Character Creation

This forum is a place to talk about our characters! Post ideas and questions related to making your character in this forum!

RESOURCES

D&D Basic Rules, character creation rules start on page 6. Please read through the character creation process and ask me questions as you encounter them. If you already own other D&D books like the Player's Handbook, you can use that instead.

SPECIFIC RULES FOR OUR GAME

Starting level: We are all starting at level one. Your characters will gain in levels and power as the game progresses.

Attributes: Your character is measured by six attribute scores: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma. We will use the standard array method to determine our attributes: assign the numbers 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, and 8 to assign to your attributes as you please.

Allowed Character Races, Classes, and Backgrounds: Anything published in official D&D 5e books is okay. If you are new to D&D, you might want to stick to a class that does not cast spells at first level such as Barbarian, Fighter, Monk, and Rogue.

SOME GREAT ADVICE

This article by one of my favorite D&D writers, Mike Shea, has some great advice about building fun characters. It has some specific advice about building well-rounded characters so that you can contribute to all aspects of the game, and some common pitfalls to avoid.

SOME EXAMPLES

Gideon, 1st level Human Paladin w/ Sage Background
Astraea, 2nd level Satyr Rogue w/ Folk Hero Background

As far as I can see, if I only have access to the D&D Basic Rules, it will be difficult to use a race or class not listed there - basically I would have to get the information about them from someone else (such as the DM). So, realistically, my options are either to buy the Player's handbook or work with the basic options. I'm still not sure which way I'll go with this. It depends to some extent on what other players are doing with their characters because I'd like some variety in the party.

I'm ready to be flexible and choose something completely different but, for the moment, I'm considering an elf or half-elf (if that's an option) using a bow as a weapon - either a ranger or a fighter.

Hmm, is the game centered around civilization vs chaos? Are monstrous or exotic races okay as well? Or the stat and proficiency swapping options from Tasha? (because from what I gather from wiki sites... wow we have a lot of options with all these books)

A sneaky bugbear barbarian sounds fun, but I would rather make sure that I match the party and theme. I like the idea of mage-knights too (seems like three options for it are eldricht knight, valor bard, and blade pact warlock?), or even something like a wizard-cleric mixture (durable jack of all trades caster).

As a general rule, anything from a published source is okay. Not everyone has access to all the books, and I think that is okay. It keeps things simple for your first character, and the power level is been pretty consistent. If you want to open up pandora's box, there is a site that has all the books revealed and is often used by people (copyright is sketchy there).

If you're not seeing something you like, tell me what you're thinking you'd like to play and I'll try to find something that would fit.

Astroloma: An elf or half-elf archer sounds fantastic, but let me know if you have something in mind that you don't see. I can forward you the Ranger and Fighter class details, just give me the word! In general, the Ranger will be more outdoorsy and survival-oriented whereas the Fighter will be a little more focused on combat.

Pitrio: Any race is okay. No intelligent race is considered inherently evil in this setting. You Arkasia . Bugbear would be totally okay, although a rare sight.

There are a lot of Mage-Knight type of options. Paladin could definitely fit that description as well as. Can't really go wrong with any of those options! Multiclassing can definitely be fun, but be warned: as an introductory game we will probably only get to third level, so it might not pay off by then.

I've posted a bit more details on the world in case this helps inspire your character design. It is intentionally felt vague to allow you to fit your concept and allow you to define pieces. For example, if you want to be the last member of an order of paladins, you can create all the details of the order and it will become cannon in this world!

Thanks Len, I'd like to try the ranger class so please send me those details.

These are the details for the Ranger class. FYI I've swapped in some optional features from a recent rules supplement to make the best possible Ranger. Please let me know if any of this doesn't make sense - it's like a whole new language when you first start! I'll also be sure to read over your character sheet to make sure you didn't miss anything.

You probably want to make sure that your character's Dexterity is maxed out, and their Wisdom score is strong. A decent Constitution is always handy too!

