pep BEYOND Chapter 4: Personality and Background ~ ParTl CHARACTER CREATION (Characters are defined by much more than their race and class. They‘ incviduals with their own stories, interests, connections, and caps beyond those that class and race define. This section expounds onthe details that lstingush ch ‘name and physical description the rules of backgrounds and languages, and the finer points of personality and agement. ters from one another, including the bas Character Details Your character's name and physical description might be the fst things thatthe other players at the table learn about you. I's worth thinking about how these characteristics reflect the character you have in ming, “TIKA AND ARTEMIS: CONTRASTING CHARACTERS. “The dea nthis ection make a bg eiferencein sting your character apart rom every other character. Consider the folowing wo human ght Haling from the Dragonlance eting, Tha Waylan was abrathtesnage who had a ough chilshoed. Th daughter ofthese ran away rom home and pacticnd her fathers vade onthe streets of Solace When she wed to ob the poplar ofthe in ofthe Last Home, he caught er andtok he under his wing. ging her Job as a barmaid, But when the cragonaries lid waste othe town of Solace and destroyed the in necessity forced Tika into adventure alongside te frends she'd known fom her hldhood. Her skllas 2 fighter a fryng pan remains one of her forte weapons) combined with herhstry onthe streets gave ber sls Invaluable her adventuring cree: -stemis Enver grow up on he strets of Calimpotin the Forgotten Realms, He used his ws, senshi agi to car out his own etry none ofthe cy hundreds of poor stant towns, Aller several years he atacted the natice of oreo the most powerful thew’ gui inthe city, and he ascended the ranks ofthe ul quickly despite his youth Artemis became the favored assassin of oreo he c's pashas, who sent hm t far-off ewig Dale to recover some stolen gemsHet a professional, constant challenging himself to improv is skis Tika nd Artemis areboth human and both ghers (th some experience as rogues) possessing sin high Strength and Dexter sores, bu there the stay ends Name ‘Your character's race description includes sample names for members of that race, Put some thought into your name even i you're just picking one from alist. Sex You can play a male or female character without gaining any special benefits or hindrances, Think about how your character does or does not ‘conform to the broader culture's expectations of sex, gender, and sexual behavior, For example, a male drow cleric defies the traditional gender lvsions of drow society, which could be a resson for your character to leave that society and come tothe surface, You dont need tobe confined to binary notions of sex and gender. The elf god Corellon Larethian is often seen as androgynous, for example, and ‘some elves inthe multiverse are made in Corellon’s image. You could also play a female character who presents herself as a man, a man who feels trapped ina female body, o- a bearded female dwarf who hates being mistaken for a male. Likewise, your character’ sexual orientation Is for you to decide. Height and Weight ase Hedght Base Weight Race Height Mosier Weight Modifier Human a e200 no. (2) wat il a vase 1158, (245 wart mountain 4 08 1208. (286 Et.high ae vaso 0b. 1) Ef, wood 46 2410 100. (1) You can decide your characters height and weight, using the information provided in your race description or on the Random Height ané Weight table, Think about what your character's ability scores might say about his or her eight and weight. A weak but agile character might be thin. A strong and tough character might be tall or just heavy, Hf you want to, you can cll randomly for your character's height and weight using the Random Height and Weight table. The die rll given in the Height Modifier colurnn determines the character's extra height (in inches) beyond the base height. That same number multiplied by the dice roll or quantity given inthe Weight Modif column determines the character's extra weight (i pounds) beyond the base weight, For example, as @ human, Tika has a height of 4 feet B inches plus 2410 inches, Her player ros 2410 and gets a total of 12, s0 Tika stands 5 feet 8 Inches tall Then the player uses that same roll of 12 and multiplies it by 244 pounds. Her 2d4 rolls 3, s0 Tika weighs an extra 36 pounds (123) on top of her base 110 pounds, fora total of 146 pounds. Other Physical Characteristics ‘You choose your characters age and the color of his or her hal, eyes, and skin. To add a touch of distinctiveness, you might want to give your ‘character an unusual or memorable physical characteristic, such as a scar, a limp, oa tattoo, TWA AND ARTEMIS: CHARACTER DETAILSCConsiderhow the names Tika Waylan an Artemis Entrar set these characters spat om each other and eect thel personae. Tika ie a young woman determined to prove that she's rot just ks ery mor, eng her name makes her sound young and ora. Artemis Ere, however, caries & more myeterous kale rineteen years old at the tart of her adveturing career and has aubur hai, geen eye, a akin with fel, and a moe on her ight ip. Arter 8 mal man, compact ad all wy muscle, He hae angular ful, but is yes tures and high cheekbones, and he avays seems in need ofa shave. His raven‘blak airis hick and 97 and feless—betraying the emptiness af his and sul Alignment ‘Atypical creature inthe game world hasan alignment, which broadly describes its moral and personal attitudes. Alignment is a combination of two factors: one identifies morality (good, evil