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How to Create a Dungeons and Dragons CharacterCreating a Dungeons and Dragons character can be an intimidating first step into the hobby. The best way to learn how a character comes together and works, is to play the game. This guide is intended to get you started. Before we start though, let’s briefly go over how the game works. How Do We Play? Playing Dungeons and Dragons revolves around a twenty-sided dice. When you would like to do anything in the game world, you roll a twenty-sided dice to determine your success. What is a Dungeons and Dragons Character? A Dungeons and Dragons character is a representation of the hero you control in an adventure. Your character plays by giving you numerical bonuses to add to your dice results. In this guide I will explain how you create your character to determine these bonuses to your dice results.What makes a Character? The three main components that make up your character are their Race, Class and Background. RaceThe Race of a character represents their species. This could be an Elf, a Dwarf or even a Human. If there is a fantasy Race that you have always been fond of, then perhaps you may consider picking them. If you are unsure of which Race to pick, I would recommend a Human, as they are the most adaptable. ClassThe Class of your character is their job within your group of adventurers. I don’t mean that you wash the dishes or handle the money. I mean whether you do the sneaking and stealing, maybe you do the punching and bashing, or maybe you do the thinking and casting. A Class could be a traditional fantasy archetype such as a Barbarian or Wizard, but there are a number of other classes out there to play with. To begin I would recommend a Fighter. Most beginners dive straight for a Rogue or a Wizard, but a Fighter is simple to begin with. BackgroundThis is where we start to get into who your character is, where do they come from? The background of a character determines what they have done so far in life up until this point, what did they occupy their time with? Surely you had a life before joining this adventure and that life must have given you a number of experiences and skills. The Backgrounds selection in the Player’s handbook are not fixed or mandatory, you can certainly invent your own Background with a Dungeon Master. However, with your first character I would recommend picking a pre-made Background that closely represents the type of character you would like to play. Where Do I Start? I would recommend the Dungeons & Dragons Player’s handbook to begin. It has all the relevant information to get your brain going and thinking about what kind of character you may need. The Player’s Handbook contains a list of the Races, Classes and Backgrounds. This book also contains the mechanical parts of creating a character, which is what we will cover next. How Do I Create a Character? The process I am about to present is not the way in which an experienced player would create their character. Someone experienced with Dungeons and Dragons may follow these guidelines, but they would most likely put much consideration into their decisions. As you become more experienced with the game you would look at the long-term progression of a character, but for now let’s make a cool character that’s fun to play. The Rule of CoolThe character you are making should be one that you enjoy playing. If you ere ever unsure of what to pick, choose the thing that sounds cool to you. Pick something that you think fits the type of character you would like. Have fun making the character you want. I will be covering the creation of a non-magic using characters. Adding the magic systems to a character for a new player may be a bit too much. We will just start with the basics. If you feel you would like to play a character with magic, you can take these guidelines and then add the spellcasting aspects to your character afterwards. Throughout this guide I will use the creation of a Fighter character as our base example. Before following these steps, get something to make notes with. At certain steps I will tell you make notes. You will use these notes later in your character creation to complete the process. If you do not understand what some of the words mean or what they are for, these will all be explained later in the process. Any tables mentioned during character creation are included in the last section of this document. These guidelines are broken up into individual steps. Step 1 – Pick a NameThe name of your character certainly says a lot about them. As much as a name may seem like a minor detail, it could stick with you for a while. If this is your first time, you can always use your own name. Some players like to start with a name and others pick one