded Accuracy

In older editions of D&D, attack bonuses and Armor Class (AC) values scaled dramatically as characters gained levels, and high-level characters became statistically untouchable by low-level threats. 5E deliberately keeps these numbers within a narrow band. A first-level character might have an attack bonus of +5; a twentieth-level character might have +11. The gap exists, but it is not a chasm. This means a group of goblins can still pose a real threat to high-level adventurers if there are enough of them, and a clever low-level party can punch above its weight.

The Proficiency Bonus

A single, scaling number (starting at +2 and reaching +6 at the highest levels) represents a character's training and experience. If a character is proficient in a skill (like Stealth or Persuasion), a weapon type, or a saving throw, they add their Proficiency Bonus to the relevant twenty-sided die (d20) roll. The bonus applies equally to every area the character is trained in, which keeps the math simple and makes it immediately clear what a character is good at.

Rests and Resource Management

The game manages health and limited-use abilities through two types of rest. A Short Rest is a roughly one-hour breather during which characters can spend Hit Dice (a pool of recovery dice based on class and level) to heal and regain certain abilities. A Long Rest is a full eight hours of downtime that restores all hit points, replenishes all spell slots, and resets most class abilities. This system creates a natural rhythm to the adventuring day: push too hard without resting and the group runs out of healing and spell power. Knowing when to press on and when to rest becomes a real tactical decision, especially in dungeons where resting safely is not guaranteed.

Getting started

How to start playing DnD: A beginner's guide to your first adventure groupfinder.gg How to Play Dungeons & Dragons Online groupfinder.gg

Groupfinder does not check that the information in this Library entry, or on the external sites it links to, is accurate, complete, up to date or safe. Groupfinder does not own or control those sites and is not responsible for their content, products or services, or for any loss or damage that comes from using this information or visiting the links. You use them at your own risk.

Active games and players

DND5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
Online
West Marches / Living World
Revalis
Players
32
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
en English

Revalis

West Marches / Living World
One world and a big pool of players, but no fixed party - whoever signs up that week is who plays.
Newbie friendly
New players are welcome, and nobody expects you to know the rules beforehand.
Just a bit of a passion project given how there's not many if any other servers of my liking. A custom world setting that's still growing (Mainly because i'm not a writer...but i do try) with a few stipulations that aren't like most other WM servers. First order of business is that it's only rolled stats with at least one forced negative stat somewhere in every set, like it better that way. As well, it's a lvl 1 start, not a fan of lvl 3 or higher starts so I thought i'd tap into those who like starting at the very bottom of the ladder. The other major ruling is that PvP is more laxed as the only real condition is that you don't just be a mass player killer for no reason, however wanting to knock someone out for commiting an atrocity would be fair game even if they otherwise out of character say no, another major reason as to why I made the server is being forced to act out of character due to OOC discussions. Other then that it's just what i'd call a somewhat normal 5/5.5e westmawrch server, join or don't it's up to you https://discord.gg/yD6ZWB2PQ3 If you want the link to join

Read more

Save to favorites
DND5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
Online
West Marches / Living World
The Library
Players
13
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
en English

