Let’s get started, shall we?

Even if you already have an idea of the kind of character you want to play, it’s still important to work with the DM—and even the other players—to make sure your character is a good fit for the group. Whether you know what you want to play at first or not, this is where the basic outlines of a character are created, and the rest may flow naturally as you play. You can also pick from one of the pre-made characters the DM has prepared, or adapt one of those pre-made characters to make it your own.

Begin by downloading the official character sheet, the improved character sheet (which must be printed to be filled), or the enhanced character sheet (which must be filled at least in part before it is printed). The character sheets for the pre-made characters use the improved character sheet layout.

Example

Until a century ago, the tribes of the Reghed Glacier were heavily patriarchal, and women were considered the property of their fathers or husbands. The greatest king of their people, Wulfgar of the Tribe of the Elk, changed all of that after journeying in the south lands for more than twenty years. He brought back with him stories of the many battles he had waged beside his companions, some of whom would have been considered weak by the tribes’ standards: an elven swordsman, a female archer, and a halfling rogue. He challenged his people’s stubborn ways, forcing them to rethink what was meant by “strength”. The other tribes were not as quick to embrace the reforms he demanded of the Tribe of the Elk, but as the harsh winters passed and the Elks thrived while others faltered or failed, they soon accepted his wisdom. Before the great warrior abdicated chieftainship to his own son, the surviving tribes had come around to his way of thinking, and women had become accepted among the ranks of the hunters and warriors.

For Brana, acceptance is not enough: she craves respect. As the youngest daughter of Chief Haldir of the Tribe of the Wolf, she was to be married to a son of the chief of the Tribe of the Bear, cementing an alliance between the two, but it was always Brana’s desire to be a great warrior in the tradition of that long-ago king. As the wife of the chief-in-waiting she’d be expected to bear him heirs, but how could she think of having children when she was still barely out of childhood herself? How could she resign herself to a domestic role when she hadn’t yet made her mark on the world? Without telling her father of her intentions, she gathered her axe, her shield, and all the provisions her mother could spare her, and slipped away from camp at night, heading south for a city which had featured in some of the legends of the great king: Waterdeep.

Okay, so what all does that tell you about the character? Brana Haldirsdottir is a warrior in the tradition of a great barbarian king from the north, she wields an axe and a shield, and she’s stubborn, headstrong, and independent. She’s also fleeing from familial expectations and may still carry some measure of guilt for that, and it’s even possible someone—perhaps even her jilted betrothed—may come looking for her. She doesn’t reject all of her people’s traditions, and she still has a strong sense of community.

In the simplest terms for character creation, we know her heritage is human, her class is barbarian, and her alignment is neutral good.

More than likely, you don’t already have an elaborate backstory cooked up for your character—especially not one replete with details from the history and lore of the Sword Coast—so let’s get started on the basics, and the rest can fall into place from there.

Choose Your Heritage

In D&D, “race” doesn’t refer to relatively superficial physiological features or to one’s ethnic or cultural origins, but to the actual species of creature to which your character belongs; as such, the preferred term under House Rules is “heritage”. Faerûn is a magical land full of humans, elves, dwarves, and halflings, but it’s also home to a whole host of other beings living both aboveground and below.

Your character’s heritage determines some of their general physiological features, but it can also confer some different properties like innate magical powers, skills “everyone knows” who has a typical upbringing in that heritage, and special physical or mental abilities. Here we also encounter our first House Rule for character creation:

House Rule: Your chosen heritage does not provide any ability score enhancements.

Ability scores are covered in a later section and additional House Rules apply to many of the heritages to align them better with established lore in the Forgotten Realms. Where the Player’s Handbook and other official guides conflict with information provided in the resources the DM is making available to the group, the DM’s rule supersedes (as always).

There is also some allowance for characters of mixed heritage (e.g. canon character Effron Sindalay, a half-elf tiefling) as well as for characters who may have been raised by a heritage other than their own (e.g. canon character Cattie-brie Battlehammer, a human raised by dwarves). As always, the DM may rule an option infeasible, such as a clan of elves raising a fully-human orphan—given the disparity in their lifespans, the elves would be more likely to seek out a human family to take in the foundling—but you are welcome to argue your case.

The most-common heritages found along the northern Sword Coast region are presented here by order of commonality with the rarest populations listed last. There are also multiple options for each of these more-common species in the pre-made characters the DM has generated, as well as a few more rare heritages.

Allowed Heritages

Human

In most of Faerûn, humans are the most-common people on the surface and have many different ethnic origins. You don’t need to select an ancestral region or ethnicity for your character, as people of many different backgrounds have come to call Waterdeep and the northern Sword Coast region home. However, if you want to add some additional lore-friendly flavor to your character, you are certainly welcome to do so, and the DM can help you pick something suitable if you need assistance.

Among the pre-made characters are seven humans: Brana Haldirsdottir, Deidre Orthalf, Kalandra “Kali” Brandath, Korinna “Kori” Harpell, Sindra Brostilar, Tania Two-Coins, Urshala Farrier, and Varla Lonestrider.

Dwarf

Another common sight in the Sword Coast North are dwarves, though many of this hardy people spend more of their time living and working below ground than above. Throughout most of northern Faerûn, the most-common type of dwarf is called a shield dwarf or mountain dwarf—though Delzoun is the proper dwarven name—but in the lands far to the south, gold dwarves (also called hill dwarves) are prevalent.

Two additional subgroups—duergar and derro—almost never leave the Underdark, and a third subterranean subgroup—the udinnar—are so rare they’re nearly mythical.

Among the pre-made characters are four shield dwarves: Danetta “Nettie” Waranvil, Daletta “Lettie” Waranvil, Gertie Groundshaker, and Shalene “Shale” Silverstream.

Elf

Elves in Faerûn come in a few different varieties, each of which has their own unique traits and abilities. Some subgroups are more common in the Sword Coast region than others and they each have very different outlooks on the world and the role their own people play alongside the other heritages. Elves are descended from creatures who left an extraplanar realm called the Feywild many thousands of years ago, but still bear with them some of that magical and otherworldly heritage.