that suits the character they have created at the end. Step 2 – Pick a RaceA character Race can give you additional points to Ability Scores, Race specific features, you may even get an extra language. Read through all of these bonuses and add them to your notes. Step 3 – Pick a ClassThe two most popular classes for beginners are Fighters and Rogues, they are pretty easy to manage at a low level and use the most straight-forward mechanics to begin. After picking a class you will be presented with a few pieces of information. What equipment you begin with, which skills you are proficient at, sometimes you may know how to use specific tools or additional languages. Make notes of these. Step 4 – Pick a BackgroundYour background makes your character even more proficient with a few tools, skills, or languages. The major appeal of backgrounds is the role-playing flavor it adds to your character. The Background holds features that assist in determining who your character is and how they may interact with the world. Make note of any proficiencies or features. Step 5 – Generating Ability ScoresYour mighty hero has six ability scores which are Strength, Dexterity, Constiution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma. Some of these are self-explanatory and others you’ll learn the uses of as you play. If some of these Ability Scores jump out at you as things you recognize, concentrate on those for now. These abilities are numerical representations of your strengths. The Ability scores of your character range from 1 to 20, with 10 being the baseline for average. For example, let’s say you have big bulging muscles, then perhaps your Strength Ability Score would be 16. Are you quick on your feet and handy with a bow? Your Dexterity Ability Score could be 14. Are you not very social and growl at any passers by? Your Charisma might not even be a 10. How do we get these numbers though? There are two primary methods for generating Ability Scores, which are rolling for them and using a point-buy system. The point-buy system is slightly advanced and there are calculators for it online, so let us concentrate on the simple method of rolling for your stats. Dungeons and Dragons Dice SlangYou may be completely new to hobbies that involve dice, in which case I will explain the lingo we use now. You are most likely familiar with a six-sided dice. In Dungeons and Dragons, we would call a six-sided dice a D-6. The most commonly used dice in Dungeons and Dragons is a twenty-sided dice, or as it is commonly referred, a D-20. The letter D means dice, and the number represents how many sides the dice has. If there is a number before the letter D, that number signals you roll multiple dice. For example, if it told you to roll 3 D-20, this would mean that you roll three separate twenty-sided dice. Step 6 - Roll Ability ScoresDungeons and Dragons is a game that allows for people to make their own rules, lots of people have lots of rules they like to use. Rolling Ability Scores follow different rules for different groups, but I will give you the most common method here. Roll 7 D-20 and re-roll any of these that have a result lower than 8. Then discard the lowest numbered dice, leaving you with 6 dice results above 8. These 6 numbers are going to make up your 6 Ability Scores. Step 7 – Allocate Ability ScoresNow we take those six numbers you rolled and allocate them to the six Abilities you have. Let’s start with the highest number you rolled, you’ll want to assign this number to the ability you feel is most important to your character. Keep assigning the numbers to the 6 Ability Scores until you are complete. Do not fret over having no idea whether these abilities are a good decision for you or not, the game can be very forgiving, and a lot of players enjoy unbalanced characters. These unbalanced characters can encourage more role-play opportunities. Which Ability do I need? The six different abilities effect different aspects of your character. Here I will list a brief summary of what the Ability effects and which characters may need it. Strength – Effects how accurate and deadly you are with physical weapons. Strength also impacts your athletic ability. This Ability is important for Barbarians, Fighters and Paladins. Dexterity – How accurate and damaging you are with ranged and some physical weapons. This is your agility and reflexes. This Ability is important for Monks, Rangers and Rogues. Constitution – Directly contributes to your Health Points and stamina. This Ability is important for all characters. Intelligence – Effects a Wizard’s spellcasting abilities and power. Intelligence also represents your ability to retain information. This Ability is important for Wizards. Wisdom – Determines the spellcasting abilities of Clerics and Druids. Wisdom