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Old Sep 26th, 2007, 01:02 AM
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3.5e Set 1

Good evening everyone. I'm CE2JRH, and I'll be doing a brief presentation on character building. I am following the very useful resource found in our FAQ, which can be accessed by clicking here.


Step 1: Choose Who You Wish to Be and What You Want to Do

The first step is always deciding on an archetype. Do you want to be a powerful mage? Do you want to sneak through the shadows? Do you want to be a powerful and able combatant? A protector of the weak, a healer of the ill? A little bit of a few of these? Figure out what type of character you want to be, and then figure out who they are. That'll help you feel confident and happy with your race and class choices.

A: Decide on the race.
Today I feel like starting out with something simple, and the classic human archetype is one that is open to many different roleplaying styles, depending on what you feel like. The Players Handbook even says specifically that humans do not follow racial trends as much as say, Elves or Dwarves.

B: Choose your class.
A fighter. I picture my character as a warrior, decapitating enemies in a single stroke.


C: Choose your Alignment.

I think this character will be a revolutionary in a human society fighting brutal tyrannic authority. He is determined to do the right thing, and doesn't have any respect for law if they get in the way of that. Chaotic Good.

D: Choose Your Name.
Meiron H'rifin. Names are important - they help to create the identity.

E: What do you look like?
Male, young (only 20 years of age), fairly tall (5 feet, 11 inches), fairly well build (155 pounds). Blue eyes. Golden hair.

Part 2: Character Statistics

a: Ability Scores
I rolled 4d6, 6 times. This is done by using the dice tags (Dice) 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 (/dice), except instead of circular brackets, you use square brackets.

You can also do a variety of other rolls. (Dice) 1d20+4, 1d4+2, 1d8-3, 9d7+13 (/dice) have all been demonstrated where it says random dicebelow, even though it would in reality, be harder to find a seven sided die.

Dice * Roll:
(as this is an older post, these rolls are interpreted by the older (more basic) dice roller code)
4d6: 1, 3, 6, 5Total = 15
4d6: 4, 6, 6, 6Total = 22
4d6: 3, 3, 3, 3Total = 12
4d6: 4, 5, 1, 2Total = 12
4d6: 5, 6, 1, 4Total = 16
4d6: 6, 3, 3, 1Total = 13


As you can see, the results look like this:

Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 1, 3, 6, 5 (Total = 15)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 4, 6, 6, 6 (Total = 22)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 3, 3, 3, 3 (Total = 12)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 4, 5, 1, 2 (Total = 12)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 5, 6, 1, 4 (Total = 16)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 6, 3, 3, 1 (Total = 13)

When you drop the lowest result, you get 14, 18, 9, 11, 15, and 12. A good, strong array of stats.

Dice random dice from above:
(as this is an older post, these rolls are interpreted by the older (more basic) dice roller code)
d20+4: (10) + 4 Total = 14
d4+2: (2) + 2 Total = 4
d8-3: (4) - 3 Total = 1
9d7+13: (3, 1, 3, 6, 4, 4, 1, 6, 6) + 13 Total = 47


Since this character is a fighter, strong physical stats make sense. The 18 should go in strength, since a good warrior is strong. The 15 is going to go into dexterity, since that lets the character pick up two-weapon fighting feats if I want the character to. A 14 in Constitution seems like a good idea, since hit points are good for every character. I'll put the 9 in wisdom, since I think this character will be a little rash and unreasonable. The 12 will go into intelligence - the character will have a decent memory. And the 11 in Charisma - he'll have slightly above average force of personality.

B: Hit Points Since the Fighter gets a base of 10 hit points (1d10) and first level is usual maximum hit points (almost ever DM will specify this), this character has 12 hit points (10+2 from consitution)

c) Armor Class (AC). I know this character will have chainshirt, which provides +4 to Armor class. Also, the dexterity modifier of +2 adds another 2 to that Armor, so this character will have an Armor Class of 16.

d) Saving Throws.
Fortitude: This character gains +2 fortitude from being a fighter 1, and then 2 more points from the constitution modifier
Reflex: This gains +0 from being a fighter, and +2 from having dexterity of 15 (modifier +2)
Will: This is at -1, because my wisdom is only 9, which gains a -1 penalty.

e) Base Attack Bonus: This is also dependant on class. Since I am a fighter, I get a BAB of +1 at first level.