• In the northern Sword Coast region, the most common subgroup of elves are the moon elves, who are generally seen as more friendly to the shorter-lived species, but are often seen as flighty for their tendency to form only short attachments before moving on to their next relationship or experience.
• A little less common than moon elves are sun elves, who are often viewed as arrogant and self-important by the other heritages—including the other elven subgroups—and they are far less likely to leave the beautiful and magical communities they’ve built for themselves than are moon elves.
• Much more rarely-seen are wood elves, who seldom leave their woodland homes. They often view moon elves as too willing to embrace non-elven cultures while sun elves are too rigid in their traditions, and consider both moon elves and sun elves to be dangerously arrogant with magic.
• Very few dark elves (aka drow or udadrow) live on the surface of Faerûn, and most of those who do live in sheltered enclaves away from human civilization. The udadrow have a well-deserved reputation for evil and cruelty, so they are not often welcome among the people of the surface world, but small populations of them have settled recently in and below the Sword Coast North cities of Luskan and Waterdeep.
• Additional subgroups exist which are even more rarely-seen than udadrow, including wild elves (aka grugach), aquatic elves (including marel), winged elves (aka avariel), and eladrin. Two surface populations of drow exist in distant lands: the aevendrow who make their home in a hot-spring-warmed glacial region and the lorendrow who reside deep within a dense jungle.

Among the pre-made characters are three moon elves—Melora Dewbrook, Verana Duskwalker, and Zendrila Morningmist—a sun elf, Arathandra “Andra” Goldbrook; and a dark elf, Lorifae Nasadra.

Halfling

Halflings are a fairly common sight throughout most of Faerûn as they are a naturally outgoing and adaptive people. The two subgroups—lightfoot and strongheart—are generally very similar to one another but their key difference lies in outlook: lightfoot halflings are adventurous and imaginative while strongheart halflings are homebound and industrious.

• In the northern Sword Coast region, lightfoot halflings are seen far more often than strongheart halflings.
• Strongheart halflings are more common along the southern Sword Coast and regions around the original halfling homeland of Luiren, but sizable populations call the cities of Baldur’s Gate, Waterdeep, Neverwinter, and Mirabar home.
• Unlike the hobbits of The Lord of the Rings, halflings in Faerûn often wear shoes in public settings. Strongheart halflings tend to have large, hairy feet like hobbits, but lightfoot halflings tend to have more proportional feet (though still hairy).
• If you’ve seen Honor Among Thieves, Holga’s ex-husband Marlamin is a lightfoot halfling. Jil Torbo—the lone female member of the Absolution Council and the one who called the guards on Holga and Edgin in Neverwinter—may be a strongheart halfling, as lightfoot halflings rarely end up in positions of authority due to others’ perceptions of their reliability and their own preferences for simpler living.

Among the pre-made characters are two lightfoot halflings—Jeni Hoopwood and Pippa “Pip” Anatolia—and one strongheart halfling, Liana Hearthstone.

Half-Elf

The term “half-elf” refers to an individual with one parent who is human and the other elven, or two half-elven parents, or one parent who is quarter-elven and the other three-quarters (or more) elven, etc. Typically, someone who is only one-quarter elven or less with the larger portion being human will be referred to only as human, while only another elf is likely to perceive that a person who is three-quarters elf has recent human heritage.

• Half-moon-elves are more common than are half-sun-elves, which are more common than half-wood-elves, which are more common than half-drow, etc.
• If you’ve seen Honor Among Thieves, Simon Aumar is a half-elf whose human heritage includes some recent Turami ancestry, giving him brown skin and dark curly dark hair, though he also claims an ancestor who is Tethyrian*. His elven parent may have been a wood elf, as his eyes are brown.

Among the pre-made characters are three half-elves of moon elf heritage—Casindra “Casi” Naïlo, Indariel Evenhollow, and Rosetta “Zetta” Meadowbreeze—one half-elf of sun elf heritage, Oralia “Ora” Jansen; and one half-elf who is of dark elf heritage, Qantriel Danfaez.

*Originally, at least. Said ancestor has changed sex and even species more than a few times in his many centuries of life.

Tiefling

Due to the activities of the cult of the devil-god Asmodeus in and around the northern Sword Coast region, tieflings have become increasingly common in recent years, especially those who have a devilish (infernal) ancestry. A tiefling may be born of parents of any origin—though they are usually human or half-elf—but somewhere back in their ancestry is a fiend of some kind whose magical nature abruptly manifests itself generations later, overwhelming the traits of their more-recent ancestors.

• Tieflings’ features may bear some resemblance to their parents’, but their fiendish heritage manifests itself in several possible prominent features, including horns, tails, tusks, pointed ears, eyes which lack visible pupils and/or sclera, and unusual colors for hair, skin, and eyes. It’s also possible a tiefling may look generally very human with very little outward markers of their heritage.
• Tieflings of infernal ancestry are the most-common, but there are also tieflings with heritage which is abyssal (demonic) or chthonic.
• If you’ve seen Honor Among Thieves, Doric is a tiefling from otherwise Illuskan heritage who has short, twisted horns, a thin prehensile tail, and pointed ears. She has normal human skin, hair, and eye coloration, and she has no noticeable alterations to the shape of her eyes or teeth.

Among the pre-made characters are two tieflings: Alasen Helmborne and Nalya Wainwright.

Dragonborn

Looking a great deal like bipedal dragons, dragonborn were native to Abeir, the primordial twin of Toril. When the two worlds were magically enmeshed during the Spellplague, one of the nations of free dragonborn was shifted to Toril. In the aftermath of the Sundering, much of their land was returned to its original world, though a few enclaves were spared due to divine intervention. In the century between those two events, the cosmopolitan Sword Coast North was a natural place for dragonborn to settle.

If you’ve seen Honor Among Thieves, Kriv Norixius—the dragon-like member of the Absolution Council—was a silver dragonborn and the beggar in the montage showcasing paladin Xenk Yendar’s heroism appeared to be a silver or black dragonborn.

Among the pre-made characters are four dragonborn: Chiara Davibraxian (red), Eliana “Elie” Azenofar (gold), Niksani “Nix” Ixanimond (blue), and Tholana “Lana” Shesturev (copper).

Half-Orc

The term “half-orc” refers to an individual with one parent who is human and the other orc, or two half-orc parents, or one parent who is quarter-orc and the other three-quarters (or more) human, etc. Due to the dominance of orc features, someone who is only one-quarter human or less with the larger portion being orc will generally be seen as a full orc, while someone who is only one-quarter orc may be perceived as being half-orc.

• Half-orcs are seen as being relatively uncommon throughout the Sword Coast, with most of their known number living in large cities where they stand out less. However, half-orcs are far more common living in caves and camps among full-blooded orcs.
• Half-orc communities do exist: Palischuk in distant Vaasa is a thriving city in a harsh land whose population is primarily composed of half-orcs, half-orc communities were once relatively common in Luruar before the War of the Silver Marches, and there’s a sizable population of half-orcs in Baldur’s Gate.

Among the pre-made characters are two half-orcs: Esmerelda “Esme” Trusan and Maluka “Maly” Hornfist.

Gnome

Gnomes are a fairly uncommon people in Faerûn, and those that are seen in the cities of the Sword Coast are almost always rock gnomes. Forest gnomes can, of course, be found in the forests of this region and immediately to the east in the area known as the Savage Frontier.

