Characters

A character has several important traits: attributes, race, class, and proficiencies, and more tangible aspects like wealth and equipment. These can be determined in any order during character creation. You can start with a blank character sheet.

Attributes

Your character has six attributes, rated from 1 to 5. You have 12 points to distribute among them. An attribute value of 1 costs zero points, while a 2 costs one point, a 3 costs three points, a 4 costs six points, and a 5 costs ten points. If you arrange your attributes in such a way as to have leftover points, you can exchange all your remaining points to raise your lowest attribute by +1.

You add your attribute as a bonus to all rolls based on it. For example, strength is added to melee attack rolls while intelligence is added to a wizard’s spellcasting rolls.

Strength

This is a measure of your character’s physical might and muscle. It’s important for melee attacks and carrying capacity.

Dexterity

This is how quick and coordinated your character is. It’s important for ranged attacks, initiative, and reflex saves.

Constitution

This represents your character’s toughness and stamina. It’s important for determining health and fortitude saves. You add your constitution to the health you gain every level.

Intelligence

This determines how smart and educated your character is. It’s important for languages known and spellcasting for wizards.

Wisdom

This is a combination of intuition and awareness. It’s important for will saves and spellcasting for clerics and druids.

Charisma

This is how charming and influential your character is. It’s important for all social interactions of all kinds and spellcasting for bards and paladins.

Races

You can choose from among the following races, each with their own unique benefits. Attributes cannot be raised higher than 5 at character creation after factoring in racial modifiers.

Elf

Elves are elegant and studious. They gain a +1 to their dexterity or intelligence and are proficient with archery weapons. They can see in the dark.

Dwarf

Dwarves are sturdy and shrewd. They gain a +1 to their constitution or wisdom and are proficient with martial weapons. They always have advantage on fortitude saves.

Gnome

Gnomes are clever and astute. They gain a +1 to their intelligence or wisdom and are proficient with arcane weapons. They can tell if any object they touch is magical.

Halfling

Halflings are nimble and wily. They gain a +1 to their dexterity or charisma and are proficient with throwing weapons. They can use close allies or enemies as cover.

Half-Elf

Half-elves are quick and gregarious. They gain a +1 to their dexterity or charisma and are proficient with finesse weapons. They speak two additional languages.

Half-Orc

Half-orcs are muscular and tough. They gain a +1 to their strength or constitution and are proficient with heavy weapons. They reroll all 1s on damage dice.

Human

Humans are diverse and adaptable. They gain a +1 to any one attribute and have one bonus weapon or save proficiency.

Proficiencies

Your race and class grant you a variety of proficiencies. When attempting an action that involves one of your proficiencies, you add +1 per level to your roll. For all other actions, you add half your level, rounded down.

Regardless of how many sources grant you proficiency with a weapon, type of armor, or specific situation, you only ever add your proficiency bonus once to any given roll.

Defense

To hit you with a physical attack, enemies must roll equal to or higher than your defense. It is equal to 10 plus dexterity plus armor. If you are proficient with the armor you’re using, you also add your proficiency bonus to your defense.

Saves

Whenever you are threatened by something other than a normal attack, you might be able to roll a save to avoid being affected. Saves are equal to your base attribute (see below) plus proficiency (based on your class). For example, a 1st level wizard with a 3 wisdom would have a +4 will save. The difficulty of the save depends on its source, which could be affected by environmental conditions, the level of an enemy, or the rank of a spell.

Fortitude

You roll this to avoid disease, poison, exhaustion, and many kinds of spells that target your stamina. You add your constitution to fortitude saves.

Reflex

This helps you dodge traps and some spells, as well as avoiding falling damage and dragon’s breath. If you’re using a shield, you can use your reflex save to deflect an incoming weapon attack. You add your dexterity to reflex saves.

Will

Your willpower helps you defend against social attacks, confusion, and mind-affecting spells. You add your wisdom to will saves.

Languages

You speak 1 language per point of intelligence. The most abundantly-spoken languages are Common, Elven, Dwarven, and Grawl, but there are many others you could learn as well.

Clerics can learn Celestial and Infernal, the languages of the higher and lower planes, respectively. All druids speak Primal as a free bonus language, without having to spend one of their base languages on it, allowing them to communicate freely with animals and vermin. Wizards can learn Draconic, the ancient language of magic and dragons. Rogues can choose Thieves’ Cant, a secret language of slang, innuendo, and hand gestures known only to burglars and scoundrels.