also represents your intuition and awareness. This Ability is important to Clerics and Druids. Charisma – This Ability is used for spellcasting by Bards, Sorcerers and Warlocks. Charisma also represents your ability to persuade or charm people. This Ability is important for bards, Sorcerers and Warlocks. Step 8 – Calculate Ability ScoresNow that your Ability scores are assigned, we have one last change to make to them. The Race you picked will add to some of your Ability Scores. For example a Human gets to add 1 to all six Ability Scores. Check the notes you made earlier when picking your Race and apply any changes. Next we will calculate your Ability Score modifiers. What is a Modifier?Actions in Dungeons and Dragons range from attacking, to picking locks, to climbing walls, to checking for magical traps. If your player wants to attempt an action, you will need to roll a D-20. The result of the D-20 determines your success or failure at this action. Your character directly effects the impact of this result too, through your character’s modifiers. Whenever a D-20 is rolled, you add or subtract any modifiers your character has. For example, you need to make a Strength Check, roll a D-20 and add or subtract your Strength Modifier; the final result after your Modifier determines the success or failure of the action. The term Modifier can refer to many numbers on your character sheet: Ability Modifiers, Skill Modifiers, Attack Modifiers, Damage Modifiers. The rules will specify which one to use and where to look. Your Dungeon Master and group will also help you out. Step 9 – Calculate Ability Score ModifiersCalculating Ability Score Modifiers requires no mathematics, you just have to reference a table which is included at the end of this document. An Ability Score of 10 produces an Ability Score Modifier of 0, which means your Ability has no effect on an outcome related to that Ability. A number above 10 will give you a higher modifier and a number below 10 will give you a negative modifier. Step 10 – Calculate Saving ThrowsSaving Throws are the same value as your Ability Score Modifiers. However, your Class will give you proficient in certain Saving Throws, which means you add 2 to their value. For example, a Fighter gains proficiency with Strength and Constitution Saving Throws, increasing their value by 2. What is proficiency?Proficiency refers to experience at performing a task or action. If you are proficient with Strength Saving Throws, it means you are experienced at using your Strength to counteract situations. If you are proficient with Swords, it means you are experienced at using Swords to fight. This experience is represented by your Proficiency Bonus. Every character starts with a Proficiency Bonus of 2, it allows you to add this bonus to any D-20 roll that involves something you are proficient in. For example, if you are proficient with a Bow, you will add an additional 2 to the D-20 result when rolling to hit a target. Step 11 – Calculate SkillsIn this step we calculate your character skills, but let’s first explqain what Skills are. What are Skills? Every player character in Dungeons and Dragons shares the same list of 18 skills. These 18 skills are more specific than your characters Abilities. Your character’s Strength Ability may represent general athleticism, but your Athletics Skill will be called on to take actions directly related to your physical fitness. The Skill values are modifiers, added to a D-20 roll when attempting to achieve something in the game world. For example, if you are trying to pickpocket someone, you will be asked to make a Sleight of Hand Check, this means you roll a D-20 and add the number under your Sleight of hand Skill to the result. Your Sleight of Hand Skill is the same value as your Dexterity Ability, in the same way your Athletics Skill value is equal to your Strength Ability value. The value of your skills is equal to the Ability Score Modifier that effects it. For example, your Acrobatics Skill reflects your Dexterity Ability Modifier, so if your Dexterity Ability Score modifier was 2, your Acrobatics Skill would also be 2. At the end of this document is a list showing which Ability Scores directly effect which skills, to help you calculate your skill values. Step 12 – Proficient SkillsIf the number for a Skill is exactly the same as the corresponding number for the Ability it is under, then why differentiate them? Your six core Abilities make up the basis for your character, but Skills are talents related to those Abilities that you can oractice and become proficient with. Think of proficiency as experience, the more experienced you become with a Skill, the better you are at it. So it makes sense that if you are a Thief, you would be experienced with the Sleight of Hand Skill as