Creating a new character is the start of most TTRPGs, and to me, one of the most fun parts of playing the game. While there are many ways to begin and go through this process, I would like to share my personal method for character creation.
Every character I have started with an idea. For some, it was character art, or a picture that sparked my imagination. Others were mechanical combinations that I wanted to try, or new classes or subclasses released as new content. Once I have my inspiration, I choose the mechanics I want to back up my concept. This includes lineage, background, class, spells, and whatever else I want for my character.
Once I have a basic outline, I check for anything that is not covered by my class, and look to see if I can gain that from multiclassing or a feat (speaking specifically about D&D 5e.) For example, I had an idea for a fencer, and I settled on a combination of Battlemaster Fighter to get several of the maneuvers that are drawn directly from fencing terms. These included Riposte and Parry, which are very common for dueling. I also wanted the Dueling fighting style to match the fencer concept. I layered this with several levels of Swashbuckler Rogue, both for mechanical benefits and for flavor.
The last thing I decide on for my character is a name, and more importantly, a character voice. I find character voice to be the paramount characteristic, since without at least a rudimentary idea of how their speech patterns and word choice, it is very easy to have characters blend into each other. This is particularly true in the case of arch stereotypical characters.
While this is the methodology I use, it is far from the only way to start the character creation process. Random rolling for everything from ancestry to class has rendered a newer character of mine, who has been very fun to play.
What is your preferred method of character creation?
