Dungeons & Dragons Character Generation Primer

In order to create a Dungeons & Dragons Character you need to think about 6 things

1) The character’s race (human, elf, dwarf, ect)

2) The character’s attributes – 6 scores that define their physical and mental abilities and
limitations
3) The character’s class – Warrior, Mage, Cleric, or Thief
4) The character’s alignment – who they look at life and how they approach situations
5) The character’s skills and proficiencies
6) The character’s equipment – what do they have in their possession when the adventure starts

Race
Human – Just like us! Humans have short lives compared to other races and as such are very ambitious
and industrious. They also have the most variety among the races – ranging from large and mighty
warriors to small and nimble scouts or thieves. They can become any character class.

Elf – Elves are very long-lived people – they can live for 1000’s of years and do not age like other races
do. Because of this they can become very skilled over their long lifetimes. At the same time, their do not
have the same urgency and ambition that other races have. They value personal freedom and growth
over societal rules. They have pointy ears and are very attuned to magic. They are generally the same
size as humans but slimmer. They are usually very graceful, skilled, and nimble, but are not as physically
tough as humans or dwarves. They are usually considered quite handsome/beautiful, but can be aloof
and arrogant.

Half-Elf – Half Elves are people who have one parent who is an elf and one who is a human. They are
very interesting characters because they live much longer than humans but not as long as elves. As a
result, they do not really fit in either society. In a human society that watch all their friends grow up and
grow old much faster than they do. In an elven society they age much faster than their elven friends.
Because of this they often live alone, drifting between places. They are usually ranger or thief
characters. Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings is a half-elven character.

Dwarf – Dwarves are shorter and stockier than humans. Even though they are usually only 4 ½ feet tall,
they are generally have broader shoulders and larger muscles than humans, making them generally
stronger and tougher. They are brave, stubborn, and loyal, and value clan values over personal freedom.
They live in mountains and hills where they dig extensive mines and build underground fortresses. They
value hard work, wealth, and family. They are also generally viewed as grumpy and dour by other races.
Dwarves make good warriors, but can also be clerics or thieves. They cannot do magic, so cannot be
mages.

Halfling – Halflings are much shorter and smaller than humans, about 3 ½ feet tall. They are cheerful
people that like simple lives with friends, and lots of food. They are generally very nimble and clever
with their hands, and make really good scouts and thieves. Their small size means they do not make
great warriors. They also cannot do magic, and so can’t be mages.

Gnome – Gnomes are very small, even a little smaller than halflings. They are very clever and like to
work with their hands and enjoy practical jokes. Gnomes are generally cheerful and easy to get along
with. They make good scouts, and their cleverness with their hands makes them very good lockpickers.
They also have an innate ability to understand certain magics that focus on illusion. They generally don’t
make very good warriors because of their small size.

Dragonborn – Dragonborn are humanoid creatures with features of dragons. They have scaly skin
reptilian faces. They are generally broader, taller, and stronger than humans. They can also sometimes
breath fire or have some other breath weapon. They highly value personal honour and loyalty, and they
make good warriors.

Attributes
Attributes describe the characters natural abilities. There are 6 attributes, three physical and three
mental. They range from 3 to 18. A score of 8 is what we would consider ‘normal’ or ‘average’.

Strength – How physically strong the character is. This attribute determines how much a character can
lift, how much they can carry, and how hard they can swing a weapon. To be warrior you need a
strength of at least 9. Warriors with particularly high strength scores get bonuses to rolls to hit and to
damage in combat. Some examples on strength range would be a feeble old man (St 3 or 4) all the way
to a competitor in a ‘Strongman’ competition (St 17 or 18). Because of their small size, halflings and
gnomes generally have lower Strength scores.

Dexterity – How nimble and quick the character is. It includes how quick someone is on their feet and
how they can do delicate tasks with their hands. It affects a characters ability to do tasks like climb walls,
pick locks, move quietly, and dodge attacks. Characters with especially high dexterity are harder to hit in
combat, because they can nimbly move out of the way. A Thief character needs a dexterity of at least 9.
Elves, Gnomes, and Halflings generally have higher dexterity scores.

Constitution – How tough and physically resistant a character is. It represents how physically durable a
character is. Characters with a high constitution receive more hit points (how much damage they can
take in combat), and are more able to resist poison or sickness. They can also hike or run longer
distances without tiring than someone with a lower constitution. Because of their thicker builds and
general stubbornness, Dwarves generally have higher constitutions than other races. Examples of
people with high constitution scores would include an Olympic level cyclist or runner, or a professional
boxer who is known for being able to not get knocked out and keep fighting.

