Writing Material for 5e (2014) in WotC's Style
This guide is written to be a supplement to the official D&D Style Guide published by the Adventurer's League.
The foundation for writing player-facing material like WotC does is grounded in "natural language", meant to explain information with minimal prior knowledge.
The short summary is:
- Write in complete sentences and use proper grammar.
- Follow logical flow.
- Adhere to only the default rules of the game, unless an optional rule must be assumed.
- Don't abbreviate terms, phrases, and units of measurement (with a few exceptions).
- Avoid community-created jargon, slang, and lingo.
If you aren't familiar with formatting your paragraph structure, follow this simple template:
[Feat, Feature, Magic Item,
Racial Trait, or Spell Name]
[Flavor text]. [Mechanical text].
The primary benefit of following this template is that both flavor and mechanical text are signposted. Sometimes, flavor text uses terms and phrases incorrectly according to the rules governing mechanical text, which can create ambiguity and confusion when flavor is intermingled with mechanics.
What is 'Logical Flow'?
In succinct terms, 'logical flow' is a term I made up to describe matching the order you present information to a player to the order that information becomes relevant to the player. Generally, the order is as follows:
Verification
The player needs to be able to know if the feature, trait, spell, etc. can be used in the current circumstances. This is where you describe things like:
- Action cost
- "As an action, you can..."
- "You can take a bonus action to..."
- Target qualification
- "A creature you can see..."
- "A friendly creature within 10 feet of you..."
- Other conditionals
- "When you are in dim light or darkness..."
- "On your turn while you're raging, ..."
Performance
The player needs to know what kind of action or actions must be done, and if other players need to take some kind of action or actions in response to the first player.
There may be a string or series of actions and resolutions. Follow the cycle of performance into resolution into performance again until you are complete.
Resolution
After each player has performed the necessary action or actions, you describe the events that occur afterwards. If any dice are rolled, you provide the necessary information for resolving the dice rolls.
For example, this is where a player learns what happens if an attack hits, or if a creature fails a saving throw.
Post-Resolution Information
Finally, you provide information for players that is still important, but not as important as the immediate information required in the resolution.
Frequently, this is where you explain how a creature can end an effect on itself, usually with a repeated saving throw, or how frequently a player can use a feature or trait per rest.
What are the Main Optional Rules?
Feats
The default rules for 5e assume that no feats are being used in the process of player creation. You can find the optional feats rule on page 165 of the Player's Handbook. As such, class features can't refer to feats or give feats in the feature.
If writing text in a feat however, then the optional feats rule can be assumed and you can refer to other feats in the feat.
Multiclassing
The default rules for 5e assume that every player is playing a character that only takes levels in a single class. You can find the optional multiclassing rule on page 163 of the Player's Handbook. As such, class features can't specifically refer to a different class's unique features, and both feats and class features can't assume a PC takes levels in multiple classes.
Playing on a Grid
The default rules for 5e assume that you are playing using theater of the mind. You can find the variant rules for playing on squares with tokens on page 192 of the Player's Handbook, with additional optional rules on page 250 of the Dungeon Master's Guide.
Player-facing text never uses terms like 'adjacent', 'diagonal', or 'squares'. For example, an "adjacent creature" is instead "a creature within 5 feet". Distances are measured in 5-foot increments, not by squares.
What can be Abbreviated?
Listed below are the terms and phrases that 5e abbreviates in player-facing material.
- Armor Class: AC
- Difficulty Class: DC
- Dungeon Master: DM
Using Correct Terms and Phrases
Listed below are terms and phrases that I see commonly misused, and how to properly use or fix them.
'Ability'
In 5e, ability refers to the six abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. It should not be used as a replacement for 'feature' or 'trait'.
'Adjacent/Diagonal/Squares'
See "Playing on a Grid" above, under the "What are the Optional Rules?" section.
"At Advantage/Disadvantage"
5e doesn't use this phrasing. Instead, you "gain advantage on the ability check", you "have advantage on the ability check", you "make the ability check with advantage", or you "impose disadvantage on the ability check".
'Attack of Opportunity'
'Attack of opportunity' is a phrase used in older editions, but in 5e, it's 'opportunity attack'.
'Concentration Check'
'Concentration check' is a phrase used in older editions, but doesn't exist in 5e. Instead, you "make a Constitution saving throw to maintain concentration on a spell".
"Each Round/Per Round"
5e does not have a defined start and end to rounds of combat. Effects that occur once per round or last one round should instead be linked to a specific creature's turn.
'Expertise'
'Expertise' is not a defined term in 5e, it is a class feature. Write out the full text, like so: "Choose one of your skill proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the chosen proficiency."
'Free Action'
'Free action' is a phrase used in older editions, but doesn't exist in 5e. Everything costs some kind of action or doesn't cost any at all, which will usually be clarified with a "(no action required)" clause.
"Heal/Healing" Hit Points
"Heal" and "healing" are terms only used in flavor text. You "regain hit points" or "restore hit points" instead.
"Make" vs "Succeed" on a Saving Throw
Both of these can be correct, but only within the correct context. Here are the two ways it can be written:
- "A creature must make a DC 15 Strength saving throw. On a failed save, ..."
- "A creature must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or ..."
'Movement' vs 'Speed'
Movement and speed aren't the same thing.
Speed is a statistic for a creature. Changing a creature's speed is possible via effects such as ray of frost, grappling, haste, and Oath of Glory paladin's Aura of Alacrity feature.
