How to Play Solo DnD: A Complete Guide for Beginners

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Playing Dungeons & Dragons by yourself without a Dungeon Master or other players might sound a little strange or difficult to pull off. After all, DnD is game that’s all about socialization and group dynamics. The reality, however, is that there are thousands of people who enjoy playing solo DnD, with dozens of books, adventure and even complete game systems built around roleplaying alone.

To help you get started, we’ve put together this comprehensive guide that will walk you through everything you need to know, including prep, running the game, and a few tools and techniques that make a DM-less adventure work. While we are focusing primarily on the DnD 5e rules, most of this advice can be applied to just about any TTRPG.

So grab your dice, character sheet and get ready to go it alone as we roll into… the complete guide to playing solo DnD.

Step 1: Choose Your Rules

To begin your solo DnD journey, you’ll need a set of rules. Specifically, the core books of the Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide and Monster Manual (although you can always use Wizards of the Coast’s free DnD 2024 rules). And while DnD 2024 is the most current rules set, there’s nothing to stop you from using an older edition of the game.

At this stage, you should also decide whether you’re going to play using pencil, paper and physical dice or using a digital platform like D&D Beyond or VTTs like Roll20. If you’d like, you can also use battlemaps, miniatures, tokens and terrain – although this is completely optional and a theatre of the mind style of play works just as well.

Step 2: Choose Your DM Engine

One of the biggest differences with solo DnD is that there’s no Dungeon Master controlling the narrative, NPCs and monsters. The good news is that there are systems available which simulate DM decisions through dice rolls and random tables. We like to think of these as DM engines, and they’re an essential part of playing DnD alone, offering a structured way to randomly determine the outcome of events and combat. Many of these engines also use something known as an oracle dice, which is a simple way to generate an answer to almost any kind of question you can ask or situation you might be faced with.

A few of the best DM engines that we recommend for solo play include:

• The Solo Adventurers Toolbox + The Solo Adventuers’s Toolbox (Expanded)
• Solo Adventures Guide
• MUNE (The Madey Upy Namey Emulator)
• Mythic GM Emulator
• One Page Solo Engine

Step 3: Choose Your Adventure

While you can potentially run a solo DnD sandbox experience, letting the dice dictate the story, you can also use pre-existing DnD 5e campaigns or adventures that are normally designed for group play. Both of these options, however, can be a little complicated. If you’re looking for a simpler approach, there are actually adventures specifically designed for solo roleplaying. A few great options in this category include:

• To Hell and Back Again 
• The Death Knight’s Squire
• Tyrant of Zhentil Keep
• Citadel of the Raven
• Eberron: The Savior or Sharn
• The Wolves of Langston
• The Secret of Oki Island
• The Crystals of Z’leth

Step 4: Create Your Character(s)

Character creation in solo DnD can be a bit tricky, since you’ll be adventuring without the safety net of a party, it’s a good idea to select a versatile class that can handle healing, exploration and combat. And while you can run any DnD 5e class and subclass, in general Rangers, Druids and Clerics are especially well-suited for solo play.

Another option is to build out multiple characters to simulate a full party. This approach allows for more tactical combat and problem-solving, although it also increases complexity. Adding a second character or animal companion can be a better approach, as it’s not quite as complicated to manage and gives you some extra power on the battlefield and some more narrative tension to work with.

Step 5: Run the Adventure

Without a Dungeon Master to guide the adventure, you’ll need to the play role of both storyteller and character. This means managing the three core pillars of DnD 5e: combat, exploration and roleplaying. In almost any situation – including NPC reactions, random encounters, enemy attacks and skill checks – you’ll be using your DM Engine (see Step 2 above). Below are also a few things to bear in mind for each DnD pillar:

• Combat: This can be tricky during solo play, as you’ll be juggling both your own character, NPCs and enemies during combat. To determine enemy movement, actions and spells during, use your DM engine and remember that you’ll need to keep track of initiative and hit points. Some solo DnD players use miniatures of maps to make it easier to get a sense of what’s happening.
• Exploration: During this pillar of a solo roleplaying experience it can be helpful to let the oracle dice and DM engine do most of the heavy lifting so you’re genuinely surprised by what you encounter. There are random tables for just about any situation that can make the game feel organic and offer surprises that make the experience feel more authentic.
• Roleplaying: Social encounters can be one of the most tricky elements of solo play since everything lives inside your head. Try to flesh out NPCs as much as possible, giving them motivations, quirks and goals. When you’re unsure how an NPC or enemy might react, use an DM engine or oracle dice to determine the outcome.

Tips & Tricks for Solo Play

While much of playing Dungeons & Dragons solo comes from experience and trial and error, below are a tips to make your experience more fun.

• Talk Out Loud: When interacting with NPCs, try actually speaking the dialogue out loud rather than in your head. This might sound a little odd (and may get some strange looks if you’re playing around other people) it really helps the game feel more alive.
• Read ahead: If you’re running a pre-published adventure that isn’t designed for solo play, it can be easier to read the adventure first before playing. This does create of a bit of metagaming experience (you’ll know where the secret door is and how to sneak past that pesky sleeping dragon), but it also makes the process easier. If on the other hand, you’re running an adventure specifically designed for solo play, part of the fun is discovering the story as you go.
• Go digital: While there’s nothing wrong with using nothing more than paper and pencils to run your solo game, using digital tools like D&D Beyond and Roll20 can make the process significantly easier, since you’re managing far more assets than you would if you’re playing in a normal group session.
• Use sidekicks: First introduced in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, there are actually complete rules for running Sidekicks that are fun, fast and simply to use. This is particularly helpful in combat, but also opens up more potential during exploration and social encounters.
• Use simplified initiative: Combat can be one of the more challenging aspects of solo DnD. To keep things simple try using static initiative. With this method, you always go first and monsters go next. It’s an effective way to streamline the action.
• When in doubt, use an oracle dice: If you’re not sure what comes next, roll a oracle dice to keep things moving along. Even a simple “Yes/No” response can open up new possibilities in terms of the story and outcome of any situation.

Resources & Further Reading

If you really want to sink your teeth into solo DnD, there are ton of great resources out there and a number of online communities that can steer you in the right direction. Below are a few books, websites, podcasts and videos that we love:

• Reddit’s r/Solo_Roleplaying
• The Soloist substack
• Ginny Di on Solo play
• Donjon Random Tables
• The GM’s Book of Astonishing Random Tables
• The Universal NPC Emulator
• Hexbox Random Wilderness Explorer
• The Lone Adventurer podcast

Final Thoughts

Solo Dungeons & Dragons isn’t just a lesser version of the game. In fact, it can be just as engaging, rewarding and fun as the best of group play. It offers a unique chance to explore new characters, dig into the rules and immerse yourself in a campaign without having to worry about scheduling hangouts or group consensus.

So whether you’re looking to kill some time, find a new creative outlet or build a deeper connection with the game, solo DnD may just be what you’re looking for, letting you craft amazing adventures that are as personal as they are epic.

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