CHOOSING YOUR RACE AND CLASS
CHOOSING YOUR
RACE AND CLASS
The two most important choices you will make during character creation are selecting your character’s race and first class. The eleven basic classes of D&D (barbarian, bard, cleric, druid, fighter, monk, paladin, ranger, rogue, sorcerer, and wizard) are each designed to provide some, but not all, of the skills and ability scores needed to thrive and survive in a land of fantasy adventure. Likewise, the seven races (human, dwarf, elf, gnome, half-elf, half-orc, and halfling) each have advantages and disadvantages. These guidelines work best if you will be playing as a part of a group. Your character will have stalwart companions (the characters of your fellow players) who will work together to overcome obstacles, slay hideous monsters, and seek incredible treasure. If you are creating a character by yourself or you have no way of knowing what other kinds of heroes your character might meet during an adventure, you need to pay special attention to the areas where your character is strong and where your character is weak. Then you can make the best use of the opportunities you find as you adventure.
CHOOSING A RACE ______________ AND CLASS The following sections provide advice for each race / class combination. Simply find the race you’re interested in, then choose a class. We’ll suggest where to put your ability scores and provide guidance for feat and skill selection. More importantly, we’ll explain how that sort of character might view the world - and variants that lead to different role-playing opportunities.
Selecting a Race There are a host of things that will change about your character as time progresses. Ability scores will improve, your character might choose many different classes, and will master an arsenal of skills. But there is one thing that will never change: your character’s race. When you consider a race for your character, think about the way the various racial modifiers and special abilities combine to focus the character down those various paths. STANDARD RACIAL TYPES RACE Human Dwarf
ARCHETYPE Flexible, social, curious, lucky Dour, hearty, stalwart, focused
Elf
Graceful, carefree, timeless, magical Gnome Earthy, tricky, quiet, hardy Halfling Quick, sneaky, acquisitive, aware Orc* Savage, strong, wild, brutal *The orc is provided above to make the chart complete. Orcs are a bestial and evil race and they don’t make for very good characters. But in a world of fantasy, they sometimes make for interesting parents!
The next thing you will want to consider are the effects that the racial ability score modifiers will have on your character. These are: RACIAL MODIFIERS
Aiming for 20 Right off the bat, you may notice a potential for something extraordinary. If you got lucky enough to roll an 18 for an ability score, you may end up with a final score that is higher than the normal range if you match it with the right racial modifier! There’s nothing wrong with that. There are always extraordinary individuals in any given population. While there are not too many halforcs with a 20 Strength (less than 2% of the total half-orc population), they are not totally unheard of. If you have a 20, that means you are the absolute pinnacle of your race. That might mean they’re expecting great things from you.
ABILITY ADJUSTMENTS EFFECTS Human None Humans define the Average Dwarf +2 Con, -2 Cha +1 hp per level, 10% penalty during social interactions Elf +2 Dex, -2 Con +1 to AC, +1 attack with ranged weapons, -1 hp per level Gnome +2 Con, -2 Str +1 hp per level, -1 attack and damage in melee, reduced carrying capacity Half-Elf None Essentially human in this respect Half-Orc +2 Str, -2 Int, +1 attack and damage in -2 Cha melee, enhanced carrying capacity, lowered arcane spell-casting potential, fewer skill points, 10% penalty during social interactions Halfling +2 Dex, -2 Str +1 to AC, +1 attack with ranged weapons, -1 attack and damage in melee, reduced carrying capacity RACE
Beyond the statistics and rules, there are social reasons that you may want to select a particular race. Talk to your DM about how the races are perceived in your campaign world. Find out about the races’ histories and current conflicts. You may find numerous roleplaying hooks in the epic story of your character’s race. Depending on current conditions in the game, and where the adventure begins, there may be more direct benefits. Perhaps you know the language of the locals, or you can call on family or clan for assistance.
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