Creating Our Characters

Jul 17, 2021 5:38 pm
Alright, so you're going to make D&D 5e character! First off, you're going to need the rules. If you have access to the Player's Handbook, great! Use that. If not, Wizards of the Coast* has released a limited rulebook for free, which contains the rules for making several kinds of characters.

For some advice, we have compiled a list of videos that will guide you through this process.

Above all else, feel free to ask questions - this game is all about learning. This is not a test, and if you feel like you made some wrong choices you can always change them later.
* - The company that owns D&D, often abbreviated as WotC.
Aug 15, 2021 3:05 am
Okay... so... :rubs hands anxiously: let's talk ranger.

I'm thinking he will be competent in battle, but his strength is hunting and especially tracking. I'm unsure on whether he should follow the way of the dual-blade or the way of the bow, but I figure there's time for that still. I have a general idea of his past, but without a lot of knowledge of the setting (other than the thread, which I've already read through), I'm not sure how to fit him in.

On the matter of character creation, I'm assuming level 1? Any restricted races?

* Disclaimer: I have the PHB so I can follow along well, especially with page references.
Aug 15, 2021 3:11 am
Demagor says:
So, the plan is to create a ranger; a tracker by trade, a hunter by need (furs, skins, pelts tend to fetch good income).
Ranger. Very cool! Yes, 1st level. Any race in the PHB is allowed. Can you tell us a bit more about his past, as well as his present occupation? That can serve as guidance for finding a reason for him to be in Iskandar, and possible connections to our adventure.

Len

Aug 15, 2021 4:55 am
Demagor, one thing I wanted to suggest for your Ranger was to replace two class features with new features from a recent supplement.

First, I recommend replacing Natural Explorer in the PHB with Deft Explorer. Here is the description:
[ +- ] Deft Explorer
One reason that I recommend Deft Explorer is that it isn't dependent on the campaign's location. And getting double your proficiency bonus to any skill can really help define your character and make your character feel like an expert. You could choose Survival and be an expert hunter/tracker for example. The extra two languages will also be nice in a cosmopolitan city.

I also recommend replacing Favored Enemy with Favored Foe, described below:
[ +- ] Favored Foe
Again, this feature is not dependent on the campaign and you will find use for it a lot more.
Aug 15, 2021 8:42 pm
lenpelletier says:
Demagor, one thing I wanted to suggest for your Ranger was to replace two class features with new features from a recent supplement.

First, I recommend replacing Natural Explorer in the PHB with Deft Explorer. Here is the description:
[ +- ] Deft Explorer
One reason that I recommend Deft Explorer is that it isn't dependent on the campaign's location. And getting double your proficiency bonus to any skill can really help define your character and make your character feel like an expert. You could choose Survival and be an expert hunter/tracker for example. The extra two languages will also be nice in a cosmopolitan city.

I also recommend replacing Favored Enemy with Favored Foe, described below:
[ +- ] Favored Foe
Again, this feature is not dependent on the campaign and you will find use for it a lot more.
Wow I never knew you can change options for a class. I'm thinking those options are not available in the PHB but from other source materials right?

Anyway, I really don't know what to make so I'll just roll a dice with a set figure I came up with the following options (using base PHB content):

[GENDER]

1d2/flip a coin:
Heads-Male Character
Tails-Female

(optional: roll d3 to represent non-binary 1-male 2-female 3-non binary)

[RACE/ANCESTRY]

Roll a d10 to determine from the ff:

1-Dwarf
2-Elf
3-Halfling
4-Human
5-Dragonborn
6-Gnome
7-Half-elf
8-Half-orc
9-10-Tiefling

[CLASS]

Roll a d12 to determine from the ff:

1-Barbarian
2-Bard
3-Cleric
4-Druid
5-Fighter
6-Monk
7-Paladin
8-Ranger
9-Rogue
10-Sorcerer
11-Warlock
12-Wizard

So here I go:

[RESULTS]

Okay, so I'm gonna make a Male, Elven, Barbarian...got it!

