Race First!

[McTreble]

Hey gang,

Try this: When booting up the character builder or going from scratch, pick your race first. You'll need to empty your mind of any preconcieved notions concerning class mactchups, but trust me on this.

It makes sense that you would pick race first. I mean, you were a dwarf long before you became a Runepriest, an elf long before you became a ranger, etc...

You'll find a refreshing freedom to assign a class you want for your race, not picking the race that gives you the best bonus. It's even easier with the Essentials update with the racial bonuses. Sweet.

I also think you should try rolling 4d6, drop the lowest, and come up with 2 sets of 6 numbers, but that's a different thread.

 

[Camelot]

I've done exactly this myself! I can't remember what characters I've come up with, but I do remember my method.

I'd roll a random race. Completely random. Then I'd randomly calculate ability scores (usually adjusting it so they were point buy). I'd look at the two highest ability scores and then find all the class builds that use that combo in that order, then randomly choose which this character would be.

Of course, you can choose the race, but I like the randomness of the ability scores and class. Ability scores are like your genetics, and you'd gravitate for something that would use your best talents (I don't know who wouldn't do that in real life anyway). It can make some fun characters!

 

[thewok]

I actually come up with a character concept before I even load up the builder. The character I'm playing in the current campaign is a tiefling wrathful invoker. The wrathful invoker likes Wisdom and Constitution, neither of which the Tiefling has racial bonuses for.

My friend, who plays my character's brother, made a tiefling cleric. We discuss character ideas a lot. One of these ideas was a pair of divine characters, one as the god's emissary, and the other as his/her protector. Initially this was Paladin/Cleric. We also thought Avenger/Invoker would be good, too.

So, when we got word of a new campaign starting to get the newbie to the group to learn the game, we decided to do our idea. My friend decided he'd be the cleric, and I decided on invoker. For our race, we went through a few options. We ended up deciding on twin tieflings, raised in the church. I decided my wrathful invoker was a meek character, who was unnaturally calm as a child. When I wrote up the background story, she never cried as an infant, and she could see and talk to angels. I chose the "Weapon of the Gods" background for her and gave her the Supernal language. I decided that her knowledge of Supernal was reflexive rather than studied, and when she was talking to the angels, she used and understood the language without any conscious effort. The reason angels were sent to watch over her and her brother was because they were meant to lead the war against the demon lord that was prophesied to return.

... Then my character concept got hijacked for the GM's girlfriend's Deva Avenger. I'm still a little miffed about that.

Our group also uses the 4d6 method of character creation. We don't really care for point-buy.

 

[Big Chowder]

Usually when I make a character I'll think about it a bit before I even crack open a book or boot up the ol CB. I also use the 4d6 system as I find the point buy system doesn't always give me that heroic edge that I've come to expect with Dungeons and Dragons.

 

[ourchair]

I usually limit my race choices to those that can fit into the ongoing campaign story.

For example, jumping mid-game into my own campaign as someone else guest DMs, I've been looking at playing Githzerai -- since dealing with the barrier that separates Xoriat from the Prime Material Plane of Eberon is part of the campaign's implied arc -- makes sense to me because he would have been a former slave of the illithids.

 

[The Human Target]

I wish that any race could be roughly equally great at any class.

But sadly thats not how the game works.

And the thing is, class is far more mechanically important anyway.

So its more of an important decision, and I think it should be what you choose first anyway.

 

[Iron Sky]

Until a few months ago, the CB was race first, then class. I'd always go pick Class, then come back to Race so I welcomed the change. I must be in the perceived majority, otherwise they probably wouldn't have changed it.

 

[AngryMojo]

I wish that any race could be roughly equally great at any class.

At least it's better now than it was. There's a lot of support for off-ability builds, like Tiefling fighters and whatnot.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I've been playing since '77...which means I've played a LOT of different combos...so its understandable when I say that I sometimes find myself in a rut. To combat this, I don't always start PC gen at the same point. In fact, I do a lot of things:

• Some, like the OP suggests, I start with race.
• Some I start with stats- 3d6, 4d6, point-buy...whatever is game/system/campaign appropriate
• Some I start with class.
• Some I have even started with a weapon, spell, power or even feat.
• Some get inspired by music, art or stories- and not necessarily by the main character, because sometimes, there is no character to be inspired by.
• Finally, I keep a log of all the PC ideas I come up with. That way, if I'm stymied for ideas, I always have something to work with. Sometimes, I even flesh out those PCs...I've got over 100 (covering 4 different game systems) on my PDA alone, not to mention hundreds of character sheets in folders here and there.

 

[The Human Target]

At least it's better now than it was. There's a lot of support for off-ability builds, like Tiefling fighters and whatnot.

Totally agreed.

I just hope one day we get true race/class freedom without it making your character "sub optimal."