Record the traits granted by your race on your character sheet. Note these increases and remember to apply them later. Your race also increases one or more of your ability scores, which you determine in step 3. Halfling paladins and mountain dwarf wizards, for example, can be unusual but memorable characters. Sometimes playing against type can be fun, too. For example, the racial traits of lightfoot halflings make them exceptional rogues, and high elves tend to be powerful wizards.

These traits sometimes dovetail with the capabilities of certain classes (see step 2). Your character’s race grants particular racial traits, such as special senses, proficiency with certain weapons or tools, proficiency in one or more skills, or the ability to use minor spells. The race you choose contributes to your character’s identity in an important way, by establishing a general appearance and the natural talents gained from culture and ancestry. The Races section provides more information about these races.

Some races also have subraces, such as mountain dwarf or wood elf. The most common player character races are dwarves, elves, halflings, and humans. Choose a RaceĮvery character belongs to a race, one of the many intelligent humanoid species in the D&D world. An official D&D character sheet is a fine place to start until you know what information you need and how you use it during the game.Įach step of character creation includes an example of that step, with a player named Bob building his dwarf character, Bruenor. Throughout this section, we use the term character sheet to mean whatever you use to track your character, whether it’s a formal character sheet (like the one at the end of these rules), some form of digital record, or a piece of notebook paper. What’s important is that you come to the table with a character you’re excited to play.

Your conception of your character might evolve with each choice you make. Once you have a character in mind, follow these steps in order, making decisions that reflect the character you want. If you don’t know where else to begin, take a look at the illustrations in any Dungeons & Dragons book to see what catches your interest. Do you want your character to be the toughest adventurer at the table? Consider the fighter class. Do you like fantasy fiction featuring dwarves or elves? Try building a character of one of those races. Or you might be more interested in an unconventional character, such as a brawny rogue who likes hand-to-hand combat, or a sharpshooter who picks off enemies from afar. You might be a courageous fighter, a skulking rogue, a fervent cleric, or a flamboyant wizard. Once completed, your character serves as your representative in the game, your avatar in the Dungeons & Dragons world.īefore you dive into step 1 below, think about the kind of adventurer you want to play. You also invent the personality, appearance, and backstory of your character. You choose a race (such as human or halfling) and a class (such as fighter or wizard). Your character is a combination of game statistics, roleplaying hooks, and your imagination.

Your first step in playing an adventurer in the Dungeons & Dragons game is to imagine and create a character of your own. Monstrous Compendium Volume One: Spelljammer Creatures

Dnd 5e character builder equipment