roll forever
rolls in DS3 have a lot of invincibility compared to the previous games
Also, for the big black abyss monster thingies, try murdering the dude before he transforms. You won't get the monster's loot, but you also won't get faceraped. Once you feel confident in your POWER, murder them with fire (i.e. charcoal resin, fire bombs or PYROMANCYYYYYYYY) for a titanite shard, but as you've probably noticed, those guys are DANGEROUS. :v
For the bigger dudes with axes or halberds, roll through their highly telegraphed swings and stunlock them mercilessly (or buttstab, that also works). For the damned dogs, your best bet is to either block them with a shield or intercept their charge with a swing of your own. And finally, for the knightbros, rushdown is probably what works best; get the first hit in, and KEEP HITTING. The sword guys are particularly vicious once they get going, while the spearbros are annoying as hell to get a hit on due to the shield and constant poking.
Also PUT SOME POINTS INTO VIGOR (up to 18-20 is fine). I cannot possibly understate how great it is to actually survive cocking up. Also also, fire gem and raw gem are your friends in the early game. Fire gem only screws you over at a select few encounters with highly fire-resistant enemies and one particular fire themed area, while raw gem will only screw you over if you're reliant on scaling for damage. If you're feeling badass, there's also a mimic that you can murder (inside the tower upon which that one dragon decides to have a toasty picnic) for a Deep Battle Axe, which is also a very good early game weapon.
so yeah there you go