• Rock gnomes are clever and inventive, and tend to spend time experimenting, inventing, or studying. They enjoy the company of other people, especially individuals who share in their enthusiasm for their chosen interests.
• Forest gnomes are secretive and occasionally mischievous, and while they shy away from most people, they are friendly and comfortable with woodland elves, good fey, and small animals.

Among the pre-made characters are two rock gnomes—Opal Olembor and Pendella “Penny” Graesturm—and one forest gnome, Hanalore “Hana” Bolewarden.

“See Me After Class”

If you want to play something different than the above, there are a few other heritages and subgroups which are possible to play, but may not be in the standard Player’s Handbook. Some of them also present roleplaying challenges in that their native ranges in the Forgotten Realms are far away, they rarely come to the surface, and/or the broad perception of their people is negative* among the surface cities of the northern Sword Coast. A few of these are presented as options among the pre-made characters available.

• Aasimar – similar to a tiefling but with celestial ancestry instead of fiendish
• Drow*, lythari, or wild elf
• Eladrin – an elf from a subgroup which never left their ancestral home in the Feywild
• Firbolg – a small giant native to the Moonshae Isles and the distant Ice Spires
• Genasi – similar to a tiefling or an aasimar but their extraplanar heritage is elemental (fire, air, earth, or water)
• Goliath – a tall, sturdy humanoid rarely seen outside of the mountains of Faerûn
• Half-drow*, half-sea-elf, or half-wild-elf
• Kenku* – a wingless, bipedal bird rarely seen outside of the Underdark or southeastern Faerûn, though a small group is known to live in Tethyr, a land in southwestern Faerûn
• Tabaxi – a bipedal cat native to a distant continent, though many were captured and brought to the southern Sword Coast as slaves; if you’ve seen Honor Among Thieves, in the montage showcasing paladin Xenk Yendar’s heroism, the child he rescued from the giant fish was a tabaxi, as was its distraught parent

Among the pre-made characters are one aasimar, Renara “Rena” Argent; one dark elf, Lorifae Nasadra; one half-drow, Qantriel Danfaez; and two tabaxi, Breeze from the Open Sea and Five Clouds at Midnight.

*A creature from a people generally regarded as “evil” by the common folk of Faerûn may not actually be evil, but this perception could make roleplay difficult.

“Not Likely”

For those hoping for an extra challenge or something even more exotic, you’re probably out of luck, but I’m willing to let you make your case if you know how to keep the character lore-friendly without too much hand-holding.

• Any native aquatic creature, including aquatic elf, marel*, or triton
• Duergar* (gray dwarf), derro* (deep dwarf), svirfneblin (deep gnome), or urdunnir dwarf – each subgroup seldom leaves the Underdark
• Any fey creature, including a centaur, changeling, fairy, or satyr
• Gnoll* – a bipedal hyena with fiendish origins
• Goblin*, hobgoblin*, or bugbear* – a goblinoid from a species generally considered to be “evil”
• Harengon – a bipedal rabbit-like humanoid which has no native population on Toril
• Kobold* – a small draconic creature
• Lizardfolk – a semi-aquatic humanoid native to swampy regions primarily in central and southern Faerûn
• Minotaur* – a literally bull-headed humanoid species not-often seen outside of the Underdark
• Orc* – a humanoid generally considered to be unintelligent, violent, and “evil”
• Shadar-kai* – an elf-like people corrupted by the Plane of Shadow
• Shifter – a humanoid with bestial features they can learn to further enhance
• Tortle – a tortoise -like humanoid native to a distant part of southern Faerûn

*A creature from a people generally regarded as “evil” by the common folk of Faerûn may not actually be evil, but this perception could make roleplay difficult.

“Almost Certainly Not”

For purposes of balanced gameplay and not creating too many roleplaying headaches, none of these species will be permitted:

• Aaracokra –winged, bird-like humanoid originally from the Elemental Plane of Air; if you’ve seen Honor Among Thieves, an aaracokra named Jarnathan is the member of the Absolution Council used by Edgin and Holga to make their escape from prison
• Ardling – a celestial humanoid with the body of a human and the head of an animal; ardlings are not native to any part of Faerûn except in one distant nation, and as they are revered as living avatars of the gods there, they seldom leave
• Alu-fiend, cambion, draegloth, fey’ri, tanarukk, or any other fiend or part-fiend, or conversely, celestial or part-celestial
• Avariel (winged elf) or astral elf
• Githyanki and Githzerai – two species of extraplanar beings with innate mental powers
• Any heritage from the far north, including aevendrow (starlight elves), Inugaakalikurit (“kurit”, arctic dwarves), and orok (acrtic orcs)
• Any heritage from the far south, including desert dwarf, ghostwise halfling (wild halfling), lorendrow (green shadow elf), and wild dwarf
• Half-dragon, lycanthrope, shade, vampire, or other being empowered beyond “normal”

*A creature from a people generally regarded as “evil” by the common folk of Faerûn may not actually be evil, but this perception could make roleplay difficult.

Any other heritage not explicitly mentioned in this guide likely falls under the “almost certainly not” category.

Determine Your Background

Most character-building guides will jump to selecting class next and then ask you to examine background, but because background is an important roleplaying component, new players should use background to inform their class choice, rather than the other way around, particularly if they don’t know what the various classes are and do.

Is your character a recluse who lives deep in the forest and dislikes being around other people? The classes of druid, ranger, or wizard might seem to be appropriate vocations for such an individual, whereas a bard or cleric would be unlikely to have lived such a life. Is your character a streetwise orphan who knows how to fend for herself? This sounds like an ideal background for a barbarian, rogue, or sorcerer, but a creative player might also use this as the foundation for a paladin who has made it her mission to attempt to amend the sort of systemic injustices that allow for a small child to be forced into such a life.

Each background comes with gear, skills, and/or other bonuses which complement the lifestyle such a person must have had before they began their career as an adventurer. If you don’t see a background appropriate for the character you hope to play, discuss your intentions with the DM to see if a custom background can be crafted to meet your needs. Since this campaign will be starting at level one, your character will be just beginning their career as an adventurer, which usually means they are only barely an adult by their heritage’s reckoning. If they’re a prodigy or a late bloomer, you can incorporate that into their background as well.

Each background also allows the selection of a single feat. If your character already gets a first-level feat from your heritage or upbringing (e.g. human), you also get a feat from your background.

If you’re feeling uninspired, use the tables in the Player’s Handbook to generate Trait, Ideal, Bond, and Flaw values.

Personality Trait

Each character should have two traits which are descriptive of their interests and strengths. Maybe your tough-as-nails dwarf can drink anyone under the table but her bad attitude usually gets her into at least one bar brawl each night. Perhaps your half-elf was raised in a port city so she’s an expert at climbing masts and tying knots, but never spent much time in the woods. Feel free to lean into a common trope or subvert it as you see fit. Your character might also have low expectations for something they do well, or she might be a show-off where she knows she shines.

