Step 5: Choose a Class

At this point, you need to decide your character’s class. A class gives your character access to a suite of heroic abilities, determines how effectively they fight, and governs how easily they can shake off or avoid certain harmful effects. Each class is fully detailed in Chapter 3, but the summaries on pages 22–23 provide an overview of each and tells you which ability scores are important when playing that class.

You don’t need to write down all of your character’s class features yet. You simply need to know which class you want to play, which determines the ability scores that will be most important for your character.

CHARACTER SHEET

Write your character’s class in the space at the top of the first page of your character sheet, then write “1” in the Level box to indicate that your character is 1st level. Next to the ability scores, note the class’s key ability score, and add 2 to that ability score from the ability boost the class provides. Don’t worry about recording the rest of your character’s class features

OPTIONAL:

and abilities yet—you’ll handle that in Step 7.

VOLUNTARY FLAWS

Sometimes, it’s fun to play a character with a major flaw even if you’re not playing an ancestry

Step 6

6

that imposes one. You can elect

Determine Ability Scores

to take two additional ability flaws when applying the ability Now that you’ve made the main mechanical choices about your character, it’s time

boosts and ability flaws from to finalize their ability scores. Do these three things: your ancestry. If you do, you can

• First, make sure you’ve applied all the ability boosts and ability flaws you’ve also apply one additional free noted in previous steps (from your ancestry, background, and class). ability boost. These ability flaws
• Then, apply four more ability boosts to your character’s ability scores, can be assigned to any ability choosing a different ability score for each and increasing that ability score score you like, but you can’t apply more than one ability flaw to the by 2. same ability score during this
• Finally, record your starting ability scores and ability modifiers, as determined step unless you apply both of the using Table 1–1: Ability Modifiers. additional ability flaws to a score Remember that each ability boost adds 2 to the base score of 10, and each ability that is already receiving an ability flaw subtracts 2. You should have no ability score lower than 8 or higher than 18. boost during this step. In this case, the first ability flaw cancels the ability boost, and the second ability flaw decreases the score

CHARACTER SHEET

Write your character’s starting ability scores in the box provided for each. Record

by 2. Likewise, as an exception

to the normal rules for ability the ability modifier for each ability score in the box to the left of the ability’s name.

boosts, you can apply two free ability boosts to an ability score receiving an ability flaw during

Step 7

7

this step; the first ability boost

Record Class Details

cancels the ability flaw, and the second ability boost increases the Now, record all the benefits and class features that your character receives from the score by 2. For example, a dwarf class you’ve chosen. While you’ve already noted your key ability score, you’ll want to normally gets an ability boost to be sure to record the following class features. Constitution and Wisdom, along

• To determine your character’s total starting Hit Points, add together the with an ability flaw to Charisma. You could apply one ability flaw number of Hit Points your character gains from their ancestry (chosen in each to Intelligence and Strength, Step 2) and the number of Hit Points they gain from their class. or you could apply both ability
• The Initial Proficiencies section of your class entry indicates your character’s flaws to Wisdom. You could not starting proficiency ranks in a number of areas. Choose which skills your apply either additional ability flaw character is trained in and record those, along with the ones set by your class. If to Charisma, though, because it is your class would make you trained in a skill you’re already trained in (typically already receiving dwarves’ ability due to your background), you can select another skill to become trained in. flaw during this step.
• See the class advancement table in your class entry to learn the class features your character gains at 1st level—but remember, you already chose an ancestry and background. Some class features require you to make additional choices, such as selecting spells.

CHARACTER SHEET

Write your character’s total Hit Points on the first page of your character sheet. Use the proficiency fields (the boxes marked “T,” “E,” “M,” and “L”) on your character sheet to record your character’s initial proficiencies in Perception, saving throws, and the skills granted by their class; mark “T” if your character is trained, or “E” if your character is expert. Indicate which additional skills you chose for your character to be trained in by marking the “T” proficiency box for each skill you selected. Likewise, record your character’s their armor proficiencies in the Armor Class section at the top of the first page and their weapon proficiencies at the bottom of the first page. Record all other class feats and abilities on the second page. Don’t worry yet about finalizing any values for your character’s statistics—you’ll handle that in Step 9.