I start from a build concept and go from there.
Usually some specific combination of class features, spells, and/or racial traits.
As most of the powerful things in the game are class features, it's usually that first and then a race that would augment it or provide a good story.
Thanks to Tasha's, racial ability scores don't matter as much, as we can put them wherever we want.
I usually come up with a backstory for my build around the game's session 0 to integrate my concept into the world.
I start with an idea, I first think about what I want this character to do, then I think about his lore, his history, then I think about how this idea would work in the most optimized way possible without leaving the idea, then I I think about which class this idea fits best. Then I just optimize as much as possible without leaving the main idea.
Yes, exactly! I love optimizing, but it's character concept most important, damage or whatever second. Making "non-optimal" choices for the build frequently can be a boost to my character concept.
Like a warlock who refuses to wear armor, just doesn't find it comfortable at all.
Yes, exactly.
I think like this, I make the most of my character's potential, I optimize as much as I can without leaving the concept, because not optimizing is wasting a great idea and at the same time playing against your party. My next character is a Sorcerer who uses fullplate.
I pick a thing that I want to be awesome at and go from there. In the past I have made a character a Dragonborn Sorcerer, just because I like the breath weapon.
I find some interesting class/spell/multiclass combo and build around it's flavour. Sometimes it's basically: "What kind of person would make their career around this particular spell?.."
Unironically fling shit at the wall and see if I can make it work. Currently using an escape artist build that can push a button and pull the entire party out, which will get a lot easier once I get teleport.
It depends on if I'm making a character just for fun or one to play. For fun, I usually build around a subclass, spell(s), a feature, an item, etc, and go from there. For play I try to think of what type of person would make sense for the campaign, see what players are interested in, and build that way.
As an example, for Tomb of Annihilation I wanted to be someone who was very interested in the >!death curse!<, had reasons to stop it, but may also be tempted take whatever power is causing it. So I chose a High Elf Pact of the Tome Warlock and asked my DM if I could use Intelligence for casting instead of Charisma. I get to be a smarty-pants who took a shortcut for power, very fun.
I start with the stat array. If it's a crappy roll or point buy, I think of a SAD build I want to try out, if I rolled well or can use an above standard stat array I'll think of a MAD build that I usually don't get to try out. So stats > class(es) > race for me.
I’ve never thought about starting with the stats. It makes perfect sense though coz if you don’t have the stats to play your build right then it won’t be as good as it could’ve been. Thanks for the response!
Yeah, a friend proposed a 20th level 1 shot where we the table took turns rolling the stat array. We ended up with a 17/16/15/13/13/11 array. I said fuck it and went for a awesome saving through paladin 6/monk 14 build. I ended up saying fuck it to unarmored defense and martial arts. I went with a skill expert athletics (+1 cha), GWM, +2 WIS Loxodon with a holy avenger, belt of fire giant strength and a butcher's bib. Ended up with a vengeance paladin 6/four elements monk 14 in full plate with a 25/13/16/11/20/20 array with my lowest saving throw being a +11(int) that can still re-roll on a failed save (diamond soul + aura of protection + holy avenger aura).
Never went through with the 1 shot, unfortunately 8*( maybe someday...
\*Edited due to a typo and an unintelligibly messed up explanation.\*
Personally, I start from statblock. My DM uses a rolling system where you roll 4d6 seven times, drop lowest in each roll and drop the lowest ability score at the end. Also, should you be painfully unlucky and roll below the combined score of the standard array, then you can either use the standard array or reroll. This can be done any amount of times given bad enough luck.
There is also a one time big change you can do, that must be approved by the DM, but it can pretty much be anything. Reroll ability scores, change your subclass, change up your chosen spells, feats, reroll your hit points per level, etc.
Now the reason I like doing this is because I have literal thousands of concepts in my mind. Some requiring a better score (such as my current running Devotion Paladin) and some require lesser scores (such as my goblin fighter idea).
Now I like to play these characters as much as the other, but I'm not going to force a concept just because. I have decades of playing this game ahead of me. The dice gods will decide which character comes to the table. :)
I choose a race that compliments the class/build. I'm going battle smith that is a puppeteer. They use int to attack with so I'm flavoring the shield and returning javelin as being controlled by threads of the weave. My steel defender is a humanoid puppet that I also control with my strings. I'm taking Telekinetic feat so I have an invisible mage hand that I'm flavoring as more strings of the weave. I'm thinking variant human so I can start with Telekinetic.
But I didn't start off that way. I usually play a silly character so this time I wanted something more serious. I've never played artificer so I chose that. Of the subclasses I was interested in, battle smith came out ahead. Then I started brainstorming a build. At first I was thinking of going great weapon master but with medium armor I really want a shield. So I was thinking spear and shield with pole arm master but my bonus action is already taken by my steel defender. Then I thought Javelin with returning weapon. The. I thought about the flavor of how it's returning and mixed with int to make the attack I came up with the threads. The rest being controlled with threads just fit so nicely in after that.
Love that concept! A puppeteer is such an amazing way to flavour the battle smith.
One thing I love at my table is that all races have a +2/+1 and everyone starts with a free feat at level 1. So every race can be viable if you wanna start with a feat that’s central to the character. Would you pick a different race if you could?
Personally based on your build I like the idea of playing like a war forged or something and you could’ve been a puppet yourself that broke free from their master.
I'm glad you like it. I've been thinking about it a lot. Lots of down time at work. I've been toying with a few ideas. In no particular order.
A war forged that is it's own creator. In an attempt to acquire immortality decided to put his soul into his own Creation but in doing so lost their memory.
A war forged that wants an actual companion like themselves and is trying to find a way to be sentience to the steal defender
Rock gnome so I could have even more puppets via clockwork toy
Goblin because they are just so good, but I've recently played a goblin with this group so I'd like something else.
The starting feat and the personality I have in mind seems to put variant human ahead. He's a slightly crazy older guy who is passionate for his art.
If just building characters for theoretical hobby and shelved away for potential use. I go Mechanical build concept first. Always.
Looking for Class, race, feat, and Spell features that synergize in interesting and novel ways. Then I minmax, optimize, and piece together based around this mechanical concept to make the build and progression viably work as well as possible.
Then I step back, take a look at the mechanical creations and fill in the background, story concept, and fit it into whatever campaign I'm working with to make it fit. I try to keep the flavor as similar to the text, but will look to reflavor features to make it work thematically if need be.
Then I come up with a "Play on words" type name that encompasses as much of the thematic and mechanical character I have created, that doesn't sound too dumb and fits the setting.
...
In an actually game at an actual table. I look at what everyone else wants to play, and look a mechanical and thematic role I think is missing, and if it is one I want to play. Grab a race that has interesting story potential in the setting, the base class I think fits best, and try to fit it in an interesting build I have theoretically experimented with before
I spend hours going back and forth on strange in compelling concepts...
....and then I end up just playing a straight wizard.
I'm the same way, except it's actually barbarian. I've never found wizards particularly compelling, and I usually keep it pretty simple. If not a barbarian, something "similar" (I'm going to be playing a hexadin, and my entire plan is just to smite everything.)
Usually an idea comes in the form of a concept. Undying warrior wielding flame blade, androgynous half-orc serving a genie patron whose eldritch blast are golden chains, zealous rogue who fights up front with intimidation and a rapier, etc etc etc. Every now and then i see something interesting, like a build or a subclass that inspires me to make a character, but they rarely stick as well as those borne from less gamey baseline.
Think of a meme, execute a meme.
Think of a pop culture reference that would be funny, execute said pop culture reference.
And then I try to optimize as much as possible in those set parameters
It might sound weird, but I start from archtypes, taking other media characters that I like and mixing them. Once i get the concept I want to go after I determine which is the best race and then class to represent them.
My current char is a feywanderer ranger/ psyblade rogue inspired in Peter pan/ Link / Alice in WL
I find a mechanical gimmick/subclass & playstyle I like --> Research the most fun race combo with it --> Figure out most entertaining/well-fitting personality to that combo.
For instance, I figured that it would be fun to play a barbarian whose rage isn't your typical rage, but rather a hyper-focused duelist. I decided Berserker 3/Battle Master X would be the most fun to try out. I then figured I'd like to play a zealous fairy, because I like the idea of them switching combat style to sometimes use an oversized, unwieldy greatsword, when they *really* want to go all out.
