Rules: Character Generation

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Grimbold
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Rules: Character Generation

Post by Grimbold » Mon Apr 01, 2019 9:21 pm

I will add more info here in the next few days.
Step-By-Step Instructions

The following instructions will help you calculate your character’s ability scores at 1st level. You’ll start with a value of 10 in each ability score, then make adjustments for your character’s ancestry ability boosts and ability flaws. This is followed by adding two ability boosts from her background and four free ability boosts at 1st level.

Finally, she will receive one ability boost to her key ability score from her class. After determining all of her ability boosts, record the ability scores you’ve generated on your character sheet. For information about modifying your character’s ability scores as she gains levels, see Ability Boosts on the Ability Boosts sections of each class entry.

Step 1: Start With 10

On your character sheet or a piece of scratch paper, write down all six abilities—Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Each ability starts with a score of 10.

Str 10, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10

Step 2: Ancestry Ability Boosts and Flaws

Now apply the ability boosts that your character’s ancestry provides. Most ancestries provide ability boosts to two specific ability scores and another free ability boost. (Humans are an exception—they receive two free ability boosts instead.) When you apply these ability boosts, keep in mind that you must apply each one to a different score.

Then, apply the ability flaw your character’s ancestry requires, if any. An ability flaw reduces that ability score by 2. You can apply your free ability boost to that score to bring your score back to 10.

For example, let’s say you’re making a human character, and you want her to be a fighter. Human characters receive two free ability boosts, and you want to make a fighter who bashes skulls and can take a beating. For that, you’ll want a good Strength and Constitution. Remember that you can’t apply multiple ability boosts from the same source to a score at a time, so you couldn’t have a Strength score of 14 quite yet.

After the ancestry step, your ability scores might look like this:

Str 12, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10

As a second example, if you were making a dwarven fighter, you’d receive ability boosts to Constitution and Wisdom, plus one free ability boost, but you’d have an ability flaw in Charisma. Your ability scores would start out like this:

Str 12, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8

Step 3: Two Background Ability Boosts

Once you’ve applied your character’s ability boosts and ability flaw, if any, from her ancestry, it’s time to apply her ability boosts from her background.

The background you choose gives your character two ability boosts. Usually, this consists of one free ability boost and one ability boost limited to certain choices by the background.

Let’s say you want your human fighter to have been a hardworking farmhand in her past. The farmhand background says your character gets an ability boost that must be applied to either Constitution or Wisdom. You want your fighter to be hardy, so you pick Constitution.

Next, for your character’s free ability boost, you decide to keep increasing her Strength. Now your ability scores are the following:

Str 14, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10

If you were making the dwarven fighter we mentioned earlier into a farmhand, you’d instead have these scores:

Str 14, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8

Step 4: Four Free Ability Boosts

After you’ve chosen your character’s ancestry and background, you have four free ability boosts you can assign to her ability scores as you see fit. These represent your character’s variety of experiences growing up before she became an adventurer.

Let’s take the sample human fighter from above. We know you want your fighter to be strong, so you decide to spend one of this step’s free ability boosts on Strength.

Dexterity is important for defense, so you put one into Dexterity. You want to keep making your fighter tough, so you apply an ability boost to Constitution, too. Wisdom affects your defense against most mental magic, and since a strong, tough fighter is the last person you want controlled by some evil wizard, you decide to put your last ability boost into Wisdom. After the four ability boosts, your ability scores look like this:

Str 16, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10

Let’s examine how this step might play out for the dwarven fighter mentioned above. You decide you’ll have fun roleplaying an uncharismatic character, so you stick with the 8 in Charisma. You apply the ability boosts to Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, and Wisdom, just like the human fighter. Your ability scores now look like this:

Str 16, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8

Step 5: One Class Ability Boost

Finally, your choice of your character’s class will give you one ability boost in a score that’s important to your class’s abilities. This ability score is called your class’s key ability. Most of the class write-ups in Chapter 3 indicate a specific score you apply this ability boost to when you choose that class, but some let you select from one or two choices.

