Here is an outline recording all the information onto your character sheet as you create your character.
This method has you go through each of the sections of the handbook (Race, Class, Background) and guides you where to put what.
It turned out to be pretty long so maybe it isn’t that helpful. I wonder if it would be more helpful to number all the spaces on the character sheet and the then list where each should come from. (For example, in the Features and Traits box, list all the traits from your races, the features from your class, and the features from your background.) If I write that up, that will be Method 2.
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1. Initial Character Creation
Pick a race, class, and ability scores. There’s no one order for doing that; they sort of all get picked together.
- Option 1: Roll ability scores in order (STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHA) and pick race and class from that.
- Option 2: Pick a class and roll ability scores and arrange them to suit the class. Also pick a race.
- Option 3: For an alternative, you can just roll for everything (race, class, and background). See the 5E Random Character Generation-2 from A Fistful of Dice.
- Factor in the racial ability score additions (e.g., humans get +1 to each ability).
- PHBp45 has a table of the classes.
2. Document Your Ability Scores.
- Record the ability score, including the racial ability score additions.
- Record the ability modifier [PHBp13] (e.g., STR 13 is +1).
- Record initiative modifier which is your DEX modifier (in the Initiative box [PHBp177,189]. This gets added to initiative rolls.
3. Document Your Race
- Record your race and its page in the Players Handbook (e.g., Human [PHBp29]).
- You should have already applied the ability score additions to your ability scores (e.g., Humans get +1 to all abilities). FWIW, I track my original roll plus the addition, although there’s no good reason to do that.
- Record your speed (in the Speed box).
- Record your languages (in the Other Proficiencies and Languages box).
- Record racial traits (in the Features and Traits box) (e.g., Dragonborn breath weapon and damage resistance).
- If your race has subraces, select a subrace and record its ability score additions and traits.
- (Optional) On the alternate sheet: record age, height, weight, eyes, skin, hair
4. Document Your Class
- Record your class and its page in the Players Handbook (e.g., Ranger [PHBp89]).
- Record your Hit Point Maximum (don’t forget the constitution bonus) and Hit Dice (e.g., 1d10) in those boxes.
- If you multiclass, you might have 3d10 and 2d6 hit dice, if you have 3 Fighter levels and 2 Wizard levels.
- Record your class’s proficiency bonus from the class level table (record this in the Proficiency Bonus box).
- Record your proficiencies in:
- Armor (in the Other Proficiencies and Languages box)
- Weapons (in the Other Proficiencies and Languages box)
- Tools (in the Other Proficiencies and Languages box)
- Saving Throws (in the Saving Throws box)
- fill in the circle for the proficient saving throws
- record the modifier for each saving throw (for proficient saving throws it is the ability modifier plus the proficiency modifier, for the other saving throws it is just the ability modifier)
- Skills (in the Skills box)
- fill in the circle for the proficient ones
- record the modifier for each skill (for proficient skills it is the ability modifier plus the proficiency modifier, for the other skills it is just the ability modifier)
- Record your equipment (in the Equipment box).
- Record your weapons here with their attributes (melee, range, thrown, ammunition, loading, finesse, etc). The attack modifier and damage will be recorded next.
- If appropriate, pick a pack from PHBp151.
- Record your weapon attacks in the Attacks and Spellcasting box.
- weapon
- attack bonus (usually STR or DEX plus proficiency)
- damage (weapon damage plus STR/DEX bonus) and damage type (P:piercing, S:slashing, B:bludgeoning)
- Record your armor class (in the Armor Class box) based on your armor type (PHBp145), your DEX modifier (based on table PHBp145), and sheild. TODO: not sure the best way to record AC with and without shield…
- note DA next to Stealth skill if your armor gives you disadvantage on stealth
- Record your features (in the Features and Traits box) (e.g., Ranger gets “Favored Enemy” and “Natural Explorer”)
- Record any options and their features (although they mostly come into play in later levels): barbarian path, fighting style, archtype, etc.
5 Pick and Record Background [PHBp122]
- Record your character name (in the Character Name box)
- (Optional) On the alternate sheet: The Character Details section of the Personality and Background chapter gives an additional opportunity to record things like sex, height and weight, age, hair/eye/skin color (unusual/memorable scar, limp, tattoo, etc.)
- Record your alignment (in the Alignment box). You can wait and develop you alignment as you play, if you don’t want to choose one to start. Also, your alignment can shift as you get to know your character.
- Read through the backgrounds [PHBp127] and select one that appeals to you (Acolyte, Charlatan, Criminal, Entertainer, etc).
- Record your background (in the Background box):
- Record the background’s skill proficiencies (in the Skills box)
- Record the background’s tool proficiencies (in the Other Proficiencies and Languages box)
- Record the background’s languages (in the Other Proficiencies and Languages box)
- Record the background’s equipment (in the Equipment box)
- Record the background’s features (in the Features and Traits box)
- Select and record the Personality Traits (2 of them), Ideals, Bonds, Flaws in the corresponding boxes.
Other
- Record your passive wisdom, 10 plus Perception Skill modifier (in the Passive Wisdom (Perception) box) [PHBp175]