If you’ve seen Honor Among Thieves, Holga Kilgore lacks any social niceties and isn’t much of a thinker, but she’s strong, she’s quick, she’s steadfast, and she loves potatoes. Simon Aumar is timid and uninspiring, but he’s not particularly impulsive and he desperately wants to prove that being a sorcerer from a legacy of great wizards doesn’t mean he’s “less than” more studied spellcasters.

Ideal

Adventuring can be a lucrative way to earn a living, but it’s also a good way to earn a “dying”. Something has motivated your character to put themselves into danger, so what is it? Name an ideal your character aspires to which is fundamental to their motivations. Wealth? Fame? Respect? Family honor? Power? Eternal life? Revenge?

If you’ve seen Honor Among Thieves, Edgin Darvis is driven by his need to prove himself to his daughter Kira, which manifests itself in a few different ways throughout the movie as he comes to learn what it is she actually wants of him. Conversely, Forge Fitzwilliam is motivated by good-old-fashioned greed.

Bond

Your character is probably still young, but even a sixteen year-old half-orc has made connections to the world around her. Is there a specific person who means the most to you in the world? Is there a place that haunts your dreams, or an item that you treasure beyond all other possessions? Perhaps you’ve pledged an oath to a specific knightly order or made a deal with a shady criminal organization. What gets you out of the bedroll each morning?

If you’ve seen Honor Among Thieves, Doric is a member of the Emerald Enclave, a druidic organization which is generally your standard environmentalist group. She tells the rest of the party that the druids of Neverwinter Wood took her in when everyone else she knew had shunned her for her tiefling nature, and that she’ll do what she can to help the Emerald Enclave against the destructive logging practices Fitzwilliam has enabled.

Flaw

Nobody’s perfect. (Except for Xenk Yendar. If you’ve seen Honor Among Thieves, you know.)

Every Achilles has his heel, and there’s something about your character that is a weakness, a vice, a compulsion, a fear, or a darker impulse. Are you emotionally stunted and unable to empathize with others? Are you so desperate to prove yourself to an authority figure that you’ll engage in reckless behavior to meet their approval or demands? What terrifies you enough you might consider abandoning your allies in the middle of a fight? Are you reckless enough to charge into the fray even when your team tries to hold you back? Do you have an addiction or an obsession? Is there someone or something out there that you hate so much, you’d stop at absolutely nothing to destroy them or it?

Option: Secret

Your character’s secret may or may not be part of their flaw. You are not obligated to have a secret for your character, but this can be a fun way for you and/or the DM to pull a dramatic twist at a later date, and it can also be a way to gain an additional benefit for your character to offset any disadvantages the secret may enable.

Suppose your socialite from a noble family has a shocking scandal in her past which forced her to leave her family home in disgrace. By itself, “shocking scandal” can qualify as a flaw, particularly since she has been separated from much of her wealth and connections by this unnamed event. Letting the DM in on your character’s secret exposes the possibility that this scandal may come back to haunt you later, but it’s also likely to come with some kind of special perk. Consider a scenario where the shocking scandal is that she trusted the wrong person with a family heirloom, and now she can’t return home until she recovers it. The DM may eventually give the party a side quest where they are able to retrieve the heirloom, and in so doing, the character acquires a useful magical item that will aid her in the remainder of her adventuring career.

Alternatively, this secret might be something on-going, like a tiefling who desires to do only good work who frequently hears her devilish ancestor’s voice in her head, trying to push her toward performing evil acts. In addition to the possibility of a future quest to cut off the fiend’s connection, the tiefling may also need to roll Wisdom saves when confronted with a moral choice which the devil is trying to influence. Given the obvious penalty this presents to both the character and the player, it may be offset with a feat or other special ability.

Each of the pre-made characters has a secret; if you select one to play, you’ll be given this information directly, but not until after you’ve committed to that character. (Secrets are meant to be secret after all!)

If you’ve seen Honor Among Thieves, you might know where this is going: Forge Fitzwilliam sure seemed to have everything going well for him after that bungled heist, now didn’t he? Too bad his “friend” and “trusted advisor” was not what she pretended to be, and he knew it.

Option: “I Know a Guy”

Adventurers are not raised in total isolation. Many have a mentor who has guided them on their journey, while others may have a rival who challenged them every step of the way. Some may have a trusted sibling or cousin, a reliable distant relative, a shady childhood friend with fingers into everything, or a frenemy who always comes through in a pinch but who will make you pay for it later. This person may be related to your “bond”, your “flaw”, your “secret”, or is simply an acquaintance or other figure from your past.

Sometimes the party may come to a situation where they’re stumped about their next steps or aren’t sure of their ability to successfully complete what is being asked of them. Sometimes it helps to “know a guy”, though you are not required to identify anyone in that way.

If you’ve seen Honor Among Thieves, when Edgin Darvis wished for an ally who could wild shape, Simon Aumar “knew a guy”—or rather, a tiefling—and his ex-girlfriend Doric entered the picture.

Option: Old Friends & Enemies

Do you share a connection with anyone else in the party, for good or ill? Perhaps you grow up together, shared a ship across the Sea of Swords, or have a guild, faith, or other organization in common. There’s no requirement for you to have a previous tie to any other character, but it helps add some depth to your characters and also smooths the meta-game-y-ness of this random group of folks who all end up at the same table in a tavern.

Among the pre-made characters, the two Waranvil dwarves are Thunder Twins, the half-orc sorcerer and the dragonborn fighter from Baldur’s Gate might have come to Waterdeep on the same ship, and the half-orc barbarian from Black Feathers and the human warlock from Nesmé are both refugees from the same war, though their families supported opposite sides. The Nesmeian and the tabaxi monk from Port Llast were both orphaned by attacks from dark elves, but does their hatred of that subgroup include the drow bard from distant Cormanthor? Do they realize the half-elf rogue from far-away Dambrath is half-drow? Perhaps characters who don’t otherwise seem to have a connection have a mutual acquaintance: due to the backstory for each, the halfling bard from Bleeding Vines and the dwarven barbarian from Mithral Hall certainly have less than “six degrees of separation” between them.

If you’ve seen Honor Among Thieves, Edgin Darvis and Holga Kilgore met in a tavern in Icewind Dale roughly ten years before the majority of the events of the movie, and were practically family from that point.

Origin

While you are not obligated to pick a specific place your character was born and/or grew up, it helps provide some “flavor” to the character, and may even present some options in-game (e.g. additional info from History checks). If you’re looking for a lore-friendly starting point for your character, check out the map of the Sword Coast and this page on lore-friendly origins in the vicinity of the Sword Coast.

