A long, long time ago, I wrote the first Player Tip all about getting into your very first roleplaying game, and in it I mentioned exploring the character-creation process in much greater depth. Well, ladies and gentlemen, the day has arrived!

For the purposes of this article, we’re going to focus entirely on the 5th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons (hereafter referred to as “5e”). I aim to be specific enough to provide you with enough information to get your character up and running, but not bog you down with every single facet you could possibly consider in this process. If you’re looking for the latter, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of the 5e Player’s Handbook and dive in (starting at page 11). Without further ado, let’s get rolling!

Pick Your Class

While the Player’s Handbook recommends you pick your character’s Race first, I actually find it easier to begin by selecting the character’s Class. Your character’s Class determines many of the ways in which they will interact with the game’s many intricate elements. You could rush headlong into battle with sword raised high as a Fighter, disable the dungeon’s nastiest traps as a Rogue, or influence the battlefield from afar with arcane spells as a Wizard.

Let’s give a general overview of each class’s core concepts:
Fighter: The combat Swiss Army Knife of D&D. The Fighter can excel in melee or ranged combat and even pick up some minor spellcasting later on. The Fighter’s signifying abilities are Action Surge and an advanced Extra Attack. Unlike all other classes, the Fighter’s Extra Attack can eventually evolve into four attacks in a single Attack action. When paired with Action Surge, the greatest Fighters can make eight attacks in a single turn.

Barbarian: Become the Incredible Hulk®. The Barbarian focuses on melee combat, has the highest Hit Die (typically meaning the most Hit Points), and can take the most hits before going down. The Barbarian’s primary abilities are Rage (which allows them to dish out more damage while also taking half damage from most non-magical sources) and Unarmored Defense (which provides an armor bonus to Barbarians who don’t wear armor).

Rogue: The incredible scoundrel and lockpicking extraordinaire. The Rogue prefers to work from the shadows and, when the going gets tough, uses guerrilla tactics to literally cut and run. The Rogue’s main assets are Sneak Attack (dealing more damage to unsuspecting enemies), Cunning Action (letting you run away or hide as a bonus action), and proficiency with Thieves’ Tools.

Monk: Live out your most incredible Kung-Fu fantasies. The Monk is a master of the martial arts, preferring to use their fists or “monk weapons” instead of massive battleaxes. The Monk’s key features are Ki, which allow them to perform extraordinary abilities by harnessing special energies, and Martial Arts, making their bare hands stronger than some of the sharpest blades.

Paladin: A divine knight of righteous might. Paladins mix melee combat with divine spells, or use their spell slots to do even more melee damage. The Paladin’s main abilities are Divine Smite, Channel Divinity (tapping into their holy power), Spellcasting, and various Auras which help their nearby allies.

Cleric: Bringers of divine mercy and wrath. Clerics are the game’s quintessential healers, but also receive various boons and abilities depending on the deity from which they receive their powers. The Cleric’s primary abilities are Spellcasting, Channel Divinity, and Domain powers.

Ranger: The master survivalist and tracker. The Ranger blends his preference of ranged or melee combat with some unique spells and tracking abilities. The Ranger’s signifying abilities are Favored Enemy, Natural Explorer, and Spellcasting.

Druid: Become one with nature in the most literal ways. Druids can fit every role in a given party: damage, healing, support, defense. You name it, the Druid can do it. The Druid’s key features are Spellcasting and Wild Shape, which allows you to take on the form of various creatures.

Bard: Unleash your inner rock star. The Bard uses music and other performing arts to simultaneously inspire their comrades and weaken their enemies in the midst of combat. Bards are also incredibly apt with most skills in the game, making them an incredible resource both in and out of battle. The Bard’s main abilities are Spellcasting, Bardic Inspiration, Jack of all Trades, and Song of Rest.

Sorcerer: Cast magic without all the pesky book-reading. Sorcerers are innately magical beings, pulling their magic from their unusual ancestry. While similar to Wizards, Sorcerers get less spells to choose from but may cast them without an hour-long preparation period. The Sorcerer’s key features are Spellcasting, Sorcerer Points, and Metamagic (through which they can enhance their spells’ strength, duration, casting time, and more).

Wizard: Use your bookish nature to dominate with arcane magic. The Wizard is arguably the most versatile arcane spellcaster, hindered only by the number of spells they can prepare per long rest. The Wizard can also add spells they find written in tomes or in scrolls to their ever-growing Spellbook. The Wizard’s primary ability is Spellcasting, and a School of Magic.

Warlock: Doctor Faustus was simply misunderstood. The Warlock obtains their abilities through the pact they make with some great magical being (fey, demonic, divine, eldritch horror, etc.) and change as the pact grows stronger. This class requires a lot of cooperation with the DM to solidify how your pact works (e.g., what does your patron want from you?) and what you may be asked to do to retain your powers. The Warlock’s key features are Spellcasting (which are always cast at their highest available spell level), Eldritch Invocations, and Pact Boon.