RANGER

HIT POINTS
Hit Dice: 1d10 per ranger level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 10 + your Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d10 (or 6) + your Constitution modifier per ranger level after 1st

PROFICIENCIES
Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
Weapons: All weapons
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Strength, Dexterity
Skills: Choose three from Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Nature, Perception, Stealth, and Survival

STARTING EQUIPMENT
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

(a) scale mail or (b) leather armor
(a) two shortswords or (b) two simple melee weapons
(a) a dungeoneer’s pack or (b) an explorer’s pack
A longbow and a quiver of 20 arrows[/spoiler]

DEFT EXPLORER
You are an unsurpassed explorer and survivor, both in the wilderness and in dealing with others on your travels. You gain the Canny benefit below, and you gain an additional benefit below when you reach 6th level and 10th level in this class.

Canny (1st Level)
Choose one of your skill proficiencies. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses the chosen skill. You can also speak, read, and write two additional languages of your choice.

FAVORED FOE
When you hit a creature with an attack roll, you can call on your mystical bond with nature to mark the target as your favored enemy for 1 minute or until you lose your concentration (as if you were concentrating on a spell).

The first time on each of your turns that you hit the favored enemy and deal damage to it, including when you mark it, you can increase that damage by 1d4.

You can use this feature to mark a favored enemy a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

This feature’s extra damage increases when you reach certain levels in this class: to 1d6 at 6th level and to 1d8 at 14th level.

Hey folks, I've also added some example character sheets to the bottom of the original post in this thread, in case that helps at all :)

Hey folks, let's aim to have characters done before Friday (PST time that is haha). They don't have to be perfect, first draft quality is fine.

Well, nobody’s mentioned a support/healer type of class, so perhaps I could play a cleric — probably human because I’m boring. I’ve got a Player’s Handbook already so, I can go through character creation maybe later today or tomorrow.

So far I had inspirations for these: bugbear barbarian (entertainer) [as striker-ish tank], human forge cleric (far traveler) [as tanky support], human warlock (great old one pact, guild artisan) [face-ish striker or control as needed], or satyr rogue (courtier) [face, skill monkey, sneaky stuff], but could go with some kind of wizard too. I am fine with either so could fill in holes as needed.

I have an interest in developing a wizard but am not familiar with how the rules on spells work yet, although eager to learn. I like how wizards in AD&D5e seem to have more power at lower level than they did in earlier versions of the game. I will choose a human if I play a wizard.

I love clerics. They come with clear roleplaying hooks right from level 1 and have plenty of offensive and defensive potential. Very flexible and fun!

All these are great ideas Pitrio! Feel free to pick whatever you think is appropriate.

Awesome, Wizards have definitely gotten stronger from the days when they started with 1d4 hit points and could be killed by a lucky roll from a house cat!

Here's how Wizard magic works in 5e! Each day you prepare a number of spells from your spellbook equal to your wizard level + your Int modifier. You also have a certain number of spells slots. When you want to cast a spell, you scratch off a spell slot. When you have no more spell slots, you can't cast spells (other than cantrips, which are minor spells that you can cast over and over forever).

For example, a Level 1 Wizard named Xortan has an Int of 16. This means they can prepare 1+3=4 spells per day. Let's say they prepare Comprehend Languages, Magic Missile, Shield, and Sleep.

First level wizards start out with 2 spell slots. So they can cast any 2 prepared spells throughout the day. It could be:

* two Magic Missiles, or
* Shield and Sleep, or
* Comprehend Languages and Magic Missile, or
* two Sleeps, and so on.

This is very different from how old version of the game worked, where you would have to prepare magic missile twice if you wanted to cast it twice in a day. Spell slots are completely generic and allow you to be flexible with your spells.

As you get up in levels, you will gain spells that are higher level and spell slots that are higher level. If you have a 9th level spell, you need to use a 9th level spell slot to cast it, you can't use a 1st level spell slot. However, some spells can be cast with a higher spell slot to get more damage or long effect. You only start with 1st level spells and slots, so you can learn this as you go.

Does this make sense? Ask more questions if you like!

I've filled in most of the character sheet but I have some queries:
* I don't know where to find the attack bonus for weapons
* Hit dice are given in the class description there's nowhere to put them on the sheet

I probably need to do some more work on the notes on personality but I'll submit the character so that you can give feedback.

Does it matter that the "label" I used when first creating the character is not the same as the character's name? How are each of these used? I can add a new character sheet and copy everything over if necessary.

You can change the label in the "all characters" page with one of the small icons at their right side. I had the same dilemma.