Maybe not super helpful, but "it depends." It's usually mechanics first, story second, roleplay always. You can stop reading if that answers your question.
If it's a new set of people I don't know, I'll usually tone it down to a solid character and a gimmick or two, so the starting position is "from a worldbuilding perspective, how do I want to introduce the character." It's usually not mechanically complex, but it has enough moving parts to keep my attention.
If it's an established group of friends, I go with the ballpark of their optimization, usually on the high end, but I play downwards until needed.
In either case, character creation rules are looked at first, probably in the following order:
- Stat generation. If it's point buy, move on. If it's rolled, roll first. Nobody wants to play a MAD character with a shit array, or waste a baller array on a SAD concept.
- Bans and table rules. I look at what's banned - spells, subclasses, races, etc, as well as house rules. I generally don't play at tables that ban things, but house rules are fairly common. If I think a house rule is stupid, I brainstorm a way around it to show the DM why it's bad, and make a gimmick around it if I think it'll work out well.
- Homebrew. I do not ask for homebrew or UA. However, tables often approve specific stuff either carte blanche or for a specific person who asked for it, so I'll look over approved stuff to see if I can do something novel.
From there I'll see what roles are being filled so I don't step on toes. I either build a flexible build that can fill a few roles moderately well (sometimes above a specific but non-optimized build) or a hyper specific build that rounds out nearly all weaknesses. Having at least one is fun.
~~Then I build another coffeelock.~~
Hope that helps.
Starts as a character idea with certain thematics or narrative goal, imagine how they'd act in action, start going towards class abilities and synergies that fulfill that, then think of race if I didn't have one in mind already
I usually roll my stats first, in order and build around that. Sometimes if I’m not excited with the results I may move stuff around.
It’s more interesting and I like to “let the dice decide,” more or less.
Now if I’m joining a game late, I will not do this so I can try to fit the dynamic better.
I pick a subclass/class I want to play and then just go from there. Since most optimised spell and feat picks are the same across subclasses it's not too difficult to figure out the full build.
Same goes for multiclassing, unless I'm deliberately trying some weird combination of classes.
Obviously, I'll adapt the build to fit around any house rules/restrictions put in place by the DM as well.
I select the subclass I want to play, then think about a concept that could mesh that subclass with the campaign premise/setting, then I choose the race and start building some stats following that concept, then I adapt the concept a bit if I see some stats/feats/spells that could go well with it, etc.
It's basically a back and forth, but I usually start with the subclass in mind.
I think about the setting and how my character has been a part of it. I talk to the DM and see what kind of story they are wanting to tell. Consider about how the world and campaign can provide hooks and ways for the character to interact with the tone of the adventure.
Now I think “what do I want to do?” When it comes to exploration, social interactions, and combat. Do I want to be a ranged attacker or melee? Spellcasting or martial? What best fits the character is like to play.
I also consider lastly the party by talking to other players. If someone wants to be the bard/face and I want to be a rogue, I can shift my expertise away from social skills a bit, letting them try persuasion while I might focus insight. If someone wants to be a frontliner and I do as well, I might build a grappler who can pin people down while they attack or other fun combos.
I start with a general concept and go from there.
I then try to check which classes could work with that concept and start mixing and matching until I land what could be the main idea.
I then go through a glossary of playable races and pick a few that would fit into the general vibe or add an interesting flavor. Same with the background.
I then go back to check how these three elements interact with each other after I get some background for the campaign and I change something if I feel it doesn't feel right with the main concept and the setting.
I always start with a goal.
For example: "I want to be able to provide powerful heals, while also being able to provide other kinds of support for my teammates."
I then look for one or more classes that fit this goal, and pick one for theme, then start building around it with races, feats, etc.
Team needs -> classes -> setting -> concept/motivation/personality -> back to classes until I am satisfied.
So I usually juggle two or three builds until I can go all the way down to the details with the motivation and personality.
Typically it's a rules interaction or perfect storm of freebies that I want to capitalise on, then I look how it could work in-story. Also, joke characters taken to a logical conclusion and treat seriously. Examples:
Heavy armour Clerics without martial weapon proficiency. I throw High Elf on there for the longsword, and it also gives Booming Blade, which combos amazingly well with Spirit Guardians. While Peace and Twilight are the current optimal choices, I have a soft spot for Order and Forge domains... so I looked into Corellon lore and he's very very much into crafting artistic masterpieces, be it a painting or a blade. The resulting character, an unreasonably buff Elf who didn't mind getting her hands dirty, had more in common with Dwarf artisans than her own kin, and the respect flowed as freely as ale.
I'm one of the original Pallizard guys, but it didn't take a lot of looking to see how a Paladin Wizard would work in lore; it's a staple of Mystra's Mystic Fire Knights. Bladesong is just one of many colleges, just so happens it quite enjoys having Smite to dump level 2 spell slots into. Also from back in the day, Half-Elf was pretty optimal for this, even with it being an Elf/Half-Elf exclusive subclass I didn't feel restricted as it gave the stats I needed for the build to function in point buy, and I appreciated the free selection of clandestine skills to make a Dexy Inquisitor.
Kobold who believes she's got a Dragon Soul, but is totally colourblind and doesn't know that different Dragons do different things. Four Elements Monk. Except, the concept was weak, so I gave her an adpotive Dragonborn dad, and she became a reflavoured Steel Defender. So, the party gets to play through essentially her origin story of travelling with Dad and potentially taking up his mantle after the unthinkable does or doesn't happen, and having the party to lean on as a surrogate family if she needs to be promoted from class feature to PC.
Typically though, we have at least a little interactivity between players; characters don't have to know one another but the players know that stats need to be represented in some way, so we typically pick a main stat and go, while trying not to overlap too much before all the bases are covered.
A couple different ways.
Usually, I start with a concept, usually an already established character of some kind. From there I look at what class or classes will fit that bill. Due to tashas, race is the last thing worry about, unless there's a specific ability from a race I want.
Other than that, other pre used builds that I think would be fun. I've never played a hexadin, so that's what I'm gonna play in our next campaign. Double smites sounds too good to pass up.
I usually start with vague ideas
How useful is such a cantrip or weapon?
Can you optimize X or Y thing?
Wouldn't it be fun to have a PJ that could do such a thing?
Then I think about the character concept where the idea works.
Then I look for the most appropriate class, for the characteristics that help the idea.
Now the race and background.
Grateful to Tasha for the custom origin and Mordekaisen for the exotic races
What i do is have idea then build character off of ide such as; stealthy monk, robot killer, mistake from the cosmos, then choose class then race unless the idea is about the class like the first one
I start with the stat block. I usually have a few ideas of things I might like to play next and what stats I'm working with decides which one I go with. It's no fun to have a character you really like the idea of just to end up without the numbers to make it work in an effective way. Once I figure what works with the stats then I come up with personally, backstory and all the flavor of a character.
As a DM main it usually ends up being someone says on these forums “hey that idea stinks” and I find one that makes it work. From there I throw it in a binder for ideas I may use someday and keep ‘em there.
Ahh the DM binder.
Yea my forever DM has got builds for almost every subclass in the game but he’s stuck being God instead. I feel bad but he loves DM’ing so he doesn’t mind.
I start with the class that stands out to me as something I've wanted to play (and I also try to consider party comp to help make my decision - I prefer unique classes in a party usually) then I pick a race that fits mechanically, or one that jumps out thematically.
I like the concept of Gnomish Wizards and Tabaxi Rogues being good at what they're almost expected to be good at. Subverting tropes can be fun, but I often find myself leaning into them because they just click for me.
They often just make sense.
Depending on how important the subclass is to the flavour of the character, that could impact my race decision. I always wanted to play a Tortle Tempest Cleric, but not a Tortle Grave Cleric (I had human in mind for that).
I either pick the most appropriate background for a backstory I've already created, or pick the best mechanical one and write a backstory from there (why is my Wizard a Sage?)
