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General Tabletop Discussion
*Dungeons & Dragons
Changing Order of Character Creation, from 1e to 2024
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<blockquote data-quote="Cadence" data-source="post: 9377472" data-attributes="member: 6701124"><p>With the release of a few pages from the 2024 PHB on Amazon, I thought it was interesting to look back at how the order of character creation has changed over the years.</p><p></p><p>The tldr; is</p><p></p><p>1e to 3.5:</p><p>Abilities then Race then Class</p><p></p><p>4e and 5e-2010:</p><p>Race then Class then Abilities</p><p></p><p>5e-2024</p><p>Class then Origin (Background+Species) then Abilities</p><p></p><p>The big change between 3.5 and 4e seems to be whether ability scores are limiters on what your character can be, or whether they follow from what you picture your character being. The big change from 2010 to 2024 is that Class is put up front. I guess I'm kind of surprised none of them went Race/Species then Abilities then Class (not saying I like it, but if one were back in the days when ability scores were fixed, then it feels like that would be the causal ordering).</p><p></p><p>Another change is how the other things are either called out or clumped together. 2024 still leaves alignment out (is it highlighted even more than 2014?) and then shoves equipment into details.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Anyway, here are the details, with abbreviated names of the steps in most cases. I didn't have the patience to do OD&D or the other basics or check 3e.</p><p></p><p>2024</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]367808[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p></p><p>5e - 2014:</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Race</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Class</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Ability Scores</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Describe Your Character (alignment, bonds, flaws, background)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Equipment</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Come Together (Role within the party)</li> </ol><p></p><p>4e:</p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Race</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Class</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Ability Scores</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Skills</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Feats</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Powers</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Equipment</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Fill in the Numbers (Calculate HP, AC, etc...)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Roleplaying Character Details (personality, appearance, beliefs)</li> </ol><p></p><p>3.5:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Check with Your Dungeon Master (house rules or campaign standards, what others are doing)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Roll Ability Scores</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Choose Your Class and Race (Race was Ch. 2, Class was Ch. 3)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Assign and Adjust Ability Scores</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Review the Starting Package</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Select Skills</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Select a Feat</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Review Description Chapter</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Select Equipment</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Record Combat Numbers</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Details, Details, Details (name, gender, alignment, age, appearance, and so on)</li> </ul><p></p><p>2e: No list is given. It says to "proceed in order, through Chapters 1 through 6 (Chapter 5 is optional)."</p><p></p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ch. 1 - Ability Scores</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ch. 2 - Race</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ch. 3 - Class</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ch. 4 - Alignment</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ch. 5 - Proficiencies (Optional)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ch. 6 - Money and Equipment</li> </ul><p></p><p></p><p>Moldvay Basic has 14 detailed steps and then gives a summary box.</p><p></p><ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Get a character sheet</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Abilities</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Class (Recall Race was implied by Class)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Write down special abilities and spells</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Ability Adjustments</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Bonuses and Penalites</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">0 XP</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">HP</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Alignment</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Starting Gold</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Equipment</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">AC</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Attacks</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Name</li> </ol><p>[ATTACH=full]367810[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p></p><p>1e: [Some edits to this section thanks to [USER=7023840]@Snarf Zagyg[/USER] ]</p><p></p><p>Page 8 has a list of the steps in a paragraph...</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]368012[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>and so:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Abilities</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Race</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Class</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Alignment</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Name</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Languages (based on race, class, and alignment)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">GP and equipment.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Hit points.</li> </ul><p></p><p>The order of the sections that follow with more detail are:</p><ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Ability Scores (the generation methods are in the DMG)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Race</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Class</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Alignment</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Hit Points</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Establishing the Characters (Background)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Languages</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Money</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Equipment</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Armor</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Weapons</li> </ul></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Cadence, post: 9377472, member: 6701124"] With the release of a few pages from the 2024 PHB on Amazon, I thought it was interesting to look back at how the order of character creation has changed over the years. The tldr; is 1e to 3.5: Abilities then Race then Class 4e and 5e-2010: Race then Class then Abilities 5e-2024 Class then Origin (Background+Species) then Abilities The big change between 3.5 and 4e seems to be whether ability scores are limiters on what your character can be, or whether they follow from what you picture your character being. The big change from 2010 to 2024 is that Class is put up front. I guess I'm kind of surprised none of them went Race/Species then Abilities then Class (not saying I like it, but if one were back in the days when ability scores were fixed, then it feels like that would be the causal ordering). Another change is how the other things are either called out or clumped together. 2024 still leaves alignment out (is it highlighted even more than 2014?) and then shoves equipment into details. Anyway, here are the details, with abbreviated names of the steps in most cases. I didn't have the patience to do OD&D or the other basics or check 3e. 2024 [ATTACH type="full" alt="1718731982441.png"]367808[/ATTACH] 5e - 2014: [LIST=1] [*]Race [*]Class [*]Ability Scores [*]Describe Your Character (alignment, bonds, flaws, background) [*]Equipment [*]Come Together (Role within the party) [/LIST] 4e: [LIST=1] [*]Race [*]Class [*]Ability Scores [*]Skills [*]Feats [*]Powers [*]Equipment [*]Fill in the Numbers (Calculate HP, AC, etc...) [*]Roleplaying Character Details (personality, appearance, beliefs) [/LIST] 3.5: [LIST] [*]Check with Your Dungeon Master (house rules or campaign standards, what others are doing) [*]Roll Ability Scores [*]Choose Your Class and Race (Race was Ch. 2, Class was Ch. 3) [*]Assign and Adjust Ability Scores [*]Review the Starting Package [*]Select Skills [*]Select a Feat [*]Review Description Chapter [*]Select Equipment [*]Record Combat Numbers [*]Details, Details, Details (name, gender, alignment, age, appearance, and so on) [/LIST] 2e: No list is given. It says to "proceed in order, through Chapters 1 through 6 (Chapter 5 is optional)." [LIST] [*]Ch. 1 - Ability Scores [*]Ch. 2 - Race [*]Ch. 3 - Class [*]Ch. 4 - Alignment [*]Ch. 5 - Proficiencies (Optional) [*]Ch. 6 - Money and Equipment [/LIST] Moldvay Basic has 14 detailed steps and then gives a summary box. [LIST=1] [*]Get a character sheet [*]Abilities [*]Class (Recall Race was implied by Class) [*]Write down special abilities and spells [*]Ability Adjustments [*]Bonuses and Penalites [*]0 XP [*]HP [*]Alignment [*]Starting Gold [*]Equipment [*]AC [*]Attacks [*]Name [/LIST] [ATTACH type="full" alt="1718733752294.png"]367810[/ATTACH] 1e: [Some edits to this section thanks to [USER=7023840]@Snarf Zagyg[/USER] ] Page 8 has a list of the steps in a paragraph... [ATTACH type="full" alt="1718831526987.png"]368012[/ATTACH] and so: [LIST] [*]Abilities [*]Race [*]Class [*]Alignment [*]Name [*]Languages (based on race, class, and alignment) [*]GP and equipment. [*]Hit points. [/LIST] The order of the sections that follow with more detail are: [LIST] [*]Ability Scores (the generation methods are in the DMG) [*]Race [*]Class [*]Alignment [*]Hit Points [*]Establishing the Characters (Background) [*]Languages [*]Money [*]Equipment [*]Armor [*]Weapons [/LIST] [/QUOTE]
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