Attack bonus is usually proficiency bonus (if proficient with the weapon) + str/dex (finesse weapons can opt to use dex).

Hit die not sure where to write or if we even need it somewhere.

Since we have cleric, wizard, archer-ranger I'll either go with the barbarian or the forge cleric since they can be both quite tough for frontline (and i could flavour cleric different enough not to overlap too much).

I was planning to go for life cleric specifically, in case that impacts your decision.

Thanks Pitrio. That helps a lot.

Thanks Astroloma, looking good! So the longbow attack bonus = DEX modifier + Proficiency bonus (since you are proficient). Your Dex modifier is +3 (because you have a 17 Dex score) and your Proficiency bonus is 2 (because all level 1 characters start at 2) so your total longbow attack bonus is 3+2 = 5.

You can write them in the notes section if you like. If your characters have a short rest (~1 hour), you can roll hit dice and add your Con modifier to heal. You gain back 50% of your spent hit dice on a long rest (minimum 1).

I'm tempted to help GP's developer to rewrite the 5e character sheet to add in these missing details! He mostly just doesn't have time - it's a one-man show. But, that won't be for a while.

Ah I see Pitrio already answered your question :D Thank Pitrio!

The name in the character sheet itself is the most important field. It will show up when you post as a character. The 'label' you first used is mostly just for your organization as you develop a library of characters over time. As Pitrio says, you can change that original label by going to the character tab (see the top of the screen where it says tools | system | characters | games | etc) and pressing the gear icon to the right of your character's name:



Also, everyone should press the icon that looks like a book (between the pencil and the X). It will make it so other players can see your character sheet. This can be helpful when players are planning things, double checking each others' backstories, seeing how many potions another person has, or whatever. Since we are all working on a team, it makes it easier to help each other out!

Alright -- I think I've successfully shared what I have so far. I basically have the mechanical stuff in place, and I'm now figuring out personality, bonds, physical traits, etc.

And I still need to think of a name...

Excellent! I did not realise the above. This gives wizards a lot more flexibility.

I am uploading my character. However, I am not sure everything is correct on the sheet and have a few questions.
- Is Initiative based on dexterity? (So with Dex of 15 this would be 2.)
- Am I right that with the spell 'Mage Armour' it is possible for the caster to cast it on himself as well as others? The range is touch. (If not I may choose shield instead, as I am thinking of having Arcane Ward if I get to 2nd level.)
- I have chosen dagger and sling. With damage do I add the dexterity modifier? (So with Dex of 15 this would be 2.)

If anything is wrong I can alter the character sheet.

Back story to follow. (Posts mat be a bit erratic over the next few days as I am on a series of late shifts again.)

Hey everybody I have looked over the character sheets and here is some feedback for each player!

You got it Mike!
Yes, you can cast mage armor more than once on multiple targets. They would have to be not wearing any armor, and it would cost you a spell slot each time.
Yes :) More stabby!
Understood :) Thanks for the heads up.

Hi Len. Thanks - I drew the image last night.

I realised that I needed to consider appearance as part of charisma (and elves are supposed to be "hauntingly beautiful" according to the basic rules document) so I swapped it with intelligence. That makes intelligence the 'dump stat', which also seems odd. Maybe it should be constitution (but that determines hit points and I expect that elves are tougher than they look - still might be right?). I don't think strength should be 8 because I've tried archery and a person of average strength will struggle to draw a bow. Anyway, now I'm considering how to roleplay low intelligence. Advice on picking the stats would be appreciated.

Wow, you are a talented artist!

The 'dump stat' is so hard! Hopefully it can be as memorable and important part of your character as her strengths, but I know the agony of picking it.

Haunting beauty can come from any character regardless of Charisma. To quote the rules, "Charisma measures your ability to interact effectively with others. It includes such factors as confidence and eloquence, and it can represent a charming or commanding personality." So, your beautiful ranger might have lived so much in the wild that she has trouble relating to 'civilized people'. For example, Korra from 'Legend of Korra' is beautiful but lacks social graces and patience, and that make it hard for her to get along with some people.

Likewise a low Intelligence score doesn't have to be an idiot. A low Int character might operate on instinct more than logic, and follow their gut instead of carefully think things through.

