Creating Your Character (Part II: Stats)

Character Stats

While Creating Your Character you'll come across various features that we briefly touched upon in Tools of the Trade. Now we'll examine these features in greater detail. 

Blog Note: This entry is presented as a glossary for your character's stats. Terms are in alphabetical order.

Armor Class 

Armor protects you from attacks! Its numerical value is determined by the type of armor or shield you have equipped as well as your Dexterity. Your chosen Class will inform you which types of armor you may choose from—if any.

Here's what the Basic Rules say:

• Light Armor is "made from supple and thin materials, light armor favors agile adventurers since it offers some protection without sacrificing mobility."

• Medium Armor "offers more protection than light armor, but it also impairs movement more."

• Heavy Armor "offers the best protection. These suits of armor cover the entire body and are designed to stop a wide range of attacks. Only proficient warriors can manage their weight and bulk."

• Shields are the simplest piece of protection to understand. It gives you a +2 to your AC (Armor Class) and is held in 1 hand when in use.

NOTE! 

You may have seen that the Stealth categories in the tables above say Disadvantage in some of the slots. This is due to some armor being louder or heavier than others which leads to a more challenging attempt when trying to be stealthy.

• Disadvantage means: Roll twice & take the lower result. 
• Advantage means: Roll twice & take the higher result.

Conditions

Your character may become inhibited by a spell, ability, or something else that creates a temporary condition. Here's how each condition influences your character:

• Blinded: when you're vision is impaired you'll automatically fail ability rolls that rely on sight and attack rolls against you have advantage and your attacks have disadvantage.
• Charmed: when you're swayed through attraction or pleasure you'll take care to not harm your charmer and the charmer has advantage on any ability check to interact with you.
• Deafened: when you're unable to hear and automatically fail any ability checks that require hearing.
• Exhaustion: when you're weak or fatigued with prolonged exposure. There are 6 levels of this condition. A Long Rest (explained below) will reduce the level by 1.
• Level 1: Disadvantage on ability checks.
• Level 2: Speed halved
• Level 3: Disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws.
• Level 4: Hit points (explained below) maximum halved.
• Level 5: Speed reduced to 0
• Level 6: Death
• Frightened: when you're filled with fear or terror and must move as far away from the source as possible. You also have disadvantage ability checks and attack rolls against the source of your fear.
• Grappled: when you're being held against your will and fail a contested roll to resist your the grip. To grapple someone you roll a Athletics ability check vs their Acrobatics or Athletics ability check.

• Incapacitated: when you're unable to act or respond.
• Invisible: when you're unseen by all except by magical means. Attack rolls against you have disadvantage while your attack rolls have advantage.
• Paralyzed: when you're unable to move or speak (incapacitated). You automatically fail Strength and Dexterity saving throws (explained below). Attack rolls against you have advantage. Any attack that hits you within 5ft is considered a critical hit (double damage).
• Petrified: when you're transformed into a solid inanimate substance (typically stone) and you're considered incapacitated. Attack rolls against you have advantage. You automatically fail Strength and Dexterity saving throws. You are resistant to all damage (take half the amount). You're also immune to poison and disease.
• Poisoned: when you're health strains against a substance which causes you to have disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.
• Prone: when you're crawling upon the ground you have disadvantage on attack rolls and those who attack you within 5ft have advantage, however, if your enemies are further than 5ft they'll have disadvantage while you're prone.
• Restrained: when you're held against your will all attack rolls against you have advantage  and your attack rolls have disadvantage. You also have disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.

• Stunned: when you're incapacitated and speak only in a broken or unsteady manner. You automatically fail Strength and Dexterity saving throws. Attack rolls against you have advantage.
• Unconscious: when you're incapacitated and unaware of your surroundings. You drop whatever you're holding and fall prone. You automatically fail Strength and Dexterity saving throws. Attack rolls against you have advantage and any attack that hits you is considered critical within 5ft of you (double damage).

Defenses

Your character may be resistant to particular elements or damage types. 

