Questions to Ask Your DM
For Dungeons & Dragons players who want to know what kind of game they are joining before they fill in a character sheet, and what to ask the Dungeon Master once the dice are out. The 67 questions are sorted into six groups that run from the first pitch to the weeks between games: Campaign, Characters, Rules, Table, In play and Between sessions.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Campaign
How would you describe the tone of this campaign in a sentence or two?
Why ask it
A useful answer gives you something to picture: 'gritty mercenaries with gallows humor', or a show the DM has in mind. If you hear 'a bit of everything', ask which way it leans when a joke and a funeral land in the same session.
What setting are we playing in, and how much of it do I need to know before we start?
Why ask it
A published world such as the Forgotten Realms comes with shelves of lore, and a homebrew world lives in the DM's notes. Either way, ask for the three things every character who grew up there would know. A DM who can give you those in a minute has a world you can play in.
In a typical session of yours, roughly how much time goes to fighting, talking and exploring?
Why ask it
Build your character around this answer. A silver-tongued bard has little to do in a long dungeon crawl, and a damage specialist gets restless at court. 'It depends on what the party does' is an honest reply, so follow it with what the last session they ran looked like.
Which version of the rules are we using, and which books count?
Why ask it
The 2014 and 2024 versions of fifth edition differ in their classes, feats and a fair number of spells, so 'fifth edition' alone does not settle it. Get the list of books before you build anything, and ask whether you need your own copies or can share the table's.
How long do you expect the campaign to run, and what level do you think we will reach?
Why ask it
A one-shot, a ten-session arc and an open-ended game ask for different commitments and different characters. The level matters as much as the calendar: a build that only comes together at level 11 is the wrong pick for a story that ends at level 5.
How often do we play, how long is a session, and what happens when I have to miss one?
Why ask it
If the DM has a rule, it will come out as a number: how many empty chairs cancel the night, how much notice they want. Ask too whether your character keeps pace with the party's level and treasure while you are away. With no rule in place, the kind thing is to say early when you will be out, since the DM plans scenes around who is there.
Is there a main story to follow, or do we choose where to go?
Why ask it
Neither answer is the better one. What you are listening for is the job it gives you: in an open world the players have to bring their own goals, and a table that waits for a quest giver will sit in the tavern all night. In a story-led game, your part is to take the hook.
Is this a published adventure or a story of your own?
Why ask it
If you have already played or read the published adventure, tell the DM now and keep the book closed from here on. With a homebrew story, ask how far ahead it is written. 'About one session' usually means your choices can bend it.
What should every character care about for this campaign to work?
Why ask it
Many DMs have a one-line requirement, like 'you all want to protect this town' or 'you all work for the same guild'. Build it into your character and every plot hook will have something to catch on. If the answer is 'anything goes', ask what the first adventure is about and aim at that.
Where does the story begin, and do our characters already know each other?
Why ask it
Some DMs want strangers who meet in the first scene and others want the party tied together beforehand. If it is left open, pick one other player and invent a shared job, debt or hometown with them. Your character then has one person to vouch for from the opening scene.
Characters
What level do we start at, and how are we generating ability scores?
Why ask it
Standard array and point buy keep the party even. Rolling can leave one character brilliant and another struggling for the whole campaign. If the table rolls, ask whether it happens in front of everyone and whether there is a floor for a truly bad set.
Which classes, species and backgrounds are open, and is anything off the table?
Why ask it
A restriction is usually about the world and not about you: no flying characters at level 1, no gunpowder, no elves on this continent. Ask for the reason behind a ban, because the reason is often a piece of setting you can build on.
Can I use options from outside the core books: other sourcebooks, playtest material, homebrew?
Why ask it
Ask before you fall for a build. A common answer is yes to official books, maybe to playtest material and 'show me first' to homebrew. Send the exact text of what you want to use, and accept that a yes can be revisited if the option turns out to flatten every fight.
Are feats and multiclassing allowed?
Why ask it
Under the 2014 rules both are optional and the DM decides. If your plan depends on dipping into a second class at level 3, say so now and not on the night you level up. A DM who knows the plan can warn you while changing course is still free.
Can I play an evil character, or one who is only out for themselves?
Why ask it
The label matters less than the behavior. Many DMs who say no to evil will still take a selfish mercenary who keeps a bargain, so describe what the character would do for the party and to it. If the answer is yes, ask where the line sits: robbing the villain is one game and robbing the party's cleric is another.