The Library

West Marches / Living World
One world and a big pool of players, but no fixed party - whoever signs up that week is who plays.
The Kingdom of Alaria A Living, Homebrewed West Marches World! System: D&D 5e (Homebrew Friendly) Campaign Style: West Marches-Inspired / Living World / Story-Driven Setting: Dark Fantasy, High Fantasy, Political Intrigue, Exploration, and Rebellion Platform: Discord | Voice Sessions & Text-Based RP Players Wanted: 2 Additional Heroes + Open Community Recruitment Experience: New and Veteran Players Welcome! Welcome to Alaria — A Kingdom Built Upon Chains For centuries, the lands of Alaria have been ruled through an uneasy but powerful alliance between the Elves and Dwarves. Once, the Humans stood victorious over their enemies. Kingdoms rose, wars were fought, and generations were consumed by bloodshed. But history is rarely kind to the defeated, and the tides of war eventually turned. This time, the Elves and Dwarves emerged victorious. For hundreds of years, they have maintained their dominance through the systematic enslavement of Humanity and Orc-kind. Their hatred is rooted in centuries of warfare, old grievances, and generations of resentment. To them, their victory was not simply a conquest, but an opportunity to ensure their enemies would never rise against them again. While other races may find themselves enslaved through foreign trade and circumstance, Humans and Orcs remain the primary targets of Alaria's oppression. But no kingdom remains unchallenged forever. Whispers of resistance spread through forgotten villages. Hidden organizations operate in the shadows. Ancient ruins hold secrets that powerful individuals would rather see buried, and somewhere among the oppressed, the seeds of rebellion are beginning to take root. The question is not simply whether Alaria can change, but who will shape its future. And that is where you come in. The Heroes' Party — Two Adventurers Wanted! We currently have an ongoing campaign following a group of adventurers whose actions are beginning to influence the world around them. We are looking for two additional dedicated players to join this primary party and help continue their adventure! However, this is not a campaign where you're simply following a predetermined storyline. Your decisions, alliances, victories, failures, and even personal ambitions can influence the direction of the story. Whether you envision yourself as a righteous paladin, a morally questionable mercenary, an ambitious spellcaster, a former slave seeking vengeance, or something entirely different, there is room for characters with depth and personality. Your character does not have to be a traditional hero. In a world as morally complicated as Alaria, motivations matter just as much as actions. A Living World — More Than Just One Party Although we're looking for two players for our main party, we are also welcoming additional players who simply want to become part of the world! Our server is designed around a homebrewed, West Marches-inspired system, where the world continues to exist beyond the actions of any individual adventuring party. Players can participate through: Quests and Adventures: Participate in organized sessions, take on missions, explore dangerous locations, and uncover the world's mysteries. Text-Based Roleplay: Interact with other characters, develop relationships, establish rivalries, and pursue your personal story between sessions. Worldbuilding and Storytelling: Contribute ideas, character histories, organizations, and other creative concepts that can potentially become part of the world's ongoing narrative. Character-Driven Stories: Pursue personal ambitions, develop your character, and explore opportunities that don't necessarily involve combat. An Expanding Community: As more players join, additional roleplay channels, locations, and opportunities will be introduced to accommodate the growing world. Not everyone needs to be a legendary adventurer destined to save the kingdom. Sometimes the most interesting stories belong to merchants, scholars, criminals, travelers, or ordinary people trying to survive extraordinary circumstances. You don't need to be part of the main party to have a meaningful place in Alaria. Homebrew, Races, and Character Creativity We use D&D 5th Edition as our foundation, but the setting includes plenty of homebrew content. Alongside the standard playable races found within 5e, we also offer numerous homebrewed races for players interested in exploring something different. We greatly appreciate creativity and encourage players to develop characters with interesting backgrounds, ambitions, flaws, and personalities. Want to play someone with an unusual heritage? Have an idea for a character whose history ties into the political struggles of Alaria? Interested in proposing something unique that could fit naturally within the world? We'd love to hear your ideas! Homebrew concepts are welcome for discussion and subject to DM approval to maintain reasonable balance and consistency with the setting. What We're Looking For Above all else, we're interested in finding people who genuinely enjoy collaborative storytelling. You might be a great fit if you: Enjoy immersive roleplay and meaningful character development. Appreciate a world where your actions have consequences. Love creating interesting characters with their own goals, flaws, and motivations. Enjoy working alongside other players to tell an evolving story. Are comfortable with mature fantasy themes and morally complicated situations. Respect other players, their characters, and the boundaries of collaborative storytelling. Want to become part of a community that can grow beyond a single campaign. You don't need years of D&D experience to join us. Enthusiasm, imagination, and a willingness to learn are far more important than knowing every rule. Alaria is a dark fantasy setting that explores themes of slavery, oppression, prejudice, war, political conflict, and rebellion. These elements exist as part of the fictional world's history and ongoing conflicts, not as an endorsement of those beliefs or behaviors. Players should be comfortable engaging with mature storytelling while respecting the personal boundaries of everyone involved. Whether you're looking to claim one of the two remaining spots in our main adventuring party, participate in the larger West Marches community, or simply find a place to bring your creative characters to life, we'd love to welcome you! Feel free to send me a DM or leave a comment with a little information about yourself, your D&D experience (if any), and what kind of character or story interests you. Alaria is a world shaped by its history, but its future has yet to be written. Will you rise against the chains, defend the kingdom that forged them, or carve out a destiny entirely your own? Your story awaits.

Read more

Save to favorites
DND5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
Online
West Marches / Living World
Jawahir Alghad (Cosmic Horror/Comedy) 18+ LGBT
Players
82
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
en English

