Character creation (also character generation or character design) is the process of defining a game character. Typically, a character's individual strengths and weaknesses are represented by a set of statistics or descriptive terms.
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What are the steps for creating an animal companion?
I'm having some issues statting out a badger Animal Companion for a 6th level Ranger in D&D 3.5.
Can anyone provide step by step instructions that I can follow whenever I create an animal ...
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4answers
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What class/builds can be used to fulfill both striker and controller roles?
Many classes/ builds allow one to fulfill multiple party roles. For example, a Paladin is a hybrid leader/defender. What classes/builds are a good way to handle striker/controller? I'm looking for ...
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5answers
330 views
How do you encourage players to leave classes behind?
I have veteran players of class-based RPG systems joining my GURPS 4e campaign. I am having trouble consistently during character creation in getting these folks started. They are all hung up on the ...
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384 views
How much damage does a thrown tower shield deal?
Out of curiousity, I've been trying to create a sort of "Captain America" type character using the Tower Shield Specialist and the Throw Anything feat. Unfortunately, I've been having a lot of trouble ...
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2answers
671 views
What benefit does a fighter with a high wisdom score have?
In the Players hand book it mentions in a list called "Melee weapon groups and associated Statistics" (Pg. 77) and says
...the list below notes the melee weapon group and the ability score that ...
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What is a good pdf/excel/app to use to create a computerized character sheet and power cards without the DDI (Dnd Essentials)
I've been searching the net for a way to make a nice looking / easy to read/access character sheet, similar to the ones that are given out at encounters.
I've found a couple, and I'm curious if there ...
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333 views
Starting wealth for Complete classes
Does D&D 3.5e have official random starting wealth tables for the classes given in the Complete supplements? I know there's a table for the core classes in the Player Handbook, but I can't find an ...
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435 views
Can the ranger choose powers from the scout or hunter list?
I would like to create a ranger with some Scout or Hunter powers, but I don't know if it's possible.
Furthermore, when reading the Scout description, at first level I find a column with the class ...
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2k views
What is the difference between themes and backgrounds?
Wizards has fairly recently released character themes for D&D 4th Edition.
What is the difference between themes and backgrounds?
Can you pick one of each or do you have to choose between the ...
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3answers
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Character wealth by level for 4E?
I know that the DMG addresses this slightly on page 143 by stating that a character's wealth is equal to:
One magic item of character level +1
One magic item of character level
One magic ...
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1answer
521 views
Exalted Land Speed Record Build
A while back, my group decided to see if we could come up with a way to get an Exalted Character, with unlimited XP and Personal Artifacts (those that can be worn for example), to run across creation ...
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245 views
Pelor's Blackguard (4e)
We're just starting a campaign, and a player wants to create a very distinct character... a Pelor's Blackguard. Yes, a PELOR Blackguard.
Is that possible to create Blackguard that follows Pelor in 4e? ...
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342 views
What systems use interesting questions to inspire character backgrounds?
In another question, it was suggested that the game "Dread" has a number of questions to make players really consider their character's backstory and personality. However, I'm planning to run a ...
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2answers
186 views
How do I interpret “add +1/3 to natural armor bonus”?
I am new to Pathfinder and am building a Half-Orc Druid.
Half-Orcs
Favored Class Options
The following options are available to all half-orcs who have the listed favored class, and unless ...
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3answers
298 views
What are good character creation options for a Doctor in The Burning Wheel?
I've been playing with burning up a Doctor in TBW, and I was wondering if there were any other skills I should be taking besides the ones I've got, and if my current skill choices would be adequate ...
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256 views
How do new characters get equipment?
Last week I bought the Pathfinder Beginner Box and as the GM I am preparing the first adventure for my friends.
I'm pretty sure they will want to create their own characters instead of using the ...
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4answers
970 views
How would I build a master magic item crafter/blacksmith type character?
So I had this idea for a character who is basically obsessed with magic items, making, collecting, using, having, any and every magic item he can get his hands on: effectively a batman type character.