Because our sample character is a fighter, you get to choose Strength or Dexterity for your character’s class ability boost. Your character’s Dexterity isn’t doing so hot, and it might be a liability, but you don’t want to miss out on having a Strength score of 18, so that’s where you put your final ability boost. If you’re really worried about your Dexterity, you could go back and reassign an ancestry ability boost from Constitution to Dexterity, or change your background to one that allows Strength or Dexterity as a choice. Assuming you stick with your burly character, though, your ability scores look like this:

Str 18, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 10

Our dwarf picks Strength, too:

Str 18, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8

Step 6: Record Ability Scores and Modifiers

Once you’ve determined your ability scores, write them down in the appropriate boxes on your character sheet. You’ll then want to reference Table 1–4: Ability Modifiers below to determine the ability modifier tied to each of your ability scores. Record this ability modifier in the box just to the left of each ability score.

If you ever need to calculate an ability modifier on the fly, it’s a fairly easy formula: simply subtract 10 from the ability score, then divide the result by two (rounding down).
Table 1–4: Ability Modifiers Ability Score Modifier
1 –5
2-3 –4
4-5 –3
6-7 –2
8-9 –1
10-11 +0
12-13 +1
14-15 +2
16-17 +3
18-19 +4
20-21 +5
22-23 +6
24 +7
1 Determine Your Character’s Concept

Dwarf Dwarves are a short, stocky people who are often stubborn, fierce, and devoted. Constitution, Wisdom, Free Charisma
Table 1–1: Ancestries Ancestry Description Ability Boosts Ability Flaw
Elf Elves are a tall, slender, long-lived people whose culture peaked long ago. Dexterity, Intelligence, Free -Constitution
Gnome Gnomes are a short, slight, mercurial people who crave change and excitement. Constitution, Charisma, Free -Strength
Goblin Goblins are a short, scrappy, energetic people who have spent millennia maligned and feared. Dexterity, Charisma, Free -Wisdom
Halfling Halflings are a short, adaptable people who exhibit remarkable curiosity and humor. Dexterity, Wisdom, Free -Strength
Human* Humans are incredibly diverse in terms of everything from their body size to their perspectives and personalities. Free, Free



*Half-elf and half-orc ancestries are accessible through human ancestry feats.
Table 1–2: Classes Class Description Key Ability Score* Secondary Ability Scores
Alchemist The alchemist throws alchemical bombs and drinks concoctions of his own making during combat. Intelligence

Constitution, Dexterity
Barbarian The barbarian flies into a rage on the battlefield, smashing foes with abandon. Strength Constitution, Dexterity
Bard Performance and secrets of the occult enable the bard to distract foes and inspire allies. Charisma Constitution, Dexterity
Cleric The cleric calls on the power of a deity to cast spells that can heal allies or harm foes. Wisdom Charisma, Constitution
Druid The druid uses the natural world’s magic to bolster her and her allies’ strength while calling pain down upon enemies. Wisdom Constitution, Dexterity
Fighter The fighter is a master of weapons, martial techniques, and powerful attack combinations. Dexterity or Strength Constitution
Monk The monk spins the secrets of martial arts into dazzling displays of battlefield prowess. Dexterity or Strength Constitution, Wisdom
Paladin The paladin is a champion of her deity who uses divine power to enhance her heroics and protect her allies. Strength Charisma, Constitution
Ranger The ranger is a master of using his surroundings, including traps and animal allies, to harry enemies. Dexterity or Strength Constitution, Wisdom
Rogue The rogue is a multitalented master of skullduggery who strikes when enemies least expect it. Dexterity Charisma, Constitution
Sorcerer The sorcerer’s magical might flows through her blood and manifests as fantastic spells and abilities. Charisma Dexterity, Constitution
Wizard The wizard is an eminent scholar whose reservoirs of arcane knowledge power his wondrous spells and abilities. Intelligence Dexterity, Constitution
* Characters each receive an ability boost in their class’s key ability score.
Ancestries and Classes

Each player takes a different approach to character creation; some focus on details that best fit the story, some look for combinations that synergize well mechanically, and others combine aspects of these approaches. There is no wrong way to build a character!

