Character creation questions and issues

Hey everyone! RJ has kindly allowed me to share our private message thread from today, wherein I answer some questions that you may run across while making your characters. I'm posting the thread here, and if you have any other questions, I'm here to help! Hey Chuck, So I'm working on my Character Sheet for Raynor the Wood Elf Ranger, I know I get to pick favored enemy and terrain, and that it's 2 enemies if they're humanoid. I was planning to go with Goblin and Orc since they're humanoid, and I figured Raynor may have run into them a bit while sticking to the outskirts he may have spent time trying to seclude himself possibly in nearby caves and run into them a bit making them that favored enemy. However, I was hoping to go with underdark for favored terrain, but I also didn't want to make it overpowering, if that might be a concern since I know we may be starting in some mines. So I was hoping for your input. If need be I can change it over to forest, since he is a wood elf after all. Thanks, RJ ----- Sure, Underdark is fine! That actually dovetails nicely with some ideas I had for Raynor.... *evil GM laugh* ----- Also curious are we doing double proficiencies? Like I get twice the proficiency if I am proficient from Wood Elf and I take the same skill from Ranger, or would you prefer to not do that? I may not do it either way, I just thought I would ask though ----- No, proficiencies do not stack. Proficiency is a binary switch: you either got it or you don't. But good question; hadn't heard of that rule option. ----- Im still fairly new to all this and the thought hadn't occurred to me before. Otherwise I think I only have 3 more questions, just want to make sure I'm solid.  1. Are we going to be using feats? I know some people don't like them.  2. How important are the traditional backgrounds to you? I know we gave some fairly solid backgrounds but I wasn't sure if you like needed that traditional declaration of "I'm lawful neutral and an outlander" or if the backstories we had solid enough and then leave it to us to keep our personality and motivationsee appropriate for the character. 3. I already stuck with the 27 system in the phb you mentioned. But as far as equipment and whatnot should we just stick with the typical what a class starts with at level 1 from the phb outside of some minor tweaks like the magical compass. ----- 1. Feats are in, if you want to use them. Note, however, that you only get them on a level-up when you would get an attribute bonus, and you receive them instead of the attribute bonus. So you can get that +1 in Dex you've been wanting or you can get that crazy Multishot feat, but not both. At least, not at that particular level-up. 2. Traditional backgrounds aren't that important to me, but there's a difference between background and backstory. Y'all gave fantastic backstories! But "background" is a mechanical thing meant to encourage backstory to emerge. This is good for you guys too because the backgrounds come with mechanical advantages (skill proficiencies, gear, bonus gold, bonus languages, etc). So to answer your question, your backstories are fine storywise, but I want you to have some sort of background picked out so you get those mechanical bonuses the system wants you to have. You're totally free to make up your own background (think of it like a specialization - maybe Raynor is a "tracker?" Or a "survivalist?"), and the flavor stuff is all yours to decide. Just let me know what mechanical, game-system bonuses you want that background to have and I'll decide if it's fine or needs more work. 3. Yeah, the rules for base equipment are fine. If there's something cool that you really want your character to have (e.g., I'm considering giving Elias a masterwork warhammer because he described it so lovingly in his backstory), I'm probably down with that. Just no +5 swords of instantaneous death or magic surface-to-air-missile launchers -- keep it on the sane side. ;) And obviously, let me know what it is you want and your reasoning for Raynor having it! And don't get too attached to items; anything can be lost in the course of an adventure. Sounds like you're making great progress! I can't wait to see the finished product. :D

And just so you know...

Question: Trinkets.  The PHB suggests we roll for a trinket from the table provided. When we roll, do we know what the trinket does or is that something we'll come to discover through game play? :D

That is something you'll discover through gameplay. If you have something in mind that you think would be a cooler trinket, I'm okay with that too!

I was wondering about how the warhammer is "Versatile". could you explain what that means?

"Versatile" means that the weapon can be used one-handed with the normal listed damage, or swung two-handed, which changes the damage dice to the value listed in parentheses after "versatile." 

okey, two questions How do you feel about min/maxing? can i change warhammer to greataxe?

Go for it -- it's your character! Min/maxing is fine as long as everything comes out rules-legal. 

When we level up are we rolling for added HP or are we going to be doing a set amount + CONST?  I know it's done both ways, but not sure if you wanted to do it a set way

I will let you choose at each level -- you can take the "safe" number or take your chances with the die. But if you choose to roll and you roll a 1, a 1 it is!

I was wondering if an Arcane Focus (Staff) could be used like a quarterstaff as well?

Just entered in all the equipment and whatnot, curious about how we're handling carrying capacity, sticking to the table, or kind of more of a "hey you're carrying a lot of heavy crap, drop some or you can't move"

RJ M. said: Just entered in all the equipment and whatnot, curious about how we're handling carrying capacity, sticking to the table, or kind of more of a "hey you're carrying a lot of heavy crap, drop some or you can't move" I tend to play fast and loose with encumbrance rules; I really don't want a game of high fantasy to turn into inventory micromanagement. So long as you're not blatantly overencumbered (e.g., carrying a chest full of gold or a fat goat), I assume that your characters don't carry more than they can handle.

Shavix said: I was wondering if an Arcane Focus (Staff) could be used like a quarterstaff as well? Most certainly! Just be careful not to break it. The results could be...dramatic. :D

Haha, I'm not likely to use it all that much between Eldritch Blasts and Chill Touches. But it's good to have in emergencies ;D Just hope the emergency don't turn into a broken arcane focus OwO;

Found some stuff relating to racial proficiency in weapons, armor, etc. that happen to change the rolling on damage, a little confused on it, hoping someone could shed some light on it. Haven't had the chance to try to track it down in the printed PHB but I was making sure my character sheet was all filled out and found this: Elf Weapon Training - When you attack with a longsword, shortsword, shortbow, or a longbow with which you have proficiency, the damage die for that weapon increases by one step: from d6 to d8, or d8 to d10. There was something similar for Dwarves with: Dwarven Weapon Training: When you attack with an axe or a hammer with which you are proficient, the damage die for that weapon increases by one step: from d4 to d6, d6 to d8, d8 to d10, d10 to d12, and d12 to 2d6. and Dwarven Toughness: All your Hit Dice increase by one step: from d4 to d6, d6 to d8, d8 to d10, d10 to d12, and d12 to 2d6. At 1st level, you gain 1 extra hit point. Whenever you gain a level, you similarly increase the die rolled to determine how many hit points you gain (or simply gain 1 extra hit point per level). Am I just happening to see this is some random version of the rules that aren't included?  Because I didn't see these before and just want to make sure I don't miss anything, 

That's not what  I remember reading in the PHB -- maybe some errata has been issued for it? I'll check when I get off work!

I can't seem to find it anywhere else, so I would just ignore it, I think it may have been some sort of variation, my bad

i got no matches on Elf Weapon Training nor Dwarven Weapon Training. But i did find "Dwarven Toughness. Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a leveI." It is a hill dwarf racial