...
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3answers
468 views
Rules for multi-classing in D&D Next?
I am participating in the D&D Encounters current season, which is being run with the recommended D&D Next ruleset. I am fond of the striker classes from 4e that combine martial with magic and ...
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2answers
157 views
Do Powerful Build and Monkey Grip Stack?
The Character in question is a Large half-Minotaur Goliath who is using monkey grip.
Normally a Large Goliath could wield a Huge weapon with no penalty.
Monkey Grip allows you to wield a weapon 1 ...
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3answers
681 views
What type of Bonus does a Ragechemist's Strength Mutagen Provide?
This recently came up while my group and I were discussing potential builds for the next game we would be playing.
A Ragechemist (Ultimate Combat) gets the following at first level:
Rage Mutagen
...
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1answer
927 views
How do I make my character a lycanthrope?
Can someone break down the rules of adding Hit Dice from an animal to your characters stats?
An example would be appreciated.
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1answer
3k views
How do you make a dragon player character in D&D 3.5?
Me and a friend were looking at the rules in Draconomicon to make a Dragon PC and we were still baffled four hours later because of the dragon aging and leveling-up processes. Can anyone explain these ...
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184 views
Do human wizards and clerics have to choose a level 1 spell for their bonus spells?
In Dungeon World, human clerics and wizards each get to pick a spell from the other caster class's spell list. Must the player choose a level 1 spell so they can actually use it, or can they choose a ...
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2answers
221 views
How can I introduce epic destinies earlier?
How can I introduce epic destines earlier in the game, preferably in the first few levels?
I'm mostly looking for some way to justify time some foreshadowing while have a nice mechanical resonance to ...
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3answers
428 views
How important is charisma for a 3.X bard?
I've just started a DnD 3.5 campaign that will probably run through the summer, taking us from level three (where we start) to around level eight or nine. It's a small party (four players) and two of ...
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151 views
What do I use for the Wizards nature skill modifier?
In the PHB on page 156 the Wizard says that it's nature skill modifier is INT.
But on the actual Character sheet itself the nature skill modifier is WIS.
Just wondering which one I am supposed to ...
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Can I build an effective druid in D&D4 without high WIS?
It seems like in 4e, druids have been more or less forced into a wisdom-based controller build. Even beast form abilities that are theoretically physical attacks take their bonuses from WIS.
For ...
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397 views
What is the relationship between Monster CR and player level
I haven't ran a dnd game in a few years and a couple of my pc's want to apply some monster templates to their starting characters. Is player level directly proportional to Monster cr?
IE: If we want ...
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2answers
244 views
Pathfinder benchmarks
I was recently creating a new level 10 character for Pathfinder, and realized that I had absolutely no idea of how much AC / HP / Attack Bonus /Saves I was suppose to aim for.
Is there, somewhere, a ...
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508 views
Domains for a Sorcerer with Domain Access
Domain Access from Complete Champion p52 allows a sorcerer to take a cleric domain for the price of forever losing one L1 and one L2 spell known. The sorcerer gets the domain power, but can cast the ...
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2answers
179 views
When purchasing a robot, do I have to purchase an AI to operate it?
When I buy a robot (buying gear at character creation), does it come with a basic AI that knows how to operate the 'bot, or do I have to purchase the AI separately?
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372 views
Character help: Not just another dumb fighter
What are the most effective methods, mechanically, to quickly give a fighter useful magical knowledge and options (in and out of combat) without significantly sacrificing effectiveness as a fighter? ...
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245 views
4th DND Essentials — How do you determine powers selection for level 1 characters? How do you read the descriptions and classes?
I'm having trouble interpreting the 4th Edition Essentials books. How do I determine how many powers a level 1 paladin/cavalier gets? The book never comes out and says it. With skills and feats, it's ...
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3answers
145 views
Introducing a complex game world to players unfamiliar with its fiction whilst still hitting the ground running with character creation?
