Player Character Creation

Use this forum to discuss the character you would like to create for the campaign. That way we may plan group composition, roles, as well as possible character relationships.

When I see you've been on the table and are registered I'll assign you a character sheet.

This is a rather nice walk through of creating a character, especially if you're interested in creating an "Adventurer's League" compliant character. <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/2dt7ft/almost_everything_you_need_to_know_to_create_a/" rel="nofollow">http://www.reddit.com/r/DnD/comments/2dt7ft/almost_everything_you_need_to_know_to_create_a/</a>

hmmm i got my DCI number... but looks like there are alot more rules and addendums (no exchanging gold, 'certificates of magic items") - hmm

I'm interested in the warlock class if that works out for our party. Looks interesting.

i have been looking at Warlock as well. What patron and pact boon? Did you play our Rogue?

I'm also looking at a Bard build.

Our 5th is pretty definite now. He gets home on the 27th I think and I'll get him set up on Skype and Roll20. He's looking at a Wood Elf dex fighter. Marcin is right, if we're going to run this as an Adventurer's League game then there are some additional rules we'll need to adhere to. The Adventurer's League players guide is downloaded on Wizard's site. Josh played Finn the paladin.

Looked over the Adventurer's League PC creation rules. Here's a synopsis but if you're really interested then you should download the player guide. All PHB race and class options are available. Ability scores must be standard array or point buy. Cannot roll them. Starting lifestyles are assigned by background but may be changed up/down during downtime days. May not be Neutral Evil or Chaotic Evil. May only be Lawful Evil if your PC joins the Zhentarim or Lord's Alliance faction. May only be in one faction at a time. Joining a second causes loss of all benefits accumulated in the first. No Undermining of Other Characters During Adventures. Adventurers are brought together by common cause, and during an adventure, they’re expected to work together to overcome challenges. Though certain factions might find others distasteful, individuals will put that aside and become a team when put in dangerous situations. In short, play nice with each other when things get deadly. (Edit: I think they added this to guard against LE alignment and disruptive players) You may take starting equipment or the maximum gold for your class from chapter 5. Purchasing Items. You can purchase any mundane item found in your rules for character options. Trinkets. You can begin play with one trinket of your choice from the table in chapter 5 of the Player’s Handbook or basic rules, or you can roll randomly to determine your trinket. That's pretty much it. The guide goes on to talk about the Adventurer's log sheet and how to maintain it. We can discuss this more tonight.

Thanks pulling that info together Aladar. Wayne, I was our Paladin, Finn. For the warlock, I definitely like the Old One patronage and maybe chains or tome for pact boon.

I was looking at Fiend with Blade which might work with your Warlock, but the more I look at Bard I'm leaning towards that build instead.

Here's a link to the Adventurer's League Player Guide Adventurer's League Player Guide

I found a better picture for my Halfling. I promise to only do this 10 more times before we start the campaign.

Wayne W. said: I found a better picture for my Halfling. I promise to only do this 10 more times before we start the campaign. hehehe

LoL! No problem Wayne.

Ok, Perrin's token has been updated :-)

Thanks for updating my token! I've decided to go with college of lore instead of valor at 3rd level ( of course that could change again before then lol). I have a question about the Jack of all Trades class feature. If I have a spell that requires an ability check do I get to add my PB/2 rounded down to it?

If it's an ability check where you don't get to add your proficiency bonus, then Jack of All Trades let's you add 1/2 (rounded down) of your proficiency bonus to that number. (I started to write an example, looked up "ability checks" in the PHB index, did some reading and now I'm confused, haha!) What is an ability check? Isn't it any roll relating to an ability? And since 5e is now all ability-based, the rule might be interpreted as "any roll" for a bard gets either proficiency (if she has it), or 1/2 of any roll in an ability which the bard lacks proficiency as per Jack of All Trades. Examples? A bard picks up a warhammer and swings it at a skeleton. Normally, characters who lack proficiency in that weapon wouldn't get to add any proficiency bonus, but does the bard get 1/2 proficiency bonus rounded down? If not, why not? Attacks are now an "ability check", right? Another example, and this one is less ambiguous I think: A bard tries to use Deception skill vs. a city guard. He's not proficient in that skill, but Jack of All Trades lets him add 1/2 his proficiency bonus (rounded down). Let me know what you guys think.

Skills that I'm not proficient in would use this for sure. Attack rolls and saving throws would not because those are not ability checks. The question is does a spell like counterspell which requires an ability check using your spellcasting ability count because as a bard I don't have proficiency for that check. counterspell is a wizard spell, but I can still get it as a bard with college of lore at 6th level. If you are a wizard with school of abjuration you get Improved Abjuration at 10th level. This lets you add your proficiency to spells that require you to make an ability check as part of casting that spell (counterspell and dispel magic are given as examples) Also at 14th level I get Peerless Skill which lets me add the number rolled from my bardic inspiration die to ability checks. So can I do this for a spell requiring an ability check?

Anyone taking this? Optional Feature: Cult of the Dragon Infiltrator You have infiltrated the ranks of the Cult of the Dragon. Having spied on the organization for quite some time, you are familiar with its inner workings and customs. You have a second identity as an initiate of the cult, enough of a façade to blend in as a simple grunt or servant. I will take it if someone hasn't already.

I plan to take it for my warlock, but I'm flexible. I wondered if it would be weird if multiple people had it, but it could also be something that helps tie the group together.

I was also thinking it might work for multiple people.

