Character creation is one of the most enjoyable parts of the game. You can customize your character and plan ahead to meet your own goals.
A Complete Example of how a character is created is located on a link at the bottom of this page for Avergore Flintstock
8 Steps to Character Creation:
1) Rolling abilities (The abilities of your character is already pre-generated):
A character has 6 different abilities that help them in their travels: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Each of these abilities affect different aspects of a character:
Strength: affects physical damage, ability to hit, carrying capacity (primary stat for fighter-types)
Dexterity: avoid being hit, better use of missile weapons, thieving skills (primary stat of rogue-types)
Constitution: increase health and hit points
Intelligence: more skills, higher level spell use, increase in self-training (primary stat for wizard-types)
Wisdom: higher spell use for deity-based spells, survival (primary stay for priest-types)
Charisma: relations with NPC's (non-player characters), more spells for certain spellcasters (primary stat for sorcerers)
The higher the ability score, the higher the modifier for the character gets for all skills pertaining to that ability. Below is the chart used to see what modifiers you get for the ability score:
Bonus Spells (Can't = cannot cast any spells related to this low ability)
2) Choose a race (your character's race has been predetermined)
Races give many bonuses to a character. Some attributes will be increased, some may be decreased. Other abilities can be gained as well.
Below is a quick reference of the different races and their bonuses/penalties.
3) Choose a class:
This is up to you and what you want your character to be. As you go up in levels, you may be multi-class by choosing several classes. If your different classes are more than 1 level apart, there is a 20% experience penalty. However, any race's favored class can be any number of levels different from others. (The experience point table to gain levels along with the different classes is also located in "Character Development" section)
Prestige Classes: These are specialized classes characters can obtain as they grow. Specific conditions, abilities, races must be met in order to become one. A chart with all of the Prestige classes is available in the "Character Development" section as well. You may want to peruse them to determine what direction you need to go in order to achieve one of the classes.
4) Choose Alignment:
Nine distinct alignments define all the possible combinations of the lawful–chaotic axis with the good–evil axis. Each alignment description below depicts a typical character of that alignment.
Remember that individuals vary from this norm, and that a given character may act more or less in accord with his or her alignment from day to day.
Use these descriptions as guidelines, not as scripts. Player characters can select from the first 6, the last 3 (the "evils") are reserved for monsters/NPC's.
Lawful Good, “Crusader”: A lawful good character acts as a good person is expected or required to act. She combines a commitment to oppose evil with the discipline to fight relentlessly. She tells the truth, keeps her word, helps those in need, and speaks out against injustice. A lawful good character hates to see the guilty go unpunished. Lawful good is the best alignment you can be because it combines
honor and compassion.
Neutral Good, “Benefactor”: A neutral good character does the best that a good person can do. He is devoted to helping others. He works with kings and magistrates but does not feel beholden to them.
Neutral good is the best alignment you can be because it means doing what is good without bias for or against order.
Chaotic Good, “Rebel”: A chaotic good character acts as his conscience directs him with little regard for
what others expect of him. He makes his own way, but he’s kind and benevolent. He believes in goodness and right but has little use for laws and regulations. He hates it when people try to intimidate others and tell them what to do. He follows his own moral compass, which, although good, may not
agree with that of society. Chaotic good is the best alignment you can be because it combines a good heart with a free spirit.
Lawful Neutral, “Judge”: A lawful neutral character acts as law, tradition, or a personal code directs her. Order and organization are paramount to her. She may believe in personal order and live by a code or standard, or she may believe in order for all and favor a strong, organized government. Lawful neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you are reliable and honorable without being a zealot.
Neutral, “Undecided”: A neutral character does what seems to be a good idea. She doesn’t feel strongly one way or the other when it comes to good vs. evil or law vs. chaos. Most neutral characters exhibit a lack of conviction or bias rather than a commitment to neutrality. Such a character thinks of good as better than evil—after all, she would rather have good neighbors and rulers than evil ones. Still, she’s not personally committed to upholding good in any abstract or universal way.
Some neutral characters, on the other hand, commit themselves philosophically to neutrality. They see good, evil, law, and chaos as prejudices and dangerous extremes. They advocate the middle way of neutrality as the best, most balanced road in the long run. Neutral is the best alignment you can be because it means you act naturally, without prejudice or compulsion.