For example: The Fire Genasi Race is resistant to Fire damage thereby taking half damage when hit by Fire.

(Caia Venyaris: Fire Genasi Warrior)

There will also be enemies that you come across that are vulnerable to particular damage types taking twice the damage they'd normally take!

Hit Points

The Basic Rules says, "Hit points represent a combination of physical and mental durability, the will to live, and luck. Creatures with more hit points are more difficult to kill. Those with fewer hit points are more fragile."

Dropping to Zero means you need to roll 3 successful death saves in order to return to consciousness, otherwise, your character will die. Keep those potions and healing spells handy!

Initiative

Whenever you enter into a combat phase all players and the Dungeon Master will roll to see where they fall in initiative. This is a numerical list organized greatest to least where the highest roller attacks first and the lowest roller attacks last. 

To Roll for Initiative you simply roll your D20 dice and add your initiative number to the result. Prepare to fight!

Inspiration

This is a reward that Dungeon Masters can hand out to the Players for acting as their character would during roleplay or coming up with a clever solution to a task at hand. This can be good incentive for role-playing your character.

Inspiration will give you a chance to give any roll you make have advantage. This allows you to roll twice instead of once. You take the better of the two rolls. 

Not all DMs care to use inspiration in their games. Use what works best for your gaming table!

Languages

Languages are granted by your background and race. Most people within the game will speak "Common" but there are many other languages you may speak as well.

Proficiencies

Proficiencies are granted by your character's background and class toward specific abilities, equipment, and weapons. This specialization allows you to add your proficiency bonus to your rolls with anything your proficient with.

This number increases as you level up throughout the game. Check out your class to see when that number increases!

Rests

Your character will need to take moments to either catch their breath for about an hour or sleep for 8 hours to regain health, recharge spells and abilities, and avoid exhaustion.

• Short Rests are at least 1 hour long and you can spend this time doing menial tasks. You may use your class's assigned Hit Dice to regenerate Health as well. Depending on your level you will have a pool of Hit Dice to roll from. Check out your class's page to learn more!
• Long Rests are at least 8 hours long of shut-eye and you will regain all of your Hit Points back! It also replenishes your spells and abilities. Some of your Hit Dice (mentioned in the short rest) will be regained as well. 

Saving Throws

If your character is targeted by a spell or an environmental surprise you may need to roll a saving throw. Depending on the circumstance you will roll a D20 and add an ability modifier to the roll.

Example: Your character steps on a hidden pressure plate on the floor activating a trap that springs on you. In this situation, the DM would most likely as you to roll a Dex Save (dexterity). Roll the D20 and add your Dex Modifier to avoid the trap!

Senses

• Passive Perception is a numerical value based on your Perception ability score. This will allow your character to see certain things without making an active roll before hand. 
• Example: the Dungeon Master may say that your character notices a creature moving from the corner of their eyes and is able to determine that they're being followed.
• Blindsight allows you to perceive surroundings without relying on sight similar to a bat's echolocation.
• Darkvision allows you to see darkness as if it were dim light and dim light as if it were bright light. You're unable to discern color in this state, however.
• Tremorsense according to the Basic Rules, this allows you to "detect and pinpoint the origin of vibrations within a specific radius".
• Truesight allows you to see invisible creatures and through magical illusions. 

Speed

Your speed determines how many feet you can move in a round of initiative. You may move up to your movement speed in addition to attacking. In some circumstances, you may choose to dash which will double your movement speed but forego your attack action.

In addition to walking or running, some characters and monsters may be able to Burrow, Climb, Fly, or Swim.

Spells

Your character may harness the natural ability to cast spells or perhaps you stumble across a magical item that allows you cast them at will. 

Some spells happen instantly while others require concentration. If your character uses another spell that requires concentration the spell will end. If you take damage the spell may end as well!

Spells that you know that are not cast from a magical item will require components. These are good to consider if your character is inhibited in any way. 

