How to Make a Dungeons and Dragons Character for 5e

Howdy and Salutations! This Instructable is to help smooth out the sometimes daunting and even intimidating process of creating a character for a DnD 5e Campaign or Oneshot. Whether you're a veteran trying out a new class, a migrant from previous editions or Pathfinder, or even completely New to the game altogether, this little guide should help smooth the road a bit. Before you even begin to create your character, sit down and talk to your Dungeon Master, or Dm for short, on the options they offer in their games.

Supplies

Here's what you'll need-

1. A Character Sheet for DND 5e & a Pencil with an eraser-this is where you will put your character info

2.Access to the Dnd Books, wether in physical form or in PDFs-they contain all the basic starting information

3.Access to DnDbeyond.com-this handy little site has all sorts of cool things to help flesh out your character

4.A set of Dice-to roll stats

5.Your DM-They should be able to be an invaluable help in this process

Step 1: Decide What You Wanna Play

Probably one of the best and worst parts of the process, this is where imagination takes the wheel. but either way, here are the three basic pieces you need to decide on.

1. Your Race-Decide whether you wanna play as a goblin, elf, dwarf, human, orc, or whatever wacky race your dm will allow!

2. Your Class-Make the choice on how your character is going to kick ass, whether that's by being a mighty warrior, a stealthy sneak, or a flashy spell-caster! you have 15 options of Classes to choose from!

3.Your Background/Backstory-before your character became an adventuring hero or villain, who were they? were they an orphan living on the streets, or the lone survivor of some tragedy?You Decide!

For an Example, I decided to make a Goblin Ranger with a background of Outlander! Lets call this little fellow Banks , and say he had some sort of terrible event that thrust him into modern society!

Step 2: Your Stats

Dnd is a game that relies on a set of six stats for each and every action. these stats are:

Strength-The higher the strength, the more physically powerful the character!

Dexterity-The higher the Dexterity, the more agile and stealthy the character!

Constitution-The higher the Constitution, the more your character can survive!

Wisdom-The higher your wisdom, the more mentally adept your character is!

Intelligence-The higher your Intelligence, the smarter the character!

Charisma-the higher the Charisma, the more suave and socially adept the character!

Consult with your dm on how to roll for stats. Some prefer 2d6+6, some prefer 4d6 with the lowest dropped, and even some wild gamblers go for flat d20s.

once your done rolling your stats up, look at what Racial Bonuses might affect your stats!

For example, Goblins get a plus 2 to dexterity, and a plus one to constitution!

Step 3: Decide on a Class!

you have a multitude of amazing choices to choose from when it comes to being a hero in dnd!

What Are Classes?

a class is a classification for a particular archetype of heroes in dnd. Warlocks, Wizards, Sorcerers, Bards, Clerics and Druids are all Spell Casters but the source of their magical might differs. Fighters and paladins might be similar in that they are both tank classes, but fighters tend to be a bit more versatile, whereas paladins hit hard and keep hitting.

Really it all comes down to what kinda character you wanna play.

For my Goblin, I chose Ranger.

Step 4: Building Your Character!

Now that you've sussed out your Stats, spoken with your Dm, all you have to do is write down everything!

if you're a spellcaster, take the time to look over your various spells and cantrips. If you're a warrior take your time to copy down notes on your weapons! as you play your character sheet will grow and evolve, needing small adjustments here and there.

Remember, the game is all about having fun! if you're confused or worried about how things work, take a moment to talk to your dm and fellow players!

Now, Go out there and have fun!