3) Skills, Feats, Special Abilities, and Languages

a) Skills Skills of a first level character are calculated as (x+int)*4+anything else. That sounds complicated, but it isn't. Some characters get 2+intelligence skill points per level. Others 4. Others 6. Others 8. Since this is a fighter, it gets 2+intelligence skill points (*4) at first level - (2+1)*4 = 12! As complicated as that math may seem, Dungeon and Dragons gets much harder. Sometimes you'll even have to add 7 to 17. But, since this character is a human, you get an extra 4 skill points at first level, and an extra 1 at every subsequent level. This character thus, has 16 skill points.

The maximum ranks of class skills at first level is 4, and cross class is 2. Cross class are more expensive, so many characters try to avoid them. This fighter will take 4 points of Intimidate, Climb, Jump, and Swim. An athletic fighter.

b) Feats Next are feats. All level 1 characters get 1 feat. All humans get 1 bonus feat at first level. Furthermore, all fighters get 1 bonus feat at first level. That means this character has 3 first level feats! Wow!

The first feat this character will take is Weapon Focus: Greatsword. It adds +1 attack when using a greatsword - this characters primary weapon. It also opens up the useful Weapon Specialization Feat.

The second feat this character will take is Power Attack. It allows you to sacrifice attack for damage (or, when wielding a two handed weapon like a greatsword, 1 attack turns into 2 damage!)

The third and final feat this character will take is cleave. It lets you make an attack on a second enemy if you kill the first in that round.

c) Special abilities.
This character has no special abilities outside his feats, although that could change.

d) Languages. This fighter gets common by default, plus one extra language for high intelligence. I'll pick Dwarven as the language, since dwarves traded with his hometown fairly frequently.

4) Prepare yourself for the journey

a) Money, Money. Most DM's assign a certain amount of gold depending on level, or some allow you to roll for it, or take ''Max First Level'' gold - each class has a starting gold amount, found in the player's handbook. Fighters in this example have 6d4*10 gp to start off with, but we'll assume that our DM is offering us 250 gold pieces.

b) Weapons and Armor. As mentioned before, this character has a greatsword and chain mail. Sometimes it is a good idea to keep a back up blade, incase your first one gets destroyed. So we'll give him a short sword as well. Also, it is good to have a character with a ranged weapon. We'll give the fighter a short bow and some arrows.

c) Other Possessions.

Now we have to think about adventuring gear. Every character gets a set of clothing for free, and often an explorer's outfit, the standard durable clothing is what makes sense for your character.

Then other possessions can be chosen as you wish. Often a backpack is neccessary to carry all your possessions. Flint and steel so you can make a fire is usually a necessity to any prepared adventurer. Other things are as useful or as useless as you can imagine them to be - although many adventurers swear by rope.

Lastly, it makes sense to carry some water and trail rations - although DM's will care less about that then others.

As you can see, when you total up my purchases, this character has 200 gold spent, and thus, 50 gold pieces remaining.

There you have it, a first level fighter: Meiron H'rifin

Happy adventuring, and stay tuned for the next character, the Rogue!
Warning: rolls have been deleted from this post.
  #2  
Old Sep 26th, 2007, 02:32 PM
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Here is the second character build spotlight; the rogue. Please do not spell it rouge.

Step 1: Choose Who You Wish to Be

A: Decide on the race.
Rogues benefit from high dexterity, and both elves and halflings provide a benefit to dexterity. Since being small helps avoid hits and helps hide, I think this character will be a halfling.

B: Choose your class.
This person is a rogue, a thief, a scoundral. Generally self interested, his jolly appearance isn't a strong representation of his skill with the rapier and his impressive ability to disarm traps.