it is used to pickpocket. The additional experience you have is reflected by your Proficiency Bonus. Don’t be alarmed, we aren’t about to delve into advanced mathematics, your Proficiency Bonus is a flat number determined by your character’s level. At Level 1 your character’s Proficiency Bonus will be 2. That means, if you are proficient with any Skill, you get to add 2 on the Skill’s Modifier. These proficiencies are determined by your Class and Background. Let’s go through an example from beginning to end. You are a Fighter, a strong warrior ready for battle. To reflect this, you assigned the number 16 you rolled to your Strength Ability. Using the Ability Modifier Table at the end of this document, we can determine that your Strength Ability Modifier will be 3. This means if you make a Strength Check, you roll a D20 and 3 to the result. In the next step, we check the Skills Table to see which Skills your Strength effects. The only Skill effected by your Strength is Athletics, so this means your Athletics Skill modifier will also be 3. The last step is to add your proficiency. As you are a Fighter, you get proficiency with Athletics, so this means you add your Proficiency Bonus to your Athletics Skill. At Level 1 your Proficiency Bonus is 2, so you add 2 to your Athletics Skill of 3, giving you a total of 5. Step 13 – WeaponsThe next step is where we get to add your Weapons. There are a number of things to consider with weapons once you have a good understanding of the game, but to begin with we just care about three aspects: Range, Hit Modifier and Damage. To understand these three aspects, lets quickly go over how combat works. How Does Combat Work? If your character wants to make an attack in combat there are three basic steps.Step 1 – Determine Range. This is pretty self explanatory, if you have a sword you need to be within 5 feet of your target and if you are using a bow the range of the bow determines how close you need to be to shoot. If you are out of range, you may not attack. Step 2 – Roll to Hit. Once you have determined you are in range, you make an Attack Roll using a D20. You get to add any Modifiers you have to your Attack Roll and if the result is equal to or higher than your target’s Armor Class, you successfully hit them. Step 3 – Roll for Damage. After successfully hitting your target, you must then roll your damage. This is one of the few times we do not use a twenty-sided dice. Instead the damage dice is listed under your weapon’s description and you also get to add Modifiers to this. Step 14 – Equipping WeaponsIn this section we’ll go over how you determine the Modifiers for your weapon attacks and damage rolls. Here is the general rule of thumb for weapon Modifiers: if the weapon is close range you add your Strength and if the weapon is long range you add your Dexterity. If your Fighter has a Strength Modifier of 3 and is using a Sword, you get to add 3 to both your Attack Roll and your Damage Roll. If your character is proficient with the weapon, they get to add their Proficiency Bonus to the Attack Roll, but not to the Damage Roll. If our Fighter gets to add 3 to their Attack Roll, if they are also proficient they add an additional 2 for a total of 5. However, their Damage Roll Modifier remains at 3. What is Finesse? I gave the general rule of thumb that you use Strength for close range and Dexterity for long range, but there is also a weapon property called ‘Finesse’. This weapon property is fantastic, as it allows you to choose either your Strength Modifier or your Dexterity Modifier for this weapon. A Finesse weapon can either be used with brute force or elegant precision. Step 15 – Equipping ArmorAll characters in Dungeons and Dragons have an Armor Class. A character’s Armor Class represents how well defended they are in combat. When anyone is making an Attack Roll, it must be equal to or higher than their target’s Armor Class to hit. Calculating Armor Class is calculated in three main ways, which I will give a general outline to. No Armor – If your character is wearing no armor, they still have an Armor Class. This is calculated by adding your Dexterity Modifier to the number 10. If your character has a Dexterity Modifier of 2 and no armor, their Armor Class would be 12. Light Armor – Generally speaking, Light Armor is usually 11 plus your Dexteirty Modifier. Medium Armor – Generally Medium Armor gives you an Armor Class of 12 plus your Dexterity Modifier to a maximum of 2. This means if your Dexterity Modifier is higher than 2, you still only add 2 to Medium Armor. The cap for Medium Armor is usually 14. Heavy Armor – When wearing Heavy Armor, you do not get to add any Dexterity Modifier and there is usually a Strength requirement to use Heavy Armor. Heavy Armor also gives disadvantage to