Questions tagged [character-creation]

For questions primarily about character creation (also: character generation or character design), the process of making a character whose role the player will assume. Character creation is about realizing the concept of the character within the options and rules of the RPG system.

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18 answers
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Problems with Party Formation: "You're the DM, you can figure it out."

Sort of related to Is it wrong to ask a player to justify their character's actions? Scenario Player 1 wants to be a male drow necromancer that reveres Kiaransalee. Player 2 wants to be a male ...
Ruut's user avatar
  • 18k
69 votes
3 answers
3k views

Shoe-themed race or class features

My character is really into shoes and I'm planning on taking Leadership next level. I want my cohort to be devoted to the old norse god of shoes and vengance, Víðarr. While there is a retribution ...
Dan's user avatar
  • 869
68 votes
13 answers
24k views

How do I encourage Drow players to not make Drizzt clones?

Every once in a while, I have a player wants to create a Drow character. The problem is, virtually every one of them winds up looking suspiciously like Drizzt Do'Urden: they are some variation of Good ...
Thunderforge's user avatar
  • 15.8k
61 votes
12 answers
18k views

As the Dungeon Master, how do I handle a player that insists on a specific class when I already know that choice will cause issues?

I agreed to DM the Waterdeep: Dragon Heist adventure for a group of my friends. One of them wants to play a wizard. Based on past experience, I know that she will ignore the prepared spells and just ...
Raj's user avatar
  • 6,360
61 votes
13 answers
233k views

Is it better to take the array and be Joe Average, or to roll for the odds of getting on average better scores?

I am new to D&D. I was looking at character creation for D&D 5th edition. There were a few ways one could generate ability scores. I assumed the optional method of taking the numbers 15, 14, ...
John Robertson's user avatar
57 votes
25 answers
21k views

How can I avoid problems that arise from rolling ability scores?

Rolling ability scores is a time-honored tradition across many editions of D&D. However, it can sometimes cause problems for players and/or the DM. For example, one player character may end up ...
Oblivious Sage's user avatar
  • 55.2k
56 votes
1 answer
25k views

Can clerics use swords?

My DM, who hasn't played newer versions of D&D, was asking if my cleric was allowed to use sharp weapons. I double checked the descriptions and didn't see anything like this written there, but now ...
WendyG's user avatar
  • 1,404
53 votes
8 answers
3k views

How can I quickly get a player back into a session after their character dies? [closed]

As a GM, what kind of techniques could I use to help a player re-join the gaming session after their character dies? I want to avoid any major interruptions to the flow of the adventure. I would also ...
Robert Kleinsasser's user avatar
51 votes
3 answers
94k views

What happens if I get the same skill from both my background and my class?

I made a trickster cleric with spy background. This caused an overlap of stealth and disguise. (Further compounded by me wanting to take hide in shadow ... which again granted me stealth.) What ...
Brian Ballsun-Stanton's user avatar
50 votes
2 answers
429k views

What's the starting wealth for higher levels?

The PHB only gives starting wealth for Level 1 PCs. Based on my experience in other games, specifically Pathfinder, I would expect to get more at higher levels. Where can I find an appropriate table ...
trekkieyk's user avatar
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46 votes
14 answers
13k views

Creating the personality of a character different from myself

I am a newbie in playing role-playing games, and after several games, I've come to the conclusion that character personality creation poses a bit of a problem for me. I mostly tend to create and ...
noncom's user avatar
  • 561
45 votes
11 answers
9k views

I'm feeling like my character doesn't fit the campaign

My boyfriend is DMing a D&D 5e game for a good friend of mine and I. It's a pirate themed campaign, which I was excited about, and takes place in a universe where magic is not believed in by most (...
Islamuerta's user avatar
45 votes
12 answers
9k views

Unhate-able Villains

There are so many guides on how to make a villain your players will truly hate, but I am trying to make a villain that the characters will feel for. How can I create a "good" villain, like someone who ...
Flotolk's user avatar
  • 2,272
44 votes
5 answers
6k views

How can I develop my character's background when I know nothing of the game's lore and want to avoid spoilers?

This is a tricky one, and I may be painting myself into a corner in which case please feel free to tell me so in an answer but please also provide advice on how to get out whilst disturbing as little ...
RyanfaeScotland's user avatar
43 votes
6 answers
6k views

Do I have to worry about players making “bad” choices on level up?

When I came back to RPGs (after 20 years) I discarded pathfinder after reading about the complexities of the systems and the fact that there was a real chance of getting “bad characters” if you made ...
Jorge Córdoba's user avatar
43 votes
6 answers
6k views

Persuading players to be less attached to a pre-session 0 character concept

I am currently running a campaign that is coming to a close. This is fine, and as planned. However I would like to start another campaign after. I mentioned this to (some of) the players, who seemed ...
MegaCrow's user avatar
  • 903
42 votes
15 answers
7k views

How can I help a player craft a backstory that gives me plot hooks?

