Creating Your Character (Part I: Overview)

Start Simple

Who are you going to be? D&D provides you with plenty of options so you can craft your ideal role-playing persona. Pull ideas from movies, books, tv shows, comics—whatever you find intriguing and fun to utilize. 

Consider snatching characteristics such as: behaviors, skills, appearances, backstory elements, or even voices—if you're into trying different accents or altering how you speak, give it a shot!

Here’s a few conventional creations:

• A swift and silent elf ranger who bounds between tangled trees hunting prey alongside her beast companion.
• A charming yet manipulative gnome bard who strikes enchanting chords with his musical prowess and cunning words—friend and foe alike bend to his whim.
• A shrewd spell-flinging dragonborn sorcerer who seeks to unearth his innermost power and prove himself a worthy adversary.

Pre-Generated vs Create-Your-Own

• Pre-Generated characters sheets are pre-assembled and ready for use. Feel free to modify if desired. 
• Create-Your-Own characters require assembly but are simple with the Basic Rules or Player’s Handbook (Optional). 

Select a Digital or PDF sheet & let’s get rolling!

Moving forward we will focus on the Basic Rules vs the Player’s Handbook as new players typically start there.

Character Components

• Race
• Class
• Personality
• Background

Race

Your D&D character has several unique options for their race. Some may seem familiar to you. Let’s check them out.

Races from the Basic Rules:

Dwarves are short and brawny people known for mining valuable metals and battling with such ferocity that even the tallest foes shrink back.

Elves are graceful and wanderlust people known for their enchanting magics and intrinsic attunement with nature who may appear arrogant but are willing to aid those in need.

Halflings are small and jovial people known for their simplistic way of life and working well within any community—they’re also swift and stealthy should such an occasion present itself.

Humans are diverse and adaptable people known for dabbling in all manners of curiosities while seeking to leave behind a reputable legacy as they’re the youngest of the common races.

Dragonborn are towering and formidable people known not only for their dragon kin appearance but also their fiercely loyal dedication to their respective clans as they refuse to back down.

Gnomes are little and enthusiastic people known for their massive personalities and inventive nature—always tinkering away at their latest project or casting illusions before friends and foes alike.

Half-Elves are a blended race between Human and Elf. They’re known for retaining equal traits from both sides—from human ambition to the discriminating taste of the elf.

Half-Orcs are a blended race between Human and Orc. They’re known for their savage appearance and might mingling amidst human societies or proving their worth among their Orcish brethren.

Tieflings are an infernal and suspicious race as they’re known for their curled or pointed horns, thick tails, and saturated skin tones. Many find them unnerving due to their tainted human origins, while others utilize their services for underground means.

Class

Your D&D character also has several class options to choose from. Consider this similar to your character’s occupation or way of life—the role they play in society.

Classes grant you special abilities, languages, proficiencies, and other specific features.

Classes as described from the Basic Rules:

Barbarian  Bard  Cleric  Druid  Fighter  

Monk  Paladin  Ranger  Rogue  Warlock  Wizard

Personality

This is where you get to be even more creative when developing your character. The amount of detail you put into this can be as little or as much as you’d like. 

Consider how your stats line up. We recently covered the 6 ability scores that D&D characters have: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Typically, one of these stats are going to be fairly high and another pretty low while the rest fall somewhere in between.

Make those contrasting stats shine!

For example: Your brutish dwarven barbarian could be exceedingly strong, but his constitution is incredibly low causing him to keel over quickly when overwhelmed by enemies or a stiff drink .

Another Example: Your highly intellectual half-elf wizard could be a master of the arcane arts but becomes a bumbling buffoon when he must speak up to explain anything due to his low charisma.

Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws can also play into your personality. 

Here’s what the Basic Rules has to say about them:

• Ideals are “things that you believe in most strongly, the fundamental moral and ethical principles that compel you to act as you do.”
• Bonds “represent a character’s connections to people, places, and events in the world. They tie you to things from your background.” (see below)
• Flaws “represent some vice, compulsion, fear, or weakness—in particular, anything that someone else could exploit to bring you ruin or cause you to act against your best interests.”

Background

This is your story. How did your character become the person they are at this moment? Did they experience a tragic event or were they betrayed by a rival faction? Did they have a humble upbringing and simply want to explore the world beyond?

• What is the spark that ignited your character's drive to leave their past behind and become an adventurer?

The Basic Rules & Player’s Handbook (Optional) include several Backgrounds you can choose from.

Much like your Class each Background includes an overview, proficiencies, languages, equipment, and other abilities. 

Remember that the specifics of your Class or Background can be modified to truly fit your story!

Alignment Note: Some players enjoy guidelines suggesting how they’re character may act in certain scenarios, but other players find it constricting or limiting to their creativity. Determine for yourself if alignment guidelines work for you.

Remember to have fun!

Don't fret if you have this grand vision for your character but when it's time to play at the table it doesn't quite hit the mark. 

D&D is a supportive and collaborative story-telling experience with your peers that doesn't need to take itself too seriously. It's as passionate, as heart-wrenching, as daring, or as ridiculous as you make it.

Players and Dungeon Masters alike will make mistakes but continuing to learn from each other as you uncover your favorite play-style is part of the journey. 

Get Rolling! 🎲

Next Up: Create Your Character (Part II: Stats)

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