C: Choose your Alignment.

Rogues often are very self interested, neither good nor evil. Sometimes they do actively make an effort to harm others (and thus be evil) and some rogues take a steal-from-the rich to give to the poor, Robin hood sort of view. Regardless, rogues rarely follow the law - and this rogue will be Chaotic Neutral.

D: Choose Your Name.
Garret Thorngage. A good, upstanding, halfling name. Wouldn't want anything else for a halfling

E: What do you look like?
Male, very boyish in appearance, but a little older (23) than he looks. Only three feet and 2 inches tall, weighing only 37 pounds, this halfling is a lot smaller than his human cousin. This character will have both brown hair and brown eyes.

Part 2: Character Statistics

a: Ability Scores
I rolled 4d6, 6 times. This is done by using the dice tags (Dice) 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 (/dice), except instead of circular brackets, you use square brackets.

Dice * Roll:
(as this is an older post, these rolls are interpreted by the older (more basic) dice roller code)
4d6: 2, 2, 4, 4Total = 12
4d6: 5, 5, 6, 3Total = 19
4d6: 6, 6, 1, 5Total = 18
4d6: 2, 2, 6, 6Total = 16
4d6: 4, 6, 2, 3Total = 15
4d6: 3, 3, 1, 3Total = 10


As you can see, the results look like this:

Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 2, 2, 4, 4 (Total = 12)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 5, 5, 6, 3 (Total = 19)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 6, 6, 1, 5 (Total = 18)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 2, 2, 6, 6 (Total = 16)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 4, 6, 2, 3 (Total = 15)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 3, 3, 1, 3 (Total = 10)

When you drop the lowest result, you get 10, 16, 17, 14, 13, and 9. Quite excellent rolls.

Dexterity is often the most important ability of the rogue, so the 17 will go there.
After that, it becomes a little harder to determine. Rogues have a wide range of skills and a high intelligence really helps them, so I think I'll put the 16 into intelligence.
Constitution is also important for rogues (and every other character) so I'll put the 14 there...
Having a positive strength is really nice, even when using dexterity for a lot of things, and both wisdom and charisma aren't overly important to the rogue. So we'll put the 13 in strength, the 10 in wisdom, and the 9 in charisma. Since halflings get +2 dexterity and -2 strength, this means the character will have 19 dexterity and 11 strength.

B: Hit Points Since the Rogue gets a base of 6 hit points (1d6) and first level is usual maximum hit points (almost ever DM will specify this), this character has 8 hit points (6+2 from consitution)

c) Armor Class (AC). I know this character will have chain mail, which provides +4 to Armor class. Also, the dexterity modifier of +4 adds another 4 to that Armor, and small size increases the armor by another point, which means this character has a base armor class of 19 (10+4+4+1).

d) Saving Throws.
Fortitude: This character gains +2 fortitude a constitution modifer
Reflex: This gains +2 from being a fighter, and +4 from having dexterity of 19 (modifier +4)
Will: This is at 0, because my wisdom is 10, which has no modifiers

But wait! Halfling racial traits indicate that halfings get a +1 bonus to each save. so the saves become Fortitude 3, Reflex 7, and Will 1, respectively.

e) Base Attack Bonus: The rogue gets three quarters base attack progression, or 0.75 points per level. You can find their BAB progression chart in the Systems Reference Document (SRD) or Players Handbook (PHB)

3) Skills, Feats, Special Abilities, and Languages

a) Skills Rogues get lots of skills. At first level, they gain 8+intelligence * 4 skill points - with an intelligence of +3, that means 44 skill points!

The maximum ranks of class skills at first level is 4, and cross class is 2. Cross class are more expensive, so many characters try to avoid them. As a rogue, there are many useful skills which you want to keep at their maxiumum (like the senses skills: Spot, Listen, Search) and the Trap skills (Open Lock, Disable Device) and Use Magic Devices is also very useful, as well as the sneaking skills (Hide, Move Silently). After that, people argue about what skills rogues really need, or some like to be adept at a variety, as this character is demonstrating.

b) Feats Next are feats. All level 1 characters get 1 feat. This character doesn't gain any bonus feats.