I have a new player joining my game soon who has taken the place of another player. Unfortunately, the character's backstory is lacking. It doesn't tell me a lot about the character. Because I draw ...
Nameless Nick's user avatar
41 votes
10 answers
3k views

What are the advantages and disadvantages of develop in play (DIP) compared to develop at the start (DAS) character generation?

Originally, Are you really DIPpy?1 What are the advantages and disadvantages to developing your character in play (DIP) compared to developing at the start (DAS)? What experiences have you had with ...
Mark Booth's user avatar
  • 3,890
40 votes
12 answers
15k views

Player character wants a gun in a prehistoric campaign. What to do?

Brief description of my campaign: Takes place ~1000 years after creation Bronze Age for most of the world, some parts are beginning the Iron Age Dinosaurs and Fae are still relatively common in the ...
MageGuy's user avatar
  • 503
39 votes
5 answers
75k views

What classes are based on intelligence but not reliant on magic/supernatural power?

My knowledge of 5th edition's class options is far from exhaustive. I want to play an intelligence-based class whose class features are not centered on magic, alchemy, or psychic powers. Does such a ...
Paladin852's user avatar
  • 1,927
39 votes
16 answers
9k views

How to: Create a good backstory for how the party got together? [closed]

I'm making a list of things to do for character creation for my first game as DM, and one things I've often heard is to have at least some reason for the players to have come together for their ...
Gordon Gustafson's user avatar
38 votes
5 answers
8k views

How can I make a character that wields only daggers as good as other characters?

I want to make a character that uses two daggers, but I know that a character using daggers would not be as good as a character using shortswords or almost any other weapon. By "good", I mean ...
TheDragonOfFlame's user avatar
37 votes
11 answers
21k views

The group I DM for insists on rolled stats, but I don't want unbalanced PCs to cause group conflicts later

I'm going to be running a new campaign for my players, with our session 0 starting tomorrow. I was leaning towards the traditional ability score method of generation (roll 4d6, drop the lowest). I ...
LegendaryDude's user avatar
37 votes
14 answers
3k views

How can you find a balance between effective/optimised characters and creative characters?

When creating characters, I often face a dilemma between making a character. It feels like they can either be optimized so they can "pull their own weight" or having a character I think is ...
AncientSwordRage's user avatar
37 votes
10 answers
12k views

How can I discourage a player from making the same character if their current one dies?

This was inspired by this question: Should I allow players to recreate the exact same character if they die? Whilst it was closed as too subjective (because it asks whether one should want to do this)...
NathanS's user avatar
  • 78.9k
35 votes
8 answers
9k views

Is there a guide/reference for possible character hairstyles in D&D Forgotten Realms universe?

I was playing a D&D session as a female cleric of Qotal and, at some point, the party encountered some kind of wind monster. As I tried to cast spells requiring concentration, the DM argued that I ...
Oddrigue's user avatar
  • 1,033
35 votes
8 answers
9k views

What is the statistically superior character creation method, twelve 3d6 or six 4d6?

The D&D 3.5 Player's Handbook gives (among others) two preferred methods to roll ability scores for a new character: a) roll 3d6 twelve times and keep the preferred six results, or b) roll 4d6 and ...
Stefano Borini's user avatar
35 votes
10 answers
2k views

What can I include in my character's background to help the GM build a better story?

Whatever the system or the world used, what can a player add to his character background that will help the GM make the game more interesting. Games are much more interesting with the addition of ...
Sardathrion - against SE abuse's user avatar
34 votes
12 answers
5k views

How can you make character creation simpler?

I DM for some players who aren’t that into the game. My question is this: can I somehow make Character creation less writing heavy, and quicker and simpler for my beginning players? Each player has ...
TheDragonOfFlame's user avatar
34 votes
6 answers
12k views

Is giving my character amnesia about its backstory a bad idea?

During my first campaign as a player, I had a issue with my DM regarding the background I gave to my character. It was my first time creating a background for my character, and I loved doing it so ...
Jordi's user avatar
  • 1,051
33 votes
14 answers
4k views

Repercussions to DM-mandated limit on books allowable for characters?

When running a campaign, especially one with newer players mixed with optimizers, is it a fair call to limit the variety of books available for play? For feats, classes, prestige classes, magic items ...
LitheOhm's user avatar
  • 9,557
33 votes
4 answers
31k views

What build maximizes reach?

A Bugbear (Long Limbed: reach +5 feet) wielding a reach weapon (10 feet of reach) can make a melee weapon attack with a reach of 15 feet. If said Bugbear is a Battle Master with the Lunging maneuver, ...
Gael L's user avatar
  • 28.6k
33 votes
7 answers
85k views

How can you build an effective character based on thrown weapons?

I am trying to think of good ways to build an effective D&D 5e character whose strong point is with thrown weapons. The hangup seems to be drawing them fast enough. Thrown weapons seem to be ...
Phil Boncer's user avatar
  • 15.9k
32 votes
9 answers
44k views

Are there rules for creating level 0 characters?