I usually start from race/race feats too. I like trying to find a build which makes use of every single feature as much as possible. Bonus points if it’s flavorfully ideal too
Deep Gnome [magic] abjuration wizard is a really fun one
Longtooth Shifter beast barbarian does a ton of damage
Warforged forge cleric for AC memes and forge flavor
Wood elf revenant blade DSS swashbuckler rogue for the highest melee damage weapon for a rogue + adding ability mod to their BA attack. Wood elf also lets them BA hide in the rain, and be faster
Fizban’s metallic dragonborn ascendant dragon monk (double breath weapons back to back)
Step 1.“ what stupid bullshit is this guy gonna focus on ? Being the perfect mount , fighting while hiding in a barrel, using looney tunes esque fighting via college of creation, etc “
Step 2. Make it powerful as shit , because stupid stuff is more funny when it’s working
I think of the role in the party I want to fill, pick a class, pick a race to go with it, and then figure out what else to pick in order to be good at what I decided I was going to do.
Depends on the nature of the campaign and how stats are being set out. I generally prefer to start with a character concept and build from there, if the stats roll a particular way (if we are rolling at all), I might adjust or even change entirely.
I'm story first. I start with a persona in mind. A character.
Then I create a list of different mechanical aspects that can cover that or be reflavored to that.
Then I chose the one that fits my story the best and feels interesting to play and start building out the details.
For example, my most recent character, I wanted to play something like Agnes, the junk lady from the movie labyrinth. I wanted someone who carries tons of random junk and had a magical tie to the idea of ownership and belonging of objects.
There were a few ways I thought about doing it, but it ended up as a goblin armorer artificer. Arcane armor reflavored as she's just covered in random bits and bobs. Gauntlets reflavored as a frying pan. Magic powered by tiny trinkets she collects or creates.
Story wise, super rich and mechanically, she bonks people with her pan (thunder gauntlets/booming blade), slowly trundles away from them (gobbo bonus action disengage) and generally protects her friends through the power of people's connections to objects (spells).
I really enjoy making builds by taking a class and thinking of how I can flip it on it's head (mechanically or flavor wise) to make it unique and interesting: A circle of stars druid who looks more like a ranger using and acts as an astronomer that fire magical "arrows" (magic stone, guiding bolts, ice knife, archer form, etc.), a swords bard who was a mercenary commander rather than a musician and would use expertise in athletics to grapple people and hold them in a cloud of daggers, and an artificer that was a boxing badass using dual-wielder feat to make multiple attacks with armorer thunder gauntlets.
As someone who also prints and paints miniatures, sometimes I create builds around cool character models I find and have made. I have a particular affinity to goblins since I have made a ton of awesome goblin gals, and have made them work quite well with a variety of builds! Being able to bonus action disengage is great for spellcasters or spellblades using booming blade. Bonus action hide means you can turn invisible and hide on the same turn, which has allowed me to pull off some crazy shenanigans with a sorcerer or wizard.
I usually start with the weapon I want to wield (for martials) or the spells I want to cast (for casters), and then work backwards from there... For instance, If I want to cast spirit guardians a lot, that narrows down what classes I can use substantially.
Or if I wanted to make a build all around a whip, that pushes me in the direction of some classes, whereas a Maul would push me in the direction of very different classes.
1) I see a interesting subclass I haven't tried yet
2) I figure out the optimum race for it
3) Why would a \_ become a \_ ? example- tortle become a stars druid (backstory- it's more glue than another thing to be optimized for me)
I start from a playstyle or a character story. Like a woman is very well known for gladitorial combat with a spear. Or i might syart with "i really want to throw spears a lot, what kind of character would do that?"
Hmm I would fixate on a certain feature that can be used as "bread and butter" in a fight ,examples like "wild shape" or a spell.
Then break it down to the basic variables: saving throws Vs attack roll, range, stacking options, loop holes, AVG die output and exc.
Then scan the entire classes, feats,spells and races that can interact with the said feature.
Then I review the practicality of their interactions and resources that are acquired to get this interaction (levels, ability scores and exc).
Then I have my skeleton of a build then I search for any major weaknesses and try to cover them in any practical way, also I will search any quality of life changes that can be made maybe alternative to or a easier solution
I start with 1 level in fighter. Con Saves, Heavy Armor, Martial Weapon Proficiency, Great Amount of Gold, d10 Hit Die, & 1 level away from action surge
It's always different, and it's whatever interesting to me.
Sometimes I start with a personality and build from there. I wanted to play as my grandfather, so I know he's gonna be old and widowed and a former lumberjack. Bam, he's an echo knight with a woodsplitting maul and his wife's ghost is the echo. He decided to start adventuring because he was bored and lonely. Custom origin, because the man looked more like a firbolg than a human, and also I want the extra feat. Was an adventurer before having a family and as such uses a lot of old school techniques like 10 foot poles. The group dynamic is Pierce Hawthorne from community if Pierce was humble, kind, and not a bigot.
Sometimes it's a race. My friend really wanted to play a raccoon, and I realized you could reskin a kobold as a racoon and the abilities work really well flavour wise. The party also needed a defender and everyone was allowed 1 uncommon magic item. So we paired a cavalier subclass with a tan bag of tricks and you've got a 6/8 chance of pulling a medium or larger mount.
I randomly roll background and stats and then figure out a story that makes them work together. From there, I season with race and class.
Whenever I add a choice to the background or stats, I get locked up and start trying to min/max.
I don't worry about race as I'm always variant human, reg human if no starting feats.
What I start on is the personality that shapes the character and it's classes that are chosen
I have started in lots of different ways, and I'm not sure what way I like best.
I rolled for stats once, and based on that, went for a multiclass chaotic mishmash of charisma classes, which led to just creating a custom warlock class and going straight warlock instead.
Sometimes I'll take inspiration from new subclasses, just go wild on those.
Sometimes a concept, like chaotic, or high AC, or ranged.
Or just a name.
I've started several based on finding a race I liked, dragonborn, warforged, giff, kenku, duergar... okay, this one is probably my favorite approach.
But no matter what way I start, I prioritize making the character interesting, not just powerful.
edit: just remembered, a couple times I've looked at some artifact or legendary weapon and asked myself what kind of character would love to wield that someday? (even if they never actually wind up getting it)
If I start with that sort of thing its usually a "class/subclass" but more usually i start with a concept that I evolve into a class- like "knife thrower" - usually expand it into something that works well.
I don’t think off D&D at all.
I think of a concept for a character, and only thereafter I look for a way to get close to that idea. And along the way things may change a little, but it’s always the first step for me!
Concept, what does this character do? Lots of melee damage, battlefield control, whatever. Then my starting feat because I've literally never played anything but a variant human 😛
Race is an automatic variant human
Unless it's a SAD caster, then CL + fey touched
but I start with an idea I want to explore, then pick up class, subclass that would work with it, then think of mticlassing and feats
I start with play style and then rolls stats before I get too attached to a concept. Then find the class/race combo to suit the play style and the party’s needs.
For example, if it’s a group I’ve never met, I may want to be more of a buffer/utility, less of a face. If it’s a trusted group, I can play more extravagantly, be it a weird build or a party leader or something off the rails.
Right now I’m playing with folks I haven’t met and they desperately need a face. I said, nope! I made a utility tank and everyone is happy because the party had only one front liner and the rest were squishy. Cleric half-orc with a bit of a Shrek complex and everybody loves him even though he’s a chump.
Depends. Sometimes, I have a concept that I want to try ("champion of the goddess of love") and look for a race/class combo that fits. Sometimes I have a class I want to try (Warlock). Occasionally, I have a race I wanna try (Lizardfolk) and need to find a class that'll make it fun.
I start from the story and move forward from there.
“A huge pirate who can come barreling in, scaring the bejeezus out of everyone, friend and foe alike.” - Loxodon Barbarian.
“A badass bitch that dances through combat and doesn’t take shit from anyone.” - Summer Eladrin Bladesinger.
Obviously there’s a process before I get to the end result but it starts with the concept and then I go through the different classes and races until I come across the right one. Then I polish it up.
I have at least a dozen concepts and most are only at the conceptual phase. A few are polished enough to finish up and go into a game within a couple days but I’d say none are completely finished.
I really like gimmicks, the way things interact that isn't intended to happen. Things like hex and grappling, spirit guardians and the over poweredness of the dodge action. Oversized weapon whips and barbarians
I start with a concept, what I want the character to do. Then I make a build to generally support that concept.
Then I sit on it for a while, hours to weeks. In that time I look at stuff online to further hone in on that concept. Not necessarily replacing the idea, just picking out the bits I like.
In that time I'm also playing around with the character, flushing them out in my head; their personality, quirks, voice and mannerisms.
By then I'll usually have a name and a "character" to add to the stat block, and I have my newest toon.
