Character Creation Guide

Creating characters for in D&D can be kind of fiddly and daunting when you haven't done it before. So! In order to help aid this process, I have created a step-by-step character creation guide that explains what all the stuff on your character sheet means, and hopefully(?) helps to simplify this process.

Race
This is the first and also the most influential decision for your character. Your race will impact you skills, your abilities, and sometimes even your alignments and/or background. The major races in the world of Lumither can be found here, as well as in the PHB and online.

Name
Now that you have selected your race, it is best to name your character. You could name your character based off of the race you choose, but ultimately this decision is up to you!

Class
Class is basically what your character does for a living; what there profession is. This choice determines their skills, play-style, and background as well. The classes you can choose from can be found here, as well as within the PHB and online.

Alignment
Now that you’ve gotten to this point, you should have a good idea as to what you want your character to basically be. It is here I find it best to decide your alignment. This basically is what your morality is like based off of a selection on a grid. While you don't have to adhere very strictly to this, it can help act as a guide to some of your characters choices as the game progresses.

This chart I found does a great job of simplifying each alignment:

Ability Scores
Okay, now that you know your character, lets get into prepping their physical/mental abilities. These are broken down as follows: In order to determine these, take 4d6 and roll them. Pick the highest three numbers from that roll and add them together. Do this 6 times until you have 6 numbers total. These numbers are then applied to each ability in whatever order you want. It is best to match the numbers with you class. For example, a wizard mostly relies on intelligence for their magic, so its best to put the highest number you have in that categories. The higher the number, the better you are (10 is considered average/normal).
 * Strength – how strong you are
 * Dexterity – how nimble and quick you are
 * Constitution – how dense and meaty you are (ex: a child is more affected by a knife than a beefy man)
 * Intelligence – how smart you are
 * Wisdom – how much about the world/history/culture you know
 * Charisma – how charming and personable you are

If you are unhappy with the 6 numbers you got, just roll again until you have 6 new numbers. From there pick which group of 6 you like best. You can create up to 6 groups of numbers to pick from. You cannot mix the groups around (ex: “I got an 18 in this group, so I’m gonna take that number and switch it out with the 4 I got in this other group”). Keep in mind its OKAY to have low scores, as they can add personality and lead to fun hijinks down the road (ex: trying to seduce someone, but having a REALLY low charisma score).

As you reach higher levels, you will be given opportunities to increase these base ability scores OR choose a feat to add to your features.

Modifiers
Based on the numbers you assigned to each ability, you get different modifiers. This basically means that when you try to use the ability and roll your dice for that action, you add/subtract the modifier. (ex: when kicking a door down, roll a d20, then add the strength modifier). The higher the ability score, the higher the modifier. Here is the chart of the modifiers: Now that you have this, you then add or subtract the main ability numbers based on inherent abilities to your race and class. This is because certain races have certain benefits and skills others don’t (ex: dwarfs naturally have +2 constitution).

Proficiency Bonus
This is basically your worldliness; your power curve based on experience. The more you grow, the more you know. If you are proficient in a skill or ability, whenever you try to use it you get to add this special bonus (ex: wizards add this bonus to tasks using intelligence because they have proficiency). Based on your level, you have a higher proficiency bonus. The equation to find your bonus is this:

(7+level)/4. You then round down. Using this, Level 1 = +2 proficiency.

Alternatively, just look at the chart for your class to see the current proficiency (because fuck math).

Saving Throws
This is ways to protect yourself from specific forms of danger. For example, if a boulder is about to fall and crush you, you can use a strength saving throw to try and catch it, or a dexterity saving throw to try and jump out of the way. This is based on your ability modifiers and your class (ex: druids have intelligence and wisdom saving throws, so you add the proficiency modifiers to the modifiers for these). All the others are just the regular modifiers.

Skills
What your character is skilled in. Depending on your class, you pick some skills that you are proficient in (and thus add the bonus to the modifier). The rest are just your normal modifiers.

