Things You'll Need:
- Player's Handbook
- Character Sheet
- Dice
- Pencil
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Step 1
Ask your dungeon master what style of game you will be playing and what sort of character's the other players will be running. An illiterate half-orc barbarian who wears a necklace of skulls would be out of place in city based game that's heavy on political intrigue and diplomacy, just as a bard character with no combat abilities who only has craft and performance skills might find himself not lasting very long in a battle intensive dungeon crawl.
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Step 2
Draw up an overall concept for the type of character you are interested in playing. Think ahead of what type of abilities you want the character to be able to use and if you intend to take levels in a prestige class later on. An evil necromancer who spends his time skulking around cemeteries looking for bodies to use will be built very different from a holy paladin who will spend his life seeking out injustices to smash.
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Step 3
Plan out what role the character will play in the adventuring group. The standard party will need at least one person who can heal damage, one who can deal large amounts of physical damage, one who can detect traps and pick locks, and one who can use arcane spells. These roles don't necessarily have to be filled with the iconic classes of cleric, fighter, rogue, and wizard. Many of the classes can play multiple roles or fill in for a role that isn't taken. A ranger that is built properly can be just as effective at dealing damage as a fighter, and even occasionally take the place of the cleric when healing is needed.
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Step 4
Choose the race and class for your character, and remember to keep in mind any bonuses or penalties that will need to be applied to your character's ability scores because of her race. Choose a race with an appropriate favored class if you plan to add levels in multiple classes during the course of the character's career. Humans can multi-class freely without penalty, but if you want your character to take uneven levels of fighter and wizard you'd be best suited playing an elf.
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Step 5
Make the core of your character by rolling the six main ability scores. Some dungeons master's require their players to use a "point buy" system instead of rolling randomly, so check before generating these scores. Put your highest score in the prime score for your class. Fighters need a high strength score, while rogue's will be better served by a high dexterity score. Choose your other scores based on what kind of character you have planned out. If you want lots of skills put a high score in intelligence, or if you are going to play a tough character with lots of hit points put a higher score in constitution.
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Step 6
Record your special class features on your character sheet. For example, rogue's get a sneak attack ability, while a wizard starts off with the "scribe scroll" feat for free.
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Step 7
Pick skills and feats for your character that fall in line with your concept. A sly and underhanded character would want to choose skills like move silently and bluff. An overbearing and powerful character would choose skills like intimidate or feats such as power attack.
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Step 8
Check with your dungeon master to find out how much gold your character will start with to buy equipment. Most dungeon master's will use the table in the Player's Handbook for randomly determining starting gold, but some will give a specific amount. Consult the "Equipment" chapter in the Player's Handbook and outfit your character with appropriate equipment. Some classes, like the wizard, do not start out with proficiency in certain weapons or armor, so make sure you choose equipment that your character can use effectively. Also take into account class specific tools. A rogue will want some lock picks, and a cleric will need a holy symbol.
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Step 9
Fill in the remaining fields on your character sheet, such as hit points, armor class, or any spells you have in your spell book if you are a spell caster.
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Step 10
Finalize your character by writing out her background story and deciding on any personality traits. Come up with the habits and peculiarities that your character has. Is your character consistently happy and upbeat, or maybe has a surly mean streak? Would he buckle in the face of mortal danger and flee, or stand and fight no matter what the odds? Does your character believe in the greatest good for the greatest number of people, or is she only out for herself?