Intelligence – How smart a character is, and how they are able to learn and retain knowledge, or
understand complex ideas. A university physics professor, or a gifted computer programmer are
examples of characters with high intelligence scores. Intelligence is the most important attribute for a
mage, and you need an intelligence score of at least 9 to be one. Intelligence affects how many spells a
character can know, how many languages they can learn, and how able they are to learn new skills.

Wisdom – While intelligence is a measure of someone’s ‘book smarts’, wisdom is a measure of their ‘life
smarts’ or ‘street smarts’. It represents a character’s intuition, life experience, ability to think ‘outside of
the box’, and ability to come up with clever solutions to problems that would not seem obvious to most.
A therapist or bishop who is able to help people work through tough problems would be examples of
people with high wisdom. Wisdom is the most important attribute for a cleric, and you need a wisdom
of at least 9 to be one. For clerics it affects how many cleric spells they can know.
Charisma – How charming and good looking a character is. It is both a measure of how physically good
looking a character is and their overall demeanor and likeability. For example, a character can be quite
handsome (higher charisma) but also be grumpy and dour (low charisma) so would have an overall
average charisma when both factors are considered together. Players with higher charisma have an
easier time interacting with non-player characters, and are more likely to be able to talk their way out of
a dangerous situation, convince someone to help them, or get information out of people through
conversation. Dwarves generally have lower charisma, because of their overall dour personalities and
focus on hard work, whereas halflings generally have higher charisma because of their general
cheerfulness. Elves generally have average charisma, because while they are generally very good
looking, this is matched up with a general haughtiness that other races find off-putting.

Character Class

Warrior 10HP
Warriors are characters that specialize in fighting and handling weapons. This is the widest character
class, as there can be many different types of warriors. A knight in shining armour, a Viking raider, an
archer, a hired thug, a town militia soldier, a bodyguard, are all different kinds of fighters. Warriors get
to have the most weapon proficiencies and have no restrictions on what kind of armour they can wear.
They can also specialize in a particular weapon, getting bonuses in combat when using that weapon.
Strength is the main attribute for a warrior, and a character cannot be one without a strength score of at
least 9. They also benefit from high constitution (able to take more damage) and dexterity (able to use
throwing weapons, and dodge attacks) scores. Very famous and charismatic warriors would be able to
attract several companions who choose to fight along side them, and may even lead whole armies into
battle. Mulan and Merida from ‘Brave’ would be example of warrior characters.
Some specialist types of warriors include:
Ranger – a warrior that lives outdoors, and is skilled in tracking and hunting. Would wear light armour
and use ranged weapons, like a bow and arrows or throwing weapons. Can usually fight with a weapon
in each hand.
Barbarian – a warrior from a less civilized part of the world. Generally bigger, stronger, and braver than
most warriors, but may have lower intelligence and charisma scores (not because they are not smart,
but because they may come from cultures that do not value reading or writing as much as a more
civilized society.
Paladin – a very righteous and good warrior, who follows a strict code on conduct. Can be associated
with a religious order, and might be able to do some healing or protection spells that a cleric would be
able to do. Needs a high charisma, and must always follow their code of conduct.
 
Mage 4HP
Mages are able to harness the power of magic and cast powerful spells. Mages learn how to used magic
through study, and as such need a high intelligence score. They generally have lower strength and
constitution scores from spending so much time learning spells (but they don’t have to). Mages can have
a wide range of spells, such as spells that protect their friends, shoot bolts of energy at enemies, heal
injured people, see into the future, summon a creature to help them, move things with their mind…
basically just about anything you can think of. Some mages specialize in certain types of magic, like
casting illusions, or fire magic. It is fun to think up a particular magical ‘theme’ for a spellcaster, such as a
mage that grew up in the forest and who’s magic reflects that. This spellcaster may focus on spells that
can twist wood, entrape enemies in vines, or summon animals to protect them.
Mages need to be able to spend time learning and memorizing spells. They also generally cannot wear
armour as it interferes with their ability to access their magic. Elsa from ‘Frozen’ would be an example of
a mage (although her magic is intuitive and not learned).
 