Technically strength is not required for firing a bow in D&D, but I totally see your point. You could still put your 8 here and take the athletics skill to bring your overall athletics skill to +1 to make the archery seem more logical. Or, we can say you are using an elven bow which is made for hauntingly beautiful elves with low upper body strength :D

You're right that Con is rarely dumped! I wouldn't recommend it.

Also 10 is considered average so 8 isn't terrible, just slightly below average.

Thanks. In light of what you've said I've gone back to my original plan.

Glad I could help!

Character sheet updated

It's meant to be four first level spells in addition to the ones granted by my domain, correct?

I also added a couple sentences about my character's motivation. I left it a little open-ended, but hopefully that means it will be easy to incorporate into the adventure.

I'll have the profile art ready by Saturday.

Callan, yes, you're right - I almost forgot about domain spells! Good catch. Those are always prepared.

Alright, I got a placeholder picture but I will draw something later. Went with barbarian in the end, more divererse set of characters seem more interesting. He is ready otherwise I think.

On another note, are we going to be four, or five? Is Jusika playing?

I have been messaging with Jusika but I'm not sure where she's at currently. Will probably delay the start of the game till tomorrow and have her join mid-action if she's not quite ready.

I have added the character traits to the notes section on the character sheet.

The spells I will have prepared are: Sleep, Magic Missile, Charm Person and Mage Armour. (I have two spell slots.)
I think I am right in saying that with the cantrips I know three and can cast any number of these up to three in total. (Please advise if I am incorrect.)

Back story to follow. However, Hilmar has heard about how the town of Hope is a bastion of all that was good about the Arkasian Empire with people living by honour, duty and compassion. For this reason he has felt drawn to it.

In addition, the Sage backgound gives proficiency in two languages. Would it be OK if I choose these later, when I know what languages there are that would fit in with his background?

Mike, that sounds great. Totally fine to finalize the languages once you know a little more about the setting.

Hey everyone, thanks for all the effort you have put into your characters! They are a really memorable group, and I'm looking forward to seeing them come alive on the page.

Let's get this game started in about 8 hours from this post!

Hello everyone!
Sorry I didn't join in on the fun in time!
I'm almost done with my character sheet, need to figure out some numbers and maybe fix a couple of things.
I'd probably need to post something so y'all can see what my character is. Small spoiler - it's a tiefling girl, I stole some pic off the internet for now but will probably paint something myself.

Welcome Jessica!

Heey, welcome! You have not missed a lot so far i think 😁

Welcome Jusika!

I just discovered this on my own and was on my way to this exact forum to ask if I understood it correctly! Ha-ha!
Thank you, that helps!

So does it mean I add to my stealth proficiency of [+2] another {+2}, and then multiply my first proficiency [+2] x2? Also, the proficiency itself depends on character level, right?

If you take proficiency and expetise on stealth, then yes :)) two from.your dexterity bonus and 2x2 for proficiency with expertise.

And yes that's level dependant.

Thanks for helping Pitrio! I'll look over things latest Tuesday.

How exactly does one calculate dexterity bonus, or any attribute bonus to an action?

The actual calculation is (ability score - 10) / 2. But it's more convenient to use the chart in the rulebook -- page 9 of the basic rules. And it looks like the bonuses are auto-calculated on our character sheets as well.

Thanks, I got it!

Just up-dated Hilmar's character sheet with ideal and his back story. Hope you don't mind my plagiarising an extract from the Setting :)

Looks good Mike!

I have another question.
How do I calculate an attack bonus for my weapons?

And also, Len, could you look through my character sheet, I'm pretty sure there still are other things I missed/forgot about.

Hey Jusika! Euphoria is looking very complete!

Attacking with ranged weapons and finesse melee weapons (rapiers, daggers, whips) will be your dexterity modifier plus your proficiency bonus (if you are proficient with the weapons, which you are). With a dex mod of +2 and a proficiency bonus of +2 your total attack bonus is +4.

The same weapons get a damage bonus based on your dex mod, so your damage bonus is +2.

This is a little lower than we estimated but is only a difference of 5% chance to hit and 1 point of damage. However, if you would like to slide that +1 Intelligence over to your Dexterity, this is now an optional rule and I don't mind if you (or anyone else) wants to use it.