Weapon finesse is very useful for rogues, allowing them to use dexterity rather than strength for attack rolls. Unfortunately, it requires a base attack bonus of +1, which this character, unfortunately, doesn't meet. On the other hand, halflings gain a bonus when it comes to throwing weapons, so this character will take Point Blank Shot and concentrate on throwing daggers.

c) Special abilities.
Aside from Point Blank Shot, this character gets special abilities for being a halfling - +2 points to climb, jump, listen, and move silently (seen in the misc column of skills).
+1 to all saving throws, seen in the misc column of saving throws
A bonus +2 versus fear, listed under racial traits
A bonus +1 on throwing weapons and slings - which explains why the daggers attack bonus is +6 rather than +5.

Also, rogues get several class abilities. First, they gain proficiences, so they can use light armor, simple weapons, and the hand crossbow, rapier, sap, short bow, and shortsword.
They also gain the ability to find well hidden traps.
Also, they gain the ability to find precise points on an enemies body, allowing them to deal extra damage. This ''Sneak Attack'' is one of the rogues more powerful and most often used abilities.

d) Languages.

Halflings get Common and Halfling as starting languages. I also for some strange reason thought that rogues get a special secret language called Thieves C'ant, but I can't find the text that indicates such, so we'll pretend I am dellusional at the moment.

Regardless, this character gets 3 bonus languages for brilliance (note the 16 intellegence = +3 modifier). They have to be selected from the halfling bonus language list, so this halfling will also know Dwarven, Elven, and Gnomish.

4) Prepare yourself for the journey

a) Money, Money. Rogues get 5d4*10 gp to start with, but we'll assume that the DM is offering us the same 250 gold that the fighter got.

b) Weapons and Armor. Aside from the afforementioned throwing daggers and chain mail, a back up weapon is always handy to have, so we'll add a short sword incase anyone gets too close.

c) Other Possessions.

Now we have to think about adventuring gear. Every character gets a set of clothing for free, and often an explorer's outfit, the standard durable clothing is what makes sense for your character.

Then other possessions can be chosen as you wish. Often a backpack is neccessary to carry all your possessions. Flint and steel so you can make a fire is usually a necessity to any prepared adventurer. Other things are as useful or as useless as you can imagine them to be - although many adventurers swear by rope.

Lastly, it makes sense to carry some water and trail rations - although DM's will care less about that then others.

Another thing a rogue usualy needs is thieves tools, for detecting and disabling traps.

If you total the prices of that gear, you'll see it comes to 210 gp, which is 40 gp under the 250 gp limit. Perfect! It is a good idea to leave a little cash handy in case you need it later - to pay the innkeeper or something of the like.

There you have it, a first level rogue Garret Thorngage

Happy adventuring, and stay tuned for the next character, the Cleric!
  #3  
Old Sep 27th, 2007, 06:46 PM
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The third character build example will be a cleric. If anyone is wondering my order at this point, I'm doing one of each archetype (Warrior, Skilled Class, Divine, Arcane) first, then I'll go out and start to fill out the rest of the classes in whatever order I really feel like.

Step 1: Choose Who You Wish to Be

A: Decide on the race.
Today I'll be a dwarf. The gruff dwarven priest is a common character archetype and one that is often quite fun to play. You get to be grumpy. And drink lots.

B: Choose your class.
Cleric. We knew that ahead of time. You kill undead, heal people, cast lots of spells, and can even wade into combat with your heavy armor sometimes. A good cleric has a fair bit of versatility.


C: Choose your Alignment.

A dwarven cleric is going to worship the god of Dwarves, Moradin, who is Lawful Good. Clerics must be 1 step away from their deities alignment, and this character isn't feeling particularly lawful, so well go with Neutral Good.