Starting Wealth and Equipment

You begin play with 50 gold, a set of normal clothes, and three pieces of equipment related to your proficiencies.

Classes

Choose one of the following classes for your character. You begin the game with the maximum health at 1st level, but either roll or take half the die value for additional health each level thereafter.

Bard

Using enchanted music and a variety of skills, a bard can help their party in and out of combat.

Health: 1d8

Bards are proficient with simple weapons, finesse weapons, light armor, spellcasting, charisma maneuvers, and will saves. They add their proficiency bonus on all charisma rolls to interact with brutes and people.

At 1st level, a bard knows a number of spells equal to their charisma, and at every odd level thereafter, they learn a new spell from the following list: alter self, bless allies, charm person, create object, create illusion, dispel magic, enchant weapon, inspire competence, inspire courage, read minds, soothing song, unseen presence, and ward area.

Druid

Shapeshifters and natural spellcasters, druids are at home in the uncivilized regions of the world.

Health: 1d8

Druids are proficient with simple weapons, throwing weapons, natural weapons, light armor, shields, spellcasting, and will saves. They add their proficiency bonus on all rolls when interacting with animals or working with plants.

Once per scene, a druid may cast animal shape at a rank equal to half their level, rounded up. They don’t need to make a spellcasting roll to use this ability.

Druids gain Primal as a free bonus language, allowing them to speak with animals and vermin.

A druid’s casting attribute is wisdom. At 1st level, they know a number of spells equal to their wisdom, and at every odd level thereafter, they learn a new spell from the following list: alter self, animal shape, bless allies, bright light, control weather, feather flight, heal wounds, remove affliction, resist energy, summon animal, unseen presence, and ward area.

Paladin

Champions of the light and enemies of all things evil, paladins wield the might of their deities.

Health: 1d10

Paladins are proficient with simple weapons, martial weapons, heavy weapons, light armor, heavy armor, shields, and will saves. They add their proficiency bonus on all wisdom rolls to identify fiends and undead, as well as all charisma rolls when interacting with recognized, lawful authorities.

Paladins who commit cruel or selfish acts lose all class abilities for the rest of the scene. If they knowingly commit evil acts or repeatedly act in a cruel or selfish fashion, they lose all class abilities permanently until they atone, which usually involves a lengthy, dangerous endeavor of self-sacrifice and righting past wrongs.

Paladins have advantage on saves against fear. At 3rd level, they have advantage on saves against disease. At 5th level, they have advantage on saves against poison. At 7th level, they have advantage on saves against the special abilities of fiends and undead. At 9th level, they have advantage on saves against spells.

Once per scene, a paladin may cast one of the following spells up to a rank equal to half their level, rounded up: divine might, divine protection, inspire courage, remove affliction, sanctify ground, smite evil, or turn undead. They do not need to make spellcasting rolls to use these spells.

Rogue

Rogues live and die by their wits, relying on their quickness and guile to achieve their objectives.

Health: 1d8

Rogues are proficient with simple weapons, finesse weapons, throwing weapons, archery weapons, light armor, dexterity maneuvers, charisma maneuvers, and reflex saves. They add their proficiency bonus on all dexterity rolls for acrobatics, thievery, or stealth, as well as all charisma rolls for deception, disguise, and subterfuge.

Whenever a rogue makes an attack roll with advantage or melee attack against a target close to one of their allies, they deal 1d6 extra damage per odd level.

Wizard

Wizards are masters of magic, able to bend the universe to their will through arcane spellcasting.

Health: 1d6

Wizards are proficient with simple weapons, arcane weapons, will saves, and spellcasting. They add their proficiency bonus on all intelligence rolls to identify spells and spell effects.

A wizard’s casting attribute is intelligence. At 1st level, they know a number of spells equal to twice their intelligence and at every level thereafter, they learn a new spell from the following list: alter self, animal shape, animate dead, arcane sight, bright light, charm person, control weather, create object, create illusion, dimensional attunement, dispel magic, drain life, enchant weapon, energy blast, feather flight, find familiar, force armor, force barrier, gate fiend, read minds, resist energy, revealing divination, summon animal, telekinetic field, teleportation field, unseen presence, and ward area.

A wizard needs at least one free hand to cast a spell, and cannot cast any spells while wearing armor or using a shield.