How do you feel about heavily optimized characters?
Why ask it
Tables differ, and neither kind is wrong. What the DM is usually guarding is the spread: one character who ends every fight in a round leaves the other players watching. If you enjoy building for power, say so, and ask how strong the rest of the group is building so you can land near them.
How much backstory do you want, and in what form?
Why ask it
Match what is asked for. If the DM wants five bullet points, twelve pages will sit unread, and the bullets are what gets used at the table. Names help most: one person your character loves, one they owe and one they would cross the street to avoid.
Will my backstory come up in play, and would you change anything in it to fit your world?
Why ask it
The best reply is a counteroffer: a town on the map for your character to come from, or an existing guild standing in for the one you made up. That is your character being wired into the story. Say now if there is a part you want left alone.
What are the other players making, and is there a gap in the party?
Why ask it
No rule says a party needs a healer, and plenty of DMs adjust encounters to whatever turns up. Ask whether this one does. 'Play what you want and I will work around it' is the generous answer; if you hear 'you will regret having no front line', believe it.
What gear and gold do we start with, and can I begin with a pet, a mount or an heirloom?
Why ask it
Class and background equipment is the usual default. A grandfather's sword or a scruffy dog is often free as long as it gives no bonus, and it hands the DM something to put in a scene. If the campaign starts above level 1, ask whether that comes with extra gold or a magic item.
Will you play my character's god or patron as someone in the story, or is that mine to describe?
Why ask it
Decide what you want before you ask. A patron with a voice means scenes that are yours alone and, now and then, an order you would not have chosen. One that stays on the sheet leaves you free. If your character swore an oath, get the DM to say what breaking it would look like, so the day it happens is your choice and not a ruling.
Can I change my character if it is not working after a few sessions?
Why ask it
A rebuild in the first few sessions or at a level-up is a common allowance, and new players tend to get the most leeway. Knowing that lets you try something odd. If the answer is a firm no, choose a class you have read all the way through.
Could you look over my character sheet before the first session?
Why ask it
First sheets often carry a mistake or two: a forgotten proficiency bonus, armor class added up wrong, too many spells. Ten minutes with the DM beforehand saves finding out in the middle of a fight. A DM who offers this without being asked is one who wants new players to stay.
Rules
What are your house rules, and is there a written list?
Why ask it
Every table has a few: flanking, a free feat at level 1, a different way to roll critical damage. A written list is a good sign. Without one, ask about the rules your character leans on, and ask how new house rules arrive: announced between sessions is fair, invented in the middle of your turn is not.
How deadly is this campaign, and what happens when a character dies?
Why ask it
You want both halves: how often to expect it, and what follows. That might be a new character at the same level, a chance at resurrection or a session spent playing a hireling. 'I do not pull punches' is fine if that is the game you want. The worry is a mismatch, such as a lighthearted pitch with a body count.
Do you roll in the open or behind a screen?
Why ask it
Both have their defenders. Open rolls mean a critical hit on your character is plainly real, and a screen lets the DM soften a fight that has gone wrong by accident. You are not asking them to defend the choice, only which game you are in.
Do we fight on a battle map with miniatures, or in theater of the mind?
Why ask it
It changes which abilities are worth taking. Reach, areas of effect and movement are exact on a grid and a matter of negotiation without one. In theater of the mind, get used to asking how many enemies a spell can catch before you cast it.
How do you run turns in combat, and how long do I get to decide?
Why ask it
A fast table calls out who is on deck or runs a timer, and a slower one lets you think it through. If the pace is quick, plan during other people's turns and keep a fallback ready, even if it is only 'I attack the nearest one'. A new player can ask for extra time during the first few fights, and a decent table gives it.
How do you rule natural 20s and natural 1s?
Why ask it
By the book a natural 20 is an automatic hit only on an attack roll, yet plenty of tables let it succeed at anything. Ask about fumbles as well. A table where a 1 means dropping your sword is harder on characters who attack several times a turn.
Are there fights we are meant to run from or talk our way out of?
Why ask it
Many players assume every encounter is built to be won. A DM who says 'no, some things will simply kill you' has given fair warning, and from then on a dragon's shadow means something. Ask as well whether enemies ever surrender or flee, since that tells you whether mercy is part of this game.
How do rests work at your table, and how many fights should we expect in a day?
