Advice for a DnD Character Creator
01 How to choose a DnD character class to play
With so many different classes to choose from, each with a unique range of abilities, how do you choose the right class of character for you? We suggest four easy ways to go about character creation, and we'll give some examples along the way. There is the standard array of thirteen official classes in Dungeons and Dragons, as in wizards of the coast, as well as many unofficial 'homebrew' classes developed by individuals or groups for use in their games and shared with the community.
For reasons of space though, we'll stick to the official 5e character classes in this article, which we hope will help you to create characters. If you need more inspiration though, don't worry - we'll also cover where you can find some later on. Inspiration can sometimes be hard to find, but sometimes it's more fun to go through the character creation process yourself, and more satisfying when that character is finished and ready for their first campaign.
However you choose to do it though, never forget that the best character builder for you, is you! And lastly, of course, you also have to consider the character's race too - such as half orc, half elf, among others - but that's another article for another day...
02 Class Options
Artificer
Artificers are the inventors or creators in DnD. They use their intelligence and magic to make new, powerful objects, and increase the abilities of existing ones.
Barbarians
Barbarians are feral warriors who are strong in combat; they can go into a rage where they gain superhuman abilities. Bards are entertainers, whose words and music create magic in the dnd world.
Clerics
Clerics serve a deity, and harness the powers of divine magic to heal others, support their allies and smite enemies.
Druids
Druids protect nature, and use its power to cast spells and sometimes communicate with spirits to request their help. Druids can also shapeshift into different animals.
Fighters
Fighters are probably the most versatile class in DnD, they are strong in most types of combat, and are adept with most types of weapon.
Monks
Monks are masters of martial arts, drawing on their strength and agility in combat against enemies.
Paladins
Paladins are religious warriors belonging to an order or higher power. They sweat to uphold justice, doing good and quashing evil where they see it.
Rangers
Rangers are woodsmen; they are good at surviving in the wild and hunting prey - and can be deadly with a bow.
Rogues
Rogues are adept thieves and assassins, who use their cunning nature to serve their own ends.
Sorcerers
Sorcerers have inherent magical abilities, which might come from an ancient bloodline, or be sparked by an extraordinary event. You'll need to think about your character's background with this.
Warlocks
Warlocks seek power and knowledge, and make a deal with a powerful being to gain access to their magic.
Wizards
Wizards are masters of magic, who use their intelligence to create powerful spells.
03 So how do I choose a class?
Now we've outlined the main classes, how do you choose one? Do you base it on their ability and other additional skills? As well as the official classes above, there's also the option for homebrew content. Here are our ideas for building a character, with or without character sheets.
Remember to ask your dungeon master if you're planning on giving your new character any 'homebrew' items, traits or skills too. This will help them to craft opportunities for the homebrew elements to be used in the game while also keeping the game balanced - key for making a campaign that's fair, challenging, and fun for everyone involved.
Fun
One way is to choose the class that sounds the most fun. If you think you'll enjoy playing a certain class, after considering the basic rules, then go with that one. Do you want to play a fast character, one with lots of money, or are there any particular features you really want your character to have? Dungeon masters ultimately decide how the plot unfolds, so maybe factor this into all the choices you make about your character too.
Another way to go about choosing a class, without online character builders, is to think about what things your character will be doing in a game. Do you want to be able to shapeshift, or do you want to be fearsome in battle? Do you want to be a conniving thief or a healer? Depending on your answers to questions like this, certain classes should be more or less attractive to you.
You should also think about your character's ability scores and personality traits when you do this. What hit points is your character going to have if they meet a certain fate? Will they need to rely on saving throws and are these likely to be successful? A character sheet can help you to track when your ability score increases, and with ability checks generally.
Backstory or character background
In creating your character, as well as the core rules and ability score, you might want to think about their background, or backgrounds. Were they born with a certain ability or did it come from other sources, such as spells, or some other event? Your dungeon master might decide on some of these features during their campaign. New players might feel less confident creating a new character, especially in their first session, and might want to go for a standard 5e character as opposed to something homebrew.
Other considerations
Whichever class you choose, there will be some number crunching, as you need to keep track of your character's stats, including ability scores and hit points. Dungeon masters should do this too to the best of their ability, but it can help new players too to keep tabs on the basic rules and what their ability score is. Characters with many different attributes to keep track of might not be a great choice for a first character as a result, but on the other hand, some people might prefer to jump straight in at the deep end - after all, it only gets easier from there!
04 What to do if you need help with Character Creation
Use a character builder
If you really can't decide who you want to be, play with an online character builder - these are great for coming up with your first character, and many sites let you create a free account too, so you can create and archive an entire cast of characters, explore what it's like to be a DM, or easily start over if you mess up your character sheet (everybody's done it at some point, don't worry).
Look at an example character sheet & other reference material
Some character builders will include a print out character sheet to actually use in a game as a point of reference. However, in addition to this don't forget that you can also look at example character sheets / builds for a given class, as well as official sourcebooks, the player's handbook and more.
Ask your friends / Dungeon Masters
For new players, choosing a character to play, with all the different attributes and ability scores it needs to have, can be overwhelming. Other than using online character builders, you can turn to your friends or even your dungeon master. Although players should normally have the freedom to choose their own characters, sometimes a DM might veto a certain type of character if it just isn't going to work in the story they've created. More experienced or confident players might want to go all in and create their first character from scratch. If, however, you're scratching your head for ideas, then ask your DM for suggestions. A good DM should ask you about what you'd like to be, rather than just arbitrarily making a choice on your behalf. A good DM might ask you a series of questions about the kind of character you'd like to play, in terms of features and abilities, and then suggest a class and race that could suit you. Once you pin down the class and race of your character, this should give you some prompts for your character's backgrounds, for example if they have certain features how did they come to possess them?
04 Why not Rep your character IRL with some class-appropriate merch from Shop DnD?
If you really want to get into character, or simply rep your character when you're out and about, then why not check out our dnd clothing site? Unlike most stores, we prioritise our designs first; you choose a design, then you choose the garment you want it printed on. Our store features funny parodies as well as intricate and amazing illustrations. Whatever your character race, class and stats, you'll find a design that suits you, or a perfect gift for a friend. Not many iconic brands are spared in our designs, whether it's your favourite brown soda, designer clothing brand or streaming platform.
