D&D 5E 5E Character Creation

ren1999 · Oct 6, 2012

There is a lot to like in this latest play test installment. I have summarized what I liked and have changed and added what I think should be included. What do you think?

Choose a race.

Dwarf Racial Bonus: +1 Strength, or +1 Constitution
low-light vision (see 30 feet in darkness)
save verses poison +1 bonus
armor proficiency (reduce dexterity penalty by 1)

Elf Racial Bonus: +1 Intelligence, or +1 Wisdom
low-light vision (see 30 feet in darkness)
save versus charm +1 bonus
listen search +1 bonus

Halfling Racial Bonus: +1 Dexterity, or +1 Charisma
nimbleness (move through larger being's space)
save versus fear +1 bonus
stealth +1 bonus

Human Racial Bonus: +1 to any ability.
1 additional skill
save versus poison, charm, or fear +1 bonus
1 additional background

Custom or Half-Racial Bonus: +1 to any ability.
1 additional skill
save versus poison, charm, or fear +1 bonus
1 additional background

Choose a background theme.

Choose 1 background of skills your character learned before becoming a professional adventurer.

Choose a class.

Fighter
Class Bonus: +1 Strength
Starting Hit Points: constitution score+12
Hit Points Per Level-Up: +12 hit points
Healing Potion Daily Stocks: 6
Armor: any
Weapon: any
Class Powers: Martial Feats

Rogue
Class Bonus: +1 Dexterity
Hit Points: constitution score+10
Starting Hit Points Per Level-Up: +10 hit points
Healing Potion Daily Stocks: 5
Armor: leather, studded leather
Weapon: fast weapons up to 1d6 damage
Class Powers: Rogue Skills

Cleric
Class Bonus: +1 Wisdom
Starting Hit Points: constitution score+8
Hit Points Per Level-Up: +8 hit points
Healing Potion Daily Stocks: 4
Armor: chain-mail
Weapon: the weapon of the cleric's god
Class Powers: Healing, Cursing and Controlling Prayers

Wizard
Class Bonus: +1 Intelligence
Starting Hit Points: constitution score+6
Level-Up: +6 hit points
Healing Potion Daily Stocks: 3
Armor: bracers, jewelry and magic abjuration spells
Weapon: wooden staff, dagger, dart, sling
Class Powers: Burst Area Spells

Theme Class
Class Bonus: +1 ability
Starting Hit Points: constitution score+9
Level-Up: +9 hit points
Healing Potion Daily Stocks: 4
Armor: any appropriate for the build
Weapon: any appropriate for the build
Power Types: any feat, skill, spell or prayer appropriate for the theme class

Class Features

All classes start with 3 chosen 1st level powers.

Roll ability scores.

Roll the player-character's ability scores for Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.
Roll 4 six-sided dice (4d6) and discard the lowest roll.
Add the remaining 3d6 and apply the score to 1 ability.
Repeat the rolls for the remaining five abilities. If all scores are below 13, re-roll.

Calculate ability score modifiers.

The modifier is the ability score - 10 / 2.
If the ability score is 8 or 9, the ability modifier is (-1)
10-11(0)
12-13(+1)
etc.

the Jester · Oct 6, 2012

ren1999 said:
Human Racial Bonus: +1 to any ability.
1 additional skill
save versus poison, charm, or fear +1 bonus
1 additional background

It seems like one thing you are trying to get away from is the much-maligned "+1 to all stats, +2 to one" thing. I totally agree with that. (My favored solution is +1 to highest & lowest.)

In your treatment of the human, do you mean that each human chooses one between poison, charm or fear and gets a +1 bonus to that save, or that all humans get +1 to all three?

I like the extra skill or background for humans, but I wouldn't have both since backgrounds grant skills anyhow. I don't know which I'd prefer- it's hard to tell without really knowing how skills/backgrounds advance over time.

ren1999 said:
Roll the player-character's ability scores for Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.
Roll 4 six-sided dice (4d6) and discard the lowest roll.
Add the remaining 3d6 and apply the score to 1 ability.
Repeat the rolls for the remaining five abilities. If all scores are below 13, re-roll.

