This page is made to help you, a player, with creating a character within this world. If you wish to look at some of the info about this world before you start making a character, check out the world tab.

What kind of character do I want to play?

This is the first question you should ask yourself when making a character. Though you could start with a specific class or race to base your character around, I prefer first brainstorming a concept for the character.

For simplicity's sake, I will break character creation into three parts.

- Backstory, what is your past?

- Character, what are you like?

- Mechanics, what can you do?

Backstory

A character backstory is their past. Just as in reality, the experiences we have shape who we are as people, so backstory is a crucial step when understanding who your character is. 

Backstory can be as small as a few simple sentences to multiple pages of complex lore. It is good to aim for about a paragraph and see what happens. You might not be able to write a whole paragraph, but it is good to set a clear goal for yourself. 

While your backstory can be almost anything you can think of, there is one thing that is always essential. In writing, it is known as the "call to adventure", but it is simply a driving force for why you would be in the plot. The following are a few types of "calls" and an example for each:

- Mystery: Something mysterious happened and you are trying to discover the truth behind it

Example - You found a tome hidden in the forest near your village covered in strange markings, but the pages are blank except for one with the word "HELP" written in blood.

- Ambition: You want something more than you currently have

Example - You are a street performer that believes they have the talent and skills to become a famous musician.

- Tragedy: A traumatic event threw you out of the status quo

Example - Your family was attacked in the middle of the night by a vampire. You were left forever changed.

- Training: You need to be better than you are now

Example - You want to prove to your father, the king, that you are capable of running the country, so you travel the lands learning about the problems of the people through hands-on experience.

- Quest: A sudden event propels you into an adventure

Example - An old friend is caching in a favor and asks you to help him get a position on the town counsel.

Without a driving force, your character is static in the world. They have no reason to go do anything. This is why it is critical to have some reason as to why you would not be satisfied with the status quo. 

Side Note: Having a good driving force also makes it easier for the dm to incorporate you into the story.

Character

A character's character is who they are. It determines how they act around others and how you make decisions. Additionally, since you will need to roleplay your character, it is best to make character traits that you can actually act out. Though it is possible, attempting to play an archetype which is completely different from any aspect of yourself is something that I would advise against, especially for newer players.

Now, how do you make a character's character? Well, you can split it into two parts.

- Internal Context, How they perceive the world

- External Context, How they interact with the world

Your internal context is how your character views the world. Internal context includes things like a character's mindset and beliefs as well as misconceptions. A simple example would be an optimist or a pessimist, but you can get very complex with a character's internal context. Morality is also a good example. Does your character believe in helping others? Perhaps they believe that everyone is inherently greedy? When roleplaying a character, the internal context of the character isn't obvious, because it is a more deeply rooted part of the character.

Your external context is how your character interacts with the world. External contexts are what a character displays the most. Some example of opposite external contexts are as follows:

- Shy and Talkative

- Risky and Cautious

- Serious and Laid-back

- Kind and Cruel

These external contexts are much more obvious than the internal contexts, since they are how you will be acting throughout every encounter. External contexts are also much easier to make than internal ones because we as people are exposed to them more often.

A few things to keep in mind when making internal and external contexts:

- They don't need to align with one another. Contrasting the two can be very interesting.

- It is a good idea to keep in mind your backstory as you make them. If you have a major turning point in your backstory, think about how that event would affect your internal and external contexts.

Flaws

Flaws are a part of your character's character, but are different from their internal and external context. 

There are two types of flaws: superficial flaws and real flaws. Superficial flaws are something that doesn't truly affect a character's actions but helps to build on their existing personality and flaws. Superficial flaws aren't necessary, but they do help to build a more realistic character. Real flaws are the true weaknesses of a character. Now, I am not talking about mechanical weakness, like a low ability score, but weaknesses in the character's mind. Real flaws give a character more depth and serve to make a character feel like they are an actual person. A real flaw works against a character. It doesn't need to always work against them, but it should come into play at least once every one or two sessions. 

Making a flaw can be hard sometimes, so here are some methods you can use:

- Using a table: Every background(a background is a mechanical feature I will talk about soon) has a table you can either roll on or choose from to decide on a flaw. These can be good, but you need to remember that a flaw should be something that actively plays into a character.

- Using their goal: You can take a character's goal into account and decide on a flaw that would hinder the character from achieving that goal. As an example, your character could need money but are too trusting of others that they are often manipulated into being given less than they are owed.

- Using their strength: You can take what a character is good at and create a flaw that would impede the character even when they shine, such as being good at investigating but being too shy or fearful to share what they gather.

- Using their past: You take something that happened in a character's backstory and use that to create a flaw that was developed from trauma or false beliefs.

Warning: A flaw should NOT make a character less fun to play or be around.

Additionally, flaws can be overcome and dealt with, but this is a gradual change as a flaw is usually deeply rooted in a character's mind. A character that takes risks a lot could decide to be more cautious after the consequences of those risks appear, but will most likely return to their typical nature after those consequences are out of their mind.

Mechanics

Congratulations! If you have made it this far, then you have completed your character's Backstory and Character. Now, onto the mechanics. These are the actual rules of the game. What you choose in this portion will decide what your character can do within the rules of the game. In order to make the mechanical portion of your character, you need to decide three things:

- Class: Your class is what you do. It determines most of your abilities and what you are good at.

- Race: Your race is what you are. It determines a few racial features and your general appearance.

- Background: Your background determines some proficiencies as well as a special open-ended ability.

Guess what? You already have most of this done. All you need to do is look at what you have made so far and decide which of the options you have best fit what you envisioned in your backstory. A good place to find these options is here (the dnd 5e wikidot). Also, anything marked as Unearthed Arcana, aka UA, or Homebrew is unofficial content and will need to be reviewed by the DM before you can use it. 

Explanation of Mechanics

• Dice: There are 6 types of dice used in dnd: a 20-sided dice, a 12-sided dice, a 10-sided dice, an 8-sided dice, a 6-sided dice, and a 4-sided dice. These are abbreviated to d20, d12, d10, d8, d6, and d4. D meaning dice and the number meaning how many sides it has. If I ask you to roll a d20, you would roll the 20-sided dice. If I ask you to roll 5d8, you would roll five 8-sided dice. 

• Ability Scores: An ability score is a measure of a creature's strength in a field. There are six ability scores, listed below. Ability scores range from 1-30 with the average adult having a 10 in every field. Your ability score determines your ability score modifier, which is the one you will use for most things. The ability score modifier is equal to (the ability score - 10)/2, rounded down (unless specified, you will always round down for everything).

  • Strength, physical prowess

  • Dexterity, agility and precise movements

  • Constitution, resistance and endurance

  • Intelligence, knowledge and logic

  • Wisdom, awareness and common sense

  • Charisma, charm and people skills

• Skills: Skills are like ability scores, but more specific. Each skill is connected to an ability score and branches off of it into more specific areas. For example, dexterity has 3 skills attached to it: Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth. You can gain proficiency in a skill, which makes you better at the skill. Additionally, some may gain expertise in a skill, which makes you extremely good at it.

• Checks and Saving Throws: There are two types of checks: Ability checks and skill checks. During the game, if you want to do something that has a chance of failure, I will ask you to make either an ability check or a skill check, most likely a skill check. When I ask you to make an ability check, you roll a d20 and add the ability score modifier of the ability score specified. For example, if I ask you to make a Dexterity check, you would roll a d20 and add your dexterity modifier to the number rolled. The only times I will ever care about what the number on the dice was is either when you have a +0 modifier or if you get a 20. If you get a 20 on the dice, it is called a natural 20 and significantly improves your chance of success. Also, if you get a total of 20, please call it a dirty 20, not-natural 20, unnatural 20, or whatever else you want to call it. If I ask you to make a skill check, it is similar. You would roll a d20, add the ability score modifier of the skill’s ability score, and add another bonus if you have proficiency or expertise in that skill. For example, if I ask you to make a Stealth check, you would roll a d20, add your dexterity modifier, and, if you are proficient, you get to add your proficiency bonus, which I will get to next. If you have expertise in a skill, you add twice your proficiency bonus. Finally, saving throws take a bit from both checks. If you need to resist something, I will ask you to make a saving throw. You will roll a d20, add the ability score modifier of the ability score specified, and, if you are proficient in that type of saving throw, you get to add your proficiency bonus. For example, if I ask you to make a Strength saving throw, you would roll a d20, add your strength modifier, and, if you are proficient in strength saving throws, you get to add your proficiency bonus as well. You cannot gain expertise in saving throws. Also, you can gain neither proficiency or expertise in any ability check.

• Proficiency Bonus: Your proficiency bonus is a bonus you get to add to the stuff you are good at, and is used for some other stuff too. The bonus is based on your level. At 1st level, you have a proficiency bonus of +2, with it increasing to +3 at 5th level. The formula for your proficiency bonus is 1 + (level/4), rounded up. The maximum level is 20.

• Initiative: When we first enter combat, I will ask you to roll initiative. This determines the order of the turns. Everyone has an initiative bonus equal to their dexterity + any special bonuses. Most creatures don’t have any special bonus, so just think of it as your dexterity modifier.

• Combat: When it is your turn in combat, you have 3 things you can do: Movement, Action, and Bonus Action. Your movement is far you can move in that turn. Your action is something you can use to use features and abilities you have. Your bonus action probably won’t be used, but just think of it as action v2. Every feature you have will be activated in one of five ways: by using an action, by using a bonus action, by just wanting to use it, it is always on, or a reaction. A reaction is like an action you can use outside of your turn when certain conditions are met. Here is an image that has everything you can do: Image. It will be easier to understand combat once you actually experience it a few times.

• Attack Rolls and Armor Class: When you want to hit something, I will ask you to make an attack roll. When you make an attack roll, you will roll a d20 then add the associated bonus. The bonus depends on what kind of attack it is. To put it simply, melee is your strength modifier, ranged is your dexterity modifier, and magic is your spellcasting ability modifier. If your attack roll’s total is equal to or higher than your opponent's Armor Class, or AC, you succeed at your attempt. A creature armor class is a little complicated, because of all the things that can increase and decrease it. Put simply, it is 10 plus your dexterity modifier. Armor and shields increase your AC, but it isn’t the same for every type of armor so I won’t talk about it all here.

• Hit Points and Hit Dice: Hit points are a measure of how far your character is from being knocked unconscious. Your hit points are determined by your level, class, and constitution modifier. Your hit dice are used to determine your hit points and can be temporarily expended to heal during short rests. Your level determines the number of hit dice you have and your class determines the size of the dice, aka how many sides it has. At 1 level, your hit points are equal to the highest roll on your hit dice plus your constitution. Every time you level up after 1st level, you roll one of your hit dice, add your constitution modifier to that number, and then add that new number to your total.

• Temporary Hit Points: You probably won’t get these that often. It is basically a buffer that takes the damage before your actual hit points get reduced. You can only gain temporary hit points from one source at a time. You decide which source you want to take the temporary hit points from.

• Advantage and Disadvantage: When I or an ability tell you to roll with advantage, you roll 2d20 and use the higher of the two. For disadvantage, it is the lowest of the two. If you gain advantage from multiple sources, they do not stack. If you have both disadvantage and advantage, you have neither. This includes if you have multiple sources of advantage. One disadvantage cancels all advantages.

• Conditions: During play, your character may be inflicted by a condition. All conditions have different effects, so I won’t go over all of them. If you get inflicted with a condition, I will tell you what it does. Conditions either last for a duration or until they are dispelled by another ability.

• Resistances, Vulnerabilities, and Immunities: This is simple. If you are resistant to a type of damage, you take half damage from that type. If you are vulnerable, you take double. If you are immune, you take none. You can also have immunity to conditions, meaning you cannot be inflicted by that condition. There are 13 damage types in dnd: acid, bludgeoning, cold, fire, force, lightning, necrotic, piercing, poison, psychic, radiant, slashing, and thunder.

• Passives: Every skill has a passive version, which is 10 + its bonus. The most used one is passive perception. This is used to determine if your character notices something when they aren't actively looking for it, such as a random bear trap in the middle of a forest.

• Difficulty Class: Whenever you roll a check, saving throw, or something else that I am probably forgetting about, the DM will set a Difficulty Class, or DC. The DM may tell you the number or they might not. You are trying to meet or beat the DC in order to succeed.

