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Dungeons & Dragons is celebrating its 50th birthday!

D&D as it is more fondly known as was first released in 1974 in the good old US of A, more than 50 million people have played Dungeons & Dragons since then, making it one of the most popular role-playing games in the world.

Over the last 50 years it has gone through lots of changes and has even inspired popular TV series, movies, video games, not to mention the global hits of such Web Shows such as Critical Role.

“D&D has a rich history, an exciting present, and a great future,” said Kyle Brink, Executive Producer of the team making D&D at Wizards of the Coast.

I was introduced to D&D when I was about 13 (A long time ago), when I was part of a group of friends that would play all sorts of role playing games such as D&D, MERP, VtM, Traveller, Warhammer, etc.

To celebrate and mark this anniversary (and because I have been re-listening to C1 CR) , I have decided to create a D&D 5e character as a way to remember my youth.

The first thing you have to do when creating a character is to decide what race you are going to be.

Will you be a Human, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, or any of the other races available to play. Each race comes with it’s own special abilities or perks.

It is often wise, especially for new players to pick a race best suited to the type of character you want to play. That way you get to use the race abilities to the best advantage. For example:- If you want to play a Warrior then Strength is the most important, so pick a Mountain Dwarf to get a +2 to str, a Rogue needs Dexterity so maybe pick a Halfling to get +2 Dex, A Wizard needs  Intelligence so maybe a Gnome with +2 Int is the way to go.

Of course if you want a challenge you can pick a Race and a Class that do not typically go together, but would make for great roleplaying.

I have decided I want to create a Dwarven character, because one of their defining characteristics is Long Memory, and long  grudges. I am thinking I want a grumpy old dwarf.

So this gives me the racial attributes: –

• Ability Score Increase: +2 Constitution.
• Age: 60
• Alignment: Lawful Good.
• Size: 4 foot 8 inches (Medium height).
• Speed: 25 feel. Your speed is not reduced by wearing heavy armor.
• Darkvision: Accustomed to life underground, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. Vou can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light.
• Dwarven Resilience: You have advantage on saving throws against poison, and you have resistance against poison damage.
• Dwarven Combat Training: You have proficiency with the battleaxe, handaxe, throwing hammer, and Warhammer.
• Tool Proficiency: You gain proficiency with the artisan’s tools of your choice: smith’s tools, brewer’s supplies, or mason’s tools. I have picked Mason’s tools because I am a Freemason.
• Stone Running: Whenever you make an Intelligence (History) check related to the origin of stonework, you are considered proficient in the History skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.
• Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Dwarvish.

I also chose the dwarven sub-race of “mountain dwarves”, which gave me an additional: –

• Ability Score Increase: +1 Wisdom.
• Dwarven Toughness: Your hit point maximum increases by 1, and it increases by 1 every time you gain a level.

The next thing you have to do is pick your class, which is basically your character’s job. 

Picking a class is important because it defines what special talents and skills you posses, and gives you benefits such as spellcasting, along with proficiencies such as armour, weapons, tools, or even telling lies.

You should always pick a class that will suit the type of character you want to play. So if you want to be a fighter pick something like Fighter, Barbarian, Paladin or monk. If you want to throw spells around pick Wizard, Sorcerer, or Warlock. You want to be a sneaky stealthy character try a Rogue or Ranger. Something more religious try Cleric or Druid. Or if you want something really different, try a bard.

I have decided I want to do something uncommon. I have therefore decided to be a Druid (Well I am Welsh).

So my class gives me: –

• Proficiency Bonus: +2
• Hit Dice: 1d8 per druid level.
• Hit Points: at 1st Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier. (Hit Points at Higher Levels 1d8 (or 5) + your
  Constitution modifier per druid level).
• Proficiencies: Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields (druids will not wear armor or use shields made of metal)
  Weapons: Clubs, daggers, darts, javelins, maces, quarterstaffs, scimitars, sickles, slings. spears
  Tools: Herbalism kit
• Saving Throws: Intelligence, Wisdom.
• Skills: Choose two from Arcana, Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Nature, Perception, Religion, and Survival. I have picked Nature and Perception.
• Cantrips: At 1st level, you know two cantrips of your choice from the druid spell list. I have picked Poison Spray, and Produce Flame.
• Spell Slots: 2
• Spells: The list of druid spells that are available for you to cast, choosing from the druid spell list. When you do so, choose a number of druid spells equal to your Wisdom modifier + your druid level.
• Equipment: You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background: (a) a wooden shield or (b) any simple weapon (a) a scimitar or (b) any simple melee weapon Leather armor, an explorer’s pack, and a druidic focus.
• Spell save DC: 8 + your profícíency bonus + your Wisdom modifier.
• Spell attack modifier: your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier.

The next thing you have to do is sort out your stats, which you need to work out so you can finalise the bonus’s you have from Race and Class.

The six abilities are Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.

You generate your character’s six ability scores randomly. Roll four 6-sided dice and record the total of the highest three dice on a piece of scratch paper. Do this five more times, so that you have six numbers. You can then assign the numbers to whichever of the six stats you wish, remembering to apply them in a manner that is useful to your class.

Ok. Dice roll time :-

1. 6,4,3,1 = 13
2. 6,5,5,2 = 16
3. 6,3,3,1 = 12
4. 6,5,4,1 = 15
5. 5,4,2,2 = 11
6. 6,5,4,3 = 15

Time to allocate them: –

• Strength = 13 (+1)
• Dexterity = 15 (+2)
• Constitution = 12 +2 Race (+2)
• Intelligence = 15 (+2)
• Wisdom = 16 +1 Race (+3)
• Charisma = 11
• Hit Points: 8 + 2 +1 = 11
• Spell Slots: 4 

Now we need to pick some details and a backstory for our character using one of the basic backstories, which give us a few final abilities or equipment.

• Name = Ddraig Greenbeard
• Sex = Male
• Height = 4′ +2d4 = 4′ 3″.
• Weight = 130Ib. x (2d6) Ib = 151lb.
• Alignment = Lawful Good

Background = Sage.

• Skill Proficiencies: Arcana, History.
• Languages: Two of your choice (I picked Elvish, Primordial).
• Equipment: A bottle of black ink, a quill, a small knife, a letter from a dead colleague posing a question you have not yet been able to answer, a set of common clothes, and a belt pouch containing 10 GP.
• Speciality: Alchemist

You now get to find out what your starting equipment is, and you can choose if you go with the default Race/Class equipment, or have some money and buy your own.

I am going to go with my Race/Class equipment.

• Hand Axe (1d6 Slashing) Thrown range (20/60)
• Quarterstaff (1d6 bludgeoning) Versatile (1d8)
• Medium Leather armor 12+2=14,
• An explorer’s pack
• A druidic focus, A Wand of Yew wood.
• A bottle of black ink,
• A quill,
• A small knife,
• a letter from a dead colleague posing a question you have not yet been able to answer,
• A set of common clothes
• A belt pouch
• 10 GP.

I rolled a d100 for a random trinket.

• An ornate brooch of dwarven design.

All that remains now is to put all that together on a Character Sheet, and then pas out the details on the characters backstory.

I will finalise the character on Part 2 of this post.