Alignment

D&D’s two-axis alignment system has spread beyond its game origins and gets used often in memes to compare real world figures, fictional characters, and behavioral quirks like shopping cart return habits.

• Those who are lawful respect and adhere to the boundaries and rules imposed upon them by society, and are often deferential to authority figures.
• Those who are chaotic bend or break laws, rules, and/or norms when it suits them or their goals, and may even be openly rebellious toward authority figures.
• Those who are good respect the rights and freedoms of others, especially those who are weaker than they are, and they tend to work toward a harmonious existence.
• Those who are evil have no respect for others except for those who have greater power than they, and even then, they often harbor ambitions to one day overthrow their leaders and seize power for themselves.

For this group, players cannot create an evil character, but that doesn’t mean the character won’t become evil…

Header 1	Header 2	Header 3
Lawful Good Someone who both respects the rules of society and seeks to protect the lives and freedoms of those who live within it	Neutral Good Someone who isn’t beholden to or dismissive of the rules of society, but who values actions which benefit other people as much as themselves	Chaotic Good Someone who has little respect for societal boundaries but values and works to preserve the lives and freedoms of others
Lawful Neutral Someone who honors the rules of their society but gives no particular bent toward safeguarding the rights or lives of others	(True) Neutral Someone who has no concern for authority imposed by others and also has no compulsion to actively help or harm others	Chaotic Neutral Someone who gives little thought to actively helping or harming others and has even less interest in following someone else’s rules
Lawful Evil Someone who honors the rules of their society but has no care for the lives or rights of others above their own goals	Neutral Evil Someone with no respect or disregard for authority or societal norms but puts their own goals above the lives or rights of others	Chaotic Evil Someone who often does precisely what they want when they want without regard for societal structures or the well-being of others

Some NPC examples for each alignment category:

• A dwarven commander who works to protect as many lives as he can is likely to be lawful good.
• A guard captain who concerns herself with seeing that “law & order” is maintained regardless of any extenuating circumstances is likely to be lawful neutral.
• A corrupt politician who works within the bounds of the law but nevertheless has no care for the advancement of anyone except himself and his ambitions is likely to be lawful evil.
• A rural farmer who relies on her neighbors to help fend off monster attacks is likely to be neutral good.
• An urban alchemist who has become practiced at ignoring the sob-stories of his customers begging for discounts on tinctures and potions is likely to be neutral.
• An assassin who hires her services to whomever pays and never grants mercy is likely to be neutral evil.
• A hunter who poaches on the protected lands of a tyrant king in order to help feed the starving people of his village is likely to be chaotic good.
• A burglar who seeks only to enrich herself and cares only about how easy her target is to break into is likely to be chaotic neutral.
• A highwayman who robs and murders innocent travelers is likely to be chaotic evil.

Choose Your Class

At long last, we get to the part where you pick your vocation! By this point, you’ve established who your character is, where she comes from, how she became an adventurer, and what her outlook is, so now it’s time to look at the various classes and decide which makes the most sense for her to be.

Since ability score bonuses have been separated from heritage as part of the House Rules, there’s a little more flexibility in choosing your class than in the base ruleset; however, heritage-based affinities for classes are still given, as they are relevant to lore.

The pre-made character selection includes three characters of each class.

Heavy Hitters

Often the easiest for new players to learn, these classes are the ones who soak up the hits and deal some damage right back to the opponents. Characters of these classes are invaluable to a party because they step up to the enemy and keep them from getting to the ones who are a little more fragile.

Barbarian

The key class feature of a barbarian is their bad temper. No, really: it’s a thing. Barbarians are powerful warriors who channel their rage into dealing impressive amounts of damage while also shrugging off damage dealt to them. They usually aren’t very heavily armored—though there are some excellent exceptions to that—but often carry some impressively large weapons.

As they advance in level, some barbarians take their fury to new heights, while others learn to channel the powers of animal totems to grant themselves new abilities. Still others learn how to wear spiked armor that lets them turn their own bodies into deadly weapons, empower themselves through ancestral rites or primal magic, or channel the fury of their gods.

Barbarians are not necessarily from one of Faerûn’s barbarian tribes, nor is everyone from a barbarian tribe of the barbarian class. Humans, dwarves, half-orcs, and tieflings often make good barbarians, but dragonborn, firbolgs, and goliaths are also great options. Elves, gnomes, and halflings are generally unlikely to be barbarians.

If you’ve seen Honor Among Thieves, Holga Kilgore is a barbarian warrior by both training and tribe.

The pre-made barbarian options are Brana Haldirsdottir (human), Maluka “Maly” Hornfist (half-0rc), and Shalene “Shale” Silverstream (shield dwarf).

Fighter

It’s probably not surprising that a class called “fighter” makes  a good, well, fighter. Fighters use almost any kind of weapon and wear almost any kind of armor, and once they find out what they’re good at, they start figuring out how to be great at it. A fighter might discover they prefer fighting from range with a bow, keeping foes distracted with an impenetrable defense, deftly picking off their enemies with a single weapon in-hand, whaling on the baddies with a two-handed weapon, becoming a double-threat with a weapon in each hand, or protecting the less-hardy of the party.

As they advance in level, some fighters focus on disciplined techniques, expand their repertoire with tactical maneuvers, or augment their martial prowess with arcane magic. Still others sharpen their minds as much as their swords, draw upon ancient rituals, or join a knightly order.

Fighters of Faerûn hail from every heritage.

The pre-made fighter options are Chiara Davibraxian (red dragonborn), Kalandra “Kali” Brandath (human), and Zendrila Morningmist (moon elf).

Monk

Monastic orders in Faerûn are not necessarily also religious orders, though there is often a dogmatic aspect which accompanies the lessons their adherents follow. Monks are disciplined warriors who frequently shun material wealth or other attachments so that they can focus on making their bodies extensions of their minds, tapping into their own life energy to empower their martial abilities.

As they advance in level, monks discover new techniques for channeling their focus and energy, such as manipulating the life forces of themselves and others, attaining mastery over light and shadow, or channeling life energy into elemental power. Still others develop unorthodox fighting techniques to unsettle their opponents, extend their life energy through their chosen weapons, or empower new forms of attack.

Monks of Faerûn can hail from any heritage, but shorter-lived species like humans, dragonborn, aasimar, and tieflings tend to be the most-common to follow these lifelong disciplines. Half-orcs, tabaxi, and genasi are also good options; the “live in the moment” people like halflings and gnomes are unlikely to pursue such a path—as are long-lived people like elves and dwarves—but there are always exceptions.

The pre-made monk options are Five Clouds at Midnight (tabaxi), Indariel Evenhollow (half-elf), and Varla Lonestrider (human).