D: Choose Your Name.
As amusing as it would be to name my dwarf something like "Joe.", it really wouldn't make for good roleplaying. The PHB has racial names as examples, and we'll go with my favourite dwarven cleric name: Rurik Moriduinn (derived from the name of the god).

E: What do you look like?
A dwarf! Seriously! 4 feet tall and built like a brick - 110 pounds. 45 years old, so significantly older than your starting human or halfling. Black hair (and a long, black beard) with stone-grey eyes.

Part 2: Character Statistics

a: Ability Scores
I rolled 4d6, 6 times. This is done by using the dice tags (Dice) 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 (/dice), except instead of circular brackets, you use square brackets.

Dice * Roll:
(as this is an older post, these rolls are interpreted by the older (more basic) dice roller code)
4d6: 2, 3, 1, 3Total = 9
4d6: 1, 3, 5, 4Total = 13
4d6: 2, 5, 1, 5Total = 13
4d6: 1, 2, 3, 4Total = 10
4d6: 6, 3, 5, 3Total = 17
4d6: 2, 1, 2, 3Total = 8


As you can see, the results look like this:

Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 2, 3, 1, 3 (Total = 9)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 1, 3, 5, 4 (Total = 13)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 2, 5, 1, 5 (Total = 13)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 1, 2, 3, 4 (Total = 10)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 6, 3, 5, 3 (Total = 17)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 2, 1, 2, 3 (Total = 8)

When you drop the lowest result, you get 8, 12, 12, 9, 14, 7.

These rolls are pretty weak. Some DM's will let you re-roll, and in the Dungeon Masters Guide, it suggest you reroll if you get a total bonus of +2 or lower.

This roll set gives you 14, 12, 12, 9, 8, 7, which is a total bonus of +0. Some DM's get annoyed if people start rerolling without permission, so it is usually safer to ask to politely and cleanly say "I got a total bonus of +0, do you mind if I reroll please?" - or Some DM's will make a sudden ruling, like "For you, all the 1's count as 6's".

I'll just do a clean reroll for this character
Dice * Roll:
(as this is an older post, these rolls are interpreted by the older (more basic) dice roller code)
4d6: 2, 2, 5, 6Total = 15
4d6: 4, 1, 3, 3Total = 11
4d6: 2, 2, 4, 3Total = 11
4d6: 3, 6, 6, 5Total = 20
4d6: 6, 1, 6, 2Total = 15
4d6: 6, 2, 3, 3Total = 14


Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 2, 2, 5, 6 (Total = 15)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 4, 1, 3, 3 (Total = 11)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 2, 2, 4, 3 (Total = 11)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 3, 6, 6, 5 (Total = 20)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 6, 1, 6, 2 (Total = 15)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 6, 2, 3, 3 (Total = 14)

This second roll set is much much better. 13, 10, 9, 17, 14, 12


For clerics, a high wisdom is very important. So we'll give that the 17.
Now, clerics can be built in a number of ways - a ranged cleric with dexterity, or a melee cleric with strength, or a more academic cleric that uses intelligence and skills more. This cleric will be a melee cleric, so we'll put the 14 in strength
The 13 can go in dexterity, and lets put the 10 in constitution (because it becomes 12 from dwarven racial traits) and the 12 in charisma (it becomes 10 from dwarven racial traits).
That leaves the 9 for intelligence - this cleric won't be very skilled, but that is okay.

B: Hit Points Hope you're getting the hang of this at this point: D8 = 8, + constitution bonus = 9

c) Armor Class (AC). Clerics benefit from heavy armor (being able to cast in it) so usually they want good armor as soon as possible. Due to the gold limits, this cleric is only going to have Chain Mail, for +5 Ac, and a Heavy shield for +2 ac, plus dexterity for +1 AC = 18 total.

d) Saving Throws.
Fortitude: 2 for cleric base, 1 for constitution, 2 for dwarven
Reflex: 0 for cleric base, 1 for high dexterity, 2 for dwarven
Will: 2 for cleric base, 3 for high wisdom, 2 for dwarven