Why ask it
Classes recover at different speeds: a warlock gets spell slots back on a short rest and a wizard waits for a long one. A table that sleeps after every fight suits the wizard. If the DM runs a slower variant, where a long rest takes days in a safe place, you want to know before you pick a class.
How do we level up, and about how often should we expect it?
Why ask it
Under milestones everyone goes up together when the story reaches a turning point. With experience points, ask whether absent players earn them and whether talking past a fight counts as much as winning it. A rough pace is worth having too, so a long stretch at one level feels planned.
When we level up, do we roll for hit points or take the fixed number?
Why ask it
The fixed number is safe, and a roll is a gamble that can hurt a front-line character for a long time. Some DMs soften it by letting you reroll a 1 or take the average when the roll is lower. Whatever the rule, it should be the same for everyone at the table.
How common are magic items, and can we buy them?
Why ask it
The answer tells you what gold is for. Where magic is for sale, you save up. Where it is rare, ask what money buys instead: a ship, a favor, a spy in the castle. Fighters and rogues lean on found gear more than spellcasters do, so they have the most reason to ask.
How do you hand out inspiration?
Why ask it
It is the rule most likely to be forgotten on both sides of the screen. Where it is in use, find out what earns it: a good line, playing a flaw, or a vote from the other players. If the DM admits it slips their mind, offer to be the one who reminds them.
How closely do you track ammunition, rations, carrying weight and spell components?
Why ask it
A DM who waves all of this away is not being lax, and one who counts every arrow is probably running a survival game where running out is the point. Ask about costly components on their own, because they are often enforced when everything else is not. The diamond that Revivify consumes is the classic one to buy before you need it.
How do you rule things that are not on anyone's character sheet, like swinging from a chandelier?
Why ask it
The reply to hope for is 'tell me what you are trying to do and I will pick a roll'. That DM rewards ideas, so bring some. If the answer is that a stunt costs your whole turn and probably fails, stay with what your sheet does well.
When we disagree about a rule mid-session, how do you want to handle it?
Why ask it
The answer most tables can live with is a quick ruling now and a look-up afterward. If you know the rules well, ask whether corrections are welcome at the table or better sent later. Then keep to it, even when you are sure.
Table
Is there content planned for this campaign that I should know about, and how do I tell you what I would rather avoid?
Why ask it
A careful DM names the heavy material up front and offers a private way to answer. You do not owe anyone a reason for a limit. 'Nothing is off limits at my table', said with pride, is a reason to think hard about whether this is your table.
Which safety tools does this table use?
Why ask it
Lines are things that never appear, veils are things that happen off screen, and an X-card is a card anyone can tap to skip a scene without explaining. A DM who has not heard the terms is not a bad DM. Put it in plain words: what do I do if a scene goes somewhere I do not want to follow? Any clear answer will do.
What is your rule on player characters working against each other?
Why ask it
Pin down what 'against' covers at this table: keeping a secret, picking a pocket and drawing a weapon are rarely ruled the same way. If your character has a hidden agenda, tell the DM in private before the first session. A betrayal the DM helped plan can be a highlight, and one sprung on everyone tends to sour the evening.
What are the table habits I should know: when we really start, phones, food?
Why ask it
'We start at seven' can mean arriving at seven or rolling dice at seven, so ask which. If you need your phone out for your character sheet or for a child at home, say so at the start and nobody will read it as boredom.
What do I need to bring, set up or pay for?
Why ask it
Usually it is dice, a pencil and a character sheet, and for an online game an account on whatever map and voice tools the DM runs. Tables at a game store and games run by a paid DM can have fees and rules of their own, so ask how it works there. Offer to test your microphone the day before.
How much do you expect us to speak in character?
Why ask it
If voices and accents make you nervous, this is the question. What you hope to hear is that 'my character apologizes to the guard' counts just as much as a performance. Where the table is full of actors, ask whether narrating in the third person is fine. Most DMs would rather have that than silence.
Who else is playing, and how experienced is everyone?
Why ask it
A table of veterans moves fast, so ask who you can lean on when you get lost. If you are the experienced one among beginners, ask the DM how much help they want from you. Coaching someone else's turn without being asked gets old quickly.
How do you share the spotlight, and what should I do if I feel left out?
Why ask it
A DM with a method, such as going around the table or giving each character a scene, has thought about it. The second half matters more: a message after the session works better than going quiet. Ask for the reverse as well, a nudge if you are the one talking over people.