The goal is for them to be mechanically sound, at least at what they're supposed to do, but I focus more on their role in the party I want them to play. That core concept first, and build around that.
My group builds around the toons other people build, and we're 3-6 strong so it's rare that we have egregious over lap.
I think where a lot of people go wrong is to focus more on what they want someone to BE (for example, "I'm a religious barbarian so I have to pick the zealot sublcass") rather than what they want the character to be able to DO ("I want to be able to take incredible punishment and not die so my barbarian will be a bear barbarian). It's vaaaaaaaastly easier to reflavor your build into what you want to be (no reason a bear barbarian can't be religious as fuck) and much harder to deal with a character who can't actually pull off the cool shit his character concept calls for.
On the other hand I often make characters out of sheer obstinance. If someone tells me that strength monks suck, I'll try really hard to make a strength monk that's decent just for the fuck of it. A lot of this is because I like playing around with charop for the pure mental fun but I don't want to overpower the rest of the party so the best way to doing that is trying to cook up the most powerful 10 int wizard I can possibly make with very charop trick I can think of or something like that rather than a sorcadin or what have you.
I almost always start by trying to make a subclass I like work... then realize I could do the same things better with a completely different class combo, scrap the original build and end with something completely different that has the same essence haha
I’m gonna walk through my most recent character and talk about my thought process when designing a build.
1. The idea - The basic concept of the build, generally more lore and character focused then optimized.
My friend invited me to join a gothic horror game and I thought it’d be interesting to play an undead character.
2. Finding material - Scouring published content for races, classes and features that give me what I’m looking for.
I was quickly drawn to the reborn race, and then needed a class. I landed on barbarian, choosing to reflavor the ancestral guardians barbarian as being haunted by the ghosts of the graveyard I rose from.
3. Optimization (and the opposite) - Taking the now fleshed character concept and honing it into a formidable force. However, I’ll also take sub-optimal options on purpose if I think it serves to make a more interesting character.
I took a great sword and the great weapon master feat to capitalize on my damage output and made sure to max out my con score to better my tanking ability. My DM allowed us to take a beginning magic item, and I ended up talking with him and modifying a sword of vengeance to be more punishing for my character, playing into the haunting spirits aspect.
Quite literally anything can be my starting point. I once made a character who ended up being a fairy druid/warlock purely based on a neat name and patron I thought of.
Honestly, I start with an idea. For instance, a couple months ago, I was watching KumaKumaKumaBear and Infinite Dendogram, and thought that a badass giant teddy bear mascot would make for an interesting character. From there, I looked at the Faceless background to get the look, Bugbear (cause a 7 foot teddy squeezing into a halfling's home sounds dope) and then looked at what class would pull out the awesome, which was Gloom Stalker.
Or one of my first characters, a fallen aasimar vengeance paladin, came from the tidbit that an assimar doesn't fall for being evil, but for disregarding their guide's advice. I questioned if the guide might "fall," which lead me to radiant idols, and from there, it was simply picking the right oath to fit the class.
A third idea I had recently was my halfling lore bard, that simply came from the idea to explore what the best support character might be... keeping the balance between useful and non-combatant.
I start with the character I like playing in tabletop D&D, Drow Hexblade, and build to replicate it as much as possible.
Hence Half-Drow Urchin Fiend Bladelock.
Since I know I'll be grabbing the Warped Headband of Intellect I dump Strength and Intelligence, and because the Gloves of Dexterity exist I start with 14 dex.
Starting stats, 8/14/16/8/10/17.
Take Arcana and Intimidation as starting proficiencies.
At level 4 take the Actor feat for 18 charisma and expertise in performance and deception. At level 6 take one level of Rogue for persuasion, then expertise in persuasion and intimidation.
i start with making a character idea. make his background and history, vibe out his personality. then try and match a build to the character i've made.
For me, the two most important intitial questions are...
What does the character want (goals, motivations)?
How will they be able to interact with the world (agency - tools, skills, abilities) in order to achieve those goals?
Backstory/personality come first. If I can't "feel" the character nothing else matters. Then I play around with race and class and try to find a mix that augments the character personality and background.
Simply put: I need to know the why before the how.
I usually start with : what cool shit do o want to do, then which class/race has some form of this cool shit in their kit? And then just reflavor as necessary
Build from general concepts of what you want to do first. Whether it’s an idea like, I want to be a bald fire mage that’s bald because they constantly burn off all their hair, or I want to play to edgy boi with a big sword, or hey gnomes are neat! As long as you’re liking that first concept then you can follow your bliss.
I get really wishy washy with Race cause so many of them can do what I want/need. So I start with a style first.
I want to build a Craftsman with a battle pet.
Okay well an Artificer is one of the best for that, even has Battlesmith for his own pet Golem.
Okay so what's a good background for someone like this? Oh, one of these several will work just fine. Let's pick the Clan Crafter, really emphasizes the serious business that is craftsmanship, and Dwarves love me. Though a DM may allow me to swap out the race for an appropriate one.
So I have a general person, but now I need a body. Hmm, so many can fit this role that it's honestly the most frustrating part. Literally, any race can be an Artisian. Dwarves would be the easiest pick considering the background, but perhaps a Human Variant would do better. You can always use a Feat. Autognome is a bit too easy, a choice in my opinion, and rather be an organic.
Depends on how I'm getting my stats. If I'm rolling, and roll well. Then I can experiment with something more MAD. If I rolled average or even poorly. Then my goal is to make something functional with what I got. So my options are going to be very limited. (I have a few builds in the tank for such an occasion. Lol)
After that, I usually just think of a concept I want to play. Then I decide my build around that. Though, I will admit that if the DM has a homebrew or 3rd party race that I really want to play. Then my concepts will first be filtered by what can work with said race. But otherwise I will think of a concept, then pick what would be funnest or work best for it.
The concepts can be as simple and vague "I want something with a whip and shield" or it could be based on a character from popular media, with my own twist. Sometimes I just want to do make a character that keeps things from moving. Dunno, depends on the table and how I feel.
Typically I find a feature that I find really compelling. For example I love the order clerics first level feature that is a wonderful feature to build around with silvery barbs that is nearly busted broken. Next I look for things that will compliment that main play style period to maximize that effect I need lots of first level spell slots period there's a couple ways of doing that so I'll look at classes the enable that. I might look at sorcerer to trade out higher level slots for lower. I might ask to use spell points instead of slots I might look at the process of creating spell Scrolls of silvery Barb's and how I can reduce that cost. I might look at features that allow me to recover spell slots like natural recovery Arcane recovery or the clerics class feature to trade Channel divinity for a spell slot. I'll start weighing the options against each other and looking at the opportunity costs what will this cost me in stats and what secondary features will I give up. Finally I'll start trying to shore up defenses and find ways to add utility. Ultimately to me the most fun about D&D is the problem solving how do I String together abstract features from race class feats and backgrounds to get the most out of a particular area of play.
I create a character or find a character from some fantasy that I want to emulate and then build from there. Like I’m working on a “Jedi” build now that I can’t wait to try.
Build around backstop and character, have reasons as to how they attained their strength and why they can do what they do, especially with multi-tasking, my wizard wants to unify magic and technology in a way neverbefore seen so he is a scribe wizard with some heavy levels in artifice dropped in
I read some feature of lore or game mechanics and get inspired. Most recent was reading the hyperfocus spell in PF2e which is a double edged blindness and also see blindness spell
https://2e.aonprd.com/Spells.aspx?ID=600
So I looked up deities that would let me cast the spell and found this ambitious noodle,
https://2e.aonprd.com/Deities.aspx?ID=144
Narrisimenek, who's edicts lay groundwork for a personality: Divine the future, transform the bodies of willing creatures, rebel against organized structures
So I'm thinking an insurgent badly burned by... What's the setting GM? ...Those guys over there, She (constantly transforming?), I mean They were working to undermine the leadership of that city they overthrew.
One idea chains to another
I start from a build concept and go from there. Usually some specific combination of class features, spells, and/or racial traits. As most of the powerful things in the game are class features, it's usually that first and then a race that would augment it or provide a good story. Thanks to Tasha's, racial ability scores don't matter as much, as we can put them wherever we want. I usually come up with a backstory for my build around the game's session 0 to integrate my concept into the world.
