Hey Game Fans, I realize we talk an awful lot about how to build characters across a lot of games, but we’ve never actually shown you a character creation example for Dungeons and Dragons, 5th Edition. Well, fear not friends, with the thunderbolt inspiration of naming things awesomely, I had the inspiration for what I think is a great character to bring on an adventure. Now there are two ways this character could have gone, so we’re going to build it both ways. One of them I’ll be rolling attributes, the other I’ll put together with a point buy (meaning you could technically borrow my character and take them to adventurer’s league at your local gaming establishment). Alright friends, let’s build some characters.
Character Creation (Step by Step)
I’ve got my player’s handbook open and sitting to my left, and we’re on page 11 for those of you tagging along. Character creation isn’t a hard process, but it’s got a lot of steps to it, and it can take some time. We’re going to build two characters (with the same name). One of these characters we’re going to roll dice for, the other one we’ll use the standard array rules for.
I think it’s helpful to look at both methods so you can figure out which one you like the best. The other thing to keep in mind is that some games will require you to use one method or the other, it’s basically up to the DM to decide which one he or she wants to use, and having an idea how they both work is handy. However, that’s getting a little ahead of ourselves, let’s start the day off with Step 1.
Step 1: Picking a Race
There’s a bunch of choices for what kind of a person you want your character to be. Races provide mechanical attribute bonuses and can have a variety of special abilities. The character i have in mind has a specific race associated with it, so I’ve picked Dragonborn for both iterations of the character we’re building, (That means we’ll have to make a few more choices, more on that in a minute).
If you don’t have a concept in mind for your character, look through the Races chapter and see what strikes your fancy. Some Races dovetail nicely with different concepts, but don’t be afraid to play against type. (If you’d like a breakdown of the various races, you can check out our write ups here).
Bahama, the character I’m building is a devout Dragonborn who worships the Platinum Dragon. Counter to type, Bahama is a Red Dragonborn, which makes him stand out a little among the metallic dragonborn. Draconic ancestry gives Bahama resistance to a specific energy type (in a Red Dragonborn’s case, Fire), and a breath weapon attack. It also gives Bahama +2 Strength and +1 Charisma. We note all of those things (and the rest of the traits listed in the Dragonborn section on page 36) on our character sheet. Then we move on to Step 2.
Step 2: Picking a Class
This is where the build splits into two different directions. Really, I couldn’t decide which class worked best with this character concept, so i decided not to pick. So I’m going to build one version of this character as a Cleric of Bahamut (Probably the War Domain), and the other version of this character is a Paladin (no idea what Oath yet). This is easy for me because I had an idea of what I wanted to build beforehand. If you don’t have that benefit, flip through the character classes chapter and see if something catches your eye (we also have a guide for this, which you can find here)
So a Cleric has a specific grouping of skills, proficiencies and traits that represent the occupational competencies a cleric should have. I write down his saves, proficiency bonus, select skills, and note down the Spellcasting and Divine Domain Ability. I select War as his Divine Domain and note the extra benefits that gives Bahama. The Paladin has a different group of skills and traits, and we select those as we’re supposed to.
Now I have two running character sheets for each build, and I have the Race and Class selections made.
Step 3: Determine Ability Scores
Dungeons and Dragons characters are defined by six key attributes, and every character has them. There are two primary ways to get your attributes, you can roll dice for them, or you can select from a standard array. If you roll dice, you roll 4 six sided dice and drop the lowest result. You do this for each attribute, and keep track of the numbers on scratch paper. The standard array gives you a fixed set of numbers (15, 14,13,12,10 an 8) to assign to your attributes.
In both cases, you assign the numbers to the attributes you want. If you’re building a character that uses a specific ability (like Intelligence for a Wizard or Charisma for a Warlock), this gives you the best option to build a character that’s good at their job. You add your racial modifiers after you’ve assigned the numbers
Once you have assigned the numbers you can calculate a whole bunch of derived values. Attributes turn into a modifier, ( you can find the chart on page 13), which modify your saves, skills, combat checks, spell casting (if you have it) and a bunch of other abilities. Calculating your derived values is the most mathematically complicated part of the process, but that’s mostly because there are a bunch of numbers to figure.
If you want, you can try your hands at the Point Buy option of attribute assignment, and the rules for that are also on page 13. This lets you customize your characters to a greater degree than the standard array and it eliminates the randomness of rolling.
Bahama the Cleric, who we rolled attributes for ended up with 3 15s, a 13, and 2 10s. We assigned the 13 to Strength, (which bumps up to 15 with the Dragonborn Racial Modifier), a 10 to Dexterity, a 10 to Intelligence, a 15 to Constitution, a 15 to Wisdom, and a 15 to Charisma (which bumps to a 16 with racial modifiers).
Bahama the Paladin took the standard array of 15,14,13,12,10 an 8. His 15 went into Strength (and bumped to 17), the 8 went into Dexterity, the 14 went into Constitution, the 10 went into his Intelligence, the 12 went into Wisdom, and the 13 went into Charisma (and bumped to 13).
Now we’re going to fill in all of those derived values and we’ll be back in a minute
Step 4: Describe your Character
Now both versions look very similar to each other (sharing a number of physical characteristics). The Cleric version is Neutral Good in alignment and has selected his personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws from the Acolyte table (which is the background he’s selected). He also picks up his starting gear and the character sheet is almost done. He’s nearly ready to play as he sits.
He’s a pious cleric of the warrior aspect of Bahamut who doesn’t shirk his place on the line of battle. Optimistic and cheerful, he is tolerant of other faiths and their practitioners and strives to set the example he believes Bahamut wants him to be. Loyal to his friends and especially the Temple that took him in as an Orphan, Bahama is a welcome addition to any party of adventurers.
The Paladin version is Lawful Good in alignment and has the Noble Background.
He’s a champion on the battlefield, stepping into harm’s way to put down the enemies of his lord. Away from battle he’s overly sensitive about his appearance, keeping himself immaculately groomed at all times and chases the fashion scene. He’s loyal to his sovereign to a fault, though he is self-centered and tends to look at the world from the perspective of how it affects him.
Step 5: Choose Equipment
Through a combination of background and class, every character has an assortment of starting gear. This will include armor (if applicable) at least one weapon, and an assortment of other adventuring gear. They will also pick up some starting gold to pick up a few extra supplies if needed. Once you have made your choices, you’re ready to play.
Step 6: Come Together
Now you need to find some friends, get your characters together, find a Dungeon Master and play some Dungeons and Dragons. You’re ready.
Conclusions
Now we’ve finished both characters (as far as we’re going to finish them today, there’s a spell sheet we could put together for the Cleric version, and a back page for additional details that aren’t necessary at this point.). We have the cleric version here and the Paladin version here. I hope this gives you an idea of how to put together a character for Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition, and at some point we may revisit these characters to talk about how to level a character up. Game on, Game Fans.
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