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Getting Started for Players

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Some of the videos on this page feature the Legacy Toolbar. Check out our Toolbar Overview for up to date information!

Is this your first time playing on Roll20? This is a basic tutorial to help you get started as a player. We have a video guide to provide an overview of our Software! We will provide you step-by-step instructions on how to use the basic features of Roll20, from using your webcam to rolling dice.


If you are looking to explore and understand the functionalities that we provide, please watch our Tutorial for a summary of Roll20's Virtual Tabletop features. The video provides fun tips and tricks to start a game in seconds!

For more tutorial resources, check out these other introduction articles on the Roll20 Help Center:

Join a Game

Once you click on the game invite link from your GM, the first page you’ll see is the Game Details page. Roll20 features a game-specific forum for out-of-game communication, a player list, and a Launch Game button to access the game.

Roll20 has built-in support for Video and Voice Chat that uses your webcam and microphone to connect with other players around the virtual tabletop. Your web browser will prompt you to “Allow” the website to access your camera and microphone. You can change your Audio and Video preferences in the Game Settings anytime.

Moreover you can talk to your friends via Roll20’s text chat. Typing in the window on the bottom right side of your screen (make sure you’re in the Chat tab!) allows you to whisper secrets to your GM or use the emote function to dramatize your action. 

You can select a character from the dropdown menu below the chat box to have both in and out of character conversations and roll.

Related Resources:

Roll Your Dice

You can roll a dice directly from the Toolbar by clicking on the dice icon. This tool allows easy rolls of various dice. The dice results can be whispered to your GM or rolled openly.

If you want to simulate real dice, you can enable 3D dice in the My Settings tab. It will roll virtual dice on the table using a real physics simulation.

The Journal tab is essential. That’s where you’ll find your Character Sheet and its attached token. You can view your character Sheet when your GM has given you edit and control access. The Journal tab is where you can go to check your character stats or level up your character.

Many Character Sheets are click-to-roll which means you simply need to ensure you have the correct information set-up in your character sheet. You can click the attribute you wish to roll and immediately see the results which will be posted in your game chat.

Related Resources:

  • Dice Rolling GUI [Text] How to roll directly from the in-app Toolbar.
  • Dice Reference [Text] How to roll virtual dice in every possible way.
  • 3D Dice [Text] How the 3D dice work.
  • How to Create a Character [Text] How to create a click-to-roll character sheet.
  • Journal [Text] How to find and use everything in the Journal tab: Characters, Handouts, and Folders.
  • Roll20 Charactermancer [Text, Video] How to use the Roll20 Charactermancer for Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition.

Move Around the VTT

You can see tokens that are on the Objects & Tokens Layer. You will be able to select and move any token that your GM gives you permission to control. When you have control over a token linked to a Character Sheet, you can move it on the tabletop, rotate it, and use token markers to show status effects. You will be able to change the values within the bubbles that pop up above the token. For example, if a GM has tied a bubble to your character’s hit points, you will be able to type in “-5” and it will automatically subtract 5 from your hit point total.

The Toolbar in the top left corner of the tabletop allows you to assign different functions to your mouse. For example, you can use your mouse to zoom in and out using the magnifying glass, or measure distances with the ruler. 

You can get everyone’s attention to anywhere on the tabletop by clicking and holding on that spot. This action sends a ping (an expanding ring of color centered on where your mouse is) to everyone at that location.

 

Related Resources:

 

Characters and Tokens

How to create a character

As a player, you may be able to create a character upon joining the game If your GM has the option to allow players to create characters enabled. Navigate to the Journal tab in the right-side menu, then click the "+ Character" button. This will create a character and assign the appropriate permissions for you.

Note: Characters created in this way still belong to the GM. The GM can edit, move, and delete any characters added to a game.

The tutorial video below explains different ways to set up character sheets, how to make and share handouts with players, and how to create and organize folders.

How to create a character sheet using Charactermancer

This tutorial covers our Roll20 Charactermancer. We created a Charactermancer tutorial using D&D 5th Edition that explains how to level up, create an NPC sheet, and edit a character sheet directly.

Connecting Tokens to Character Sheets

In this Tutorial we demonstrate how to connect tokens to character sheets and vice versa. Moreover this video includes troubleshooting tips and tells you how to use multiple tokens for the same creature.

 

Character Sheets

Using the D&D 5E by Roll20

If you are a new D&D player playing on Roll20, we recommend watching this tutorial. We show you everything about our D&D 5e Character Sheet from rolling ability checks to casting spells and much more.

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