Paladin

Devoted and devout, paladins are skilled warriors who follow codes of honor which deliberately place them in the path of dangers which might harm the helpless or innocent, or who champion the cause of their chosen deity in other ways. Most paladins are devotees of a specific deity, but others are members of religious orders which uphold the values of more than one deity or even similarly-aligned members of an entire pantheon. Nearly all paladins are lawful and most are good, but there are exceptions.

As they advance in level, paladins gain the ability to channel divine energy granted by their deity and extraplanar intercessors into protection for the weak, punishments for the wicked, or primal powers of nature. Still others become agents of wrath, champions of a mortal ruler, seekers of legendary deeds, or guardians against forces from beyond the mortal world.

Paladins of Faerûn can hail from any heritage, though the human, dwarven, and elven pantheons tend to have more of the kinds of deities who inspire divine champions than do the pantheons of gnomes, halflings, and many other heritages. Dragonborn who revere either the goodly Bahamut or the evil Tiamat are also great options, and aasimar and tieflings often feel called to service by their extraplanar heritage.

If you’ve seen Honor Among Thieves, Xenk Yendar is a paladin.

The pre-made paladin options are Alasen Helmborne (infernal tiefling), Danetta “Netta” Waranvil (shield dwarf), and Renara “Rena” Argent (aasimar).

 

Spell Slingers

Wizard

When you think of magic wielders in high fantasy, you might often think of an old bearded guy in a pointy hat holding a staff or a spellbook in hand while he chants something unintelligible and then boom magic happens. Some of these guys are total buzzkills about magic to eager young apprentices wanting to learn to do what they do, with the wizard cautioning that the study of magic takes a lifetime to master, with great power comes great responsibility… For some magic users, this is absolutely true: study, discipline, and focus are how they learn to master arcane magic and manipulate the magical energy known as the Weave into predictable results.

As they advance in level, wizards choose a particular school of magic to focus their studies on, learning how to better manipulate magic to accomplish goals of protection, summoning, mastery of life and death, and more. Still others—mostly elves—take up a sword to combine its edge with their magical studies and love of the music of life.

Wizards of Faerûn hail from every heritage, though they are uncommon among dwarves, halflings, half-orcs, and tieflings.

If you’ve seen Honor Among Thieves, Sofina is a wizard.

The pre-made wizard options are Korinna “Kori” Harpell (human), Opal Olembor (rock gnome), and Verana Duskwalker (moon elf).

Sorcerer

Not everyone needs to study for years to master their first cantrip: some people are born with it. Sorcerers have magic in their blood, and that magical nature often drives them toward adventure. Some sorcerers seek to learn control over their powers, while still others revel in releasing the raw forces from within.

As they advance in level, sorcerers gain in understanding of the source of their magic, learning how to channel the might of the dragon whose blood they share or unleashing the wild magic granted them by exposure to the same. Still others discover they’ve been touched by an extraplanar being of immense power.

Sorcerers of Faerûn hail from every heritage.

If you’ve seen Honor Among Thieves, Simon Aumar is a sorcerer.

The pre-made sorcerer options are Esmerelda “Esme” Trusan (half-orc), Nalya Wainwright (infernal tiefling), and Tholana “Lana” Shesturev (copper dragonborn).

 

Specialists

Cleric

Where would a party be without a cleric? Dead, usually. Clerics are battlefield medics capable of channeling the divine powers of the gods they worship into magical protection and healing, as well as into augmentation of abilities and deadly consequences for those creatures their deity opposes.

As they advance in level, clerics pick a domain their deity favors which influences additional spells and abilities they learn as they progress. Example domains include Arcana, Life, Light, Order, Peace, Shadow, Trickery, and War, but there are many domains and deities in Faerûn.

Clerics of Faerûn hail from every heritage, with most preferring deities from the pantheons of their people. Others are raised in a tradition other than that of their heritage, and still others deliberately choose a deity who reflects their own heart and spirit after they’ve reached adulthood.

Further, some of the most-powerful extraplanar beings who can form pacts with warlocks may also be able to grant divine spells to those who worship them: Asmodeus is a devil who has ascended to the power level of a deity, while Lolth is an elven goddess who was transformed into a demon but has never lost her power as a deity.

The pre-made cleric options are Daletta “Lettie” Waranvil (shield dwarf), Eliana “Elie” Azenofar (gold dragonborn), and Melora Dewbrook (moon elf).

Rogue

The lovable knave, the sneaky thief, the dashing swashbuckler: there’s a veritable rogue’s gallery of rogues, but the one thing they generally have in common with one another is their preference to use their wits over brute force. In battle, rogues seldom attack directly like fighters do, instead slipping around behind a foe to take aim at vulnerable spots or finding a sheltered spot to perch and attack with deadly accuracy from range.

As they advance in level, rogues hone their preferred skills, become cat burglars of unparalleled stealth, augmenting their trickery with magic, or frustrating their foes with showy swordsmanship that serves as a distraction. Still others become deadly assassins or learn to harness their clever minds into the sharpest of weapons.

Rogues of Faerûn hail from every heritage, though humans, half-elves, halflings, and tabaxi are especially suited. Elves—especially drow—tieflings, and kenku are also known to choose the life of a rogue.

If you’ve seen Honor Among Thieves, Forge Fitzwilliam is a rogue.

The pre-made rogue options are Jeni Hoopwood (lightfoot halfling), Qantriel Danfaez (half-drow), and Tania Two-Coins (human).

 

Jacks-of-All-Trades

Druid

Nature is surprisingly capable of defending itself in worlds which are full of magic, but it never hurts to have a few sworn defenders to keep things balanced. Druids are those guardians, and as part of their devotion to the natural world, they are granted some pretty impressive powers to do their work. Due to their adherence to the concept of balance, most druids favor a neutral outlook rather than an extreme. Similarly, druids are not the strongest of spellcasters nor the mightiest of warriors, but tend to do both jobs relatively well.

As they advance in level, druids learn to draw more deeply on the unique attributes of the lands they travel or hone their ability to take the shapes of other natural creatures. Still others learn to draw power from the stars, from deep below ground, or from elemental forces themselves.

Druids of Faerûn hail from every heritage, though half-elves, elves, and forest gnomes are especially suited. Tieflings, genasi, and aasimar, perhaps feeling that their actions should help to offset their otherworldly nature, also make great druids.

If you’ve seen Honor Among Thieves, Doric is a druid.

The pre-made druid options are Arathandra “Andra” Goldbrook (sun elf), Deidre Orthalf (human), and Liana Hearthstone (strongheart halfling).

