DaveMage
Slumbering in Tsar
One of the taglines of third edition (and continued in 3.5E) is "Options, not restrictions".
As a statistical exercise, I decided to see just how much that mantra has been taken to the extreme (in this case, I am ONLY using 3.5E sources).
As a player, if all you own is the player's handbook, and you want to create a 1st level character, you have, at a basic level, 77 options (11 base classes x 7 races). If you throw in the specialist wizards, you have 133 options (19 base classes x 7 races).
Now, let's say you decide to purchase all three core rulebooks.
Depending on what your DM allows, you now could, potentially, have 893 choices at this point (40 "monster as character" races from the Monster Manual, plus the 7 base races, x 19 character classes). If for some reason your DM allowed and encouraged you to play one of the NPC classes in the DMG, then number increases to 1,128.
Think about that. We potentially have over one THOUSAND options for a newly created character - and that's JUST with the core rulebooks!
Now, let's make it even more fun! Suppose you have purchased the "Complete" series (Complete Warrior, Complete Divine, Complete Arcane and Complete Adventurer).
These books add 12 more base classes. Now you have 1,692 options.
Add the 19 new races from the three "Races of" books (not including the latest, Races of Eberron), and you have 2,376 character creation options.
If you then expand and buy the Expanded Psionics Handbook (9 races, 9 classes, 2 monster-as-character races), Miniatures Handbook (4 base classes) and the Monster Manual III (21 monster-as-character races), you then have 4,802 options.
Finally, add Frostburn (2 races, 4 monster-as-characer races), Sandstorm (2 races, 1 monster-as-character race), the Draconomicon (1 monster-as-character race), Libris Mortis (5 monster-as-character races), and the Planar Handbook (9 races, 2 monster-as-character races), and you have, in total 6,076 race/class options to create a new character.
(And, should you acquire Unearthed Arcana, enjoy the additional flexibility of 46 variant races, 38 bloodlines, 11 paragons, 43 class variations, and 25 other variants.)
So, next time you start to roll 4d6 6 times and arrange as desired, or engage in 32-point point buy, remember that you have quite a few options for those six ability scores...
As a statistical exercise, I decided to see just how much that mantra has been taken to the extreme (in this case, I am ONLY using 3.5E sources).
As a player, if all you own is the player's handbook, and you want to create a 1st level character, you have, at a basic level, 77 options (11 base classes x 7 races). If you throw in the specialist wizards, you have 133 options (19 base classes x 7 races).
Now, let's say you decide to purchase all three core rulebooks.
Depending on what your DM allows, you now could, potentially, have 893 choices at this point (40 "monster as character" races from the Monster Manual, plus the 7 base races, x 19 character classes). If for some reason your DM allowed and encouraged you to play one of the NPC classes in the DMG, then number increases to 1,128.
Think about that. We potentially have over one THOUSAND options for a newly created character - and that's JUST with the core rulebooks!
Now, let's make it even more fun! Suppose you have purchased the "Complete" series (Complete Warrior, Complete Divine, Complete Arcane and Complete Adventurer).
These books add 12 more base classes. Now you have 1,692 options.
Add the 19 new races from the three "Races of" books (not including the latest, Races of Eberron), and you have 2,376 character creation options.
If you then expand and buy the Expanded Psionics Handbook (9 races, 9 classes, 2 monster-as-character races), Miniatures Handbook (4 base classes) and the Monster Manual III (21 monster-as-character races), you then have 4,802 options.
Finally, add Frostburn (2 races, 4 monster-as-characer races), Sandstorm (2 races, 1 monster-as-character race), the Draconomicon (1 monster-as-character race), Libris Mortis (5 monster-as-character races), and the Planar Handbook (9 races, 2 monster-as-character races), and you have, in total 6,076 race/class options to create a new character.
(And, should you acquire Unearthed Arcana, enjoy the additional flexibility of 46 variant races, 38 bloodlines, 11 paragons, 43 class variations, and 25 other variants.)
So, next time you start to roll 4d6 6 times and arrange as desired, or engage in 32-point point buy, remember that you have quite a few options for those six ability scores...
Last edited:
