This is the 6th of an 18 part series on How to be a DM. To start at the beginning, click here.
Every person on this planet has something unique that sets them apart and makes them a potential hero. We are all different with our own set of abilities, our own pros and cons.
The same is true in your game universe. To tell a good story, we need a hearty cast of actors who will grow over time and become heroes saving the realm.
Creating a PC
Your players will probably have a character (PC) in mind that they want to play. They usually pick a race (elf, dwarf, human, etc.) and a class (thief, cleric, fighter, etc.) Personally, I was prone to want to be elven rangers and bards.
Each character also has a set of abilities similar to this list, depending on your core rules: Strength, Constititution, Wisdom, Dexterity, Intelligence, and Charisma. In 5e, these values generally range between 10 and 20, with each value implying a different bonus you can add to your die roll. For example, if you have a high strength value you can more easily lift a heavy object. If your Dexterity is high, you can avoid slipping and falling on rough terrain.
The Good and the Bad
But for every thing someone is good at, there may be things they are bad at. Some abilities will be better than other ones. Hence, the stereotypical ugly fighter or the frail magic user. The character has to balance out.
Traditionally, when players were creating their characters, they would roll dice and add them up to get their scores. The problem is that a few poor dice rolls can doom a player to play a weak character for years.
I prefer using a list of potential ability score arrays that the user can pick from to design their character. This makes the players feel more in control.
These sets of scores force the players to balance out the ability scores. Every player starts out on an even playing field with no one player having the strongest character. If you want one ability to be an 18, you need to have a low score like an 8 somewhere else.
Trickiest Part
One last crucial part of creating a PC is to give it a proper name. I have seen more players get stuck in this step than you can imagine. Luckily, there are some good online resources that suggest names for different races of character. I always encourage players to give an homage to their favorite literary figure. For example, my latest bard PC was named Menoly DePern.
Now we have valiant heroes to inhabit our world. If the actors are ready, you need to start Setting the Stage!.
Bitzy the Bard
“Life is an adventure story and you are the star. Choose to play a hero!”