Dwarves also get +2 to all saving throws versus SPELLS and SPELL LIKE ABILITIES. Now, there are some saving throws that aren't that, but it is easier to add that in and remember to remove it than to leave it off and remember to put it in - since the vast majority of your saving throws will be against spells and spell like abilities.

e) Base Attack Bonus: The cleric gets three quarters base attack progression, or 0.75 points per level. You can find their BAB progression chart in the Systems Reference Document (SRD) or Players Handbook (PHB)

3) Skills, Feats, Special Abilities, and Languages

a) Skills Clerics don't get many skills, and this cleric, due to low intelligence, gets even fewer - (2+intelligence)*4 = which is 1*4, since the intelligence is negative 1. Clerics only have a few class skills and many of them are useful, but I'll put 2 into concentration, 1 into spellcraft, and 1 into knowledge religion (with the goal of getting it to 5 eventually, the moving to something else).

b) Feats Next are feats. All level 1 characters get 1 feat. This character doesn't gain any bonus feats. Lots of people will make a variety of arguements about what core feats are good for what type of clerics. Most people prefer feats outside of core for clerics, but I think this character will take dodge, which is a decent general feat that adds 1 ac versus one opponent - often you'll be fighting only one opponent, so put that in the misc category.

c) Special abilities.
First, racial traits. I mentioned the +2 to saves versus spells/spell like effects.
Dwarves also get: Darkvision, the ability to see in the dark (black and white) for 60 feet. Stonecunning, which lets them search stone and notice odd things in stone (secret doors) (and a +2 to search relating to stone). Weapon Familiary, which lets them treat exotic dwarven weapons as martial dwarven weapons, but clerics don't have martial weapon proficiency anyways, so that isn't particularly useful. Stability, which adds +4 against being tripped or bull rushed. +2 save versus poisons as well. They gain an extra point of attack bonus against goblins and orcs - common low level enemies. +4 armor versus giants, which hopefully you aren't seeing to early in your adventuring career. Lastly, they gain +2 to Craft and appraise relating to stone and metal (that is what a dwarf is all about).


Also, clerics get a few class abilities. Proficiency with Simple Weapons, All Armor, All shields except tower, turn undead, spellcasting, and 2 domains.

Your Domains should usually come from your deities domain list. Moradin's domains are Earth, Good, Law and Protection. This character will choose earth and protection as his domains. They give special granted powers, found in the spells section.

Spells: Clerics get 3 0th level spells, and 1 first level spell, plus 1 domain spell, plus one bonus spell for high wisdom (Wisdom above 12) at first level. You can find the spells lists in the SRD, and indepth descriptions.

In general a cleric should never prepare heal spells unless they are evil, since a good cleric can spontaneously turn any spell they have except domain slots into heal spells.

The 0th level spells I selected are general utility spells that come in handy - detecting magic, read magic (Which lets you read magic text/scrolls), and light, which lights up an area. There are some combat based 0th level spells, but generally the utility ones are more useful.

For 1st level spells, first I have to select a domain spell from either protection or earth domains. The options are magic stone and sanctuary. Sanctuary seems useful as an escape spell, so we'll take that.

Then I get 2 more first level spells of my choice. Bless lets you enhance all your allies, which is pretty useful. I'll also pick magic weapon, which enhances a weapon.

d) Languages.

Dwarves get Dwarven and Common. With no extra intelligence, that is all this dwarf will speak.

4) Prepare yourself for the journey

a) Money, Money. Clerics get 5d4*10 gp to start with, but we'll assume that the DM is offering us the same 250 gold that the fighter got.

b) Weapons and Armor. Clerics benefit a lot from having heavy armor and good defensive capabilities. Aside from the Chain Mail and Wooden shield I mentioned, this cleric needs a simple weapon or two. We also need a melee weapon - the morning star is a good solid cleric-classic. We'll also need a ranged weapon - clerics can only use simple weapons, and a good light crossbow is the best of those simple weapons, plus the most "dwarven."

c) Other Possessions.

