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InDungeons & Dragons, whenever a player attempts an action, or if they’re trying to overcome the effects of a spell or other physical challenge, they’ll likely have to attempt an ability check or saving throw against a certain difficult class, or DC. The Dungeon Master sets the DC for this, either above the table or secretly behind the DM screen, later telling the player who rolled if they succeeded or not.
If you’re a new Dungeon Master, this task can prove elusive. But, it’s actually relatively straightforward, and there’s a lot of flexibility. Here’s what you need to know to create difficulty classes.
When To Create A Difficulty Class
In Dungeons & Dragons, a difficulty class should be established for your playerwhenever they’re attempting to do any of the following actions.
Details
Use A Skill
Anytime a player is attempting to use one of their six core skillsor any ability that falls under these umbrellas, there should likely be a DC set.
For example,if a player says they want to use their Medicine skillto try to heal a wound, you wouldhave them make an ability check roll and set a DC.
When A Rule Requires It
Manyspells, attacks, and other effectsstate in their rules whether a saving throw or an ability check needs to be made to either use the feature or avoid it.
For example,many spells require Wisdom saving throws to be madeagainst the spellcaster’s spell save DC, which is predetermined by their abilities.
Attempt Any Unique Action
Anytime a player is attempting to do something that feels unique, and does not fall under the parameters of normal, everyday behavior (walking, talking, breathing, etc.),the player should make a check or throw against a DC.
To Avoid A Trap
If a player triggers a trap, environmental effect, or other extraneous event to occur, setting a DC for a corresponding saving throw is necessary.
For spells and attacks that have DCs laid out in their rules, typically, the DC will be predeterminedby the rule or the attacker/spellcaster’s abilities. Usually, a predetermined DC is calculated like this:
This formula is typically used to determine things like a Spell Save DC.
However,Dungeon Masters will have to create a DC for our other three options, so let’s look at how to do just that.
How To Set A DC
There’s a pretty standard formulathat’s universally accepted for determining a DC. First, you have todetermine how difficult the action is.
For example,if a bard is trying to play an instrument they found, this will likely prove relatively easyfor them and needs a low DC.
Conversely,if a lumbering barbarian with plate armor is trying to sneak past a sentry in a watchtower, this will likely be more difficultand needs a high DC.
From there, once you’ve determined the difficulty of the task at hand, you canset a DC based on the below table.
5-10
10-15
15-20
20-25
Extremely Difficult to Impossible
25-30
This table provides a loose range of DCsto use depending on the difficulty of the task at hand. Any action that you might deem below a five DC should be considered automatic, and not require a roll.
Keep in mind that,as your players level up, you might need to skew these DCs slightly. For example, if you’re constantly setting your DCs in the 10-15 range and your players are successful every time, it might be worth either creating more difficult challenges for them or setting DCs higher.
If you’re not sure how difficult something should be,you can also always do a contested check. For example, if a player is trying tosteal from an NPC, you can roll a contested stealth-perception check to determine the outcome, rather than set a DC.
The 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guidealso recommends that youdon’t set a saving throw DC as lower than 10 or higher than 20to keep things feeling balanced.