If something I am doing at the table is not working, how will you tell me?
Why ask it
It sounds like an odd thing to ask, and DMs tend to remember the player who did. A private word after the game is the usual answer. A DM who says there is never any need has either been lucky or lets problems build.
In play
What can my character see, hear and smell from here?
Why ask it
DMs describe what they prepared, so ask about the sense or the direction they left out: the ceiling, the smell, what is behind you. Once per new room is enough. More than that and the scene turns into an inventory.
What would my character already know about this?
Why ask it
Your character grew up in this world and you did not. A cleric knows something about the undead and a local knows the baron's reputation. Ask before making a choice your character would find obviously foolish, and expect either a free answer or a roll.
How far away is it, and can I reach it this turn?
Why ask it
Ask before you say what you do, not after. In a game without a map most DMs answer generously when the question comes first. Announcing a charge and then arguing about the distance goes the other way.
Is there anything in this room I could use?
Why ask it
It invites the DM to add a rope, a barrel or a loose flagstone. A specific request does better than a general one: 'is there something heavy on that shelf?' is easy to say yes to. If you get a yes, use the thing, because a DM who watches props go to waste stops offering them.
How hurt does it look?
Why ask it
Few DMs give out hit point totals, but most will describe it: barely scratched, bloodied, on its last legs. It helps the party decide who to focus on. Some ask for a check first, so find out in the first fight how this DM handles it.
Before I try this, what are the risks as my character would see them?
Why ask it
A fair DM tells you what anyone standing there could judge: the gap is wide, the drop is forty feet, the guard looks alert. It does not remove the danger, only the misunderstanding. 'You would have to find out' means the stakes are hidden on purpose, and you can decide with that in mind.
Here is what I am trying to achieve. What would that take?
Why ask it
Lead with the goal and not the skill. 'I want the guard away from that door' lets the DM offer a bribe, a distraction or a lie, where 'can I roll Persuasion?' gets one narrow answer. It is also the politest way to try something the rules do not cover.
Does my character get a read on this person?
Why ask it
Insight tells you about manner: nervous, rehearsed, holding something back. It will not hand you a verdict of true or false. Say what your character is watching for, and wait until the person has finished talking, since many DMs prefer to call for the roll themselves.
I have read about this monster. How much of that does my character know?
Why ask it
Asking out loud is the honest way through it, and most DMs like it better than a player who conveniently reaches for fire. Give a reason your character might know, such as a soldier's stories or a childhood near the marsh, and you may get the answer outright or a roll for it. If the ruling is 'nothing', play the first round as someone finding out.
Can I help with that, and what would helping look like?
Why ask it
Helping normally gives the other player a better roll, and many DMs want to hear how before they allow it. Have a line ready: holding the lantern steady, keeping the merchant talking. If your character has no business helping with a lock or a spell, expect a kind no.
Would my character remember what we were told about this last time?
Why ask it
Weeks go by for the players and only hours for the characters. Most DMs will simply tell you, or ask for an easy roll. Take it as a cue to keep better notes, since a DM who repeats the same name every session will eventually stop.
Do we have time to plan, or is the clock running while we talk?
Why ask it
At one table planning is free, and at the next ten minutes of talk is ten minutes in which the guards come closer. In a tense scene, ask before the debate starts. If time is passing, agree on a quick plan and go.
I am stuck. What are my options here?
Why ask it
The new player's best friend, and no DM minds hearing it. You will usually get two or three things a character like yours might try. Lean on it early and less as you learn your sheet, because the aim is to stop needing it.
Between sessions
Is there anything I should read, prepare or decide before next time?
Why ask it
Leveling up at home is the common answer, and it saves the table the first half hour. Ask whether the DM wants to see the choices. If the party ended on a decision, such as which road to take, settling it by message lets the DM prepare the right road.
Can we handle shopping and downtime by message?
Why ask it
Plenty of DMs are glad to, because it leaves the session for the story. Ask what your character can get done in the time off: training, research, earning coin, writing home. A reply of 'nothing happens between adventures' is fine, and it means you save your ideas for the table.
I have an idea for where my character's story could go. Can we work it in?
Why ask it
Bring a wish and not a script. 'I would like her to find out who sent the letter' leaves the DM room to surprise you, and a three-act outline leaves none. Then let go of how and when it arrives.
Did we miss something obvious last session?