Ranger

Whether it’s a pack of rabid wolves menacing a farm or a greedy fur-trapper ravaging a local ecosystem, rangers serve as a buffer between the “civilized” and wild places of the world. Rangers learn how to study the creatures of the land and become experts at fighting the monsters they encounter most often. Excellent scouts, these capable warriors can also draw upon the powers of nature or a preferred deity to cast a few spells to aid themselves and their allies.

As they advance in level, rangers become deadly vanguards or masters of hunting packs. Still others find their talents lead them to walk lands far more distant than the common woods, whether that be the darkest depths of the Material Plane or the many planes beyond.

Rangers of Faerûn hail from every heritage, though humans, half-elves, elves, and tabaxi are especially suited. Individuals who feel like outsiders and loners among large populations of mixed origin also make great rangers, including tieflings, drow, genasi, and half-orcs.

The pre-made ranger options are Breeze from the Open Sea (tabaxi), Hanalore “Hana” Bolewarden (forest gnome), and Rosetta “Zetta” Meadowbreeze (half-elf).

Bard

The ultimate jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none is the seldom-in-the-slightest-bit-humble bard. Bards are frequently seen as travelling musicians, and while many bards are indeed itinerant entertainers, not all who make the road their home and art their livelihood can actually call themselves a true bard. Bards are almost always musicians, but some are also dancers or poets. Whatever their chosen form of expression, a bard uses their art to bring forth the Art: magic.

As they advance in level, bards become walking repositories of knowledge who keep out of the fray, or dashing heroes of the kind whose stories they tell. Still others become masters of diplomacy, weavers of illusion, or dancers with deadly blades.

Bards of Faerûn hail from every heritage, though humans, half-elves, elves, and halflings are especially suited. Tabaxi, dragonborn, aasimar, and other well-traveled and naturally gregarious people also take well to the lifestyle.

If you’ve seen Honor Among Thieves, Edgin Darvis is a bard.

The pre-made bard options are Lorifae Nasadra (drow), Pippa “Pip” Anatolia (lightfoot halfling), and Sindra Brostilar (human); the DM will also play a half-elf bard named Shadriel “Shay” Silverwillow, which ensures that the party always has someone capable of fighting in melee or at range, casting offensive spells or spells of healing, and able to disable locks and traps.

 

Battlemages

Artificer

Tinkerers and dabblers, artificers constantly push themselves and the boundaries of machine and magic to create new ways to do things. What are those “things”? Well, that’s up to the artificer to know and the world they inhabit to find out!

As they advance in level, artificers learn how to construct and empower specific items which they find most useful to themselves and their allies, whether that’s alchemical concoctions, armor, ranged weapons, or melee weapons. Artificers also learn how to create infusions, enhancing non-magical items with various magical properties.

Artificers of Faerûn are almost exclusively gnomes from the island nation of Lantan, but any heritage with a healthy dose of curiosity—and, often, little sense of self-preservation—can become an artificer. Even dwarves who generally shun arcane magic have been known to dabble in the artificer’s trade.

The pre-made artificer options are Niksani “Nix” Ixanimond (blue dragonborn), Oralia “Ora” Jansen (half-elf), and Pendella “Penny” Graesturm (rock gnome).

(The details for this class are not available for free on D&D Beyond; if you wish to play this class, consult with the DM first.)

Warlock

If you can’t study it for a lifetime and you weren’t born with it, there’s still a way many spellcasters can learn to wield powerful magic: bargain for it. A warlock gains their power through an agreement with an extraplanar being who becomes their magical patron, allowing the mortal to tap into that creature’s powers for their own purposes. As any wizard could warn them, of course, any pact with such a being is likely to come with a price, but for many warlocks, that’s a “Future Me” problem.

As they advance in level, warlocks derive special benefits from the kind of pact they’ve made with the patron to whom they’ve pledged. As one might expect, some of these patrons are entities whose intentions toward the mortals of the Material Plane might not be especially benevolent. Still others are celestial or fey in nature and tend to have a more kindly disposition toward mortals, while others are an unknowable ancient… something. 

Warlocks of Faerûn hail from every heritage, but the short-lived species—humans, half-orcs, and tieflings, especially—are often drawn to the lure of quick power.

The pre-made warlock options are Casindra “Casi” Naïlo (half-elf), Gertie Groundshaker (shield dwarf), and Urshala Farrier (human).

 

Class Abilities

Each class comes with its own modifiers, proficiencies, and abilities.

Hit Points and Hit Dice

Simply put, hit points are how many points of damage you can take. Each class has a hit die which determines how many hit points you get at each level, based on the roll of the indicated die (e.g. d12 for a barbarian, d10 for a fighter, d8 for a rogue, and d6 for a wizard.) Characters who are more likely to be up front battling it out directly tend to get hit more often, while characters who fight from range or engage in subterfuge generally try to not be hit.

At first level, you will get the maximum number of hit points allowed by your class plus anything you get from other aspects of your character, which are covered in a later section. Keep in mind that while it may be dismaying to see that your first-level wizard has only 6 points of health, the kind of enemies you’re likely to face early in your adventuring career don’t tend to hit well or hard.

But then again, neither do you.

Proficiency Bonus

Your proficiency bonus applies to many actions related to the things your class does on a regular basis, such as attacks with your preferred weapon, checks for your trained skills, and “saving throws” to avoid harmful effects. All first-level characters have a proficiency bonus of 2.

 

Ability Scores

Before we start determining what your ability scores are, let’s talk about what each ability does. My favorite explanation for each score is what I call the Tomato Challenge:

• Your Strength governs your ability to crush a tomato in your bare hand or how hard you can throw it at someone else.
• Your Dexterity governs your ability to juggle multiple tomatoes or to dodge a tomato which has been thrown at you.
• Your Constitution governs your ability to eat a bad tomato and not suffer any ill effects or to hold your breath while submerged in a vat of tomato juice.
• Your Intelligence governs your ability to learn, recall, and analyze information, which is why you know that even though tomatoes grow best in vegetable gardens in temperate and sub-tropical climates, a tomato is actually a fruit.
• Your Wisdom governs your ability to observe and intuit information including cause and effect, which is why you know that it’s probably a bad idea to eat a bad tomato or to try to add diced tomato to a fruit salad.
• Your Charisma governs your ability to exude confidence and persuade others, which is why you’re able to convince others to try eating a bad tomato or a tomato-based fruit salad.

Of course, the end of this joke is that with their combination of high Intelligence and Charisma, a bard is likely to convince you to try mango salsa, a tomato-based fruit salad.

Ability scores for players’ characters tend to range between 3 and 18, and 10 is considered to be “average”. Heroes seldom have any one score below 8, however, and tend to be above-average in almost every way otherwise.

The Player’s Handbook offers three common ways to generate ability scores: rolling the dice, taking a standard distribution, or buying points. While rolling the dice is fun, it’s also easy to have poor rolls and end up with an underwhelming character. The standard set is easiest, and since it matches up precisely with the point-buy method, use whichever of these two methods you prefer.