Cleric 8HP
Clerics are healers and protectors. They are decent warriors and are able to use magic that can heal
injury or protect their companions from danger. They usually belong to some sort of religious order, but
they do not have to. A wandering healer, a bishop, or a warrior priest who prays for the protection from
his soldiers are all examples of clerics. Wisdom is the primary attribute for clerics, and you need a
wisdom of at least 9 to be one. Wisdom determines the number of cleric spells they can know. Clerics
also need a high wisdom score because people generally look to them for advice and solutions to their
problems. Because of this they also benefit from a good charisma score. Clerics do not have any
restrictions on armour or weapons, although they generally use non bladed weapons like hammers and
maces. Like Mages, clerics can be designed around a particular ‘theme’. For example, a cleric who
follows a god of winter may wear a wolf pelt and be able to call down an ice blizzard to drive away
enemies. A cleric who follows a god of healing may choose not to fight whenever possible and focus on
healing spells. A cleric who follows a god of war might be very aggressive and carry a large hammer, and
focus on spells that increase the strength and bravery of their companions.
A specialist type of cleric is a druid, a cleric who is in tune with Nature. They would live in the wild and
focus on protecting nature, with spells that would cause trees to grow or summon animal companions.
 
Thief 6HP
A thief is a character that uses sneakiness or quickness to get out of sticky situations. Despite the name,
they do not necessarily have to steal, or be bad, although they can be, and their skill set would certainly
make them better at these things than others. A scout, explorer, mountaineer, a tomb raider, or a street
performer are all examples of thief characters. They are able to move silently, pick locks, climb surfaces
that others could not, and pick pockets. They generally prefer smaller weapons and throwing weapons,
and generally do not wear armour, as it impedes their ability to move silently. In a fight, they will
generally not go toe-to-toe with the enemy like a warrior would, but would instead try ways to sneak up
behind, trick, or distract their opponent. They are also very good at striking enemies in vulnerable places
for increased attack damage. The main attribute for a thief is dexterity, but they also benefit from having
high intelligence (to pick locks or read clues) and charisma (to talk their way out of a bad situation).
Aladdin and Flynn Ryder from ‘Tangled’ would be examples of thief characters.
A specialist type of thief is a bard, who uses their high dexterity and charisma to entertain crowds. They
are able to juggle and do leaping tricks and are gifted singers and storytellers. The best bards are even
able to tap into a little bit of magic with their singing, and are able to win over crowds, encourage their
companions or calm a potential enemy with the right story or song.
 
Multiclass
It is possible to be more than one class. This leads to some interesting combinations of abilities, but a
multiclass character will generally progress slower than others as they have to devote experience to
many different skill sets. Some examples include:
A dwarf who specializes in scouting out tunnels and fighting in tight spaces could be a warrior/thief.
An elf who has spent significant time mastering both weapons and magic could be a warrior/mage.
A human fighter who is also deeply religious could be a warrior/cleric.
Alignment
Alignment informs how the character looks at the world and how they handle situations. It is good to
have this understanding because the character is not you, they are a character with their own story and
destiny. A good roleplayer will try to make the character do what they would choose to do, just like an
actor playing a character in a move. Knowing the character’s alignment helps with this.

There are two different parts to alignment – chaos vs law, and good vs evil. Each includes ‘neutral’ so in
all there are 9 different possibilities. Law vs chaos shows how the character feels about laws and
structure in society. A lawful character respects laws, and believes they are in place to bring order and
stability to the world, whereas a chaos character values personal freedom more and thinks that laws get
in people’s way. A good character wants to help people and do good in the world, whereas an evil
character wants to do what is best for them regardless of how it impacts others. Playing neutral or evil
characters is a little harder to do, so we will only discuss the three good alignments here.

Lawful Good – This character wants to help people and do good in the world, and they believe that a
system of fair laws is the best way to bring that about. They respect laws and will uphold them to the
best of their ability. A guardian knight, a benevolent king, and an honest police officer are all examples
of lawful good characters.

Neutral Good – This character wants to help and protect people and make the world better for others,
but doesn’t really care about how they go about doing that. They will follow laws when it suits their
purpose, but will just as easily work outside the law if they feel that doing so is the best way to bring
about good. Batman is a really good example of Neutral Good – he wants to protect Gotham city and is
perfectly willing to do that outside of the law as a vigilante, but will also work with Commissioner
Gordon when it suits his purposes in bringing down a villain.