Now we have to think about adventuring gear. Every character gets a set of clothing for free, and often an explorer's outfit, the standard durable clothing is what makes sense for your character.

Then other possessions can be chosen as you wish. Often a backpack is neccessary to carry all your possessions. Flint and steel so you can make a fire is usually a necessity to any prepared adventurer.

Lastly, it makes sense to carry some water and trail rations - although DM's will care less about that then others.

Also, a cleric needs a holy symbol (wooden at least) as a divine focus for many spells. And a spell component and foci pouch for the components and foci of spells. Many DM's will let this slide, but it is an interesting way to add roleplaying value to the spells you cast by finding imaginative ways to explain how you are casting them.

If you total the prices of that gear, you'll see it comes to 215 gp, which is 35 gp under the total costs!

There you have it, a first level Cleric Rurik Moriduinn

Happy adventuring, and stay tuned for the next character, the Sorcerer!
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Old Oct 2nd, 2007, 11:54 PM
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I think I'll demonstrate a sorcerer build now.

Step 1: Choose Who You Wish to Be

A: Decide on the race.

Gnomes make good sorcerers, and I haven't demonstrated a gnome in my builds yet, so this will be a gnome.

B: Choose your class.

Sorcerer. Lots of spells per day, and lots of versatility, even if the selection is, at some points, somewhat lacking.

C: Choose your Alignment.

Sorcerers can be any alignment. I think this sorcerer will be a self-interested power chaser, looking for benefits to him, although not particularly disposed to hurting others. True Neutral.

D: Choose Your Name
.
Gnomes have funny names. Zook is listed in the PHB, and that tickles my fancy, so I'll call my gnome Zook Scheppen.

E: What do you look like?

Gnomes are rather distinctive - 3 feet tall, 45 pounds. Somewhat different from the halfling, however - gnomes have a more serious and more earthy demeanor.

Part 2: Character Statistics


a: Ability Scores

I rolled 4d6, 6 times. This is done by using the dice tags (Dice) 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 (/dice), except instead of circular brackets, you use square brackets.

Dice * Roll:
(as this is an older post, these rolls are interpreted by the older (more basic) dice roller code)
4d6: 5, 4, 1, 1Total = 11
4d6: 1, 2, 5, 6Total = 14
4d6: 6, 6, 4, 1Total = 17
4d6: 5, 1, 5, 5Total = 16
4d6: 4, 6, 6, 6Total = 22
4d6: 6, 4, 1, 2Total = 13


Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 5, 4, 1, 1 (Total = 11)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 1, 2, 5, 6 (Total = 14)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 6, 6, 4, 1 (Total = 17)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 5, 1, 5, 5 (Total = 16)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 4, 6, 6, 6 (Total = 22)
Dice Roll: 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6 4d6
d6Results: 6, 4, 1, 2 (Total = 13)

That gives me 10, 13, 16, 15, 18, and 12. A fairly good array of abilities.

For sorcerers, a high charism for spell casting is important.
After that, sorcerers can choose what they want - intelligence helps skill points, wisdom saves, constitution HP, and dexterity helps armor class. I like a high constitution, so that will be the 16. We'll put the 15 in dexterity, since this sorcerer will have a ranged weapon as back up. 13 in intelligence, 12 in wisdom, 10 in strength.

Keep in mind the gnome gets +2 constitution and -2 strength, which changes abilities around a bit.

Hit Points B) Casters have small hit die, which is why constitution is important. 4+4 = 8

c) Armor Class (AC):
Casters can't wear armor unless it is specially designed for them, or magical in nature, because it confers "arcane spell failure" which causes you to fumble your somatic gestures and lose a spell.

d) Saving Throws. Ability modifers throw themselves in by default, and sorcerers only get +2 to their will saves. This makes this characters saves 4/2/3.

