An RPG Glossary

At Rogue & Rye, we believe that everyone, no matter their experience level, should be able to jump into the world of RPGs with confidence. That’s why we've put together this helpful glossary of the most common RPG terms and acronyms you'll encounter at the table. Because all language develops uniquely in each smaller community, some of these terms may have nuances in your circle.  Feel free to comment (gently) on this post with how you understand the definitions differently.  Be sure to check each of your game's specific handbooks for more game-specific terminology.

Acronyms and Abbreviations

1. TTRPG – Tabletop RPG

2. DM – Dungeon Master The person who organizes and runs the game. The DM is responsible for creating the world, controlling non-player characters (NPCs), and guiding the story.

3. GM – Game Master A general term for the person who runs the game in many RPG systems, similar to the DM. The GM guides the story, controls NPCs, and manages the game’s rules.

4. PC – Player Character The character controlled by the player. Each player creates and role-plays their PC, making decisions, actions, and interacting with the world.

5. NPC – Non-Player Character Characters in the game world that are controlled by the DM/GM, or allied players. NPCs include allies, enemies, merchants, townspeople, and others who interact with the PCs.

6. HP – Hit Points A measure of a character’s health. When a character's HP reaches 0, they are usually incapacitated or "knocked out."

7. XP – Experience Points Points awarded to characters for completing quests, defeating enemies, and accomplishing tasks. XP helps characters level up, improving their abilities.

8. AC – Armor Class A number representing how difficult it is to land a successful hit on a character. Higher AC means it’s harder to hit that character in combat.

9. CR – Challenge Rating A metric used to gauge the difficulty of an encounter or creature. It helps GMs balance encounters for the players based on their level.

10. TPK – Total Party Kill When the entire group of player characters is defeated in a single encounter, usually in a disastrous or tragic way.

Gameplay Terms

1. Roll for Initiative The process by which players determine the order of actions during combat. Players roll a dice (usually a d20) and add any modifiers to determine their place in the combat or initiated action order.

2. Critical Hit (Crit) When a player rolls the highest possible result on a die (usually a natural 20 on a d20 roll) during an attack roll, resulting in bonus damage or a special effect.

3. Critical Fail (Nat 1) When a player rolls the lowest possible result on a die (usually a natural 1 on a d20 roll), often resulting in a failure or disastrous outcome in gameplay.

4. Action Economy Refers to the types of actions a character can take on their turn, including standard actions (attacks, spell casting), movement, and bonus actions. Managing the action economy is key to winning in combat.

5. Bonus Action A secondary action that a character can take during their turn, in addition to their main action. Some abilities, spells, or class features might use a bonus action.  For example: A Rogue can take a bonus action "Cunning Action" on each of their turns in combat, allowing them to Dash, Disengage, or Hide. This allows them to move quickly, avoid enemies, or sneak away without using up their main action.

6. Long Rest/Short Rest A long rest typically lasts 8 hours and allows a character to fully recover HP and spell slots. A short rest usually takes 1 hour and allows a character to regain some resources or recover from exhaustion.

7. Saving Throw (Save) A roll made to avoid or resist harmful effects like spells, traps, or poisons. For example, a Dexterity saving throw might be made to dodge a fireball.

8. Combat Round A 6-second period during which all characters and enemies take their turns in the combat sequence.

9. Loot Items or treasure obtained from defeating enemies, discovering hidden caches, or completing quests. Loot can include weapons, gold, potions, magical or other items.

Character Stats and Attributes

1. STR – Strength Measures a character’s physical power and ability to carry heavy loads or deal damage in melee combat.

2. DEX – Dexterity Reflects a character’s agility, reflexes, and coordination. It affects things like ranged attacks, stealth, trap-avoidance, and AC.

3. CON – Constitution Represents a character’s endurance and health. A higher Constitution score increases HP and helps resist physical challenges like poison or fatigue.

4. INT – Intelligence Measures a character’s mental acuity, memory, and ability to reason. It affects skills like investigation and knowledge-based checks.

5. WIS – Wisdom Reflects a character’s perception, insight, and willpower. It is often linked to senses, intuition, and resistances against magical effects.

6. CHA – Charisma A character's charm, persuasion, and leadership abilities. Charisma affects social interactions like persuasion, intimidation, and performance, and can at times reduce merchant prices.

Spells and Abilities

1. Spell Slot Represents the number of times a character can cast a specific level of spell. Higher-level spell slots are generally used for more powerful spells.

2. Cantrip A simple, generally low-level spell that a character can cast an unlimited number of times. These are usually utility or basic attack spells; spells committed to memory for reuse.

3. Spell Save DC The difficulty a creature must overcome when trying to resist a character’s spell effects. It’s calculated based on the caster’s spellcasting ability modifier and proficiency bonus.

4. Area of Effect (AoE) Refers to the area that a spell affects.  Depending on the spell, the affect's shape (cone, spere, cube, line, etc.) and radius must be accounted when scoring damage.  

5. Concentration Many spells require concentration, meaning the caster must maintain focus on the spell. If they are damaged or distracted, they must succeed on a concentration check or lose the spell.

World-Building and Storytelling Terms

1. Homebrew Refers to content that is custom-created by the GM/DM or players, such as unique classes, races, monsters, or even entire campaigns. Homebrew content is often inspired by official rules but modified for the campaign’s needs.

2. Lore The background story, history, and world-building elements of the campaign setting. It includes important events, legendary characters, and key locations.  Sometimes referred to a "canon."

3. Campaign The span of adventure your storyline takes.  These can be "one-shot" adventures solved in a single session, or take years to complete.  Critical Role's Mighty Nein campaign of 141 episodes lasted 3 and a half years, including side-quests, mid-range bosses, investigations, and a number of enchanting shopping excursions.

4. Quest A task or mission that the player characters undertake, often given by NPCs. Quests can be short or long, and often tie into part of the larger campaign narrative.

5. Session Zero A preliminary meeting before starting a campaign where the players and GM discuss character creation, house rules, campaign expectations, and general guidelines for the game. Check out Critical Role's session 0 to prepare for Beta gameplay of Daggerhart (Release date: 5/25/25).

We hope this glossary of RPG terms helps you better navigate the world of tabletop role-playing games. Whether you're new to the hobby or a seasoned player, understanding the terminology makes the game more immersive and fun.

As we acknowledged up top, all language develops uniquely in each smaller community. Feel free to comment on any differences in nuance that you find in the language.  The more languages we know, the more people we can play with! 

We appreciate you being part of our community. Keep an eye on our site for all the latest in games, gear, and news.

Remember to stay your favorite self, and game on!