Character Creation

'''Character Creation / Background and Sheet'''

Once we’ve come to a basic agreement about concept, it’s time to start putting the sheet together. For most of the basic stuff, I will be encouraging people to work alone and share the information with me, and I can build on that information to help integrate people into the beginning of the campaign. I know people conceive of characters differently and have different interests in backgrounds/backstories, but create what makes sense for you and we can see how it goes.

If anything here raises a big concern for you, let me know and we’ll see what sort of compromise we can figure out. I am figuring most characters will start at Level 2. If you want to use anything outside of the core book, just let me know where you’re drawing it from so we can confirm it fits.

Stats

For simplicity’s sake I am going to have people use the 27-point Point Buy system. If that math is hard to keep in your head you can use the calculator here: http://chicken-dinner.com/5e/5e-point-buy.html

Gear

Start with gear as per the basic for your class, and then adjust according to your background. I am less preoccupied with cost than I am with it matching your lifestyle/concept. If you’re a living on the road, where are you storing your armory, etc?

Alignment

The game is built with some moral ambiguity for the players, but playing a flavor of neutral or good alignment probably is the simplest match and will allow the group to cohere a bit more easily. I am open to all alignments for PCs other than Chaotic Evil, though anybody who wants to play lawful evil or neutral evil, or chaotic neutral, might need to help me understand what motivates and organizes the character so I can create a setup that makes sense.

Backgrounds

I am open to pretty much any of the Backgrounds available, though a few may get mild tweaks to address the setting.

Most PCs, especially those from classes marked as ‘common,’ I will try to find some perks that reflect their background and circumstances. As the sheet comes together, we can discuss.

Narrative

Some people like to write long, elaborate backgrounds. Some people don’t like to write more than a few sentences beyond their character sheet. I am not attached to a particular length, but I do want to have a sense of how you address some of the questions in these three areas:

Past

What are the significant events that have made your character who they are today? What were they like as a child? What figures from her past are still in her life? What memories are the ones he would like to forget? What led to them choosing their class/profession?

Present

What does your character do for a living/to survive? Who are their friends and associates, teachers and mentors? Do they have a family or romantic partner(s)? What does she do in her spare time for fun or to relax? What are the parts of his life that frustrate or challenge him? Where do they live? Are they happy/restless/depressed/anxious? What activities do they most enjoy?

Future

What are your character’s long-term goals and aspirations? Do they have them? Does she want power/wealth/privilege? Is he interested in a family, children, a legacy? Have they shared their plans with anyone? What are her fears about the future? What (if anything) is he doing today, to prepare for tomorrow?

QUESTION: As a player, what is your big question about this character? What are you wondering or curious about him/her/them? Do you have hopes/fears for them (or about playing them) that differ from the character’s own hopes and dreams?