Stealth Checks. Change your Armor Class and ad any modifiers.Step 16 – List InventoryYour Character Class grants you access to weapons, armor and equipment. Write a list of everything it provides you. In some classes it offers you choices between different weapon, armor or pack options. I would tell you to pick the weapons or armor you think suit the kind of character you would like ot create. You arenèt married to these items and you can always change them later. What Are Packs?There are several Packs available in the game and usually youèll have to choose from two for your character class. These packs typically contain supplies for travelling and camping. A Pack will likely contain rations, a bdroll, a tinderbox to make a fire. These Packs will also have torches to help you see while travelling and then they will have several other smaller items for your character. To learn what is in the4 Pack you choose, I would suggest looking it up as they vary. Step 17 – Calculate your Health PointsYour Class determines your Hit Point value. If you check under your Class, it will show a number for your Hit Point value and you add your Constiution Modifier to the number for your base hit Points. Your Hit Points increase each time you level up. The increase for each level is described under the Class. Our Fighter would start with 10 Hit Points, plus our Constitution Modifier. If our Constitution Modifier is 2, this will take our Hit Points from 10 up to 12. What are it Points? Your character’s Hit Points represent the health of your character. Once you reach 0 Hit Points you are unable to do anything and you are laid prone on the ground. Once you reach this state you are required to make Death Saves. Making Death Saves to recover requires you to roll a D 20, with a result of 10 or higher making a successful Death Save and a roll under 10 resulting in a failed Death Save. Three successful Death Saves cause you to stabilize and three failed Death Saves cause your character to die. This process will be explained during a session by your Game Master. Step – 18 Calculate your hit DiceThe Hit Dice your character has are listed un the Class you pick. The Hit Dice is typically equal to the value of your Hit Points, before your Constitution Modifier. You begin with a single Hit Dice and gain an additional Hit Dice for each level of your character’s Class. What are Hit Dice?Hit Dice are used to replenish character Hiit Points during a Short Rest. When your character takes a Short Rest, you roll your Hit Dice and regain Hit Points equal to the result of your Hit Dice. You may not use your Hit Dice unless performing a Short Rest. What is a Short Rest? There are two types of Rests in Dungeons & Dragons, a Long Rest and a Short Rest. A Long Rest lasts for 8 hours and replenishes all character Hit Points. A Short Rest lasts for 4 hours and replenishes character Hit Points if you use any Hit Dice. Step 19 – Calculate InitiativeThe next piece of character information we need to determine, is your character’s Initiative. A character’s Initiative is equal to their Dexterity Modifier. What is Initiative?When you begin combat in Dungeons & Dragons, you roll a D20 to determine when you will take your turn in combat. The higher the result of this D20, the higher you are in the turn order. This dice roll at the start of combat is called ‘Rolling for Initiative’. When you roll for initiative, you should add your character’s Initiative modifier to the result of the D20. Step 20 – Calculate your Passive PerceptionA character’s Passive Perception value is equal to 10 + their Wisdom Modifier. What is Pass Perception? A character’s Passive Perception determines their ability to notice anything occurring around them. For example, if a character seeks to sneak up on someone else, they must roll a Stealth Check (using their Stealth Skill Modifier), and the result of their Stealth Check must exceed the victim’s Passive Perception to succeed. ListsAbility Score ValuesAbility ScoreModifier1-52 or 3-44 or 5-36 or 7-28 or 9-110 or 11012 or 13114 or 15216 or 17318 or 19420 or 21522 or 23624 or 25726 or 27828 or 2993010Skill Modifier List (Ability Score Effects)StrengthYour Strength effects your Athletics Skill. DexterityYour Dexterity effects your Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand and Stealth Skills. ConstitutionYour Constitution modifier does not affect any Skills. IntelligenceYour Intelligence effects your Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature and Religion Skills. WisdomYour Wisdom effects your Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Perception and Survival Skills. CharismaOur Charisma effects your Deception, Intimidation, Performance and Persuasion Skills. ................
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