D&D General Data from a million DnDBeyond character sheets?

[ichabod]

I did some more poking around in the names. It turns out 15.4% of the names are of the form "<username>'s Character", which is the default name for a character.

What I was really interested in was letter frequencies. So I have the following letter frequencies:

ETAOINSHRDLCUMWFGYPBVKJXQZ English texts (according to Wikipedia)
ARENISOTLCHDMUGKBYFVPWZJXQ All names in the data.
ARENIOLSTHDMUGKCBYFVWPZJXQ Names in the data not containing 'test' or 'character'

This is complicated by not everyone on D&D Beyond necessarily speaking English. Also, a lot of people may be using suggested names, making a small pool of common names weight the data. The big winner's are R and K, the big losers are T and W.

 

[Clint_L]

All other things aside, that's an impressively even spread.

Yeah, we start session 0 with just talking through the classes and I try to emphasize that players should just choose what "speaks" to them - it is kind of a neat way of getting some initial insight into the kids. I do advise them that it will be a bit more work to play a spellcaster as they will have to read up on their spell list before the first game, but almost every kid has a character vision drawn for anime or whatever before we even start. If they ask, I will try to guide them towards the class that best fits what they are describing (i.e. one kid really wanted to play a Sith Lord-type and was very happy with hexblade warlock).

Then there are usually a few experienced ones who immediately ask me about whether we are using feats, etc. and busily start optimizing.

Edit: by the time they have picked class, species, and gender/pronouns, I am starting to feel like I am getting a decent sense of each kid!

 

[darjr]

Yeah, we start session 0 with just talking through the classes and I try to emphasize that players should just choose what "speaks" to them - it is kind of a neat way of getting some initial insight into the kids. I do advise them that it will be a bit more work to play a spellcaster as they will have to read up on their spell list before the first game, but almost every kid has a character vision drawn for anime or whatever before we even start. Then there are usually a few experienced ones who immediately ask me about whether we are using feats, etc. and busily start optimizing.

That’s a great idea. Borrowing it.

 

[bedir than]

ARENIOL

This is my next character's name

 

[overgeeked]

Anyone do a breakdown of arms and armor on these? What kind of weapons and armor are common, top 10s, anything really.

 

[ichabod]

Anyone do a breakdown of arms and armor on these? What kind of weapons and armor are common, top 10s, anything really.

30.9% of the characters in the data had no equipment. Of those that did, these are the top rankings out of the top 150 pieces of equipment (I stopped tracking mundane weapons after sickle):

Most popular armor:

1. Leather
2. Shield
3. Chainmail
4. Studded Leather
5. Scalemail
6. Platemail
7. Breastplate
8. Chain Shirt
9. Half Plate

Most popular weapons:

1. Dagger
2. Shortsword
3. Handaxe
4. Light Crossbow
5. Longbow
6. Quarterstaff
7. Rapier
8. Javelin
9. Longsword
10. Shortbow
11. Mace
12. Dart
13. Greataxe
14. Scimitar
15. Warhammer
16. Greatsword
17. Hand Crossbow
18. Battleaxe
19. Spear
20. Sickle

Most Popular Magic items:

1. Potion of Healing
2. Bag of Holding
3. Potion of Healing (Greater)
4. Ring of Protection
5. Cloak of Protection
6. +1 Dagger
7. Potion of Healing (Superior)
8. +1 Shield
9. +1 Longsword
10. Boots of Elvenkind
11. Elven Chain
12. 1st Level Scroll
13. Ring of Mind Shielding
14. Cloak of Elvenkind
15. Wand of Magic Missiles

 

[bedir than]

30.9% of the characters in the data had no equipment. Of those that did, these are the top rankings out of the top 150 pieces of equipment (I stopped tracking mundane weapons after sickle):

Most popular armor:

1. Leather
2. Shield
3. Chainmail
4. Studded Leather
5. Scalemail
6. Platemail
7. Breastplate
8. Chain Shirt
9. Half Plate

Most popular weapons:

1. Dagger
2. Shortsword
3. Handaxe
4. Light Crossbow
5. Longbow
6. Quarterstaff
7. Rapier
8. Javelin
9. Longsword
10. Shortbow
11. Mace
12. Dart
13. Greataxe
14. Scimitar
15. Warhammer
16. Greatsword
17. Hand Crossbow
18. Battleaxe
19. Spear
20. Sickle

Most Popular Magic items:

1. Potion of Healing
2. Bag of Holding
3. Potion of Healing (Greater)
4. Ring of Protection
5. Cloak of Protection
6. +1 Dagger
7. Potion of Healing (Superior)
8. +1 Shield
9. +1 Longsword
10. Boots of Elvenkind
11. Elven Chain
12. 1st Level Scroll
13. Ring of Mind Shielding
14. Cloak of Elvenkind
15. Wand of Magic Missiles

Rapier isn't even the most popular sword!

 

[overgeeked]

30.9% of the characters in the data had no equipment. Of those that did, these are the top rankings out of the top 150 pieces of equipment (I stopped tracking mundane weapons after sickle):

Most popular armor:

1. Leather
2. Shield
3. Chainmail
4. Studded Leather
5. Scalemail
6. Platemail
7. Breastplate
8. Chain Shirt
9. Half Plate

Most popular weapons:

1. Dagger
2. Shortsword
3. Handaxe
4. Light Crossbow
5. Longbow
6. Quarterstaff
7. Rapier
8. Javelin
9. Longsword
10. Shortbow
11. Mace
12. Dart
13. Greataxe
14. Scimitar
15. Warhammer
16. Greatsword
17. Hand Crossbow
18. Battleaxe
19. Spear
20. Sickle

Most Popular Magic items:

1. Potion of Healing
2. Bag of Holding
3. Potion of Healing (Greater)
4. Ring of Protection
5. Cloak of Protection
6. +1 Dagger
7. Potion of Healing (Superior)
8. +1 Shield
9. +1 Longsword
10. Boots of Elvenkind
11. Elven Chain
12. 1st Level Scroll
13. Ring of Mind Shielding
14. Cloak of Elvenkind
15. Wand of Magic Missiles

Awesome. Thank you.

 

[Clint_L]

Rapier isn't even the most popular sword!

A lot of those are default items that you get when building a character on DDB, if you don't pick other options. Like, all of the top six.

 

[Thomas Shey]

At this point, forum users have to accept that the vast public very much enjoys the very stripped down fighter and even the no subclass features from 3-9 rogue.

Why? People can not want to deal with the issues of overhead of playing a spellcaster and still find some of the martial options inadequate. The threshold level is important here. I mean, I mostly prefer fighter-types over messing with spellcasters, but that doesn't mean I'm a fan of them being minimalist or I'd find the tendency for mages to take up the show more appealing. "Prefers given the available options" and "very much enjoys" are not synonymous.