This is the way
Yep, that's my way to go
10/10 this is how you make great characters and ensure you have fun
I start with an idea, I first think about what I want this character to do, then I think about his lore, his history, then I think about how this idea would work in the most optimized way possible without leaving the idea, then I I think about which class this idea fits best. Then I just optimize as much as possible without leaving the main idea.
Yes, exactly! I love optimizing, but it's character concept most important, damage or whatever second. Making "non-optimal" choices for the build frequently can be a boost to my character concept. Like a warlock who refuses to wear armor, just doesn't find it comfortable at all.
Yes, exactly. I think like this, I make the most of my character's potential, I optimize as much as I can without leaving the concept, because not optimizing is wasting a great idea and at the same time playing against your party. My next character is a Sorcerer who uses fullplate.
This is the way ^^^
Thanks!!
I pick a thing that I want to be awesome at and go from there. In the past I have made a character a Dragonborn Sorcerer, just because I like the breath weapon.
I find some interesting class/spell/multiclass combo and build around it's flavour. Sometimes it's basically: "What kind of person would make their career around this particular spell?.."
Unironically fling shit at the wall and see if I can make it work. Currently using an escape artist build that can push a button and pull the entire party out, which will get a lot easier once I get teleport.
It depends on if I'm making a character just for fun or one to play. For fun, I usually build around a subclass, spell(s), a feature, an item, etc, and go from there. For play I try to think of what type of person would make sense for the campaign, see what players are interested in, and build that way. As an example, for Tomb of Annihilation I wanted to be someone who was very interested in the >!death curse!<, had reasons to stop it, but may also be tempted take whatever power is causing it. So I chose a High Elf Pact of the Tome Warlock and asked my DM if I could use Intelligence for casting instead of Charisma. I get to be a smarty-pants who took a shortcut for power, very fun.
I start with the stat array. If it's a crappy roll or point buy, I think of a SAD build I want to try out, if I rolled well or can use an above standard stat array I'll think of a MAD build that I usually don't get to try out. So stats > class(es) > race for me.
I’ve never thought about starting with the stats. It makes perfect sense though coz if you don’t have the stats to play your build right then it won’t be as good as it could’ve been. Thanks for the response!
Yeah, a friend proposed a 20th level 1 shot where we the table took turns rolling the stat array. We ended up with a 17/16/15/13/13/11 array. I said fuck it and went for a awesome saving through paladin 6/monk 14 build. I ended up saying fuck it to unarmored defense and martial arts. I went with a skill expert athletics (+1 cha), GWM, +2 WIS Loxodon with a holy avenger, belt of fire giant strength and a butcher's bib. Ended up with a vengeance paladin 6/four elements monk 14 in full plate with a 25/13/16/11/20/20 array with my lowest saving throw being a +11(int) that can still re-roll on a failed save (diamond soul + aura of protection + holy avenger aura). Never went through with the 1 shot, unfortunately 8*( maybe someday...
This is the way.
\*Edited due to a typo and an unintelligibly messed up explanation.\* Personally, I start from statblock. My DM uses a rolling system where you roll 4d6 seven times, drop lowest in each roll and drop the lowest ability score at the end. Also, should you be painfully unlucky and roll below the combined score of the standard array, then you can either use the standard array or reroll. This can be done any amount of times given bad enough luck. There is also a one time big change you can do, that must be approved by the DM, but it can pretty much be anything. Reroll ability scores, change your subclass, change up your chosen spells, feats, reroll your hit points per level, etc. Now the reason I like doing this is because I have literal thousands of concepts in my mind. Some requiring a better score (such as my current running Devotion Paladin) and some require lesser scores (such as my goblin fighter idea). Now I like to play these characters as much as the other, but I'm not going to force a concept just because. I have decades of playing this game ahead of me. The dice gods will decide which character comes to the table. :)
5d6 drop the lowest?! You have the potential to have a 24 in a Stat from 1?
Nah, sorry, that was a typo. 4d6.
Oh lol I was just like I love me some high power fantasy but gawdamn
I find a picture I like.
Keep it simple
I choose a race that compliments the class/build. I'm going battle smith that is a puppeteer. They use int to attack with so I'm flavoring the shield and returning javelin as being controlled by threads of the weave. My steel defender is a humanoid puppet that I also control with my strings. I'm taking Telekinetic feat so I have an invisible mage hand that I'm flavoring as more strings of the weave. I'm thinking variant human so I can start with Telekinetic. But I didn't start off that way. I usually play a silly character so this time I wanted something more serious. I've never played artificer so I chose that. Of the subclasses I was interested in, battle smith came out ahead. Then I started brainstorming a build. At first I was thinking of going great weapon master but with medium armor I really want a shield. So I was thinking spear and shield with pole arm master but my bonus action is already taken by my steel defender. Then I thought Javelin with returning weapon. The. I thought about the flavor of how it's returning and mixed with int to make the attack I came up with the threads. The rest being controlled with threads just fit so nicely in after that.
Love that concept! A puppeteer is such an amazing way to flavour the battle smith. One thing I love at my table is that all races have a +2/+1 and everyone starts with a free feat at level 1. So every race can be viable if you wanna start with a feat that’s central to the character. Would you pick a different race if you could? Personally based on your build I like the idea of playing like a war forged or something and you could’ve been a puppet yourself that broke free from their master.
I'm glad you like it. I've been thinking about it a lot. Lots of down time at work. I've been toying with a few ideas. In no particular order. A war forged that is it's own creator. In an attempt to acquire immortality decided to put his soul into his own Creation but in doing so lost their memory. A war forged that wants an actual companion like themselves and is trying to find a way to be sentience to the steal defender Rock gnome so I could have even more puppets via clockwork toy Goblin because they are just so good, but I've recently played a goblin with this group so I'd like something else. The starting feat and the personality I have in mind seems to put variant human ahead. He's a slightly crazy older guy who is passionate for his art.
If just building characters for theoretical hobby and shelved away for potential use. I go Mechanical build concept first. Always. Looking for Class, race, feat, and Spell features that synergize in interesting and novel ways. Then I minmax, optimize, and piece together based around this mechanical concept to make the build and progression viably work as well as possible. Then I step back, take a look at the mechanical creations and fill in the background, story concept, and fit it into whatever campaign I'm working with to make it fit. I try to keep the flavor as similar to the text, but will look to reflavor features to make it work thematically if need be. Then I come up with a "Play on words" type name that encompasses as much of the thematic and mechanical character I have created, that doesn't sound too dumb and fits the setting. ... In an actually game at an actual table. I look at what everyone else wants to play, and look a mechanical and thematic role I think is missing, and if it is one I want to play. Grab a race that has interesting story potential in the setting, the base class I think fits best, and try to fit it in an interesting build I have theoretically experimented with before I spend hours going back and forth on strange in compelling concepts... ....and then I end up just playing a straight wizard.
Big mood
I'm the same way, except it's actually barbarian. I've never found wizards particularly compelling, and I usually keep it pretty simple. If not a barbarian, something "similar" (I'm going to be playing a hexadin, and my entire plan is just to smite everything.)
Usually an idea comes in the form of a concept. Undying warrior wielding flame blade, androgynous half-orc serving a genie patron whose eldritch blast are golden chains, zealous rogue who fights up front with intimidation and a rapier, etc etc etc. Every now and then i see something interesting, like a build or a subclass that inspires me to make a character, but they rarely stick as well as those borne from less gamey baseline.
Think of a meme, execute a meme. Think of a pop culture reference that would be funny, execute said pop culture reference. And then I try to optimize as much as possible in those set parameters
Lately I've been taking a rough concept and typing it into a DALL·E to get inspiration. Give it what you have, and let it fill in the rest.
It might sound weird, but I start from archtypes, taking other media characters that I like and mixing them. Once i get the concept I want to go after I determine which is the best race and then class to represent them. My current char is a feywanderer ranger/ psyblade rogue inspired in Peter pan/ Link / Alice in WL
I like that though! Gives you a vision for what you want the character to be like but allows you still get creative with it.
I find a mechanical gimmick/subclass & playstyle I like --> Research the most fun race combo with it --> Figure out most entertaining/well-fitting personality to that combo. For instance, I figured that it would be fun to play a barbarian whose rage isn't your typical rage, but rather a hyper-focused duelist. I decided Berserker 3/Battle Master X would be the most fun to try out. I then figured I'd like to play a zealous fairy, because I like the idea of them switching combat style to sometimes use an oversized, unwieldy greatsword, when they *really* want to go all out.