To truly understand how each class functions, review their full details in Chapter 3 of the Player’s Handbook.

Pick Your Race

After you’ve picked a core concept for the character, determine what Race (of which there are many) they will be. Some classic options are the Half-Orc Barbarian, the Gnome Wizard, the Tiefling Sorcerer, the Halfling Rogue, or the Human Fighter. To avoid this post going on forever, I’m not going to list all of the Races, their ability score increases, or special features. Just know each Race provides a bonus to a couple of your ability scores, which will help determine how effective your character is at their particular Class.

Note: Upon first glance, you may find the initial ability score increases for each Race tend to guide you towards specific options as opposed to picking what you truly desire. Because I believe it’s ridiculous for your Race to determine your attributes as opposed to the Class (why genetics determines your abilities instead of training a particular skill set, I’ll never know), look here for an alternate way for DMs to assign initial ability score increases.

For full details on what each Race has to offer you, consult Chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook.

Determine Your Ability Scores

On your character sheet, you’ll notice six Abilities: three Physical (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution) and three Mental (Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma). These six numbers will influence everything you do in Dungeons & Dragons. When you selected your Class earlier, you most likely already noticed which Attribute(s) will be the most important for your character. For funsies, however, I’ll briefly describe what each Ability controls in D&D.

Strength: Your character’s physical might. Most melee attacks are influenced by Strength, as well as your ability to push, pull, or grab enemies in combat. Strength also influences how much stuff your character can carry at any given time. This Ability is most critical for Fighters, Barbarians, and some Rangers.

Dexterity: Your character’s physical grace. Ranged attacks, and melee attacks with weapons of the Finesse property, are influenced by Dexterity. This Ability also influences your Armor Class (AC) and Initiative rolls, meaning a high Dexterity makes you harder to hit and ensures you start sooner in combat. Dexterity is vital for Rogues, Monks, and some Rangers and Fighters.

Constitution: Your character’s physical endurance. This Ability affects your total Hit Points, concentrating on certain spells during combat, and resisting nasty physical ailments. Constitution is fantastic for every class, but essential for Barbarians.

Intelligence: Your character’s overall reasoning skills, memory, and retention of knowledge. Many information-gathering skills and your ability to resist illusion magic are governed by Intelligence. This Ability is required for Wizards.

Wisdom: Your character’s perceptiveness and the strength of their “gut feelings.” Many mind-altering or mind-controlling spells can be resisted with a high Wisdom. Druids and Clerics should always have a high Wisdom score.

Charisma: Your character’s influential prowess. Diplomats and tyrants alike need a high Charisma to get others to follow their plans. This Ability can also save you from being banished to other planes of existence. Charisma is essential for Bards, Paladins, Sorcerers, and Warlocks.

Depending on how your DM wants your party to determine initial Ability Scores—rolling dice, standard array, or point-buy system—consult with them on how to complete this task. Then, add any modifiers granted by your Race. Also, determine your character’s initial Hit Points by referring to your Class information in Chapter 3 of the Player’s Handbook.

Pick a Background and Alignment

Your character’s Background helps you shape who they were before they started this adventure. Were they a noble disillusioned by an abusive monarchy, or a local folk hero who set out to help the rest of the world? If you’re not 100% certain about your character’s goals, flaws, and personal connections, each Background has a list of options to choose or roll from. Like the Races, there are many Backgrounds to choose from in Chapter 4 of the Player’s Handbook.

Your character’s Alignment helps you clarify their moral compass. Dungeons & Dragons uses nine Alignments, shown in the image below:

Determine how you believe your character would act in most situations and mark their Alignment accordingly. This isn’t meant to lock your character into certain actions, but to serve as a reference for your roleplaying on how they would normally behave.

Select Your Equipment

The final piece of the puzzle: what gear is your character carrying? Luckily, most of this is detailed for you in the Starting Equipment section of your Class. For specific information regarding your weapons, armor, and general supplies, refer to Chapter 5 of the Player’s Handbook.

In Conclusion

When you complete all of these components, your 1st Level character is nearly complete. There is but one step remaining: you have to choose their name! If you’re having trouble coming up with a name, use a resource like this Random Name Generator to get you started. As always, talk with your DM to ensure the name you’ve chosen is thematically appropriate for the game they’re running.

You’re now ready to play your character’s first session in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. Albeit brief, I hope this guide serves as a blueprint for creating your characters while also ensuring you know where to look in the Player’s Handbook for specific information. In future posts, we’ll dive deeper into Alignments and run through the specifics of each Class and what to think about before you start playing them.

Blessed be,

Matthew Wulf

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