Role-playing games (RPGs) have developed specialized terminology. This includes both terminology used within RPGs to describe in-game concepts and terminology used to describe RPGs. Role-playing games also have specialized slang and jargon associated with them.
Besides the terms listed here, there are numerous terms used in the context of specific, individual RPGs such as Dungeons & Dragons (D&D), Pathfinder, Fate, and Vampire: The Masquerade. For a list of RPGs, see List of role-playing games.
Terms used to play role-playing games
A
Adventure: A set of game sessions united by characters and by narrative sequence, setting or goal. Armor Class (or AC): The difficulty to hit a specified target, abstracted from its dodging capacity and armor. "This term was inherited from a naval battle game". Many role-playing games that came after Dungeons & Dragons have "abandoned the notion of defining defense as armor class". Area of Effect (or AoE): An effect that affects a zone, measured by a template, distance in hexagon or ordinary metrics.
C
Campaign: A series of adventures. Character: player character: non-player character or game-master character: a fictional character in a role-playing game. Character sheet: A record of a player character in a role-playing game, including whatever details, notes, game statistics, and background information a player would need during a play session. Character creation: The method used to create a player character. Critical: (dice) result (- hit / - failure) with lower probability (natural 1 or 20 on an icosahedron, matched dice, etc.) resulting in a strong fictional/mechanical outcome.
D
Difficulty Class (or DC): A target number to save from an effect. : An enclosed location that contains hostile NPCs, such as a cave or building. A dungeon crawl is a type of scenario in which players navigate a labyrinth type of dungeon, battling various monsters, avoiding traps, solving puzzles, and looting any treasure they may find.
F
Fumble: Critical failure. syn. Botch.
G
Game master (or GM). The person who runs a role-playing game and arbitrates how actions are resolved and narrated. In many games, specialized terms are used, as such Dungeon Master for the person running Dungeons & Dragons, Storyteller for the person running a game set in the World of Darkness or Referee for the person running Traveller. Gamemaster's screen: a folding screen, often of cardboard, used to hide adventure content from the players.
I
Initiative : The determination of who goes first and in what order declared actions are carried out.
M
Metagaming: A player's use of out-of-character knowledge concerning the state of the game to determine their character's actions, when said character has no relevant knowledge or awareness under the circumstances. Modifier: A number added to or subtracted from a die roll based on a specific skill or other attribute.
N
Natural (roll): The number actually on a die, such as a natural 1 or a natural 20, indicating the die's face shows a 1 or a 20, as opposed to the number rolled plus modifiers.
S
Saving throw: A game mechanic in which dice are used to avoid some kind of negative effect on a character. : An auxiliary ruleset added to a roleplaying game that establishes boundaries, trigger warnings, and communication methods. Examples of popular safety toolsets include: Lines and Veils by Emily Care Boss (based on concepts from Sorcery & Sex by Ron Edwards), Script Change by Beau Sheldon, and the X-Card by John Stavropoulos. Session: A single meeting of a role-playing group. (or ): The first game session where the game master and players determine the playstyle, mechanics and themes they will use as group in their game. Groups will also determine the expectations and limitations (including use of safety tools) of their game. Some groups also use this session to create characters and establish other parts of worldbuilding for their game. Setting: The fictional world in which the game takes place. Story guide: Also, "storyteller." The game master of a game with a strong focus on narrative tropes. System: The set of game mechanics which make up a game.