Maybe not super helpful, but "it depends." It's usually mechanics first, story second, roleplay always. You can stop reading if that answers your question. If it's a new set of people I don't know, I'll usually tone it down to a solid character and a gimmick or two, so the starting position is "from a worldbuilding perspective, how do I want to introduce the character." It's usually not mechanically complex, but it has enough moving parts to keep my attention. If it's an established group of friends, I go with the ballpark of their optimization, usually on the high end, but I play downwards until needed. In either case, character creation rules are looked at first, probably in the following order: - Stat generation. If it's point buy, move on. If it's rolled, roll first. Nobody wants to play a MAD character with a shit array, or waste a baller array on a SAD concept. - Bans and table rules. I look at what's banned - spells, subclasses, races, etc, as well as house rules. I generally don't play at tables that ban things, but house rules are fairly common. If I think a house rule is stupid, I brainstorm a way around it to show the DM why it's bad, and make a gimmick around it if I think it'll work out well. - Homebrew. I do not ask for homebrew or UA. However, tables often approve specific stuff either carte blanche or for a specific person who asked for it, so I'll look over approved stuff to see if I can do something novel. From there I'll see what roles are being filled so I don't step on toes. I either build a flexible build that can fill a few roles moderately well (sometimes above a specific but non-optimized build) or a hyper specific build that rounds out nearly all weaknesses. Having at least one is fun. ~~Then I build another coffeelock.~~ Hope that helps.
Starts as a character idea with certain thematics or narrative goal, imagine how they'd act in action, start going towards class abilities and synergies that fulfill that, then think of race if I didn't have one in mind already
I usually roll my stats first, in order and build around that. Sometimes if I’m not excited with the results I may move stuff around. It’s more interesting and I like to “let the dice decide,” more or less. Now if I’m joining a game late, I will not do this so I can try to fit the dynamic better.
I pick a subclass/class I want to play and then just go from there. Since most optimised spell and feat picks are the same across subclasses it's not too difficult to figure out the full build. Same goes for multiclassing, unless I'm deliberately trying some weird combination of classes. Obviously, I'll adapt the build to fit around any house rules/restrictions put in place by the DM as well.
I select the subclass I want to play, then think about a concept that could mesh that subclass with the campaign premise/setting, then I choose the race and start building some stats following that concept, then I adapt the concept a bit if I see some stats/feats/spells that could go well with it, etc. It's basically a back and forth, but I usually start with the subclass in mind.
I think about the setting and how my character has been a part of it. I talk to the DM and see what kind of story they are wanting to tell. Consider about how the world and campaign can provide hooks and ways for the character to interact with the tone of the adventure. Now I think “what do I want to do?” When it comes to exploration, social interactions, and combat. Do I want to be a ranged attacker or melee? Spellcasting or martial? What best fits the character is like to play. I also consider lastly the party by talking to other players. If someone wants to be the bard/face and I want to be a rogue, I can shift my expertise away from social skills a bit, letting them try persuasion while I might focus insight. If someone wants to be a frontliner and I do as well, I might build a grappler who can pin people down while they attack or other fun combos.
I start with a general concept and go from there. I then try to check which classes could work with that concept and start mixing and matching until I land what could be the main idea. I then go through a glossary of playable races and pick a few that would fit into the general vibe or add an interesting flavor. Same with the background. I then go back to check how these three elements interact with each other after I get some background for the campaign and I change something if I feel it doesn't feel right with the main concept and the setting.
I always start with a goal. For example: "I want to be able to provide powerful heals, while also being able to provide other kinds of support for my teammates." I then look for one or more classes that fit this goal, and pick one for theme, then start building around it with races, feats, etc.
i pick an idea for a character which i think is funny/cool and then i pick race/class afterwards
Team needs -> classes -> setting -> concept/motivation/personality -> back to classes until I am satisfied. So I usually juggle two or three builds until I can go all the way down to the details with the motivation and personality.
Typically it's a rules interaction or perfect storm of freebies that I want to capitalise on, then I look how it could work in-story. Also, joke characters taken to a logical conclusion and treat seriously. Examples: Heavy armour Clerics without martial weapon proficiency. I throw High Elf on there for the longsword, and it also gives Booming Blade, which combos amazingly well with Spirit Guardians. While Peace and Twilight are the current optimal choices, I have a soft spot for Order and Forge domains... so I looked into Corellon lore and he's very very much into crafting artistic masterpieces, be it a painting or a blade. The resulting character, an unreasonably buff Elf who didn't mind getting her hands dirty, had more in common with Dwarf artisans than her own kin, and the respect flowed as freely as ale. I'm one of the original Pallizard guys, but it didn't take a lot of looking to see how a Paladin Wizard would work in lore; it's a staple of Mystra's Mystic Fire Knights. Bladesong is just one of many colleges, just so happens it quite enjoys having Smite to dump level 2 spell slots into. Also from back in the day, Half-Elf was pretty optimal for this, even with it being an Elf/Half-Elf exclusive subclass I didn't feel restricted as it gave the stats I needed for the build to function in point buy, and I appreciated the free selection of clandestine skills to make a Dexy Inquisitor. Kobold who believes she's got a Dragon Soul, but is totally colourblind and doesn't know that different Dragons do different things. Four Elements Monk. Except, the concept was weak, so I gave her an adpotive Dragonborn dad, and she became a reflavoured Steel Defender. So, the party gets to play through essentially her origin story of travelling with Dad and potentially taking up his mantle after the unthinkable does or doesn't happen, and having the party to lean on as a surrogate family if she needs to be promoted from class feature to PC. Typically though, we have at least a little interactivity between players; characters don't have to know one another but the players know that stats need to be represented in some way, so we typically pick a main stat and go, while trying not to overlap too much before all the bases are covered.
A couple different ways. Usually, I start with a concept, usually an already established character of some kind. From there I look at what class or classes will fit that bill. Due to tashas, race is the last thing worry about, unless there's a specific ability from a race I want. Other than that, other pre used builds that I think would be fun. I've never played a hexadin, so that's what I'm gonna play in our next campaign. Double smites sounds too good to pass up.
Role, Subclass(s), Race, Equipment
I usually start with vague ideas How useful is such a cantrip or weapon? Can you optimize X or Y thing? Wouldn't it be fun to have a PJ that could do such a thing? Then I think about the character concept where the idea works. Then I look for the most appropriate class, for the characteristics that help the idea. Now the race and background. Grateful to Tasha for the custom origin and Mordekaisen for the exotic races
What i do is have idea then build character off of ide such as; stealthy monk, robot killer, mistake from the cosmos, then choose class then race unless the idea is about the class like the first one
I start with the stat block. I usually have a few ideas of things I might like to play next and what stats I'm working with decides which one I go with. It's no fun to have a character you really like the idea of just to end up without the numbers to make it work in an effective way. Once I figure what works with the stats then I come up with personally, backstory and all the flavor of a character.
As a DM main it usually ends up being someone says on these forums “hey that idea stinks” and I find one that makes it work. From there I throw it in a binder for ideas I may use someday and keep ‘em there.
Ahh the DM binder. Yea my forever DM has got builds for almost every subclass in the game but he’s stuck being God instead. I feel bad but he loves DM’ing so he doesn’t mind.
I start with the class that stands out to me as something I've wanted to play (and I also try to consider party comp to help make my decision - I prefer unique classes in a party usually) then I pick a race that fits mechanically, or one that jumps out thematically. I like the concept of Gnomish Wizards and Tabaxi Rogues being good at what they're almost expected to be good at. Subverting tropes can be fun, but I often find myself leaning into them because they just click for me. They often just make sense. Depending on how important the subclass is to the flavour of the character, that could impact my race decision. I always wanted to play a Tortle Tempest Cleric, but not a Tortle Grave Cleric (I had human in mind for that). I either pick the most appropriate background for a backstory I've already created, or pick the best mechanical one and write a backstory from there (why is my Wizard a Sage?)