• Short Rests and Long Rests: There are two types of rests: short rests and long rests. As described by the Player’s Handbook, “A short rest is a period of downtime, at least 1 hour long, during which a character does nothing more strenuous than eating, drinking, reading, and tending to wounds. A character can spend one or more Hit Dice at the end of a short rest, up to the character’s maximum number of Hit Dice, which is equal to the character’s level. For each Hit Die spent in this way, the player rolls the die and adds the character’s Constitution modifier to it. The character regains hit points equal to the total (minimum of 0). The player can decide to spend an additional Hit Die after each roll.” While a long rest is, “A long rest is a period of extended downtime, at least 8 hours long, during which a character sleeps for at least 6 hours and performs no more than 2 hours of light activity, such as reading, talking, eating, or standing watch. If the rest is interrupted by a period of strenuous activity — at least 1 hour of walking, fighting, casting spells, or similar adventuring activity — the characters must begin the rest again to gain any benefit from it. At the end of a long rest, a character regains all lost hit points. The character also regains spent Hit Dice, up to a number of dice equal to half of the character's total number of them (minimum of one die). For example, if a character has eight Hit Dice, he or she can regain four spent Hit Dice upon finishing a long rest. A character can't benefit from more than one long rest in a 24-hour period, and a character must have at least 1 hit point at the start of the rest to gain its benefits.”

• Inventory: You can only have what you can carry. A character can carry up to 5 times your strength score, without penalties that is. If you carry more than that, your movement speed is reduced by 10 feet. If you carry more than 10 times your strength score, your movement speed is reduced by 20 feet and you have disadvantage on ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws that use Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution. Skill checks are included within ability checks. At the very most, you can carry up to 15 times your strength score.

• Proficiency with Items: You will have proficiency with some items. Be it armor, weapons, tools, instruments, gaming sets, or vehicles, you will be proficient with something. Item proficiencies work a little differently from skill proficiencies, so stick with me. For weapons, you add your proficiency bonus to your attack roll (ONLY ATTACK ROLL, NOT DAMAGE). For armor, you must be proficient to actually use the type of armor, otherwise you get massive debuffs. For tools, you get to add your proficiency bonus to any checks you make using them, using them properly that is. Instruments, gaming sets, and vehicles are all classified as tools, so they use the same rules. You can also gain expertise in tools, which is always nice. 

• Money: Money isn’t that hard. 1 platinum is equal to 10 gold, 1 gold is 10 silver, and 1 silver is 10 copper. There is also electrum, which is equal to 5 silver, but it is rarely used.

• Feats: Feats are cool little abilities you can get. Whenever you gain an ability score improvement by leveling up, you can choose to instead gain a feat. Some feats have prerequisites you must meet in order to gain the feat. The word "feat" is a shortened version of the word "feature", which was presumably done to avoid confusing since all abilities of a character are called features.

If I missed something, then it is either because I don’t think you need to worry about it right now, I don’t want to explain it right now, or I forgot. When making a character, if you don’t understand something, just ask me.

Checklist

1. Find a place to put everything: You can print out a paper version or use one of the numerous websites that let you make dnd characters.  My favorites are DNDBeyond and Reroll. When looking, make sure to find something that works with dnd 5th edition, aka dnd 5e.

2. Choose your race, class, and background based on what you have created so far: Go to either wikidot, dndbeyond, or any other source you want to use. Ignore the ability score improvement section of your race, we are using an optional rule which voids that.

3. Make all the choices within your race, class, and background: Proficiencies, Languages, etc.

4. Determine your ability scores: There are many ways to determine your ability scores. I am okay with you using any of the three standard methods: rolling (4d6 drop the lowest), point buy, or standard array. I also have made a modified version of point buy if to use that instead. The rules are as follows:

• All ability scores start at 7.

• You have 42 points.

• Spend one point to increase an ability score by 1.

• If an ability score is 13 or 14, you need to spend 2 points to increase it by 1.

• If an ability score is 15 or 16, you need to spend 3 points to increase it by 1.

• An ability score cannot be increased further than 17.

7 > 1 point > 8

8 > 1 point > 9

9 > 1 point > 10

10 > 1 point > 11

11 > 1 point > 12

12 > 1 point > 13

13 > 2 points > 14

14 > 2 points > 15

15 > 3 points > 16

16 > 3 points > 17

5. Determine your ability score, Part 2: So, now that you have those numbers, you will get some extra stuff. Remember, when I said to ignore the race’s ability score improvement because we are using an optional rule? This is where the rule comes into play. You get to add +2 to one ability score and +1 to another OR +1 to three different ones. So, you actually can increase an ability score above 17. If you gain ability score improvements from your background, then do not add these and only add those granted from your background.