If you like the idea of Euphoria having an above-average intellect, the +4 is still strong! Mechanically the difference a 10 and 11 intelligence is minimal. The only mechanical advantage is it is easier to upgrade down the road. But roleplay-wise, an 11 can mean something!

Hope this helps :)

The more powerful you are, the duller the game gets IMO. So I'm happy with how things are. :>
Nope, I'm fine as it is!

Thank you for being so helpful!~

Just thought, shall I add something to the character sheet about Hilmar's physical appearance? I imagine him as 25, 5'11", slim build with thin arms (strength of 9).

Cool, sounds good!

Haha! Great perspective.

I also added his height and weight (7", 300 lb), and his racial abilities (I realized i forgot those previously).

I have added his appearance to the charater sheet. I have also added my initiative, which I think is 2 (15 dex).

Sounds good mike :D

Should I do anything about my false identity thing? I probably should figure out what kind of an identity that is beforehand? (as I understand my character should have one right from the start)

What do we roll for Hit Points? I ask this because on page 113 (Wizard's section) of the Player's Handbook it says D6 or 4 + your constitution modifier. I think some DMs vary. If given the choice I think I would rather take 4 and add his constitution modifier!

There is also Arcane Tradition at second level. I will choose the School of Abjuration. Then I can use Arcane Ward, which will probably be useful if he has a run-in with the Night Blades!

You can pick :) So 4 + con is definitely an option.

Love the School of Abjuration! I have yet to play one, but it looks very practical and full of story potential.

Alright, I updated my character sheet to level 2. Let me know if it looks correct.

Also finally got around to adding a physical description and link to the full-res art.

I updated too, took the 7+2 for hp and added the two new class features.

The portrait was already cool too, and I love the full art for Alfrey!

I'm not sure I understand hit points. Should I roll 1d8, add con modifier, and then do it again (1d8+con), once per level? So my HP would be 1d8 + 1d8 + 2x con modifier?

Or should I start with my 8hp on level 1, and add 1d8+con on top of that for level two?

I see Mike basically asked the same. So I can choose to take either my 1d8+con or 5 + con?

Rolling

Welp could be better but if there's no risk, there's no thrill! :3

So that's 8+5=13?

Or is it 8+con for lvl 2 (total of 9) + 5, total of 14?

Made it 14 for now. Also added cunning action to my feats. That's it or did I miss something?

Rolling for HP (see below)

Will look at spells tomorrow. Too tired now.
It does seem an odd time for her to have learned spells but I guess it's different from book learning.

I've gone for the safe option - 4 +2 for hit points.

His choice of the School of Abjuration is not to the exclusion of other schools of magic. I see him as an 'all-rounder' in choice of spells etc but Abjuration is the one he has advantages in and I like the idea of the Arcane Ward.

I've chosen Hunter's Mark and Speak with Animals as spells. I wanted to pick Alarm but that involved material components - specifically a bell and some silver thread. I felt that, having just developed the ability to cast spells, she would start with ones that didn't involve fancy components. Also, she wouldn't be keen to carry around a bell, even with a cloth stuffed into it to mute it.

I think the levelling up is done now.

Rogues don't get any spells do they?

Not as far as I can see. These things seem to be indicated in the levelling-up tables for each class. I don't see any spells or spell slots in the table for rogues.

I notice Callan has a new avatar, which looks cool!

Astroloma, looks great! Yeah, I agree that gaining spellcasting is a bit awkward. If it sounds fun, you could post in the previous thread (ch 2) about a dream or other experience that awakened your spellcasting in the previous evening. You could also just pretend like you've had it all along. Or anything in between!

Just wanted to let you know about a new fighting style you can choose as a Ranger that would give you more spellcasting at the expense of that +2 bonus to archery. It was added in a future supplement. Here it is:This would be good if you wanted to emphasize your magical abilities over your bow skills. Honestly you can't go wrong with the Archery fighting style, it is excellent in combat, but I thought you might like to know the druidic option exists.

HUGE roll! Congrats!!!

They can at Level 3. That is when rogues can choose their 'Subclass' which is like a specialization within your class. One of the options is "Arcane Trickster" which gets access to some sweet spells including the ability to pick pockets with telekinesis!

Looking good Callan!

Thanks guys! I still feel like the player avatar can be improved, but maybe I'm just being a perfectionist — haha

I'll stick with the archery one which I think makes the most sense.