Generally good references: The Hypertext d20 SRD - This site contains most of the information available in D&D core books, for free. Also Unearthed Arcana material. Guide to free D&D - A useful listing of all resources for D&D that are legally available for free online. Feel like you don't have options because you don't have books? Check this list out. Chet Erez's d20 Index Files - Chet did a good job at listing most things and where to find them. There is some information available, but not everything. Ultimate Spell List - Contains every WotC released spell for D&D 3.5, where to find them, and what domains they are on. Also where to find said domains. Pages and pages of magic. Rules of the Game Archive - Don't know the rules surrounding something? Chances are that this thing does.
Game Mechanics Explained: Gestalt Characters (SRD) - A variant we tend to play often, effectively allowing you to progress in two classes at the same time. Mamelon Point-Buy System - This is the first link you find when you google "Mamelon point buy system explained D&D", and it's all ours! Bwahahaha! d20 Point Buy System - This site explains every non-mamelon point buy that I have seen used.
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As follows is a spoiler full of common abreviations and terms that might be helpful for fledgling players, or even more experienced ones when they encounter something they cannot translate away from D&D-ish. Core of the list was composed by Photon Eater, but I'm moving it here for ease of updating it, should a need arise.
D20 Modern Base Class Abbreviations- Str- Strong Hero Tgh- Tough Hero Fas- Fast Hero Smt- Smart Hero Ded- Dedicated Hero Cha- Charismatic Hero
Common Game Mechanic Abbreviations- HP- Hit/Health Points SPD- Spells per Day PP- Power Points AC- Armor Class Def- Defense FF- Flat-footed BAB- Base Attack Bonus Grap- Grapple DC- Difficulty Check d2- 2 sided die d3- 3 sided die d4- 4 sided die d6- 6 sided die d8- 8 sided die d10- 10 sided die d12- 12 sided die d20- 20 sided die d100/d%- 100 sided die CR- Challenge rating CL- Class level ECL- Effective character level LA- Level Adjustment STR- Strength DEX- Dexterity CON- Constitution INT- Intelligence WIS- Wisdom CHA- Charisma Spd- Speed AoO- Attack of Opportunity Fort- Fortitude Save Ref- Reflex Save Wil/Will- Will Save GP- Gold piece SP- Silver piece CP- Copper piece AoE- Area of Effect SoD- Save or Die XP- Experience, Experience points AP- Action Points PrC- Prestige Class HD- Hit die/hit dice SLA- Spell-like ability PLA- Psi-like ability SQ- Special Qualities Rep- Reputation AL- Alignment/Allegiance LG- Lawful Good NG- Neutral Good CG- Chaotic Good TN- True Neutral LE- Lawful Evil NE- Neutral Evil CE- Chaotic Evil (Ex)- Extraordinary Ability (Sp)- Spell-like Ability (Su)- Supernatural Ability Mas- Massive Damage Threshhold DM- Dungeon Master GM- Game Master
Common Supplement/Book Abbreviations- PHB- Players Handbook DMG- Dungeon Master's Guide MM- Monster Manual MMII- Monster Manual II MMIII- Monster Manual III MMIV- Monster Manual IV XPH- Expanded Psionics Handbook CW- Complete Warrior CD- Complete Divine CA- Complete Arcane CV- Complete Adventurer CP- Complete Psionic CM- Complete Mage FRCS- Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting DLCS- Dragonlance Campaign Setting ECS- Eberron Campaign Setting RVCS- Ravenloft Campaign Setting DSCS- Dark Sun Campaign Setting PSCS- Planescape Campaign Setting SJCS- Spelljammer Campaign Setting DD/DmDe- Demigods and Deities MoI- Magic of Incarnum ToM- Tome of Magic FB- Frostburn SS- Sandstorm SW- Stormwrack CSc- Cityscape WoL- Weapons of Legacy OA- Oriental Adventures Drc- Draconomicon LM- Libras Mortis GW- Ghostwalk RoW- Races of the Wild RoD- Races of Destiny RoS- Races of Stone RoDr- Races of Dragon RoE- Races of Eberron BoED- Book of Exalted Deeds BoVD- Book of Vile Darkness FF- Fiend Folio MttP- Manual to the Planes AE- Arms and Equipment Guide HoH- Herrors of Horror HoB- Herrors of Battle MHB- Miniatures Handbook SpCm- Spell Compendium ELH- Epic Level Handbook PoR- Pool of Radiance RttToEE- Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil EtCR- Expedition to Castle Ravenloft UA- Unearthed Arcana dMOD- D20 Modern dFut- D20 Future dPast- D20 Past dCyb- D20 Cyberscape dApoc- D20 Apocalypse dWL- D20 Weapons Locker dMM- D20 Menace Manual CoC- Call of Cthulu DMCS- Dark Matter Campaign Setting UACS- Urban Arcana Campaign Setting
