Glossary: games and hobbies

Terms that appear on this site's music, chess, Pokémon, D&D, Magic: The Gathering and crossword pages.

Circle of fifths

A diagram arranging the 12 major keys in a wheel, each a perfect fifth above the previous one. It shows at a glance how many sharps or flats a key has.

Relative minor

The minor key that shares the same key signature (same sharps or flats) as a given major key. Example: Am is the relative minor of C.

Key signature

The sharps or flats written at the start of the staff, applying to the whole piece in that key.

Major scale

A 7-note sequence following a fixed whole-step/half-step pattern (W-W-H-W-W-W-H) that gives the bright, "major" sound used as the reference scale in Western music.

Open chord

A guitar chord played near the headstock, using at least one unfretted (open) string.

Opening (chess)

The first moves of a chess game, before the middlegame. Openings have names because the move sequence has been studied and carries a known strategic idea.

Gambit

An opening where a player deliberately offers a pawn (or other piece) in exchange for faster development or central control.

Type (Pokémon)

An elemental category (fire, water, grass, etc.) of a Pokémon or move, which determines who deals more or less damage to whom.

Type effectiveness

The damage multiplier (2×, 0.5× or 0×) one attacking type deals against a defending type. It is a fixed game rule, the same for every player.

Evolution (Pokémon)

A change of a Pokémon into another, usually stronger, species, triggered by level, item, friendship or another specific condition.

SRD (D&D)

Systems Reference Document: the part of the D&D rules that Wizards of the Coast releases under an open license (Creative Commons BY 4.0), free to quote.

Fonte: Systems Reference Document 5.1 — Wizards of the Coast.

Character class

In D&D, the character's "job" (fighter, wizard, etc.), which defines what abilities and spells it can use.

Mana (Magic)

The resource used to cast cards in Magic: The Gathering, produced by lands of 5 different colors (white, blue, black, red, green).

Crossword

A word game where answers cross each other sharing letters, filled in from numbered across and down clues.