This actually provokes a thought for me. I am always in favor of rolling stats; I'm also in favor of having a "hopeless character" reroll rule.

Do you think this is an area in which 5e could provide a "dial"? Just like you can set point buy at different values to create more or less heroic pcs, you could have a series of hopeless character options:

For a gritty campaign, a hopeless character is a pc with all scores below 13.
For a standard campaign, a hopeless character is a pc with all scores below 15.
For a heroic campaign, a hopeless character is one whose ability bonuses total lower than +8.
For a superheroic campaign, all characters have one 18. A hopeless character is one whose other abilities are all below 15.

...something like that?

ren1999 · Oct 7, 2012

the Jester said:
In your treatment of the human, do you mean that each human chooses one between poison, charm or fear and gets a +1 bonus to that save, or that all humans get +1 to all three?

I like the extra skill or background for humans, but I wouldn't have both since backgrounds grant skills anyhow. I don't know which I'd prefer- it's hard to tell without really knowing how skills/backgrounds advance over time.

Humans should choose 1 of three saves. Since backgrounds grant skills, you're right. I've got to think of another human racial trait.

the Jester said:
This actually provokes a thought for me. I am always in favor of rolling stats; I'm also in favor of having a "hopeless character" reroll rule.

Do you think this is an area in which 5e could provide a "dial"? Just like you can set point buy at different values to create more or less heroic pcs, you could have a series of hopeless character options:

I wanted to drop the Point Buy system in favor of the most popular rolling system. I see that the play test 2 rules provide 1 array of stats. The chances of someone rolling another set of stats in which all are under 13 again, are very slim. If there was a Point Buy system, what would your system look like?

TrippyHippy · Oct 7, 2012

I don't like the Con+ basis for HP. Starting characters are too far divorced from 'normal people' and I like the edginess of playing starting characters who have to look after themselves rather than go swinging blindly into every encounter without consequence. Ditto with the Healing Potion stuff.

ren1999 · Oct 7, 2012

TrippyHippy said:
I don't like the Con+ basis for HP. Starting characters are too far divorced from 'normal people' and I like the edginess of playing starting characters who have to look after themselves rather than go swinging blindly into every encounter without consequence. Ditto with the Healing Potion stuff.

I'm thinking that this issue can be resolved like this.

The Dungeon Master and the Players of each game need to decide if they are going to use static hit points or roll hit dice.

The reason that I defaulted to static hit points is that I could structure the entire game on knowing how many hit points a party has and I could make the encounters as challenging as possible knowing just how much damage the party can take!

Same goes with healing potions. I thought it was a little ridiculous to say that a party recovered all its hit points during an extended rest but this is the only way we could beat Dungeons and Dragons video games. So instead of saying that we all naturally heal, I'm just saying that it is the duty of the party to collect and ration out a specific number of healing magic based on their classes. A fighter needs to store more healing potions -- for example.

Stormonu · Oct 7, 2012

I think I would change "healing potions" to "healing dice (d6)". That way the DM/players can define healing in any manner they choose - wands of cure wounds, healing potions, natural healing, second wind, etc.

Also, my preference for the bonus against poison, charm & fear is Advantage, instead of +1. It keeps it from being immunity (bleh - storykilling) and being "too weak".

the Jester · Oct 7, 2012

ren1999 said:
I wanted to drop the Point Buy system in favor of the most popular rolling system. I see that the play test 2 rules provide 1 array of stats. The chances of someone rolling another set of stats in which all are under 13 again, are very slim. If there was a Point Buy system, what would your system look like?

I honestly have no idea. My hatred of point buy is strong enough that I've never bothered to think about it- all pcs in my campaign are generated by rolling dice, and I've only made one pc with point buy (when it was the only way pcs were generated for that campaign).

ren1999 · Oct 8, 2012

Stormonu said:
I think I would change "healing potions" to "healing dice (d6)". That way the DM/players can define healing in any manner they choose - wands of cure wounds, healing potions, natural healing, second wind, etc.

Also, my preference for the bonus against poison, charm & fear is Advantage, instead of +1. It keeps it from being immunity (bleh - storykilling) and being "too weak".

Such as "Daily Allowance of Healing Items"?