Common Slang and Meta-terminology- Nerf- To power down a class unfairly Magic-Psionic Transparency- A subset of optional rules that allows an interaction between 3.5 Psionics rules and the 3.5 magic rules. Tank- A character designed to soak up the brunt of the enemy offensive as a defensive measure for the rest of the party. Gish- A character that combines magic and swordplay, often dealing huge amounts of damage. Blaster- A character designed to deal severe amounts of damage via magic or special abilities. Broken- Any class, feat, spell, etc that is notably overpowered and disrupts game balance. Twink- A player that exploits loopholes to make his character more powerful than the current power level allows. Also called a min-maxer or a power-gamer. Save or Die- An effect that causes a character to make a saving throw or die. Save or Suck- An effect that causes a character to make a saving throw or be completely useless for the remaining of the encounter. Or almost useless, anyway. Temp-Inf- Short for "Temple of Infinite Lives", as in "I'm praying at the Temple of Infinite Lives", an expression used to convey one of two meanings- 1. A game in which the power level has scaled so greatly that PCs enjoy a sense of nigh invincibility, or 2. A character with a player that is recieving undue favoritism from the DM, ensuring they will never experience any real danger. Skill Monkey- A character (traditionally a rogue) that has an abundance of skills that allow him to work his way out of most situations. Dice Jesus- A player who routinely rolls high on dice rolls, without cheating. TPK- Short for Total Party Kill, or a situation in which an entire play group of characters is killed in a single encounter. Rocks Fall- A nod to a line from the webcomic, Something Positive, in which a character who is DMing says "Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies". It became popular for DMs who have become frustrated to repeat the line, typically to cause problematic players to bring an end to whatever behaviors irritated the DM in the first place. Hammer-gun- A term started on the Wizards Community D&D boards. To hammer-gun something is to call out it's state of blatant stupidity, often used in regards to awful house rules, bad DMing habits, or questionable character concepts. Build- A specific set up for a character concept. Monty Haul- A DM who is too permissible, often handing rewards to his players for little reason whatsoever. Bag o Rats- A reference to the infamous Bags of Rats Fighter build in D&D v.3.0. The build exploited the Great Cleave feat, as the fighter would release a bag of rats he carried on his person at all times, kill a single rat with his attack action, and then proceed to make nigh unlimited attacks in a single round. To call something a Bag of Rats is to state that it is abusing a known rules loophole. Core- A book that is accepted to be part of the canon game. Core Books for D&D include The PHB, DMG, and MM. Core Books for d20 Modern include the D20 Modern Handbook and Menace Manual. Splatbooks- Any book that is not core. The name originates from the fact that optional supplements would often sport an asterisk alongside the product title on order forms, which caused people to know them as "splatbooks", since they were the books with little "splats" next to their titles. Pooped a Hammer- An expression meaning that you rolled a natural 1 on a crucial d20 roll. Munchkin- A player who tries to play competively against the other players Powergamer- A player who focuses on creating a powerful character within the rules given. Rules-lawyer- A player who tries to use his knowledge of the rules to gain an unfair advantage. Natural 20- Rolling a 20 on a 20 sided die, before adding any modifiers. Natural 1- Rolling a 1 on a 20 sided die, before adding any modifiers. Going Nova- To expend the majority of your resources in a single encounter. Common among psionic characters and spontaneous casters.
The Sage is occupied with the unspoken
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.
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The Hypertext d20 SRD - This site contains most of the information available in D&D core books, for free. Also Unearthed Arcana material.
Guide to free D&D - A useful listing of all resources for D&D that are legally available for free online. Feel like you don't have options because you don't have books? Check this list out.
Chet Erez's d20 Index Files - Chet did a good job at listing most things and where to find them. There is some information available, but not everything.
Ultimate Spell List - Contains every WotC released spell for D&D 3.5, where to find them, and what domains they are on. Also where to find said domains. Pages and pages of magic.
Rules of the Game Archive - Don't know the rules surrounding something? Chances are that this thing does.
Good Reading for Beginners:
Character Class Archives - A serie of articles from WotC that explains how to play a class effectively. Not all classes are covered, but a lot of them are.
Tactics & Tips Archive - Also from WotC, a lot of handy.. Tactics and tips.
The Online Tabletop- Playing the Game - Photon's great explanation on how to play online.
d20 Modern: A rundown for first-timers - Very handy. If you're starting d20 Modern, read this.
Game Mechanics Explained:
Gestalt Characters (SRD) - A variant we tend to play often, effectively allowing you to progress in two classes at the same time.