Why ask it
Ask it lightly. A DM will not hand over the secret, but will often say the clue was in your notes or admit it was buried too deep. Do not ask what was behind the door you skipped. Unused rooms have a way of turning up later, and the DM would like you to be surprised.
Something in the last session bothered me. Can we talk about it before the next one?
Why ask it
Raise it within a few days and in private, and describe the moment and not the person: 'the interrogation scene went further than I expected' gives the DM something to fix. A good DM thanks you and says what will change. If the reply is a shrug or a defense, you have learned how much weight the session zero promises carry.
What could I do to make running the game easier for you?
Why ask it
Tracking initiative, writing the recap, hosting or chasing the group about dates are all jobs a player can take. The DM spends hours on preparation that nobody sees, so the offer is seldom refused. Pick one job and keep doing it without being asked again.
How did the session feel from your side of the screen?
Why ask it
DMs get asked this far less than they ask it. The answer shows what they enjoy running, and a table that gives them more of it gets a better game. If the DM sounds worn out, suggest a week off or a one-shot run by someone else.
How to ask your DM without slowing the game
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the first session
Read the pitch before you ask
Many DMs send a pitch or a one-page handout first, and half of the Campaign questions may already be answered in it. Read it, then ask only what it leaves out. Turning up with questions the handout covered tells the DM their preparation goes unread.
Start with what decides your build
You do not need all of the Campaign, Characters and Rules questions. Start with the ones that decide what you build: tone, the split between fighting and talking, starting level, what is allowed and how deadly the game is. The rest can wait for session zero or come up as you play.
Raise the personal ones one to one
Content limits, nerves about roleplaying and worries about being new are easier to raise in a direct message than in front of people you have just met. A DM who answers those kindly in private will usually handle them well at the table too.
Keep the answers
Write down what you were told about house rules, death and absences, or save the message. Months later nobody remembers whether flanking was in or out, and a note from session zero settles it without an argument.
Asking without cross-examining
Ask to understand, not to negotiate
The DM is describing the game they are able to run. If the answer to 'are feats allowed?' is no, asking why is fine once. Asking four times in different words is lobbying, and it starts the campaign on the wrong foot.
Let 'I have not decided' stand
A new DM may not have a ruling on critical hits or resting yet, and that is no warning sign. Offer what you have seen work at another table, then leave the choice with them. Ask again after a few sessions if it still matters to your character.
Notice the answers that do not fit you
If you want a relaxed story and the DM describes a tactical meat grinder, no amount of questions will close that gap. Saying 'this sounds great, but it is not the game for me' before session one is kinder to everyone than drifting away in session five.
Offer something back
Session zero goes better as an exchange. When you ask about tone, say what you enjoy. When you ask about backstory, offer two hooks the DM is free to pick up. A DM who knows what you want can aim the game at it.
Asking in the middle of a scene
Ask first, then commit
Questions about distance, risk and what your character can see belong before you declare an action. 'How far is the ledge?' followed by 'then I jump' is good play. 'I jump', a bad roll and then 'but I thought it was close' is an argument.
Say what your character does
Many In play questions land better as actions. 'I run my hand along the wall, what do I find?' gives the DM more to work with than 'can I roll Investigation?', and it leaves the choice of roll to the person whose job it is.
Keep rules questions to your own turn
A quick 'does this spell need line of sight?' on your turn is ordinary. Reopening a ruling on someone else's turn stops the game for five people. If you think a call was wrong, note it and raise it once the session is over.
Take the ruling and move on
Once the DM has answered, play from that answer even if the book says otherwise. Being wrong for one evening costs little. A table that learns every ruling can be appealed gets slower each week.
Between sessions
Not in the last hour
A DM in the hour before a session is printing maps and rereading notes. Send questions a few days ahead, when there is still time to act on the answer. The exception is anything that affects whether you can attend.
One message, not nine
Collect your questions and send them together, numbered, so the DM can reply in one sitting. Put the one that needs a decision first. A long back-and-forth about a single rule is usually better saved for five minutes before the next game.
Tell the group what you were told
If the DM gives you a ruling on a spell or lets your character do some shopping, mention it in the group chat unless it is a secret. Private rulings that surface in the middle of a fight look like favoritism even when they are not.
Say what went well, too
The Between sessions questions are not only requests. Telling the DM which scene you are still thinking about, and asking how it felt to run, costs you a minute. People prepare more gladly for a table that notices.