I am preparing to start up a Hellfrost game using the Savage Worlds system. Although I've run Hellfrost before, it has always been for people who are already familiar with its fiction and fluff. In ...
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1answer
815 views
Battle Oracle advice
We are wrapping up our campaign and the GM is going to run another game, which has us all talking about what our new characters will be. After both my character and his cohort took single level dips ...
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Effective Light Armor Fighter?
In D&D 4e is it feasible to have an effective lightly armored fighter? I'd like to do a rapier wielder for aesthetics but I want to make sure the character can still fill the role of defender.
...
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How can you build a character based on Lord Voldemort? [closed]
This question and it's answers may contain spoilers for the Harry Potter series of books
If you were rolling a character based on Lord Voldemort (either as a player character or an NPC) for a DnD ...
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What are some mage-related abilities in a Sci-Fi setting?
One of my PC's wants to be a mage type character. I would be all for this, except that we are playing the Fallout Pen and Paper game, which doesn't really have any magic related techniques or attacks. ...
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Custom Race Creation for D&D 4e
The Monster Manual and Dungeon Master's Guide provides a few examples of how to adapt monsters into full-fledged PC races, but they're limited to only a few options.
Are there any resources or other ...
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What are the steps that you as GM's and PC's take to develop a Level 1 character?
This is for the basic character creation at level 1.
I know the PHB goes into some detail on character creation and the steps for doing so.
What I want to know is how you as GMs or players create ...
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272 views
Creating a Wizard at high levels: How many Spells should he know?
I have looked all over this site & Google but I can't seem to get a good answer to this.
When creating a Wizard over level 1, how many spells should he have in his spellbook? I'm speaking in ...
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3answers
615 views
How can I make a more offense oriented Paladin, like Finn from Adventure Time?
I'm a long term fan of Pendleton Ward's cartoon series Adventure Time. The show features Finn (a human 'fighter type') and Jake (a shapechanging dog) and is a show which makes many, many references to ...
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3answers
645 views
Is there any way to get non-Class Skills as class skills without Multiclassing?
The Situation behind this question is I want to Get Knowledge Planes and Use Psionic Device on a Kobold
Wilder so that A.) he can Prestige into Anarchic Initiate and B.) So I can use Dorje that have ...
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4answers
429 views
Bringing a pre-made character to the table or not; pros and cons?
Sometimes a player will have a pre-made character and bring it along to the first gaming session. Other times they will make the character at the table. Sometimes you get a mixed bag. As both a player ...
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4answers
454 views
Need a player guide for D&D 3.5
There's a fair chance I'm about to join a friend's 3.5 online campaign and I am frankly overwhelmed by the options and possibilities for characters spanning across all the books.
Are there any ...
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4answers
683 views
Is there any way to get multiple standard actions for Summoners in D&D 4E?
I was working on an NPC summoner for our 4E game this week and am a bit mystified. Given that controlling a summoned creature requires a standard action and characters only get one standard action, ...
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250 views
Does Improved Natural Attack (Claw) apply to all my claw attacks?
I have a totemist who took Improved Natural Attack to boost the damage of the Claws from the Soulmeld Sphinx claws, and then decided to shape a different soulmeld that also gave claw attacks. (In this ...
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2answers
225 views
A class like the “Action Survivor” trope
I'm currently rolling a character for a new D&D 3.5 campaign; the DM said that he's open to pretty much any class, as long as they are mortal. So, I wanted to try something fun that I haven't ...
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2answers
587 views
Are there recommendations or pitfalls for playing an archer cleric?
In my 4E game, a player is going to try an elven cleric with a longbow (and a mace, just in case). She chose mostly ranged powers. Are there any caveats to playing such a character, or any builds that ...
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1answer
104 views
How does two weapon fighting calculate the offhand attack?
I am making a character who uses two weapons at once, but this is the first time that I have attempted to make a dual-wielding character. He will have 2 attacks/round from his BAB. Two-weapon fighting ...