Mamelon Point-Buy System - This is the first link you find when you google "Mamelon point buy system explained D&D", and it's all ours! Bwahahaha!
d20 Point Buy System - This site explains every non-mamelon point buy that I have seen used.
If you still have questions..:
Generic d20 Question/Discussion Thread - Go ahead and ask them here.
----------
As follows is a spoiler full of common abreviations and terms that might be helpful for fledgling players, or even more experienced ones when they encounter something they cannot translate away from D&D-ish. Core of the list was composed by Photon Eater, but I'm moving it here for ease of updating it, should a need arise.
Bbn/Brb- Barbarian
Bar/Brd- Bard
Clr- Cleric
Dru/Drd- Druid
Ftr- Fighter
Mnk- Monk
Pal- Paladin
Rgr- Ranger
Rog- Rogue
Sor/Sorc- Sorcerer
Wiz- Wizard
Abj- Abjurer
Evo- Evoker
Cnj- Conjurer
Nec- Necromancer
Ill- Illusionist
Trn- Transmuter
Div- Diviner
Enc- Enchanter
Psi- Psion
See- Seer
Kin- Kineticist
Nom- Nomad
Ego- Egoist
Tel- Telepath
Sha- Shaper
PsW/PsyWar- Psychic Warrior
Wil- Wilder
SKn- Soulknife
Common Supplemental Class Abbreviations-
Hex- Hexblade
Sam- Samurai
Swa- Swashbuckler
Wrl/War- Warlock
WuJ- Wu Jen
WMg- Warmage
FSo- Favored Soul
SSh- Spirit Shaman
Shu- Shugenja
Sct- Scout
Nin- Ninja
STh- Spellthief
Ard- Ardent
DMn- Divine Mind
Lrk- Lurk
Art- Artificer
Arc- Archivist
Eru- Erudite
Hlr- Healer
Mar- Marshall
Wit/Wch- Witch
DBl- Duskblade
DSh- Dragon Shaman
Beg- Beguiler
Kni- Knight
Mys- Mystic
SBn- Soulborn
Inc- Incarnate
Tot- Totemist
Fac/Fct- Factotum
D20 Modern Base Class Abbreviations-
Str- Strong Hero
Tgh- Tough Hero
Fas- Fast Hero
Smt- Smart Hero
Ded- Dedicated Hero
Cha- Charismatic Hero
Common Game Mechanic Abbreviations-
HP- Hit/Health Points
SPD- Spells per Day
PP- Power Points
AC- Armor Class
Def- Defense
FF- Flat-footed
BAB- Base Attack Bonus
Grap- Grapple
DC- Difficulty Check
d2- 2 sided die
d3- 3 sided die
d4- 4 sided die
d6- 6 sided die
d8- 8 sided die
d10- 10 sided die
d12- 12 sided die
d20- 20 sided die
d100/d%- 100 sided die
CR- Challenge rating
CL- Class level
ECL- Effective character level
LA- Level Adjustment
STR- Strength
DEX- Dexterity
CON- Constitution
INT- Intelligence
WIS- Wisdom
CHA- Charisma
Spd- Speed
AoO- Attack of Opportunity
Fort- Fortitude Save
Ref- Reflex Save
Wil/Will- Will Save
GP- Gold piece
SP- Silver piece
CP- Copper piece
AoE- Area of Effect
SoD- Save or Die
XP- Experience, Experience points
AP- Action Points
PrC- Prestige Class
HD- Hit die/hit dice
SLA- Spell-like ability
PLA- Psi-like ability
SQ- Special Qualities
Rep- Reputation
AL- Alignment/Allegiance
LG- Lawful Good
NG- Neutral Good
CG- Chaotic Good
TN- True Neutral
LE- Lawful Evil
NE- Neutral Evil
CE- Chaotic Evil
(Ex)- Extraordinary Ability
(Sp)- Spell-like Ability
(Su)- Supernatural Ability
Mas- Massive Damage Threshhold
DM- Dungeon Master
GM- Game Master
Common Supplement/Book Abbreviations-
PHB- Players Handbook
DMG- Dungeon Master's Guide
MM- Monster Manual
MMII- Monster Manual II
MMIII- Monster Manual III
MMIV- Monster Manual IV
XPH- Expanded Psionics Handbook
CW- Complete Warrior
CD- Complete Divine
CA- Complete Arcane
CV- Complete Adventurer
CP- Complete Psionic
CM- Complete Mage
FRCS- Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting
DLCS- Dragonlance Campaign Setting
ECS- Eberron Campaign Setting
RVCS- Ravenloft Campaign Setting
DSCS- Dark Sun Campaign Setting
PSCS- Planescape Campaign Setting
SJCS- Spelljammer Campaign Setting
DD/DmDe- Demigods and Deities
MoI- Magic of Incarnum
ToM- Tome of Magic
FB- Frostburn
SS- Sandstorm
SW- Stormwrack
CSc- Cityscape
WoL- Weapons of Legacy
OA- Oriental Adventures
Drc- Draconomicon
LM- Libras Mortis
GW- Ghostwalk
RoW- Races of the Wild
RoD- Races of Destiny
RoS- Races of Stone
RoDr- Races of Dragon
RoE- Races of Eberron
BoED- Book of Exalted Deeds
BoVD- Book of Vile Darkness
FF- Fiend Folio
MttP- Manual to the Planes
AE- Arms and Equipment Guide
HoH- Herrors of Horror
HoB- Herrors of Battle
MHB- Miniatures Handbook
SpCm- Spell Compendium
ELH- Epic Level Handbook
PoR- Pool of Radiance
RttToEE- Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil
EtCR- Expedition to Castle Ravenloft
UA- Unearthed Arcana
dMOD- D20 Modern
dFut- D20 Future
dPast- D20 Past
dCyb- D20 Cyberscape
dApoc- D20 Apocalypse
