GM resource
Session zero for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition
Set expectations, tone, and table agreements. Session zero for D&D 5e sets the table before the dice matter: agree on tone (heroic fantasy adventure), safety boundaries, and what each player wants from the game.
Checklist
- Talk through tone and boundaries: how hard the table wants to lean into what makes D&D 5e distinct (heroic fantasy adventure).
- Walk the group through the core roll mechanic together so nobody is guessing at the table: D&D 5e resolves rolls with a d20: roll 1d20, add your ability modifier and proficiency bonus if it applies, and meet or beat a Difficulty Class (or the target's Armor Class for attacks). Advantage and disadvantage have you roll two d20s and keep the better or worse.
- Collect character concepts and connect them to each other before the first scene.
- Agree on logistics (session length, cadence) and which safety tools the table will use.
Common pitfalls
- Skipping the tone talk and hitting a mismatch mid-campaign
- Running session zero as pure character creation with no table agreements
- No shared safety-tool agreement before the first high-intensity scene