Gnomes also get a +2 versus illusions, but unlike the dwarf, illusions don't comprise the vast majority of save effects, so we'll just remember to add that later.

e) Base Attack Bonus: The sorcerer gets a one half base attack progression, or 0.5 points per level. You can find their BAB progression chart in the Systems Reference Document (SRD) or Players Handbook (PHB)

3) Skills, Feats, Special Abilities, and Languages

a) Skills: Sorcerer skill selection is usually fearly meagre, only getting 2+int *4 at first level. 12 skillpoints. Spellcraft and Concentration are both very important, and usually knowledge arcana comes in handy. However, I like my sorcerers to have maxxed out bluff, which lets you do some amusing things some times, so I'll divide 4 into bluff, 3 into Concentration and Spellcraft, and 2 into Knowledge arcana.

b) Feats: 1 first level feat. There are a wide variety of things people will argue for as good core-only sorcerer feats, but I like improved initiative. Reacting first means that you can land a spell in a clumped up group before your allies get there.

c) Special abilities.
The gnome special abilities are listed as I normally do. Sorcerers also get simple weapon proficiencies, and ability to summon a familiar (100gp ritual cost) - Each familiar grants some different benefit. Rat and Weasel are +2 to Fortitude and Reflex. Bat, Cat, Hawk, Lizard, Owl, and Raven provide +3 to a skill, and Toad is +3 hit points. Amusingly, snake allows for +3 to bluff, so this sorcerer, a glib lier, will have a snake familiar. +11 bluff at first level = lots o lies...

Spells:
A sorcerer has to choose spells known, and this is perhaps the most important part of the sorcerer. They can cast any spell they know spontaneously, so the spells they know become very careful choices.

Important Cantrips (0th level spells) are Read and Detect Magic, so this mage will have those. Since this character has some gnomish spells once per day, I don't need to take those spells. Resistance (+1 to saves) is useful, and I guess we'll take 1 offensive cantrip as well (Acid Splash).

First level spells are even harded to pick. There are many good ones, and you only get two. Ray of Enfeeblement is a great strength debuffer that weakens enemies, and can serve as the offensive spell. The second spell this mage will take will be Mage Armor, the classical defensive spell. Many will advocate for magic missiles, another classic spell, but just to highlight something different, I chose ray of enfeeblement. Generally, 1 offensive magic and 1 defensive magic is a good idea.

d) Languages. Gnomish and Common are Defaults, with one bonus for high intelligence, I think I'll take undercommon.

4) Prepare yourself for the journey

a) Money, Money. Sorcerers get 3d4*10 gp to start with, but we'll assume that the DM is offering us the same 250 gold that the fighter got.

b) Weapons and Armor. Sorcerers can only use simple weapons and no armor (which is why Mage Armor is so incredibly useful). A few basic weapons for when forced into combat or when you run out of spells is a good idea. We'll go with a light crossbow as ranged weapon, and a morning star as the melee weapon. Remember, if you are melee, you want to get out of it.

c) Other Possessions.


Now we have to think about adventuring gear. Every character gets a set of clothing for free, and often an explorer's outfit, the standard durable clothing is what makes sense for your character.

Then other possessions can be chosen as you wish. Often a backpack is neccessary to carry all your possessions. Flint and steel so you can make a fire is usually a necessity to any prepared adventurer.

Furthermore it makes sense to carry some water and trail rations - although some DM's will care less about that then others.

A sorcerer also needs spell components and foci. While some DM's don't worry about it, it is a neat way to add flavour to your character and make things a little more interesting.

After that gear, this character has 90.5 gp remaining. Another thing you can do at first level if you have left over cash as an arcanist is buy a few minor scrolls - Scrolls of 1st level spells, for the most part, cost 25 gp. We can get 3, which will leave us with 15.5 gp remaining.

There you have it, a first level Sorcerer.Zook!

Happy adventuring, and now the four main character archetypes (Fighter, Skilled, Divine and Arcane) have build demonstrations.
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Old Jan 19th, 2022, 11:05 PM
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Addendum- the above characters might not have associated artwork/imagery with them. Should you decide you want to provide artwork to accompany any character based posts you have on site, do make sure you have the permission of the artist. Thanks.
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