dWL- D20 Weapons Locker
dMM- D20 Menace Manual
CoC- Call of Cthulu
DMCS- Dark Matter Campaign Setting
UACS- Urban Arcana Campaign Setting
Common Slang and Meta-terminology-
Nerf- To power down a class unfairly
Magic-Psionic Transparency- A subset of optional rules that allows an interaction between 3.5 Psionics rules and the 3.5 magic rules.
Tank- A character designed to soak up the brunt of the enemy offensive as a defensive measure for the rest of the party.
Gish- A character that combines magic and swordplay, often dealing huge amounts of damage.
Blaster- A character designed to deal severe amounts of damage via magic or special abilities.
Broken- Any class, feat, spell, etc that is notably overpowered and disrupts game balance.
Twink- A player that exploits loopholes to make his character more powerful than the current power level allows. Also called a min-maxer or a power-gamer.
Save or Die- An effect that causes a character to make a saving throw or die.
Save or Suck- An effect that causes a character to make a saving throw or be completely useless for the remaining of the encounter. Or almost useless, anyway.
Temp-Inf- Short for "Temple of Infinite Lives", as in "I'm praying at the Temple of Infinite Lives", an expression used to convey one of two meanings- 1. A game in which the power level has scaled so greatly that PCs enjoy a sense of nigh invincibility, or 2. A character with a player that is recieving undue favoritism from the DM, ensuring they will never experience any real danger.
Skill Monkey- A character (traditionally a rogue) that has an abundance of skills that allow him to work his way out of most situations.
Dice Jesus- A player who routinely rolls high on dice rolls, without cheating.
TPK- Short for Total Party Kill, or a situation in which an entire play group of characters is killed in a single encounter.
Rocks Fall- A nod to a line from the webcomic, Something Positive, in which a character who is DMing says "Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies". It became popular for DMs who have become frustrated to repeat the line, typically to cause problematic players to bring an end to whatever behaviors irritated the DM in the first place.
Hammer-gun- A term started on the Wizards Community D&D boards. To hammer-gun something is to call out it's state of blatant stupidity, often used in regards to awful house rules, bad DMing habits, or questionable character concepts.
Build- A specific set up for a character concept.
Monty Haul- A DM who is too permissible, often handing rewards to his players for little reason whatsoever.
Bag o Rats- A reference to the infamous Bags of Rats Fighter build in D&D v.3.0. The build exploited the Great Cleave feat, as the fighter would release a bag of rats he carried on his person at all times, kill a single rat with his attack action, and then proceed to make nigh unlimited attacks in a single round. To call something a Bag of Rats is to state that it is abusing a known rules loophole.
Core- A book that is accepted to be part of the canon game. Core Books for D&D include The PHB, DMG, and MM. Core Books for d20 Modern include the D20 Modern Handbook and Menace Manual.
Splatbooks- Any book that is not core. The name originates from the fact that optional supplements would often sport an asterisk alongside the product title on order forms, which caused people to know them as "splatbooks", since they were the books with little "splats" next to their titles.
Pooped a Hammer- An expression meaning that you rolled a natural 1 on a crucial d20 roll.
Munchkin- A player who tries to play competively against the other players
Powergamer- A player who focuses on creating a powerful character within the rules given.
Rules-lawyer- A player who tries to use his knowledge of the rules to gain an unfair advantage.
Natural 20- Rolling a 20 on a 20 sided die, before adding any modifiers.
Natural 1- Rolling a 1 on a 20 sided die, before adding any modifiers.
Going Nova- To expend the majority of your resources in a single encounter. Common among psionic characters and spontaneous casters.
and acts without effort.
Teaching without verbosity,
producing without possessing,
creating without regard to result,
claiming nothing,
the Sage has nothing to lose.