I've been a part of a few campaigns now and every single one of them has had players who have never played DnD (let alone 5e) before. On a whole, I’ve been pleasantly surprised as to how many players seem to understand the game after a short explanation and a first session. The two big exceptions I’ve noticed are spells and hit dice. I very often see new players confuse spells known, spells prepared, and spell slots (a level 1 Wizard with 16 Int has 6 spells known, can prepare 4, and has 2 slots to cast them with). New players also seem to have a hard time understanding what a hit dice is, where it comes from, and how it can be spent and regained.
So I ask you:
How do you teach new players about the spellcasting system? How do you explain to them how hit dice work? Are there any other aspects of the game system that you notice new players struggling with?
So I ask you:
How do you teach new players about the spellcasting system? How do you explain to them how hit dice work? Are there any other aspects of the game system that you notice new players struggling with?