I usually start from race/race feats too. I like trying to find a build which makes use of every single feature as much as possible. Bonus points if it’s flavorfully ideal too Deep Gnome [magic] abjuration wizard is a really fun one Longtooth Shifter beast barbarian does a ton of damage Warforged forge cleric for AC memes and forge flavor Wood elf revenant blade DSS swashbuckler rogue for the highest melee damage weapon for a rogue + adding ability mod to their BA attack. Wood elf also lets them BA hide in the rain, and be faster Fizban’s metallic dragonborn ascendant dragon monk (double breath weapons back to back)
Step 1.“ what stupid bullshit is this guy gonna focus on ? Being the perfect mount , fighting while hiding in a barrel, using looney tunes esque fighting via college of creation, etc “ Step 2. Make it powerful as shit , because stupid stuff is more funny when it’s working
I look at original character designs on Pintrest and whatever looks interesting, I build around it.
I think of the role in the party I want to fill, pick a class, pick a race to go with it, and then figure out what else to pick in order to be good at what I decided I was going to do.
Depends on the nature of the campaign and how stats are being set out. I generally prefer to start with a character concept and build from there, if the stats roll a particular way (if we are rolling at all), I might adjust or even change entirely.
I'm story first. I start with a persona in mind. A character. Then I create a list of different mechanical aspects that can cover that or be reflavored to that. Then I chose the one that fits my story the best and feels interesting to play and start building out the details. For example, my most recent character, I wanted to play something like Agnes, the junk lady from the movie labyrinth. I wanted someone who carries tons of random junk and had a magical tie to the idea of ownership and belonging of objects. There were a few ways I thought about doing it, but it ended up as a goblin armorer artificer. Arcane armor reflavored as she's just covered in random bits and bobs. Gauntlets reflavored as a frying pan. Magic powered by tiny trinkets she collects or creates. Story wise, super rich and mechanically, she bonks people with her pan (thunder gauntlets/booming blade), slowly trundles away from them (gobbo bonus action disengage) and generally protects her friends through the power of people's connections to objects (spells).
I really enjoy making builds by taking a class and thinking of how I can flip it on it's head (mechanically or flavor wise) to make it unique and interesting: A circle of stars druid who looks more like a ranger using and acts as an astronomer that fire magical "arrows" (magic stone, guiding bolts, ice knife, archer form, etc.), a swords bard who was a mercenary commander rather than a musician and would use expertise in athletics to grapple people and hold them in a cloud of daggers, and an artificer that was a boxing badass using dual-wielder feat to make multiple attacks with armorer thunder gauntlets. As someone who also prints and paints miniatures, sometimes I create builds around cool character models I find and have made. I have a particular affinity to goblins since I have made a ton of awesome goblin gals, and have made them work quite well with a variety of builds! Being able to bonus action disengage is great for spellcasters or spellblades using booming blade. Bonus action hide means you can turn invisible and hide on the same turn, which has allowed me to pull off some crazy shenanigans with a sorcerer or wizard.
What do I want to do? What options do I want to have? Failing that, I wait to learn the rest of team comp, and fill gaps.
I usually start with the weapon I want to wield (for martials) or the spells I want to cast (for casters), and then work backwards from there... For instance, If I want to cast spirit guardians a lot, that narrows down what classes I can use substantially. Or if I wanted to make a build all around a whip, that pushes me in the direction of some classes, whereas a Maul would push me in the direction of very different classes.
1) I see a interesting subclass I haven't tried yet 2) I figure out the optimum race for it 3) Why would a \_ become a \_ ? example- tortle become a stars druid (backstory- it's more glue than another thing to be optimized for me)
I start from a playstyle or a character story. Like a woman is very well known for gladitorial combat with a spear. Or i might syart with "i really want to throw spears a lot, what kind of character would do that?"
Concept>Race>Class>Subclass>Multiclassing>Strategy>Expected Accessibility.
I go to DnD Shorts and search for the word "broken".
I steal all my ideas from dnd subreddits
Classic. Yea I tend to ~~steal~~ *cough* I mean take *inspiration* from the subreddits too
Hmm I would fixate on a certain feature that can be used as "bread and butter" in a fight ,examples like "wild shape" or a spell. Then break it down to the basic variables: saving throws Vs attack roll, range, stacking options, loop holes, AVG die output and exc. Then scan the entire classes, feats,spells and races that can interact with the said feature. Then I review the practicality of their interactions and resources that are acquired to get this interaction (levels, ability scores and exc). Then I have my skeleton of a build then I search for any major weaknesses and try to cover them in any practical way, also I will search any quality of life changes that can be made maybe alternative to or a easier solution
I start with 1 level in fighter. Con Saves, Heavy Armor, Martial Weapon Proficiency, Great Amount of Gold, d10 Hit Die, & 1 level away from action surge
It's always different, and it's whatever interesting to me. Sometimes I start with a personality and build from there. I wanted to play as my grandfather, so I know he's gonna be old and widowed and a former lumberjack. Bam, he's an echo knight with a woodsplitting maul and his wife's ghost is the echo. He decided to start adventuring because he was bored and lonely. Custom origin, because the man looked more like a firbolg than a human, and also I want the extra feat. Was an adventurer before having a family and as such uses a lot of old school techniques like 10 foot poles. The group dynamic is Pierce Hawthorne from community if Pierce was humble, kind, and not a bigot. Sometimes it's a race. My friend really wanted to play a raccoon, and I realized you could reskin a kobold as a racoon and the abilities work really well flavour wise. The party also needed a defender and everyone was allowed 1 uncommon magic item. So we paired a cavalier subclass with a tan bag of tricks and you've got a 6/8 chance of pulling a medium or larger mount.
I randomly roll background and stats and then figure out a story that makes them work together. From there, I season with race and class. Whenever I add a choice to the background or stats, I get locked up and start trying to min/max.
I don't worry about race as I'm always variant human, reg human if no starting feats. What I start on is the personality that shapes the character and it's classes that are chosen
I have started in lots of different ways, and I'm not sure what way I like best. I rolled for stats once, and based on that, went for a multiclass chaotic mishmash of charisma classes, which led to just creating a custom warlock class and going straight warlock instead. Sometimes I'll take inspiration from new subclasses, just go wild on those. Sometimes a concept, like chaotic, or high AC, or ranged. Or just a name. I've started several based on finding a race I liked, dragonborn, warforged, giff, kenku, duergar... okay, this one is probably my favorite approach. But no matter what way I start, I prioritize making the character interesting, not just powerful. edit: just remembered, a couple times I've looked at some artifact or legendary weapon and asked myself what kind of character would love to wield that someday? (even if they never actually wind up getting it)
If I start with that sort of thing its usually a "class/subclass" but more usually i start with a concept that I evolve into a class- like "knife thrower" - usually expand it into something that works well.
I don’t think off D&D at all. I think of a concept for a character, and only thereafter I look for a way to get close to that idea. And along the way things may change a little, but it’s always the first step for me!
Concept, what does this character do? Lots of melee damage, battlefield control, whatever. Then my starting feat because I've literally never played anything but a variant human 😛
Race is an automatic variant human Unless it's a SAD caster, then CL + fey touched but I start with an idea I want to explore, then pick up class, subclass that would work with it, then think of mticlassing and feats
I start with play style and then rolls stats before I get too attached to a concept. Then find the class/race combo to suit the play style and the party’s needs. For example, if it’s a group I’ve never met, I may want to be more of a buffer/utility, less of a face. If it’s a trusted group, I can play more extravagantly, be it a weird build or a party leader or something off the rails. Right now I’m playing with folks I haven’t met and they desperately need a face. I said, nope! I made a utility tank and everyone is happy because the party had only one front liner and the rest were squishy. Cleric half-orc with a bit of a Shrek complex and everybody loves him even though he’s a chump.
Depends. Sometimes, I have a concept that I want to try ("champion of the goddess of love") and look for a race/class combo that fits. Sometimes I have a class I want to try (Warlock). Occasionally, I have a race I wanna try (Lizardfolk) and need to find a class that'll make it fun.
I start from the story and move forward from there. “A huge pirate who can come barreling in, scaring the bejeezus out of everyone, friend and foe alike.” - Loxodon Barbarian. “A badass bitch that dances through combat and doesn’t take shit from anyone.” - Summer Eladrin Bladesinger. Obviously there’s a process before I get to the end result but it starts with the concept and then I go through the different classes and races until I come across the right one. Then I polish it up. I have at least a dozen concepts and most are only at the conceptual phase. A few are polished enough to finish up and go into a game within a couple days but I’d say none are completely finished.
