Caught in traffic. Trapped in a cubicle. Stuck in a rut. Tangled up in red tape.

In the real world, sometimes you feel powerless -- but not in Dungeons & Dragons (D & D). In this fantasy-adventure, you have all kinds of special powers. You can slay the evil dragon, overcome the orc or the ogre, haunt the werewolf, and triumph over sinister trolls. You venture into strange realms, encounter strange creatures, and use magical powers. Your character grows and develops with every adventure.

With this guide, you can learn the ins and outs of D & D and start playing right away. Dungeons & Dragons For Dummies gives beginners the basics of the complex game and helps experienced players fine-tune their roleplaying. It guides you through:

• Creating your character (a powerful fighter, a sneaky rogue, a crafty sorcerer, or a charismatic cleric), and character advancement
  
• The races: humans, dwarves, elves, and halflings
  
• The types of character actions: attack rolls, skill check, and ability checks
  
• The 6 abilities: strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom, charisma
  
• Feat requirements and types
  
• Playing the game, including moving in combat, attacking with a weapon (melee attacks or ranged attacks), and damage and dying
  
• Picking skills, armor, weapons, and gear
  
• Choosing spells if your character is a sorcerer or domains for a cleric
  
• Building encounter or combat strategies and using advanced tactics
  
• Maximizing your character's power with the acquisition of the right magic items: armor, weapons, potion, scroll, ring, wand, staff, rod, plus wondrous items D & D game etiquette
  
• Becoming a Dungeon Master

There's even a sample play session that walks you through typical play, gets you comfortable using the battle grid and character markers, lets you test player characters against each other and against monsters, and shows you how to add story elements to create an adventure. Produced in partnership with Wizards of the Coast, written by D & D game designers, and complete with a battle grid, a sample dungeon map, and a glossary, this guide arms you with the knowledge to create and equip a character and empowers you to enter the captivating, fascinating world of D & D.