Passive Perception
This basically means how far you can naturally see without rolling a dice or making any special moves. It is based on your wisdom modifier. What you do is you add your wisdom modifier (and your proficiency bonus if you chose in your skills to be proficient in perception) to the number 10. For example: if you are a human bard who has a wisdom of 15 (+2 modifier), then your passive perception is 12. However, if you are a human wizard who also has a wisdom of 15(+2 modifier) BUT you chose to be proficient in perception, your passive perception is 14 (because you add the level 1 proficiency bonus).

Other Proficiencies and Languages
Based on your race and class, you are inherently proficient in certain tools, weapons, armor, and other things. You also are inherently fluent in certain languages.

Features and Traits
This is where you put the miscellaneous other abilities inherent to your race and class (such as darkvision, or bardic inspiration).

Appearance and Personality
Now that you’ve come this far, you should definitely have enough base information to start coming up with the appearance and background for your character (as you have established the race, moral code, job, and skills of the character).

Background
It doesn’t have to be ultra detailed, but it can help to have a sense of what your character has come from to think about how they will grow, as well as what internal conflicts will drive them. There are pre-made background in the PHB that you can use as a guide, but don't feel like you are limited to those options. Custom backgrounds are encouraged! And if that custom background entails unique items or proficiencies, then together we (player and DM) can workshop those elements.

Physical Traits
Some races have specific traits (elves have pointy ears, drows have black skin, dragonborn have dragon heads), but beyond that you guys have full creative reign over how your character looks. Have fun!!!

Age, Weight, Height
For these, you can use the notes given in each race as a guide to determine the appearance of your character.

Personality
For detailed specifics, you can fill in the 4 boxes on the top right of the sheet:
 * Personality - the base traits of your character
 * Ideals – What is the one or two fundamental laws or ideas that they live by?
 * Bonds – What is one person or group they have a major attachment to? Or how to they react and think of those around them?
 * Flaws – No character is perfect, so this is where you put their biggest flaw

Knives
This is an idea that I have taken from others that I think is brilliant. Basically, a knife is something that you - the player - lovingly forge and craft within your character, and then give to the DM so they can sneak up on you with it and stab you repeatedly.

In other words, it is something from your characters background or personality that has a huge influence over them. Have they suffered from any trauma? What is their family like? Every important person or group or event that your character both knows and has a connection to in one form or another is a knife that can be used.

IMPORTANT NOTE
You don't have to come up with all this stuff on the fly right now!!!!! But please do finish this before going to add your items, as they can come as a result of your background.

And please!!! Talk to me during this process so I can help offer world details to enrich your history.

Hit Points
This is basically your health at any moment. It can be recovered with rest and healing spells/potions. This is basically the maximum amount of damage you can take before dying. At level one, you start with the maximum dice for you class + you constitution modifier. For example: A wizard is 1d6 + constitution (lets say 1 for example) = a maximum HP of 7.

As you level up, your HP increases as well. See each class for how much it increases.

Hit Dice
This determines how much HP you get when you level up, and is determined by your class.

Initiative
How quick your reaction time is. This determines who acts first in combat or a battle. This is just your dexterity modifier.

Speed
How fast you are. This is determined by your race (and your items).

Armor Class
How strong your armor is. This is the strength of your armor + your dexterity modifier. Any attack higher than or equal to your armor class will cause damage. If you are not wearing armor, then your AC is 10 + your dexterity modifier.

Equipment
Basically the shit you have. During the start, you can have the pre-given stuff based on your class and background, OR what you do is you roll d4 (depending on your class) and multiply 10 to determine how much gold you have to start with, then with that money you can buy starting supplies and armor. The major currency of the world is broken down as follows:

Armor
Different races and classes have different kinds of armor you are proficient in, and thus can wear without being at a disadvantage for everything. Different armor comes with their own benefits and drawbacks - such as being super high AC while in heavy armor, but also unable to be stealthy.

Also! You cannot perform any magic while wearing armor that your are not proficient in (which is why wizards are considered to be super squishy, because they are not proficient in any armor and therefore cannot wear any).

