Character Creation

Character creation is a complex activity. Here's some rules, guidelines, and tools to help you out!

Current Campaign Level

First

Please make your character at the current campaign level.

Guidelines

Table: Ability Score Costs

Ability Score	Cost		Ability Score	Cost
3	+5		11	3
4	+4		12	4
5	+3		13	5
6	+2		14	6
7	+1		15	8
8	0		16	10
9	1		17	13
10	2		18	16

Races

There are a wide number of races available, see Races for more information.

Attributes

• All characters will be created using the point-buy method as described the 3rd edition DM's Guide.
• Each attribute starts out with a score of 8.
• You have 28 points, which are used to buy ability scores as follows. Racial Scores adjustments are added AFTER all points are used.

Classes

Please see the Character Classes pages for more information on class availability.

Permutations

With 17 available races and 12 available base character classes, at first level, there are 204 possible race/class permutations.

If you count sub-races, that jumps to 276. Add in different domains, fighting styles, patrons, origins, favored stuff... that jumps to 2875 possible options, at first level.

By third level, when sub-classes have kicked in, and counting all the different possible specialization combos, you are looking at 99,061 possible character paths. (And that doesn't include multi-classing).

By tenth level, counting multi-classing, the available possible paths for your character to take are best noted using scientific notation.

If you can't find something to suit your fancy at that point... run your own campaign.

Backstory Creation Guidelines

As an aid to PCs creating character backgrounds, and also for my own use, I offer the following quick method for generating characters. To create a character's background, write four sentences.

1. The first sentence is the anecdote.
   • This is any one story, fact or memory from your character's past.
     • "I grew up in Rivendell, for a time."
     • "I dumped a cargo of smuggled goods when I was about to be boarded."
     • "There's a 24-hour period in my memories that I can't account for."
2. The second sentence is the quirk.
   • This is any one fact, mannerism or detail about the character's present.
     • “I'm always investing in dodgy businesses in an attempt to make a quick buck.”
     • “I'm constantly whining about how hopeless the situation is.”
     • “I wander the forests as a crazy old hermit.”
3. The third sentence is the goal.
   • This is something that the character wishes to achieve in the future (preferably not something that can be achieved too quickly).
     • "I want to become a paladin."
     • "I want to wake everyone up, to free them from the tyranny of the machine."
     • "I want to discharge the life-debt I owe."
4. The fourth sentence is the mystery.
   • This can either be some fact about the character that he doesn't want others to know, or it could be something that the character does not know, but wants to (in which case, it should be something distinct from the goal, or else it's just repetition).
     • "I killed my best friend in a drunken rage."
     • "I want to learn the identity of my human father."
     • "I woke one day with a strange tattoo on my arm, and want to know what it is and what it means."

Gear

This campaign is geared towards a "Steampunk" level of tech and magic. Contact me with questions about specific items, if they are particularly important to your character concept. Otherwise, we are basically using starting gear as outlined in the Player's Handbook.