Are there rules for creating level 0 characters in 5e? I've been running a campaign where the players begin sub-standard and 1st Level characters are generated in-game as the story unfolds. I just ...
AcmeCat's user avatar
  • 665
32 votes
7 answers
8k views

I keep switching characters, how do I stop?

I have been playing in a couple of campaigns recently as a player rather than a DM, and I have noticed a trend. I build characters that are flavorful in one way or another, memorable, fun characters. ...
CollinB's user avatar
  • 1,221
32 votes
7 answers
49k views

What is the most DPR possible at level 1?

My question is fairly straightforward: What is the combination of feats/race/class/etc that gives the most damage per round at level 1? I'd also be interested to see the maximum possible damage, but ...
Sh4d0wsPlyr's user avatar
  • 6,945
31 votes
7 answers
8k views

How should I as a GM handle a player character who has a bad memory?

There is a player in my campaign who's characters defining trait is that they have a bad memory. I like creating mechanical representations of character traits if it makes sense to do so. I've given ...
Daniel Tonon's user avatar
31 votes
9 answers
23k views

What are the mechanical and role-playing advantages of playing a human?

I'm a DM for a bunch of new players who are going through the Lost Mines of Phandelver starter set with the pre-generated characters. This campaign will be over fairly soon and I need to get the group ...
BradenA8's user avatar
  • 2,814
31 votes
8 answers
7k views

How do I avoid micromanaging character creation?

What aspects of character generation should the DM limit? I'm a new DM starting a new campaign with 6 players that have no previous Dungeons and Dragons experience. I've played before; they haven't. ...
tuskiomi's user avatar
  • 5,064
31 votes
11 answers
52k views

A player rolled very bad stats, how to make sure they still enjoy the game?

Question How to make sure that a player that rolled awful stats will still have an awesome time at the table? What possibilities are available for the DM? Would it feel cheap to find stat-boosting ...
DrPhil's user avatar
  • 1,997
31 votes
3 answers
12k views

Would it hurt racial balance if every PC gets a bonus feat at level 1?

I am thinking of giving the PCs of my new campaign a bonus feat at level 1, to allow some more customization and to reflect the fact that they are graduating from a very stellar college of... ...
Mindwin Remember Monica's user avatar
30 votes
2 answers
103k views

How do favored classes work in Pathfinder?

I'm working on creating a half-elf paladin character for a Pathfinder game. Full disclosure: this is the first time I've tried creating a character; I've used ones other people created before. In ...
morganpdx's user avatar
  • 403
30 votes
6 answers
2k views

Preventing character skill from impeding player enjoyment

Let's consider a player, whom we shall call Bob. Bob loves exciting gunfights and is a big John Woo fan. So he makes up "Shooty McShootenstein," who is a master with a gun. One thing that Bob is not ...
Jadasc's user avatar
  • 54.3k
30 votes
2 answers
6k views

How to make your players hate your villain, but not your game

How does one build the character of a villain such that the players (playing heroic characters) hate the villain as much as possible without detracting too much from the quality of the game? What ...
Please stop being evil's user avatar
30 votes
1 answer
189k views

What reason has been given for the "standard array" being lower than the expected average from the rolled method? [closed]

When one levels up and gets an increase in maximum hit points, one can either roll or take the average roll rounded up. Statistically, you're better off with the non-random method. For ability scores,...
mattdm's user avatar
  • 29.9k
29 votes
5 answers
11k views

How can I play a serial killer in a party of good PCs?

A character of mine has died in a game - the "do no harm, break no law" type of paladin - and I wanted to switch it up. I want to play a serial killer type, who believes what he's doing is not wrong, ...
Blake Steel's user avatar
  • 7,202
29 votes
9 answers
7k views

How to justify my thematic spell selections to other players saying they're underpowered?

I'm fairly new to D&D and tabletop RPGs in general, but recently I started an extremely charismatic and hardy (high constitution) Tiefling Sorcerer. I took primarily fighting cantrips, but all my ...
HadesHerald's user avatar
29 votes
5 answers
6k views

Is "1d10 rerolling 1&2" equivalent to "1d8+2"?

Good old Cyberpunk 2020, 2nd edition, 2nd printing, offers two versions of rolling for statistics to players because point-Buy without rolling is for referees only. They read: Random: Roll 9d10 and ...
Trish's user avatar
  • 41.9k
29 votes
4 answers
32k views

Is Goliath weight range reasonable?

While this may be opinion-based, this question is specific enough to produce well-argued and specific answers. The weight range for Goliaths is 280-340 lbs, or 127-154kg. Their height is between 7 ...
Gerino's user avatar
  • 824
29 votes
5 answers
5k views

How can I optimize Chicken Infested?

I'm soon going to be a guest player in a Pathfinder game where silliness is the theme. (The party has been drawn into the Demiplane of Dinosaurs, which is reportedly a lot like Ravenloft, except with ...
Oblivious Sage's user avatar
  • 55.2k

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