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In Dungeons and Dragons, the Dungeon Master guides players through an exciting story, and you control your own character. Before the adventure begins, you create this character – similar to a video game, but with many individual options. You decide whether you want to play as an elf, dwarf, or another race, whether your character should cast powerful spells or prefer to fight with a weapon.
Guide to Your Own D&D Character
To start, you need a blank character sheet where you record all important details: your character’s attributes, abilities, and equipment. Before you begin, discuss with your roleplay group what level you’re starting at. The Dungeon Master determines which character options are allowed in the campaign and which might not fit the setting. They can also help you with creating your character.
First choose a race that appeals to you. There are over 45 playable races in D&D, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Dwarves are resilient and resistant to alcohol, but not particularly fast. Elves don’t need to sleep and are very agile. Orcs are extremely strong, while satyrs are resistant to magic. Just pick the race you think is coolest!
Next, you choose your class. Consider together with the other players which roles best fit your team. Your class determines whether your dwarf becomes a mighty fighter, a cunning rogue, or a powerful spellcaster. A group with different classes often has more opportunities to solve problems creatively. For example, a group full of melee fighters might have trouble defeating flying enemies.
In the next step, you distribute your character’s ability scores. There are six main stats: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Each of these values influences how well your character performs in certain situations. Distribute the values 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, and 8 among these six abilities, or roll 4d6 for each value and subtract the lowest die. The higher the value, the better the chances on corresponding dice rolls.
These attributes then result in modifiers. A Strength score of 10, for example, gives a modifier of +0, meaning you have no bonuses or penalties on Strength rolls. Higher values like 16 give you a modifier of +2, while lower values like 8 result in a penalty of -1. You enter these modifiers for your skills that relate to the respective attributes (for example, Athletics for Strength).
Now it’s time for your character’s background. Think about what they did before the adventure: Was your character a criminal, a noble, a soldier, or perhaps a sailor? This decision gives you small advantages in certain situations and can also shape your character’s personality and story. Choose a background that you like and that fits your race and class.
Finally, you choose your character’s equipment. Each class has certain guidelines for how much gold you start with and what equipment you possess at the beginning. During the game, you can use your gold to buy better weapons and equipment.
If you chose a magical class, you now need to select the appropriate spells. These depend on your level and class.
At the end, calculate your character’s hit points and armor class to see how much damage they can withstand and how hard they are to hit.
Now your D&D character is ready for adventure! Give them a name, choose a gender, and think up an exciting backstory. Also consider whether your character should act good or evil.
If you want to learn more about races, classes, equipment, and spells, take a look at the Player’s Handbook – there you’ll find all the important rules and details!
Easier Ways to Create a D&D Character
Creating a Dungeons & Dragons character can be quite complex for beginners and quickly overwhelming. If the process seems too lengthy or you simply want to get into the game faster, there are some straightforward alternatives.
On the internet, you can find a variety of pre-made characters that you can use immediately. Wizards of the Coast, for example, offers ready-made Level 1 characters. You just need to search for the desired combination of class, race, and level, and you’re ready to go.
A helpful tool is the Character Builder from D&D Beyond. It guides you step-by-step through creation and ensures you can create your character without problems. The simple user interface makes it easy to make all necessary settings.
Additionally, there are various online generators that take the work off your hands. With such D&D Character Creators, you only need to enter a few details like class, race, level, and background, and the rest is calculated automatically. You immediately get a ready-to-play character sheet. A good example of this is fastcharacter.com.
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