Weapons
You buy/find weapons to put in your arsenal. Based on your class, you can have proficiency in certain weapons (which means when using them you can add your proficiency bonus to your attack bonus). Each weapon has the following:
 * An Attack bonus (your proficiency bonus in that weapon + the modifier of whatever ability is needed to use that weapon (most often Strength)) which is added to your d20 whenever you roll to hit
 * Damage type (piercing, bludgeoning, slashing, etc)
 * Traits that determine whether or not the weapon can be thrown or used with two hands
 * How many dice of damage that weapon does when it hits.

Spells
Some spells can be used as an attack, in which case the attack bonus is based on what you spellcasting ability modifier is, and the damage done is determined by the spell.

Spells and Magic
Unique to magic casting players, spells can act as both attacks, defense, or any matter of things in between. Each class has spells that are unique to them (but there is overlap). There are two types of spells: Spells and Cantrips.

Spells are short term incantations that have a limited number of “slots” (or times they can be used before the player needs to rest and recover their energy). The number of slots is determined by the class and the level of the character. The more you level up, the more spell slots you have for each level.

Cantrips are special incantations that are not limited by a slot number, and can be performed as many times as you want without rest. Like spells, they are also limited by the class and level of the player.

All spells - on top of being separated by class - are also segmented by schools of magic. They are as follows When you start a certain level, you begin with a set number of spells in each category. However, as you play and progress, you can find, buy, or learn more spells to add to your list.
 * Abjuration = Protective barriers
 * Conjuration = Transportation of objects and creatures from one location to another
 * Divination = Reveal information
 * Enchantment = Affect the minds of others
 * Evocation = Manipulate magical energy to produced desired effects
 * Illusion = Deceive the senses or minds of others
 * Necromancy = Manipulates the energies of life and death
 * Transmutation = Change the properties of one thing or creature into another

In a given day, you can only have a certain number of spells prepared to use. You have to decide which ones you want to have at hand.

Performance Types
All spells/cantrips can be sorted into one or more of these categories:
 * Verbal = needs to be spoken (must be able to speak)
 * Somatic = requires a gesture to be performed (hand(s) free)
 * Material = need the required materials and a free hand in order to perform
 * Ritual = you can choose to cast spells as a rituals. This takes some time and components to perform, and cannot be used in combat. However, it means that you can perform the spell regardless of it being prepared in advance or not.

Focus
When you use cast spell, you always have to channel the energy through a certain medium. If you are a bard, this is your music. If you are a Cleric, then it is through a symbol of your patron. If you are Druid, then it is through a natural medium of your choice (see list). All other classes can choose between an item (again, see list), or a component pouch.

Spellcasting Ability
Each class relies on a different ability for spell casting, which is determined by their class (example: wizards use their Intelligence while bards use Charisma).

Spell Save DC
When casting a spell against something, they need to make a saving throw to see if they succumb to the spell or not. This saving throw gets harder and harder to beat the higher level you are. This difficulty class is determined by the following: 8 + your proficiency bonus + your spellcasting ability modifier

Spell Attack Bonus
As mentioned above, spells have their own attack bonuses that get to be added when you are rolling for an attack. This attack bonus is your proficiency bonus + your spellcasting ability modifier.

Other Shit
The rest of the stuff on your character sheet is things that will be filled as you play the game.

Experience Points
Some D&D games rely on a point-based system to level up. Because we will not be doing this, you can cross this part out, or replace it with your level number.

Inspiration Points
These are points handed out personally by the DM. They are earned whenever the DM thinks you have done something especially unique and inspired that reflects your character. With them, you can spend one of them to re-roll dice on a turn of your choice.

Temporary Hit Points
These are gained when spells or other magic add a few temporary bonus points of health that can act as a buffer against damage. Unlike your normal HP, once these are lost they cannot be regained.

Death Saves
If your HP ever reaches 0, you are either instantly dead (if the hit is big enough (excess damage points exceed their HP maximum)) or you fall unconscious. If it is the former, then you character is gone, and there is nothing that can be done (unless a Resurrection spell is attempted). If it is the latter, you can roll your d20 and see if you will either creep closer to death or cling to life. Anything over 10 is a success, anything less is a failure. 3 successes result in you living. 3 failures and you die. These are reset to zero after a long rest.