• Verbal (V) component requires your character to speak or mutter an incantation. If your character is unable to speak then this spell is null.
• Somatic (S) component requires your character to move their hands and fingers. If your character is unable to move then this spell is null.
• Material (M) component requires your character to pull ingredients from a component pouch or use their spellcasting focus (like an orb, or crystal) to cast the spell. 
• If there is a Cost assigned to your spell then you must expend that amount of currency to use the spell (this is typically reserved for powerful spells, so use sparingly!)

There are different schools of magic attributed to each type of spell:

There's much more to learn when it comes to spellcasting—we've only scratched the surface. Feel free to dive in if you'd like to learn more!

Tools

Your character will be proficient with tools depending on the race, class, or background selected. 

Here's what the Basic Rules has to say about tools:

• Artisan's Tools "These special tools include the items needed to pursue a craft or trade. The table shows examples of the most common types of tools, each providing items related to a single craft. Proficiency with a set of artisan's tools lets you add your proficiency bonus to any ability checks you make using the tools in your craft. Each type of artisan's tools requires a separate proficiency."
• Disguise Kit "This pouch of cosmetics, hair dye, and small props lets you create disguises that change your physical appearance. Proficiency with this kit lets you add your proficiency bonus to any ability checks you make to create a visual disguise."
• Forgery Kit "This small box contains a variety of papers and parchments, pens and inks, seals and sealing wax, gold and silver leaf, and other supplies necessary to create convincing forgeries of physical documents. Proficiency with this kit lets you add your proficiency bonus to any ability checks you make to create a physical forgery of a document."
• Gaming Set "This item encompasses a wide range of game pieces, including dice and decks of cards (for games such as Three-Dragon Ante). A few common examples appear on the Tools table, but other kinds of gaming sets exist. If you are proficient with a gaming set, you can add your proficiency bonus to ability checks you make to play a game with that set. Each type of gaming set requires a separate proficiency."
• Herbalism Kit "This kit contains a variety of instruments such as clippers, mortar and pestle, and pouches and vials used by herbalists to create remedies and potions. Proficiency with this kit lets you add your proficiency bonus to any ability checks you make to identify or apply herbs. Also, proficiency with this kit is required to create antitoxin and potions of healing."
• Musical Instrument "Several of the most common types of musical instruments are shown on the table as examples. If you have proficiency with a given musical instrument, you can add your proficiency bonus to any ability checks you make to play music with the instrument. A bard can use a musical instrument as a spellcasting focus. Each type of musical instrument requires a separate proficiency."
• Navigator's Tools "This set of instruments is used for navigation at sea. Proficiency with navigator's tools lets you chart a ship's course and follow navigation charts. In addition, these tools allow you to add your proficiency bonus to any ability check you make to avoid getting lost at sea."
• Poisoner's Kit "A poisoner's kit includes the vials, chemicals, and other equipment necessary for the creation of poisons. Proficiency with this kit lets you add your proficiency bonus to any ability checks you make to craft or use poisons."
• Thieves' Tools "This set of tools includes a small file, a set of lock picks, a small mirror mounted on a metal handle, a set of narrow-bladed scissors, and a pair of pliers. Proficiency with these tools lets you add your proficiency bonus to any ability checks you make to disarm traps or open locks."

Weapons

Your character will be given proficiency with certain weapons depending on your class! You have the option of using melee weapons that reach enemies that are within 5ft of you (10ft with some weapons) or using ranged weapons that reach quite a distance!

Each weapon has a modifier you add to your D20 roll to see if you hit the targeted person or monster. If you land a successful hit then you'll roll the weapon's assigned damage dice.

Example: Your character attempts to hit a monster with a Spear. You roll a D20 and add your proficiency modifier. If your attack meets or exceeds the monster's AC (Armor Class) then you succeed! Next, roll your weapon's damage dice. For the Spear that would be a D6 (unless you're holding it two handed then it becomes a D8—some weapons offer two-handed options increasing their damage output). 

Next Up: Character Assembly

We're going to build a character together from scratch utilizing the Basic Rules! Let's put what we've learned to use. Grab some dice and prepare to roll! 🎲

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