And my character Backstory is:
[ +- ] That's like totally rad dude!!!
A question though: what generation method for Abilities are we going to use? (Standard array, point buy, 4d6 drop lowest etc.)
Last edited August 15, 2021 9:11 pm

Rolls

Roll for Gender - (1d2)

(1) = 1

Roll for Race/Ancestry - (1d10)

(2) = 2

Roll for Class - (1d12)

(1) = 1

Len

Aug 15, 2021 9:14 pm
We are doing the 4D6 drop lowest method, but after rolling you can choose to take the standard array (15, 14, 13, 12 , 10, 8) if you prefer it to your rolls.
Aug 15, 2021 9:19 pm
Rolling for le stats (that's a lot of Vampire Tom Cruises)

4d6 X low results:

14, 14, 6, 11, 15, 11


okay...thinking of doing a standard array...
Last edited August 15, 2021 9:21 pm

Rolls

Ability Roll 4d6 drop lowest - (4d6, 4d6, 4d6, 4d6, 4d6, 4d6)

4d6 : (6325) = 16

4d6 : (5613) = 15

4d6 : (2222) = 8

4d6 : (4431) = 12

4d6 : (6154) = 16

4d6 : (3126) = 12

Aug 16, 2021 1:08 pm
Quick side-question, how are you guys (1) changing the font size of your post text and (2) how are you changing the font?
Aug 16, 2021 1:47 pm
Replied in the OOC thread.
Aug 16, 2021 1:52 pm
mormegil says:
Rolling for le stats (that's a lot of Vampire Tom Cruises)

4d6 X low results:

14, 14, 6, 11, 15, 11


okay...thinking of doing a standard array...
Personally I'd play those rolled stats. With the exception of the 6 and the 11, they're slightly better than the standard array. A 6 isn't that much worse than an 8 anyway. But that's just my recommendation; ultimately the choice is yours.

This is unofficial material but I find it helpful:
Quote:
D&D Stats in Simple Language

Strength
1 (–5): Morbidly weak, has significant trouble lifting own limbs
2-3 (–4): Needs help to stand, can be knocked over by strong breezes
4-5 (–3): Knocked off balance by swinging something dense
6-7 (–2): Difficulty pushing an object of their weight
8-9 (–1): Has trouble even lifting heavy objects
10-11 (0): Can literally pull their own weight
12-13 (1): Carries heavy objects for short distances
14-15 (2): Visibly toned, throws small objects for long distances
16-17 (3): Carries heavy objects with one arm
18-19 (4): Can break objects like wood with bare hands
20-21 (5): Able to out-wrestle a work animal or catch a falling person
22-23 (6): Can pull very heavy objects at appreciable speeds
24-25 (7): Pinnacle of brawn, able to out-lift several people

Dexterity
1 (–5): Barely mobile, probably significantly paralyzed
2-3 (–4): Incapable of moving without noticeable effort or pain
4-5 (–3): Visible paralysis or physical difficulty
6-7 (–2): Significant klutz or very slow to react
8-9 (–1): Somewhat slow, occasionally trips over own feet
10-11 (0): Capable of usually catching a small tossed object
12-13 (1): Able to often hit large targets
14-15 (2): Can catch or dodge a medium-speed surprise projectile
16-17 (3): Able to often hit small targets
18-19 (4): Light on feet, able to often hit small moving targets
20-21 (5): Graceful, able to flow from one action into another easily
22-23 (6): Very graceful, capable of dodging a number of thrown objects
24-25 (7): Moves like water, reacting to all situations with almost no effort

Constitution
1 (–5): Minimal immune system, body reacts violently to anything foreign
2-3 (–4): Frail, suffers frequent broken bones
4-5 (–3): Bruises very easily, knocked out by a light punch
6-7 (–2): Unusually prone to disease and infection
8-9 (–1): Easily winded, incapable of a full day’s hard labor
10-11 (0): Occasionally contracts mild sicknesses
12-13 (1): Can take a few hits before being knocked unconscious
14-15 (2): Able to labor for twelve hours most days
16-17 (3): Easily shrugs off most illnesses
18-19 (4): Able to stay awake for days on end
20-21 (5): Very difficult to wear down, almost never feels fatigue
22-23 (6): Never gets sick, even to the most virulent diseases
24-25 (7): Tireless paragon of physical endurance

Intelligence
1 (–5): Animalistic, no longer capable of logic or reason
2-3 (–4): Barely able to function, very limited speech and knowledge
4-5 (–3): Often resorts to charades to express thoughts
6-7 (–2): Often misuses and mispronounces words
8-9 (–1): Has trouble following trains of thought, forgets most unimportant things
10-11 (0): Knows what they need to know to get by
12-13 (1): Knows a bit more than is necessary, fairly logical
14-15 (2): Able to do math or solve logic puzzles mentally with reasonable accuracy
16-17 (3): Fairly intelligent, able to understand new tasks quickly
18-19 (4): Very intelligent, may invent new processes or uses for knowledge
20-21 (5): Highly knowledgeable, probably the smartest person many people know
22-23 (6): Able to make Holmesian leaps of logic
24-25 (7): Famous as a sage and genius