Chaotic Neutral, “Free Spirit”: A chaotic neutral character follows his whims. He is an individualist first and last. He values his own liberty but doesn’t strive to protect others’ freedom. He avoids authority, resents restrictions, and challenges traditions. A chaotic neutral character does not intentionally disrupt organizations as part of a campaign of anarchy. To do so, he would have to be motivated either by good (and a desire to liberate others) or evil (and a desire to make those different from himself suffer). A chaotic neutral character may be unpredictable, but his behavior is not totally random. He is not as
likely to jump off a bridge as to cross it. Chaotic neutral is the best alignment you can be because it represents true freedom from both society’s restrictions and a dogooder’s zeal.
Lawful Evil, “Dominator”: A lawful evil villain methodically takes what he wants within the limits of his
code of conduct without regard for whom it hurts. He cares about tradition, loyalty, and order but not
about freedom, dignity, or life. He plays by the rules but without mercy or compassion. He is comfortable in a hierarchy and would like to rule, but is willing to serve. He condemns others not according to their actions but according to race, religion, homeland, or social rank. He is loath to break laws or promises. This reluctance comes partly from his nature and partly because he depends on order to protect himself from those who oppose him on moral grounds.
Some lawful evil villains have particular taboos, such as not killing in cold blood (but having underlings do it) or not letting children come to harm (if it can be helped). They imagine that these compunctions put them above unprincipled villains. The scheming baron who expands his power and exploits his people is lawful evil. Some lawful evil people and creatures commit themselves to evil with a zeal like that of a crusader committed to good.
Beyond being willing to hurt others for their own ends, they take pleasure in spreading evil as an end unto itself. They may also see doing evil as part of a duty to an evil deity or master. Lawful evil is sometimes called “diabolical,” because devils are the epitome of lawful evil. Lawful evil is the most dangerous alignment because it represents methodical, intentional, and frequently successful evil.
Neutral Evil, “Malefactor”: A neutral evil villain does whatever she can get away with. She is out for herself, pure and simple. She sheds no tears for those she kills, whether for profit, sport, or convenience. She has no love of order and holds no illusion that following laws, traditions, or codes would make her any better or more noble. On the other hand, she doesn’t have the restless nature or love of conflict that a chaotic evil villain has. The criminal who robs and murders to get what she wants is neutral evil.
Some neutral evil villains hold up evil as an ideal, committing evil for its own sake. Most often, such villains are devoted to evil deities or secret societies. Neutral evil is the most dangerous alignment because it represents pure evil without honor and without variation.
Chaotic Evil, “Destroyer”: A chaotic evil character does whatever his greed, hatred, and lust for destruction drive him to do. He is hot-tempered, vicious, arbitrarily violent, and unpredictable. If he issimply out for whatever he can get, he is ruthless and brutal. If he is committed to the spread of evil and chaos, he is even worse. Thankfully, his plans are haphazard, and any groups he joins or forms are poorly organized.
Typically, chaotic evil people can be made to work together only by force, and their leader lasts only as long as he can thwart attempts to topple or assassinate him. The demented sorcerer pursuing mad schemes of vengeance and havoc is chaotic evil. Chaotic evil is sometimes called “demonic” because demons are the epitome of chaotic evil. Chaotic evil is the most dangerous alignment because it represents the destruction not only of beauty and life but also of the order on which beauty and life depend.
5) Choose Skills/Languages:
At first level, you get many more skill points to work with depending on your class and your intelligence modifier. Use the following chart for your 1st level skill point determination. At 1st level, you can choose any skills you desire. Remember, cross-class skills cost double to purchase. Once you level, you may need to train to increase your skills in certain areas. (Skills are shown in the "Character Development" section)
Skill Points
At first level, characters can choose languages if they have an intelligence modifier from their race's bonus languages.
6) Choose Feats:
At first level each character gets 1 feat to choose (Humans get 2, Wizards/Sorcerers get bonus ones as well). You earn additional feats as you level. Everyone gets a new feat every 3 levels. Some classes get more. These feats are very important to your character development. Choose wisely! (Feats are shown in the "Character Development" section)
7) Choosing Spells for Casters:
Spells are up to each individual caster. Limited: Wizards need to store theirs in spellbooks and can have as many as they can copy. Sorcerers have them ingrained in their blood and minds and have much fewer. Clerics, druids, paladins, rangers get theirs from their gods. Bards memorize songs. Each class has to make sure they choose their spells wisely.
8) Buying Equipment:
Buy what you like with the money given. Characters will have equipment already depending on their histories. Make sure to follow the gear modifiers in the areas you purchase. For expensive items, use your charisma to lower the prices. Be careful, you may anger the shopkeepers if pressed too hard.