D&D is a game made of words! And it is a big game with many words.

Every feature of your character has specific wording that tells you what situations to use it, how to use it, and what its effects are. As your character grows, they’ll pick up even more features.

And you know what?

It’s impossible to remember it all.

That’s why we have character sheets! When your DM asks what your Armor Class is, you have it right there at the ready. Character sheets (official, digital, etc) are designed to have the important information easy to spot and easy to read. They’re a reference document to help remind you what sorts of things your character can do. It’s like a list of tools in your toolbox.

Also… there’s more to your character than what’s on your sheet. Unless you have tiny handwriting (or use a similarly tiny font), your sheet probably has simple things written out in full (“darkvision 60 feet”) and then shorthand for everything else. That works great, because it’s meant to help you remember what your character can do.

But when it’s time to actually do something, to use a feature, more questions can come up than shorthand notes can answer.

So: always have the full feature, spell, whatever in front of you before you use it.

When you cast cone of cold, pull up cone of cold in the Player’s Handbook. When you want to use Metamagic, go find Metamagic in the Sorcerer section. And so on—no matter how many times you’ve used it before.

Tools like D&D Beyond make this super easy by having the rules text accessible directly from your character sheet. If you have access to the sources you use on D&D Beyond, you can search for what you need digitally instead of paging through a book.

By already having the rules in front of you, you’ll save your and the DM’s time. You have it in front of you already, so read through it and make sure it works the way you think it does (yes, Bardic Inspiration lasts for 10 minutes. No, you can’t use Cutting Words on saving throws). If you have a question, the DM doesn’t have to hunt for the feature you’re using, because you already have it there. This helps the DM adjudicate any unusual cases in the rules. Thus, you’re helping the game run more smoothly by being well-prepared for your turn.

Additionally, you’ll become more familiar with the mechanics of your character. You’ll be better equipped to pick up on situations where your character’s abilities will come in handy. For example, you might learn that Sneak Attack only works with finesse or ranged weapons, so a greatsword won’t work for you. But, now you know what weapon options you do have if you want to use Sneak Attack.

You probably already think about what your character wants to do when it’s their turn to speak or their turn in combat. So, while your friends are taking their turns, you can make sure you’re ready to go when it’s your time!