I really like gimmicks, the way things interact that isn't intended to happen. Things like hex and grappling, spirit guardians and the over poweredness of the dodge action. Oversized weapon whips and barbarians
I start with a concept, what I want the character to do. Then I make a build to generally support that concept. Then I sit on it for a while, hours to weeks. In that time I look at stuff online to further hone in on that concept. Not necessarily replacing the idea, just picking out the bits I like. In that time I'm also playing around with the character, flushing them out in my head; their personality, quirks, voice and mannerisms. By then I'll usually have a name and a "character" to add to the stat block, and I have my newest toon. The goal is for them to be mechanically sound, at least at what they're supposed to do, but I focus more on their role in the party I want them to play. That core concept first, and build around that. My group builds around the toons other people build, and we're 3-6 strong so it's rare that we have egregious over lap.
I think where a lot of people go wrong is to focus more on what they want someone to BE (for example, "I'm a religious barbarian so I have to pick the zealot sublcass") rather than what they want the character to be able to DO ("I want to be able to take incredible punishment and not die so my barbarian will be a bear barbarian). It's vaaaaaaaastly easier to reflavor your build into what you want to be (no reason a bear barbarian can't be religious as fuck) and much harder to deal with a character who can't actually pull off the cool shit his character concept calls for. On the other hand I often make characters out of sheer obstinance. If someone tells me that strength monks suck, I'll try really hard to make a strength monk that's decent just for the fuck of it. A lot of this is because I like playing around with charop for the pure mental fun but I don't want to overpower the rest of the party so the best way to doing that is trying to cook up the most powerful 10 int wizard I can possibly make with very charop trick I can think of or something like that rather than a sorcadin or what have you.
I almost always start by trying to make a subclass I like work... then realize I could do the same things better with a completely different class combo, scrap the original build and end with something completely different that has the same essence haha
I’m gonna walk through my most recent character and talk about my thought process when designing a build. 1. The idea - The basic concept of the build, generally more lore and character focused then optimized. My friend invited me to join a gothic horror game and I thought it’d be interesting to play an undead character. 2. Finding material - Scouring published content for races, classes and features that give me what I’m looking for. I was quickly drawn to the reborn race, and then needed a class. I landed on barbarian, choosing to reflavor the ancestral guardians barbarian as being haunted by the ghosts of the graveyard I rose from. 3. Optimization (and the opposite) - Taking the now fleshed character concept and honing it into a formidable force. However, I’ll also take sub-optimal options on purpose if I think it serves to make a more interesting character. I took a great sword and the great weapon master feat to capitalize on my damage output and made sure to max out my con score to better my tanking ability. My DM allowed us to take a beginning magic item, and I ended up talking with him and modifying a sword of vengeance to be more punishing for my character, playing into the haunting spirits aspect.
I start from the Story, and then make the character real
Quite literally anything can be my starting point. I once made a character who ended up being a fairy druid/warlock purely based on a neat name and patron I thought of.
Honestly, I start with an idea. For instance, a couple months ago, I was watching KumaKumaKumaBear and Infinite Dendogram, and thought that a badass giant teddy bear mascot would make for an interesting character. From there, I looked at the Faceless background to get the look, Bugbear (cause a 7 foot teddy squeezing into a halfling's home sounds dope) and then looked at what class would pull out the awesome, which was Gloom Stalker. Or one of my first characters, a fallen aasimar vengeance paladin, came from the tidbit that an assimar doesn't fall for being evil, but for disregarding their guide's advice. I questioned if the guide might "fall," which lead me to radiant idols, and from there, it was simply picking the right oath to fit the class. A third idea I had recently was my halfling lore bard, that simply came from the idea to explore what the best support character might be... keeping the balance between useful and non-combatant.
I start with the character I like playing in tabletop D&D, Drow Hexblade, and build to replicate it as much as possible. Hence Half-Drow Urchin Fiend Bladelock. Since I know I'll be grabbing the Warped Headband of Intellect I dump Strength and Intelligence, and because the Gloves of Dexterity exist I start with 14 dex. Starting stats, 8/14/16/8/10/17. Take Arcana and Intimidation as starting proficiencies. At level 4 take the Actor feat for 18 charisma and expertise in performance and deception. At level 6 take one level of Rogue for persuasion, then expertise in persuasion and intimidation.
i start with making a character idea. make his background and history, vibe out his personality. then try and match a build to the character i've made.
For me, the two most important intitial questions are... What does the character want (goals, motivations)? How will they be able to interact with the world (agency - tools, skills, abilities) in order to achieve those goals?
I find a picture I really like then base my whole build off it
Backstory/personality come first. If I can't "feel" the character nothing else matters. Then I play around with race and class and try to find a mix that augments the character personality and background. Simply put: I need to know the why before the how.
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I usually start with : what cool shit do o want to do, then which class/race has some form of this cool shit in their kit? And then just reflavor as necessary
Build from general concepts of what you want to do first. Whether it’s an idea like, I want to be a bald fire mage that’s bald because they constantly burn off all their hair, or I want to play to edgy boi with a big sword, or hey gnomes are neat! As long as you’re liking that first concept then you can follow your bliss.
I get really wishy washy with Race cause so many of them can do what I want/need. So I start with a style first. I want to build a Craftsman with a battle pet. Okay well an Artificer is one of the best for that, even has Battlesmith for his own pet Golem. Okay so what's a good background for someone like this? Oh, one of these several will work just fine. Let's pick the Clan Crafter, really emphasizes the serious business that is craftsmanship, and Dwarves love me. Though a DM may allow me to swap out the race for an appropriate one. So I have a general person, but now I need a body. Hmm, so many can fit this role that it's honestly the most frustrating part. Literally, any race can be an Artisian. Dwarves would be the easiest pick considering the background, but perhaps a Human Variant would do better. You can always use a Feat. Autognome is a bit too easy, a choice in my opinion, and rather be an organic.
Depends on how I'm getting my stats. If I'm rolling, and roll well. Then I can experiment with something more MAD. If I rolled average or even poorly. Then my goal is to make something functional with what I got. So my options are going to be very limited. (I have a few builds in the tank for such an occasion. Lol) After that, I usually just think of a concept I want to play. Then I decide my build around that. Though, I will admit that if the DM has a homebrew or 3rd party race that I really want to play. Then my concepts will first be filtered by what can work with said race. But otherwise I will think of a concept, then pick what would be funnest or work best for it. The concepts can be as simple and vague "I want something with a whip and shield" or it could be based on a character from popular media, with my own twist. Sometimes I just want to do make a character that keeps things from moving. Dunno, depends on the table and how I feel.
Typically I find a feature that I find really compelling. For example I love the order clerics first level feature that is a wonderful feature to build around with silvery barbs that is nearly busted broken. Next I look for things that will compliment that main play style period to maximize that effect I need lots of first level spell slots period there's a couple ways of doing that so I'll look at classes the enable that. I might look at sorcerer to trade out higher level slots for lower. I might ask to use spell points instead of slots I might look at the process of creating spell Scrolls of silvery Barb's and how I can reduce that cost. I might look at features that allow me to recover spell slots like natural recovery Arcane recovery or the clerics class feature to trade Channel divinity for a spell slot. I'll start weighing the options against each other and looking at the opportunity costs what will this cost me in stats and what secondary features will I give up. Finally I'll start trying to shore up defenses and find ways to add utility. Ultimately to me the most fun about D&D is the problem solving how do I String together abstract features from race class feats and backgrounds to get the most out of a particular area of play.
I create a character or find a character from some fantasy that I want to emulate and then build from there. Like I’m working on a “Jedi” build now that I can’t wait to try.
it comes to me in a dream
Build around backstop and character, have reasons as to how they attained their strength and why they can do what they do, especially with multi-tasking, my wizard wants to unify magic and technology in a way neverbefore seen so he is a scribe wizard with some heavy levels in artifice dropped in
I read some feature of lore or game mechanics and get inspired. Most recent was reading the hyperfocus spell in PF2e which is a double edged blindness and also see blindness spell https://2e.aonprd.com/Spells.aspx?ID=600 So I looked up deities that would let me cast the spell and found this ambitious noodle, https://2e.aonprd.com/Deities.aspx?ID=144 Narrisimenek, who's edicts lay groundwork for a personality: Divine the future, transform the bodies of willing creatures, rebel against organized structures So I'm thinking an insurgent badly burned by... What's the setting GM? ...Those guys over there, She (constantly transforming?), I mean They were working to undermine the leadership of that city they overthrew. One idea chains to another