so im a lizard. seems like on odd title. but it’ll make sense as we go.
I’m the head of the D&D club here at MSA. for those who don’t know what D&D is, it stands for Dungeons and Dragons, and it is an IRL role-playing game.
D&D is a game where you get to take your imagination to the next level. there are varying degrees of how you might play the game depending on how dedicated you are and/or how long you’ve been playing. But the first step to playing this game is creating your character.
so for those who are new to the game, creating a character can seem like a daunting task. there are so many choices! but I’ll walk you through ( and hopefully simplify) the process just a little bit.
so the first step is choosing a Race. you could be a human, a giant, a satyr, or a rat! You could even create a new race if you wanted to. But in most cases, there are your standard choices: Dragonborn, Dwarfs, Elfs, Half-Elfs, Half-Orcs, Humans, Halflings, Tiefling, Gnomes, Goliath, Genasi, Aarakocra, and Aasimar. And there are tons of other races out there, and tons more you could create! which brings me to my title – my newest character is a lizard!
the second step is Class (basically your job/whatever your good at.) and for this, there is a list:
- Barbarian
- Bard
- Cleric
- Druid
- Fighter
- Monk
- Paladin
- Ranger
- Rogue
- Sorcerer
- Warlock
- Wizard
these classes are basically choosing how you fight. Barbarians are known for rushing into battles and going on a rampage. Rogues are known for being skilled thieves or assassins, and Bards are known for ‘enchanting’ people wherever they go (whether with magic or other means we will never know.)
Each class has its own strengths too; like Monks, who get bonuses for dexterity and wisdom, or Druids, who get bonuses for wisdom and intelligence. And once you get your level or XP high enough, you can multiclass! then you can combine different classes and have more spells or abilities.
then you get to chose your ability scores. these are your Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Strength is pretty straight forward, so I won’t explain that one, but I’ll give a little more insight on the others.
Dexterity is basically how good you are at climbing, jumping, sneaking, hiding, running, etc. I relate Constitution to saving throws (when your death was pretty much certain, but you still get to roll to see if you survive) and Charisma is jokingly thought of as the bard’s highest stat, but it’s chalked up to how good looking and persuasive your character can be.
Intelligence and Wisdom are very similar to me, but I looked up some phrases and stuff to try to clarify which is which.
Intelligence is knowing Frankenstein wasn't the monster.
Wisdom is knowing Frankenstein WAS the monster.
Intelligence determines how well your character learns and reasons.
Wisdom describes a character’s willpower, common sense, perception, and intuition.
And I found this one to try to describe all of the stats.
Strength is being able to crush a tomato.
Dexterity is being able to dodge a tomato.
Constitution is being able to eat a bad tomato.
Intelligence is knowing a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is knowing not to put a tomato in a fruit salad.
Charisma is being able to sell a tomato based fruit salad.
And once you are done dealing with those 3 things, you finally get to design your character!!! this step is when you gave your character their name and appearance, along with their background, lifestyle, beliefs, and how they interact with others. this is the step where you get to flesh out your character’s personality, looks, and friends and family.
the final step is assigning equipment and/or gold. On websites like DnD Beyond, they usually have to option of starter equipment and such, so this part isn’t so much of a hassle.
But those are mostly the basics! hope this will make your journey to create a character I lot easier – remember you can be as creative as you’d like! you could even be a lizard. (btw my lizard’s name is Eek Ard!)
happy playing!