Chaotic Good – This character wants to help and protect people, but they feel that the best way to do
that is for them to have as much personal freedom as they can. They feel that laws and systems are
inherently unfair and keep the world from being a better place. Robin Hood is a good example of a
Chaotic Good character, as he actively fights against an unfair societal system (the evil King John and the
Sherriff of Nottingham), but he helps the peasants by giving them what he steals.

You would use Alignment to help you decide what a character would do in a given situation. For
example, how would the character react to a starving beggar stealing bread? A lawful good character
would not support stealing the bread, because it is breaking the law – instead they would try to help the
beggar find a place where he could get some food, like a church, or if they are powerful enough, perhaps
they would try to create a system where poor people could get a meal if they needed it without stealing.
A chaotic good character would encourage the beggar to steal the bread, as the good for him getting fed
outweighs the bad of stealing, and society is generally unfair anyway, which is keeping the beggar poor.
A neutral good character would support whatever choice would be easiest to help the beggar or that
would do the most good. That may be the lawful option if that is easiest, or it may be supporting the
stealing if the society is generally corrupt and they do not trust that the beggar can get food any other
way.

Skills and Proficiencies

This is where you need to think about skills that your character has. There are different types that you
need to consider:
Weapon proficiencies – what weapons the character is familiar with and able to use. Warriors get the
most weapon proficiencies and would generally start with 4. They can also choose one to specialize in. If
you try to use a weapon that you are not proficient in you would receive penalties on to-hit and damage
rolls with that weapon. Warriors can choose any weapons, whereas thieves and mages generally will
choose smaller weapons. A cleric could have restrictions on what weapons they use – for example if
they are not allowed to draw blood, they may choose to fight with a hammer instead of a sword.

Spells – Mages and Clerics need to keep track of the spells they know and can use. Rule books have lists
of hundreds of spells, but it is sometimes easier to make them up. A fire mage for example may know a
spell for throwing a fireball, a spell for enchanting a sword to be on fire, and a spell that heals injuries
with cauterizing flames. Mages and Clerics can learn more spells as they progress.

Thief skills – thieves can be particular good at certain things, like deciphering codes or languages, picking
locks, or moving quietly. Make note of the thief skills that your character is particularly good at.

General Skills – These can be anything you can think of. While it is tempting to think of what skills will be
handy on an adventure and give your character those (like tracking, fire-lighting, mountain climbing,
ect), your character will have more flavour if you think about their background and what skills they
would have had from that. A character who spent significant time in the wild would have trap setting,
tracking, plant knowledge, and swimming as likely skills. A young man who was a blacksmith’s
apprentice before deciding to leave for adventure would have some metalworking skills. A city guard-
turned-warrior-for-hire might know several dice and card games from long nights in the watchhouse
with their fellow guards. Skills can range through just about anything, but some examples could include
map reading and direction sense, intimidation, lip-reading, sharp eyesight, sailing (how to rig sails and
operate a sailboat) farrier and animal care (how to look after a horse and saddle it), juggling, ect. Ect.

Equipment
Lastly, you need to think about what your character has in their possession at the start of their
adventure. Usually this is gone by getting a random number of gold coins and then ‘purchasing’ the gear
that the character has, but it also is just as easy to think about what makes sense for your character to
have. A warrior would likely have 2-3 weapons that they are proficient with, some light armour that they
wear, a few coins, and some miscellaneous items that make sense based on the skills you chose. A mage
would likely have some magic ingredients needed for spells. A ranger may have some necessary
equipment for setting traps to catch animals. A bard may have a couple of daggers, the musical
instrument they use, and a set of cards for performing tricks. Simply choose the types of items that your
character should have based on their background and skill set.

Last thought
While it may be tempting to make an ‘awesome’ character (for example, a mighty barbarian warrior
from the north with a strength of 18 who can swing a huge sword in each hand), in can be just as fun,
and even more interesting, to make a more ‘real’ or grounded character. There is just as much
adventure in developing a character who has real limitations and weaknesses as much as strengths. For
example, a young man who grew up working in a stable but dreams of being a mighty warrior and sets
out to find his destiny – he may not be the strongest fighter, but he is brave and loyal and good and has
a lot of potential. Or a young noblewoman who is jaded from the courtly life and wants more, and leaves
home to find it – she may be a little naïve about how the world works and does not have many real-
world skills, but she is clever and quick, and all those dance lessons transfer really well to her ability to
move quietly and sneak past enemies.