Race
Your choice of race for your character is an important starting point for character creation due to the unique aspects that they bring to the table. These unique abilities and features include different bonuses to Ability Scores, certain features such as Darkvision and innate spells, and even your race's height can have an effect on how quickly you move or how much you can carry! For the purpose of this site we will only be covering the available races in the Core Rule Books (Dungeon Master's Guide, Player Handbook, and Monster Manual) as this is inteded for newer players and DMs. There are many additional resources [Link to Useful Resources] available that expand and modify the available choices so ask you DM what they will and will not allow within their game.
| Race | Traits | Ability Score Bonuses | Sub-Races or Variants | Size |
| Dragonborn | Draconic Ancestory, Breath Weapon, Damage Resistance | +2 Strength (Str), +1 Charisma (Cha) | Yes (See Player Handbook | Medium |
| Dwarf | Darkvision, Dwarven Resilience, Dwarven Combat Training, Stonecunning | +2 Consitution (Con) | Yes (See Player Handbook) | Medium |
| Elf | Darkvision, Keen Senses, Fey Ancestry, Trance | +2 Dexterity (Dex) | Yes (See Player Handbook) | Medium |
| Gnome | Darkvision, Gnome Cunning | +2 Intellience (Int) | Yes (See Player Handbook) | Small |
| Half-Elf | Darkvision, Fey Ancestry, Skill Versatility | +2 Charisma (Cha), +1 to Two Other Ability Scores | No (Up to DM) | Medium |
| Halfling | Lucky, Brave, Hafling Nimbleness | +2 Dexterity (Dex) | Yes (See Player Handbook) | Small |
| Half-Orc | Darkvision, Menacing, Relentless Endurance, Savage Attacks | +2 Strength (Str), +1 Consitution (Con) | No (Up to DM) | Medium |
| Human | Extra Language | +1 to All Ability Scores | Yes (Variant Human) | Medium |
| Tiefling | Darkvision, Hellish Resistance, Infernal Legacy | +2 Charisma (Cha), +1 Intelligence (Int) | No (Up to DM) | Medium |
Choose Your Class
Choosing your class really sets up who and how your character will play. This decision will determine if you prefer to fight with all manner of martial weapons, pull on the threads of reality to manifest spells, use your divine connection to smite your foes, or any combination of these along with many more options! Lets take a look at the available classes and list them by their primary class type.
| Class | Description | Hit Die | Primary Attribute |
| Barbarian | A fierce warrior of primitive background who can enter a battle rage | D12 | Strength (Str) |
| Bard | An inspiring magician whose power echoes the music of creation | D8 | Charisma (Cha) |
| Cleric | A priestly champion who wields divine magic in service of a higher power | D8 | Wisdom (Wis) |
| Druid | A priest of the Old Faith, wielding the powers of nature— moonlight and plant growth, fire and lightning—and adopting animal forms | D8 | Wisdom (Wis) |
| Fighter | A master of martial combat, skilled with a variety of weapons and armor | D10 | Strength (Str) or Dexterity (Dex) |
| Monk | A master of martial arts, skilled with fighting hands and martial monk weapons | D8 | Wisdom (Wis) and Dexterity (Dex) |
| Paladin | A holy warrior bound to a sacred oath | D10 | Strength (Str) and Charisma (Cha) |
| Ranger | A master of ranged combat, one with nature | D8 | Dexterity (Dex) and Wisdom (Wis) |
| Rogue | A scoundrel who uses stealth and trickery to overcome obstacles and enemies | D8 | Dexterity (Dex) |
| Sorcerer | A spellcaster who draws on inherent magic from a gift or bloodline | D6 | Charisma (Cha) |
| Warlock | A wielder of magic that is derived from a bargain with an extraplanar entity | D8 | Charisma (Cha) |
| Wizard | A scholarly magic-user capable of manipulating the structures of reality | D6 | Intelligence (Int) |
Determine Ability Scores
Dungeon and Dragons 5th Edition has six Attributes that determines how well you character is at certain tasks. These Attributes are Strength (Str), Dexitery (Dex), Constitution (Con), Wisdon (Wis), Intelligence (Int), and Charisma (Cha). There are a few ways to determine how your stats are distributed and we will go over some of the most popular.
- Standard Array
- Point Buy (27 Points)
- Roll for Stats
Standard Array
Standard Array gives the player the option to use six predetermined numbers to allocate to their Ability Scores prior to any Racial Modifiers to their stats. These numbers are 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, and 8 and can be allocated however you wish, although it is generally best practice to put higher numbers in Ability Scores that are your class's primary attribute which can be found in the table above under [Class].
Point Buy
The Point Buy system allows for customization and more control for your stat distribution and works on a point-buy system which we go over. A few things to note on this method is that there is a minimum and maximum number you can reach before applying your racial ability score increases and these are 8 for the minimum and 15 for the maximum.
| Score | Cost | Modifier |
| 8 | 0 | -1 |
| 9 | 1 | -1 |
| 10 | 2 | 0 |
| 11 | 3 | 0 |
| 12 | 4 | +1 |
| 13 | 5 | +1 |
| 14 | 7 | +2 |
| 15 | 9 | +2 |
Background and Equipment
Before finalizing your character you will want to establish who you were before embarking on your adventure by choosing your background. Your background essentially sets your character up with additional skills, tool proficiencies, languages, and specific interactions that your character would be exposed to in their life. In the Player Handbook you can find information on each background and the traits they give your character, but here is the list as stated in the book Acolyte, Charlatan, Criminal, Entertainer, Folk Hero, Guild Artisan, Hermit, Noble, Outlander, Sage, Sailor, Soldier, and Urchin. Feel free to talk with your DM to create a custom background as well that suits your characters background if none of these work. Next we will look into your character's starting equipment, gold, and supplies. Starting equipment is determined by your class and your background and will generally give you options to choose from from the combination of the two.
We now have everything we need picked out to finally make a physical or digitial copy of your character sheet! What you will want to do now is start with filling out all of your racial traits and note their racial ability score modifiers, next we will distribute our Ability Scores and their modifiers and then add your race's modifiers on top of your choice. Next, in your Player Handbook, take a look at your class's features and abilities and transcribe them down (you may want to bookmark this as well as you will find there is a lot of information and quick recall will help not waste time at the table!). After we have the basis of your Race and Class start looking and choosing your starting equipment assuming the party is starting at level 1 for their adventure. Lets make sure we have all the information and derived information from certain stats such as your Skills, Proficiency Modifier, Hit Points, Hit Dice, Armor Class, Initiative, Speed, and other boxes.