Wisdom
1 (–5): Seemingly incapable of thought, barely aware
2-3 (–4): Rarely notices important or prominent items, people, or occurrences
4-5 (–3): Seemingly incapable of forethought
6-7 (–2): Often fails to exert common sense
8-9 (–1): Forgets or opts not to consider options before taking action
10-11 (0): Makes reasoned decisions most of the time
12-13 (1): Able to tell when a person is upset
14-15 (2): Can get hunches about a situation that doesn’t feel right
16-17 (3): Reads people and situations fairly well
18-19 (4): Often used as a source of wisdom or decider of actions
20-21 (5): Reads people and situations very well, almost unconsciously
22-23 (6): Can tell minute differences among many situations
24-25 (7): Nearly prescient, able to reason far beyond logic

Charisma
1 (–5): Barely conscious, incredibly tactless and non-empathetic
2-3 (–4): Minimal independent thought, relies heavily on others to think instead
4-5 (–3): Has trouble thinking of others as people
6-7 (–2): Terribly reticent, uninteresting, or rude
8-9 (–1): Something of a bore or makes people mildly uncomfortable
10-11 (0): Capable of polite conversation
12-13 (1): Mildly interesting, knows what to say to the right people
14-15 (2): Interesting, knows what to say to most people
16-17 (3): Popular, receives greetings and conversations on the street
18-19 (4): Immediately likeable by many people, subject of favorable talk
20-21 (5): Life of the party, able to keep people entertained for hours
22-23 (6): Immediately likeable by almost everybody
24-25 (7): Renowned for wit, personality, and/or looks
Aug 16, 2021 3:00 pm
Nah I'm not comfortable with that low stat...even if it's an 8... I'll just use the standard array...

15 STR
14 CON
13 DEX (+2 ELf ASI) 15
12 CHA
10 INT
8 WIS
Aug 16, 2021 8:08 pm
Let me throw out my rolls:

Rolls

Stat Roll: 4d6, Drop Lowest - (4d6)

(2416) = 13

Stat Roll: 4d6, Drop Lowest - (4d6)

(4446) = 18

Stat Roll: 4d6, Drop Lowest - (4d6)

(6316) = 16

Aug 16, 2021 8:09 pm
Not sure why the next 3 didn't come up, but... so far, so good. Let's fix that shortcoming now.

Rolls

Stat Roll: 4d6, Drop Lowest - (4d6)

(4365) = 18

Stat Roll: 4d6, Drop Lowest - (4d6)

(5463) = 18

Stat Roll: 4d6, Drop Lowest - (4d6)

(1625) = 14

Aug 16, 2021 8:10 pm
Holy crap.

15
15
15
14
13
12

...by my count. No superstar roll, but overall very nice.
Aug 16, 2021 8:12 pm
lenpelletier says:
Demagor, one thing I wanted to suggest for your Ranger was to replace two class features with new features from a recent supplement...
I too wasn't aware you could cherry-pick which features you didn't like and swap them out for others, though I'm glad you can. I find both of these favorable and will make a note to implement them both.

He's going to be a Male Ranger, but the race is still undecided; either human or elf.

Len

Aug 16, 2021 8:14 pm
Demagor says:
No superstar roll, but overall very nice.
Beautiful. Fitting a ranger, strong across the board.

Len

Aug 16, 2021 8:14 pm
mormegil says:
Nah I'm not comfortable with that low stat...even if it's an 8... I'll just use the standard array...
Looks great!
Aug 16, 2021 8:15 pm
STR 15
CON 15
DEX 14
INT 13
WIS 15
CHA 12

Is what I'm thinking. I know these may change (go up) depending on which race I select.

Len

Aug 16, 2021 8:19 pm
mormegil says:

Wow I never knew you can change options for a class. I'm thinking those options are not available in the PHB but from other source materials right?
That's right, they were released in a recent supplement called Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. The default Ranger options are considered fine but a little lackluster, and I think the new features will help a lot!
mormegil says:
Okay, so I'm gonna make a Male, Elven, Barbarian...got it!

And my character Backstory is:
[ +- ] That's like totally rad dude!!!
Love the character concept!
Aug 16, 2021 8:19 pm
I'm leaning towards Wood Elf, but I don't know if that's too "predictable".
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