6. What you got?: Now, time for the final piece: equipment. When starting out, you get some gold you can use to buy your starting equipment. Your class determines your starting gold. Artificers get 5d4 x 10 gp, Barbarians get 2d4 x 10 gp, Bards get 5d4 x 10 gp, Clerics get 5d4 x 10 gp, Druids get 2d4 x 10 gp, Fighters get 5d4 x 10 gp, Monks get 5d4 gp, Paladins get 5d4 x 10 gp, Rangers get 5d4 x 10 gp, Rogues get 4d4 x 10 gp, Sorcerers get 3d4 x 10 gp, Warlocks get 4d4 x 10 gp, and Wizards get d4 x 10 gp. There are four types of things you might get: Weapons, Armor, Tools, and Everything Else. You will need to scroll a little for every link to get to the tables of stuff. Also, along with buying stuff using your starting gold, you also get some items from your background so be sure to check that stuff out.

7. If you are going to be a class that uses spells, tell me and I will explain them to you. I could just put an explanation in here somewhere, but this is already really long.

Roleplay

Roleplay is an integral part of Dungeons and Dragons. Whether you love it or hate it, you will probably need to roleplay at least a little bit (If you really hate it, then tell me and I won't force you to). So, how about we go over some tips on roleplaying?

Tip #1: Get into the character's head

This may seem obvious. Why wouldn't you do this? However, though it may be obvious, it can still be challenging. A good method for thinking like your character is to figure out at least three ways your character is different from how you normally act. Write these things down and look over them before and during sessions.

Tip #2: Motivations

What does your character currently want? This can be either short-term motivation or long-term motivation. Short-term motivation is what your character wants right now in the current moment, while long-term motivation is their overall goal. Referring back to your motivation is a great way to understand how the character would act in a situation.

Tip #3: Creating a voice

While all of these are just tips, so you don't need to do them, this one is especially optional. Creating a character voice can be a good way to quickly get into a character. It doesn't need to be anything complex. Simply changing your speaking pattern, tone, or inflection can go a long way in creating a separation between you and your character. If you make a voice, remember to look at what you have made for the character so far and build from there. Though, on the flip side, having a voice contrast the rest of your character could be interesting. If you are having trouble getting into a voice you have already made, try creating a phrase that transitions you into the voice.

Tip #4: Practice

Always remember that when you start a new thing, you are probably going to be terrible at it. That is just how it is. However, through practice, you will gradually get better at it. Some people might pick it up faster than others, but it doesn't matter who is better as long as everyone is trying. A good way to practice outside of session is to think about how your character reacts to situations in your life. How would your character react to stubbing their toe? What would happen if they couldn't find anything they wanted to eat?

Tip #5: Acceptance

You are going to make mistakes, like a lot of them. You could fill a book with all the mistakes you are going to make, but you must learn to accept the fact that they will happen. When you make a mistake, you have some options. You could choose to ignore it, in which case your other players should do the same. You could also embrace it and just decide that this is what I would do now. Though, I would advise against embracing mistakes for really important scenes, but for the small stuff it is fine.

Intra-Party Roleplay

When you are interacting with the other players, sometimes it can be difficult to roleplay, especially when the party is meeting each other for the first time. Here are some helpful tips to use when you want to roleplay with the party: 

- Follow the Dice: Use failure and successes to start conversations. If a player failed a perception check, you can ask why they are staring at a rock for no reason. If they succeed on a history check, ask how they came to know about that piece of history.

- Ask for Help: Use your character's weaknesses, either the long-term flaws or short-term failures. If the character is having trouble persuading others, they can ask a persuasive party member for advice.

- Offer Help: Your character can give another advice about a topic they are struggling with or offer to help them with their magical studies. Your offer can be a kind one or condescending one.

- Controversial Opinion: Have your character believe in something others would not. They can state their belief to have the other party members question them and start a conversation around the topic.

- Make a bet: Creating a bet with another party member or challenging them to do something risky is a great way to start roleplaying. It can be short-term or long-term. A short-term bet could be if another party member fucks up what they are trying to do or not. A long-term bet could be a kill count that characters compare after combat to see who gets first choice at the loot.

- Question Choices: Simply questioning why a character did something can spark up a conversation. It is really that simple. This can be a genuine question or a sarcastic one.

- Building Connections: Your character can build connections with others by using simple things they have in common. These can be over things in your backstory or over small quirks the characters have. You can also use this to spark conversation between the differences inside your similarities. 

Disclaimer: What you know and what your character knows can be different. If you aren't good at roleplaying your character's ignorance about a topic you know about, tell the DM and other players this before the campaign starts.