House Rule: The standard set is 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, and 10, or you get 30 points to spend.

Rolling for Points

Roll 4d6 six times, each time discarding the lowest die rolled and adding up the remaining dice. Thus, if you roll two 2s, a 4, and a 5, you would discard one of the 2s leaving a total score of 11. The results of the six rolls can then be assigned to each ability as you see fit, though no score can be higher than 16. This method is not recommended.

Standard Set

For the easiest assignment, your ability scores are 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, and 10. Assign one score to each ability as you see fit, keeping in mind what is recommended for your chosen class.

Point Cost

For greater flexibility or customization, start all scores at 8 and then spend 30 points to improve each ability based on what is recommended for your chosen class. This allows you to have 2 scores at 16, 2 scores at 11, and 2 scores at 8 or all six scores could be at 13. You could technically use the point-buy system to gain the standard distribution, but why would you do that when you can just take the standard set?

You’ll often hear the term “dump stat” used to refer to an ability score in which a player spent no points for that character so that they could spend more points on a more-favored ability.

Score	Modifier	Cost
8	-1	0
9	-1	1
10	0	2
11	0	3
12	+1	4
13	+1	5
14	+2	7
15	+2	9
16	+3	12
17	+3	N/A
18	+4	N/A

No individual score can be higher than 16 at this stage.

 

House Rule: Now that you’ve assigned scores to your abilities, the House Rules for ability score bonuses due to background rather than heritage can be applied: choose one score to improve by 2 and another score to improve by 1. 

Assigning Scores

When determining what scores to assign to which attributes, not only should you pay attention to the recommendations for your class, but consider also what personality traits you gave your character. If you’ve created a cheerful halfling rogue who can’t hold her liquor, then her lowest score shouldn’t be Charisma—happy people are generally more likeable—and her highest score shouldn’t be Constitution—alcohol is, after all, essentially a poison, and she doesn’t tolerate it well.

In rules-as-written, Intelligence often ended up being a “dump stat” for every class except Wizard, as few other classes had any need for it. However, under House Rules, a positive Intelligence modifier can also grant additional non-skill proficiencies or languages at first level, and increases the number of spells which can be “memorized” at any given time, which affects both prepared casters and spontaneous casters. Thus, a good Intelligence score is useful for all types of casters, and offers tool proficiency benefits all classes can use.

Ability Modifiers

Each ability score is paired with an ability modifier which is used for various checks involving that skill and which may provide bonuses in other ways, including the aforementioned extra spells known/prepared. Barbarians, for example, get extra perks for higher Constitution modifiers, as do monks with higher Wisdom modifiers.

Dropping to Zero

If a character’s Strength or Dexterity score drops to 0, they fall to the ground and are completely helpless, either unable to support their own weight or lacking any ability to maintain their balance. If a character’s Wisdom or Intelligence score drops to 0, they fall unconscious. If a character’s Charisma score drops to 0, they become thoroughly incapable of making any conscious decisions; at the DM’s discretion, they may fall to the ground or remain standing in a helpless state, or they may blindly flee using their preferred method of movement. If a character’s Constitution score drops to 0, they are dead.

Wrap It Up

Now that you know your character’s heritage, background, class, and ability scores, it’s time to get the character ready to play. For more advanced players, it may be preferable to buy your own starting equipment, but for this game, we’ll use the starting equipment provided by your chosen heritage and background.

• If your character has a positive modifier for Constitution, add that modifier to your starting hit points.
• House Rule: If your character has a positive modifier for Intelligence, you gain one additional language or non-skill proficiency per point. A negative Intelligence modifier removes one additional language (though never your heritage language nor Common) or non-skill proficiency, regardless of value (e.g. a -2 modifier would still remove only one language or non-skill proficiency).
• Apply your Dexterity modifier to your Initiative. Depending on what kind of armor you choose (if any), you may also add some or all of your Dexterity modifier to your Armor Class. If you have a class feature which allows you to use an ability score to your Armor Class in addition to Dexterity, apply that as long as you are meeting its conditions (e.g. not wearing armor).
• If you are proficient with each of your melee weapons, apply your Strength modifier to your attack and damage rolls. If the weapon is a finesse weapon, you may optionally use your Dexterity modifier instead.
• If you are proficient with each of your ranged weapons, apply your Dexterity modifier to your attack and damage rolls. If the weapon is thrown, use your Strength modifier instead.
• Please select one Trinket by rolling d100, picking one which intrigues you, or picking one which fits with your chosen heritage, background, or class. You may also suggest to the DM a trinket which suits your character and is of similar or appropriate monetary value and curiosity, particularly if this trinket is related to your Secret or is a token representing the ally you name as “the guy you know”.
• Select and record any spells you know as well as your Spell Save DC and Spell Attack Bonus.
  • Spell Save DC = 8 + proficiency bonus + relevant ability modifier
  • Spell Attack Bonus = proficiency bonus + relevant ability modifier
  • If you have any spells which use a different ability modifier than your class spells, such as those granted by a heritage trait or background, you may wish to request the DM give you an additional spell sheet so you can record that Spell Save DC and Spell Attack Bonus separately. However, the House Rules on heritage allow you to decide which of the three mental attributes you wish to use for cantrips and spells granted in this manner, so it is suggested that you use the score which best aligns with your chosen class.
  • If you are a divine or primal spellcaster—a cleric, druid, or paladin—you technically “know” all of the spells 1^st level and above which are available to your class and level, but you must prepare them during a long rest as per the Player’s Handbook. Instead of listing every spell you know and then indicating on the sheet whether or not one is prepared, you may wish to list your domain spell for each level, then list only those additional spells which you have prepared for that day.
  • House Rule: Rangers and warlocks similarly derive their spells from an omnipotent source, so “know” all 1st level and higher spells available to their class and level and prepare them accordingly.
  • House Rule: If your character has a positive modifier for Intelligence, you gain additional known or preparable spells for your class based on your  Intelligence modifier.

That’s it… for now! If you want to flesh out your character further with a description or illustration of their appearance or a narrative for their backstory, go ahead and do so at your leisure. If you lack the artistic ability—or time!—to produce a portrait of your character, the character creation menus of such games as Baldur’s Gate 3 and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim are an excellent way to generate a model which you can screenshot and include with your character sheet. Nearly all of the portraits on the pre-made characters’ sheets were created using the character creator from Baldur’s Gate 3, though the tabaxi portraits were made with Skyrim. (Tabaxi has wares if you have coin.) 

Please do not use art-stealing AI applications to generate a character portrait.

Once you’ve selected your character portrait, please send it to the DM so she can make a token for your character for the game map.