Movement is a resource each creature can use that is derived from speed. A creature spends feet of its movement to move, which can be altered by effects such as difficult terrain, plant growth, and swimming without a swimming speed.
Lastly, 'movement speed' is not a type of speed. The types of speed are burrow, climbing, flying, swimming, and walking.
"Per Short Rest/Per Long Rest/Per Day"
5e doesn't use this phrasing due to ambiguity about when uses are regained. The text is written out, like so: "Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest." or "You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (a minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest."
Additionally, "per day" phrasing is not used because it removes parity when played with the Epic Heroism or Gritty Realism variant resting rules on page 267 of the Dungeon Master's Guide. Magic items that regain charges at dawn or dusk are written out, like so: "The wand regains 1d6 + 1 expended charges daily at dawn."
'Range' vs 'Reach'
Spells typically use "within range" phrasing with little issue. A spell with a range of touch can use "within reach" or "you can reach" phrasing instead.
Melee weapons do not have a range, and instead only have a reach. Ranged weapons have both a normal and long range, which means a nondescriptive 'range' doesn't work for ranged weapons.
'Skill Check'
'Skill check' is a phrase used in older editions, but doesn't exist in 5e. 5e exclusively uses 'ability check' instead.
'Target'
According to the strictest reading of the Targets section under Spellcasting, found on page 204 of the Player's Handbook, a feature or spell with an area effect doesn't necessarily target anything except its point of origin.
There is also conflicting language that doesn't clarify this description. For example, conjure volley uses the phrasing of "A creature takes..." while fireball uses the phrasing of "A target takes...", despite both spells being area effect spells.
To resolve this, don't use 'target' to refer to creatures or objects within an area effect, and only use it to refer to a single creature or object at a time. The phrasing fireball uses is in the minority, so therefore serves less as a precedent.
'Unarmed Attack'
The correct term is 'unarmed strike'.
Other Common Mistakes
These are the errors that I see most frequently, and how you can fix them.
Ability Checks with Skills Formating
The format is the ability, followed by the skill in parentheses, followed by 'check'. For example, you make a "Strength (Athletics) check" or a "Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check".
Addressing the Player
5e is primarily written in the second person. All player-facing material, such as classes, subclasses, magic items, feats, features, and spells should be written in the second person, addressing the player as "you".
Conversely, material not meant for players, such as adventure modules, monster stat blocks, and NPC information, is written in the third person. Death Domain cleric and Oathbreaker paladin, found on page 96 of the Dungeon Master's Guide, are written in third person because they are primarily intended for NPCs using PC leveling structure.
Alphabetical Order
When multiple items are listed together, they are usually ordered alphabetically (e.g. class skills, damage types, Battle Master fighter maneuvers). The primary exception to this is abilities, which are ordered as they are provided.
This includes features at the same level (e.g. Expertise before Sneak Attack before Thieves' Cant). This can be excepted if and only if one feature is reliant on another feature before it.
American vs British (vs Other) English
5e uses American English. Here are some examples:
- Words that end in "-or" (e.g. "armor" instead of "armour")
- Words that end in "-ize" or "-yze" (e.g. "theorize" and "analyze" instead of "theorise" and "analyse")
- Words that end in "-ense" (e.g. "defense" instead of "defence")
Capitalization
Abilities, books, feats, features, inline subheads, proper nouns, skills, and traits are capitalized.
Classes are not capitalized, except when referring to the class table (e.g. "the Fighter table") or when the name of a class coincides with a feature name (e.g. Roguish Archetype).
Magic items are only capitalized when the item is unique, such as an artifact (e.g. Wand of Orcus vs moonblade).
In addition to the terms and phrases that can be abbreviated, 5e also capitalizes:
- Hit Die/Hit Dice
- Size categories (e.g. 'Small' and 'Medium')
- Subclasses and archetypes
- Specific actions listed in the Actions in Combat section, found on page 192 of the Player's Handbook (e.g. "the Attack action", "the Help action")
"Choose To"
Most of the time, "you can choose to" phrasing is redundant and already implied with "you can" phrasing.
Italicization
Books, inline subheads, magic items, and spells are italicized. Don't use italics for emphasis.
Missing Action Costs
Don't forget to add action costs for your features, traits, spells, and other effects. If there is no action cost required, you can clarify that with a "(no action required)" clause.
Missing DCs
A creature forcing another creature to make a saving throw needs a DC for that saving throw. Usually, casters will use their spell save DC for this saving throw.
"Per Turn" vs "Each of Its/Your Turns"
Anything that occurs "once per turn" can occur multiple times in a round. If the intention is to only occur once in a round, use phrasing such as "once on each of your turns".
"They/Them/Their"
5e rarely uses these pronouns to refer to creatures. The primary exception is when the text refers to both "creatures and objects" (e.g. see invisibility, Phantom rogue's Ghost Walk feature). Otherwise, use the singular form of 'creature', and use the pronoun "it" to refer to a creature.
"You May"
5e uses "you can" phrasing, not "you may" phrasing.
"But I Found WotC-Published Material Contradicts This Guide!"
Sometimes this does occur. WotC's editors aren't perfect and things slip through the gaps. It's especially apparent in the Player's Handbook because it was a first publication for the edition when WotC hadn't fully ironed out their editing style, but also occurs in later books with rushed publication.
WotC largely doesn't provide proper and thorough erratas for their books. We can guess the reasoning, but it's all conjecture, and the fact remains that these editing errors remain in official material well after original publication.
Regardless, WotC's material is consistent enough that most rules for WotC's writing style for 5e can be extrapolated.