Jawahir Alghad (Cosmic Horror/Comedy) 18+ LGBT

West Marches / Living World
One world and a big pool of players, but no fixed party - whoever signs up that week is who plays.
Players needed by GM for Cosmic Horror/Comedy Campaign (Online) (Dnd 5e 2014) (18+) Hello, hello! Welcome to Jawahir Alghad, your local chaotic dnd world... Over here we have... Jaan as our main world! To introduce it "briefly"... Jaan is a world dreamed into existence by Ilyx, who is basically the reason any of this exists in the first place. And somehow, despite being the most powerful being imaginable, he decided that what the world really needed was us. There are a bunch of places to explore, including: Candy Land- Everything is cute, colourful, and suspicious. If something looks harmless, it probably is not. Azoruae- A kingdom in the sky, because apparently having normal geography was too boring. Kachhua- An entire land built on the back of a giant turtle. The turtle is also called Kachhua. We did not overthink the naming process. The Land of Mirrors- Creepy, beautiful, and deeply unpleasant if you start wondering whether your reflection is actually you. The Land of the Unknown- Basically, the part of the world where reality gave up and said, "fuck it." If something should not exist, there is probably a place for it here. Meridian- The neutral region where everyone is supposed to behave themselves. They do not. The Norse Region- Exactly as it sounds like. There is also gods, kings, archfae, ancient creatures, weird little guys, political nonsense, questionable magic, and enough lore to keep us occupied for a very long time. And obviously, there's you. You can be a hero. A villain. A complete idiot with a sword. A morally questionable wizard. A bard who desperately needs to be stopped. Or literally whatever weird character you can come up with. We're here to tell a good story, have some laughs, make terrible decisions, and occasionally wonder why we let the party have access to certain spells. D&D 5e | Homebrew World | Roleplay | Story | Exploration | Lore | Chaos I Mr. Oswald (Don't ask why he is here too) Welcome to Jaan. And remember: If the DM asks "are you sure?" You probably should not be. Please dm me if you are interested!

Read more

Save to favorites
DND5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
Online
West Marches / Living World
The Nexus a Westmarch style experience.
Players
402
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
en English

The Nexus a Westmarch style experience.

Newbie friendly
New players are welcome, and nobody expects you to know the rules beforehand.
LGBTQ+ friendly
The table is openly welcoming to LGBTQ+ players.
The Nexus is an inter-dimensional hub, where adventurers find themselves with a second chance at life. We are a community DnD server on Discord, where we run both live and pbp sessions. Each DM has their own setting that your character(s) can visit through series of one shot content, or on a campaign basis. We are of course LGBTQAI+ friendly, 18+ community happy to help newbies get into games. We are looking for players and DMs to join our growing global community. We offer: - AI free environment (We -do not- allow AI content on the server) - Free games (We -do not- support paid campaigns or ways to play) - 18+ LGBTQAI+ friendly community - Shared campaign links for DnD Beyond for character creation and maintanance - Support for Dicecloud, G-sheet and Beyond sheets (We use Avrae for rolls so whatever it can read, we use.) - Leveling beyond lvl 20 limited only by +10 proficiency cap. - Multiple character slots, starting at 3 to begin with. - Newbie friendly with a robust base for support and aid in character creation or anything else required. - Global. We have people from all corners of the world, from the Americas to Australia, you’ll find someone awake in your time-zone. - PbP/TRP options. Find us here: https://discord.gg/qQvn3VSccu

Read more

Save to favorites
New
Posted 2 hours ago
en English
DND5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
DND5.5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5.5E (2024)
...
Online
Awannn
For now, im completely new to this game, so i want to learn about it. My playstyle to be honest is im a shy person, so i dont talk to much and i can do combat/roleplay. Timezone is UTC+8, and i preferably play in evening/night based on my timezone. Thank you.
Save to favorites
en English
DND5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5E
DND5.5E
Dungeons & Dragons 5.5E (2024)
...
Online
WeebsEatShit
Narrative minimalist The storyteller
I'm a complete beginner I can play on Monday, Tuesday & Sunday, 10:00 – 16:00 (GMT+0). It's when i can start, if it changes, i'll warn Discord (weebseatshit) • Prefer: Only FREE games A group with 3-5 players 60 Roleplay/30 Exploration/10 Combat Story, adventures, exploration, interaction & stuff like this over combat. It'll be perfect, if combat is gonna be only as a story mover *Medieval high fantasy *Mighty Nein *Forgotten Realms (there's so much going on, i'm not sure what i like, but the art looks great) *Witcher games (especially Witcher 1), first two books & "Baptism of Fire" *Strixhaven • Don't prefer at all: If the campaign is gonna happen here for most of the time: ocean & sea (pirates), desert, winter, jungle, dungeon, cave, mountain, ruins Friendly character's death & death that happened because of the game rules or mechanics Horror-focused, like Cthulhu or Strahd (Innistrad). But elements from the last one will be great Gods-focused Stuff like Skyrim, Soulslike Stuff that's happening after the cataclysm, apocalypse, great disaster...
Save to favorites
View all games View all players

Videos

Video
JoCat
A Crap Guide to D&D [5th Edition]
Video
Mystic Arts
D&D Explained in 15 Minutes
Video
Sherlock Hulmes
HOW TO PLAY DUNGEONS & DRAGONS

Reviews

Sorted by:

No reviews yet.