or neutral), and the other describes atitudes toward society and order (lawful, chaotic, or neutral). Thus, rine distinct alignments define the passible combinations. ‘These brief summaries ofthe nine alignments describe the typical behavior of a creature with that alignment. Individuals might vay significantly {rom that typical behavior and few people ae perfectly and consistent faithful to the precepts of ther alignment. Lawful Good. (L6) creatures can be counted on to do the right thing as expected by society. Gold dragons and paladins are typically lawful good, Neutral Good. (NG) folk do he best they can to help others according to their needs. Many celetials are neutral good Chaotic Good, (C6) creatures act as their conscience directs, with tle regard for what others expect. Copper ragons and unicorns are ypically chaotic good Lawful Neutral. (LN) indivicuals act in accordance with law, tration, or personal codes. Modrons and many wizards and monks are lawful neutral Neutral. (N) isthe alignment of those who prefer to steer clear of maral questions and don take sides, doing what seems best atthe time. Druids are traditionally neutral, as ae typical townsfolk ‘Chaotic Neutral. (CN) creatures follow their whims, holding their personal freedom above all else, Many rogues and bards are chaotic neutral Lawful Evil (LE) creatures methodically take what they want, within the limits of a code of traction, loyalty, or order, Devils and blue dragons are ‘ypically lawful evil ‘Neutral Evil (NE) isthe alignment of those who do whatever they can get away with without compassion or qualms. Yugolaths are ypically neutral ev ‘Chaotic Evil (CE) creatures act mit arbitrary violence, spured by their greed, hated, or bloodlust, Demons and red dragons are typically chaotic ev ‘Alignment in the Multiverse For many thinking creatures, alignment is a moral choice. Humans, dwarves elves, and other people can choose whether to follow he paths of good ‘orev law of chaos, According to myth the gods who created these folk gave thern fe will choase thelr moral paths. ‘Alignments an essential pat of the nature of celestials and fends. Both types of creatures are associated with metaphysical planes of existence specifically the Outer Planesthat embody certain alignments. For example, most devis hall rom the Nine Hells, a plane of lawful evi A devil does ‘ot choose tobe lawful evil or tend toward lawful ev, but rather itis lawful ev ints essence. Ifit somehow ceases to be lawful ev it changes into something new~a transformation worthy of legend Most creatures that lack the capacity fr rational thought do not have alignments—they are unaligned. Such creature is incapable of making a ‘moral or ethical choice and acts according to its bestial nature, Sharks are savage predators, for example, but they arenot evil they have no alignment. TWA AND ARTEMIS: ALIGNMENT “Tks Weyl is neal good, fundamentally good-hearted ad string to elpoters wheeeshecan Artemis awful el unconcered with the valu of sentient but at est professona nis approtehto murda ‘As anv characey, rtm ent nde adventurer. He began bs creer ae allan, an only cooperates with arose when he must~ang when in hie own bestintress, nmost gumes, vi acverturers cause problems in gfoupsalngsie others who dont share thelrinterests and objectives. General, el algnments tre forvilsng and monsters.Languages Your race indicates the languages your character can speak by default, and your background might give you access to one of mote addtional languages of your choice. Note these languages on your character sheet (Choose your languages from the Standard Languages table, or choose one that Is common in your campaigh. With your DM's permission, you can Instead choose a language from the Exotic Languages table or a secret language, such as thieves’ cantor the tongue of druid. Some of these languages are actualy families of languages with many dialects. For example, the Primordial language includes the Auran, Aquan, Ignan, and Terran dialects, one foreach of the four elemental planes. Creatures that speak different dialects ofthe same language can communicate with one another, Standard Languages Language Typleal Speakers Serpe Owarvish Owarves wari veh eves ven ant pes, ante Dwarash Gromish Gnomes Dwarich obtn obras Owen Halting Haltings ‘commen ore ores Dwarash Exotic Languages Language ‘ypial speakers Serpt eyssal Demons Infernal Cats Celeste Cotesia Dracenie Dragons, agenborn racic Deep Speech bales. cbakere - Infernal evils Infernal Primoriat ements Dwavish ivan Foy creatures wish Underommon Undernot tradere tish Personal Characteristics Fleshing out your character's personality~the aay of traits, mannerisms, habits, bellefs, and flaws that give a person a unique identity—ll help you bring him or hee to life as you play the game. Four categories of characteristics ate presented here: personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws, Beyond those categories, thnk about your character's favorite words or phrases, tes and habitual gestures, vices and pet peeves, and whatever else you can imagine, Each background presented later in this chapter includes suggested characteristics that you can use to spark your imagination. You're not bound to ‘those options, but they'e @ good starting point Personality Traits{Gwe your character two personaly traits Personalty traits are small, simple ways to help you set your character apart from every other character. Your personaly traits shoul tell you something interesting and fun about your character. They shouldbe self-