Wayne W. said: Skills that I'm not proficient in would use this for sure. Attack rolls and saving throws would not because those are not ability checks. The question is does a spell like counterspell which requires an ability check using your spellcasting ability count because as a bard I don't have proficiency for that check. counterspell is a wizard spell, but I can still get it as a bard with college of lore at 6th level. If you are a wizard with school of abjuration you get Improved Abjuration at 10th level. This lets you add your proficiency to spells that require you to make an ability check as part of casting that spell (counterspell and dispel magic are given as examples) Also at 14th level I get Peerless Skill which lets me add the number rolled from my bardic inspiration die to ability checks. So can I do this for a spell requiring an ability check? To me, an ability check is an ability check regardless of the circumstances that allow you make the ability check. So yes, you could use Jack of all Trades and Peerless Skill with the ability checks any spell grant you provided of course your proficiency bonus is not already included. That's my interpretation until I read something official that contradicts it.

Movan said: If it's an ability check where you don't get to add your proficiency bonus, then Jack of All Trades let's you add 1/2 (rounded down) of your proficiency bonus to that number. (I started to write an example, looked up "ability checks" in the PHB index, did some reading and now I'm confused, haha!) What is an ability check? Isn't it any roll relating to an ability? And since 5e is now all ability-based, the rule might be interpreted as "any roll" for a bard gets either proficiency (if she has it), or 1/2 of any roll in an ability which the bard lacks proficiency as per Jack of All Trades. 1. Examples? A bard picks up a warhammer and swings it at a skeleton. Normally, characters who lack proficiency in that weapon wouldn't get to add any proficiency bonus, but does the bard get 1/2 proficiency bonus rounded down? If not, why not? Attacks are now an "ability check", right? 2. Another example, and this one is less ambiguous I think: A bard tries to use Deception skill vs. a city guard. He's not proficient in that skill, but Jack of All Trades lets him add 1/2 his proficiency bonus (rounded down). Let me know what you guys think. I numbered Movan's quote above for reference. 1. The attack requires an attack roll to succeed not an ability check. Even though the mechanics are basically the same, the only difference being the check needs to beat a DC and the attack needs to beat an AC, they are technically different. Just like a Dexterity Check is different from a Dexterity Save, where a PC might get proficiency in the save but not the check although the mechanics are the same. 2. Yes, in this example Jack of All Trades would apply. Skills are sort of a subset of abilities that grant proficiency with certain types of ability checks. That is why you will see official products list the use of skills as make a Wisdom (Perception) Check" or "Charisma (Deception) check. Skill checks are a focused form of an ability check. To me the key is how it is written in the rules. If the word check is used it is intended as an ability check, if the word save is used it is intended as an ability save, etc. Hope this helps :-)

Wayne W. said: Anyone taking this? Optional Feature: Cult of the Dragon Infiltrator You have infiltrated the ranks of the Cult of the Dragon. Having spied on the organization for quite some time, you are familiar with its inner workings and customs. You have a second identity as an initiate of the cult, enough of a façade to blend in as a simple grunt or servant. I will take it if someone hasn't already. I'm not sure yet how this will exactly get used or how often it might come into to play (other than the obvious), but multiple PCs may take it. The book does not set a limit on it.

Ok, since we will not be running under the Adventurers League rules I'm opening up the ability determinations to include all three options presently in the 5e Player's Handbook. They are... Use the standard array of 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8. Use the 27 point buy method. Take your chances on rolling them randomly. Roll 4d6 (drop the lowest roll) six times. Assign the six scores to your character's abilities as you desire. I'll have a Roll Abilities token on the table to be used for this purpose. Left click on the token and select the Roll Abilities macro that pops up in the upper left corner of the screen. Your six ability score rolls will be entered into chat. There are no re-rolls. You can play with the Ability Roller all you want, but when you plan to make your official roll replace the words "Test Roll" in the pop up box with "Official Roll".

Is anyone rolling for abilities? If not I'll probably stick with point buy.

i bought, but just go with w/e you want wayne!

I've settled on a character, named Kmita, a Tempest Cleric, and wrote up a backstory for him (in bio section of character). He is part of the Lord's alliance (although he has mostly forgotten that he even joined it -- he was more interested in finding the origin of the miraculous powers he could barely control). He is a trained soldier, expert horseman and a practical negotiator -- and also a rather bad gambler (dice). He sets out from Scornubel almost penniless and hires himself out to be a merchant guard heading south in order to meet with a long lost friend. edit: his trinket is a receipt of deposit at a bank in a far-flung city [that he won gambling. ]

Yeah, your call Wayne. I used the point-buy as well. And sounds good, Marcin. A cleric who gambles. : )

hehe yeah i fleshed him out last couple nights with advice from Aladar -- i'm excited and can't wait for tomorrow

Aladar - I've exported Tioren to my vault so feel free to delete him

I've added my bond and some more to my background.

I PM'd Kevin about this yesterday and he has agreed to allow me to tweak Kmita -- this is the message: i want to run something by you in terms of changing kmita (at end of this campaign perhaps) to more how i pictured him. I always intended kmita to be an expert horseman, but for whatever reason i didn't take the feat mounted combatant as the human variant. If there ever comes a chance when we could tweak our characters, this would be how I would have planned Kmita: this is what I have right now: 13(+1) STR | 11(+1) DEX | 13(+1) CON | 8(+1) INT | 15(+1) WIS | 13(+1) CHA this is what I would like to propose if I could make Kmita again, taking the human feat variant instead - with the two ability scores that would increase in parenthesis: 13(+1) STR | 12 DEX | 13(+1) CON | 9 INT | 14 WIS | 13 CHA The only changes are that I would have a -1 on ability rolls for WIS and CHA from what Kmita had before, and everything else would stay the same. I would then take the mounted combatant feat at lvl 1, and Heavy Armor Master at lvl 4 as planned. I think there's a nice balance between giving up those extra stats for a feat that will probably not be overpowered, considering the state of mounted combat anyway.