Login to leave a review.

Other entries

Archivist
Tools & Platforms

Archivist

English
Subscription
Universal
Archivist is a TTRPG note taker without the busywork. It automatically builds recaps and campaign memory from Discord, audio, or a GM's notes: less admin, more story. Groups record live with the Archivist Discord bot or import audio, transcripts, play-by-post threads, or raw notes. Minutes later, Archivist delivers a session recap and updates a searchable compendium of characters, items, locations, and factions. Players and GMs can ask Archivist, the campaign chatbot, about anything that happened, right from Discord. Story highlights, player quotes, Hero Awards, trading cards, and one-click Session Handouts capture the best moments. It works with every TTRPG system, includes unlimited player seats, and never saves audio or trains on campaign data.

Read more
Blades in the Dark (2017)
Tabletop Roleplaying Games

Blades in the Dark (2017)

English
Heist
Evil Hat Productions
Blades in the Dark is a heist-themed tabletop roleplaying game system about a crew of daring misfits  on the streets of an industrial fantasy city. Published by Evil Hat Productions in 2017 and designed by John Harper, it introduced the highly influential Forged in the Dark rules engine. BitD revolutionized the heist genre in tabletop gaming by pushing players straight into the act, eliminating the "planning phase". The system it loosely evolved from is Apocalypse World Description In Blades in the Dark, players are part of a criminal organization in Doskvol, a grim Victorian era city. The city is protected by a wall of lightning, to keep any threat on the outside. Players create their characters as either smugglers, thieves, assassins or cultists and explore the criminal underworld, perform dangerous heists, manage gang warfare and grow their criminal organization. The game focuses heavily on narrative momentum and failing forward. Characters are competent but flawed, constantly accumulating stress, trauma, and heat from the law as their gang rises to power. System Overview & Key Features Action Roll (d6 Dice Pool) The core mechanic uses a pool of six-sided dice(d6) based on a character's action rating. The highest die result will determine the outcome of the action. 6 is considered a full success, 4-5 is a partial success with a consequence, and 1-3 is a failure. Rolling multiple full successes is considered a critical success. Position and Effect Before every roll, the Game Master explicitly states the character's Position (Controlled, Risky, or Desperate) and Effect (Limited, Standard, or Great). This transparently communicates the exact stakes and potential fallout of the action before the dice hit the table. Stress and Resistance Characters have a Stress track. Players can spend Stress to give themselves for extra dice when rolling. They can also use it to assist an ally, or fuel their special abilities. Players can also spend Stress when facing any situation or consequence the GM throws at them, this makes the characters very skilled, but forces them to consider when to spend it. The Flashback Mechanic Instead of spending hours planning a heist, the crew simply chooses a target, picks a detail, and jumps right into the action. Later, they can use Stress, to envoke a flashback moment, where they explain how they had already planned for such a situation, or had "solved" it beforehand. Progress Clocks The game uses circular progress tracks called Clocks to visually represent approaching danger or the progress of a complex task. A clock might represent the alert level of the city watch, the structural integrity of a safe vault, or the patience of a rival gang leader. The Crew as a Character The criminal organization the players run has its own character sheet. The organization gains experience, levels up, claims territory, and unlocks special abilities, ensuring that the gang's rise to power is just as mechanically significant as the characters'

Read more
High Guard Rules
Tools & Platforms

High Guard Rules

English
Traveller
High Guard Rules brings Classic Traveller's Book 5: High Guard starship construction and combat rules to the web. Ship Designer walks you through building a warship from the keel up — hull, jump and maneuver drives, power plant, computer, weapons, and screens — following the Book 5 construction sequence, with every calculation (tonnage, energy points, agility, cost) handled for you automatically. Combat Arena lets you pit your designed ships against another player, or fly solo against an AI opponent — resolving the full Book 5 ship-to-ship combat sequence round by round: Battle Formation, Initiative, Range, Pre-Combat Decisions (break-off, emergency agility, surrender), Combat, Damage, Breakthrough Combat, Pursuit, and a Terminal step for boarding, repair, and crew transfer. Ship Library keeps your saved designs on hand, and Meeting Room is where you find another player and start a battle. Whether you're building a fleet, sparring with the AI, or working through a firefight against another captain, this site handles the math so you can focus on the tactics.

Read more

Looking for a group?

Find a tabletop group to join or players to invite. Groupfinder is a free looking-for-group platform. By players, for players.

Find groups Find players