The following tables provide at-a-glance information for those looking to optimize their starting ability scores. For entries in Table 1–1: Ancestries that say “free,” you can choose which ability score receives the provided ability boost. This table also indicates any ability flaws that an ancestry might have.

Table 1–2: Classes lists each class’s key ability score—the ability score used to calculate the potency of many of their class abilities.

Characters receive an ability boost in that ability score when they choose their class. This table also lists one or more secondary ability scores that can be important to members of that class.

Keep in mind that a character’s background also affects her ability scores, though there’s more flexibility in the ability boosts that backgrounds provide than in those from classes.


2 Choose an Ancestry

Your character’s ancestry is one of her most important characteristics. Table 1–1: Ancestries provides an overview of Pathfinder’s core ancestry options, and each ancestry is fully detailed in Chapter 2. Ancestry affects your character’s ability scores, total Hit Points, size, Speed, languages, and much more. Additionally, at 1st level, your character receives an ancestry feat that represents an ability or quality she was born with or trained in at an early age.

Character Sheet Write your character’s ancestry on the appropriate line at the top of your character sheet. Next to your ability scores, note the ability boosts and any flaw your character gains from her ancestry (ability scores are finalized during Step 5). Note the number of Hit Points she gains from her ancestry. Finally, on the appropriate lines, note your character’s size, Speed, and languages. If your character’s ancestry provides her with special abilities, note them in the appropriate spaces, such as darkvision in the Senses section on the first page. Note the ancestry feat your character receives in the proper section on your character sheet’s second page.

3 Choose A Background

Your character’s background might represent a special aptitude she’s been honing since her youth, detail her upbringing, or illuminate some other aspect of her life before she became an adventurer.

Backgrounds typically provide benefits to your character in the form of two ability boosts (one that can be applied to either of two specific ability scores, and one that is free), training in a Lore skill, and a specific skill feat.

Character Sheet Record your character’s background on the appropriate line on your character sheet. Next to your ability scores, note the ability boosts the background provides (ability scores are finalized during Step 5). Record the skill feat the background provides in the proper section on your character sheet’s second page. On the first page, in the Skills section, note the Lore skill in which your character is trained by checking the “T” box next to that skill name and noting the type of Lore.
4 Choose A Class

At this point, you need to nail down your character’s class. This affords her access to a suite of heroic abilities, determines how well she can attack, and governs how easily she can shake off or avoid certain harmful effects. Chapter 3 details each of the classes available in Pathfinder, and Table 1–2: Classes provides an overview of each class and tells you which ability scores are important when playing that class, which can help guide your choice. You don’t need to note all of your character’s class features yet. You simply need to know which class you want to play, which determines the ability scores that will be most important for your character.

Character Sheet Write your character’s class at the top of your character sheet, then write “1” in the box after it to indicate that you’re 1st level. Next to your ability scores, note the class’s key ability score and the ability boost to it that the class provides. Don’t worry about recording the rest of your character’s class features and abilities yet—you’ll handle that in Step 6.

5 Finalize Your Ability Scores

Now that you’ve made the main mechanical choices about your character, it’s time to finalize her ability scores. These important statistics determine a wide array of your character’s capabilities and consist of six values: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. As noted in other steps, your character’s ancestry, background, and class all affect her ability scores.

Character Sheet Once you’ve used the Ability Scores section to calculate your character’s ability scores, record them in the Score boxes in the proper section on your character sheet’s first page. Using the ability modifiers table, write your character’s modifiers in this section, too.

6 Apply Your Class

Now, record all the benefits and class features that your character receives from the class you’ve chosen. Your character’s class determines her key ability score, affects her total Hit Points, outfits her with various initial proficiencies, provides her with signature skills, and grants her class features and feats.

To determine your character’s total starting Hit Points, add together the number of Hit Points she gains from her ancestry (noted in Step 2) and the number of Hit Points she gains from her class.

Now is a good time to note the “T,” “E,” “M,” and “L” fields that appear throughout your character sheet (standing for trained, expert, master, and legendary, respectively). These fields indicate your character’s proficiency and determine which modifier your character applies to rolls and DCs when using certain mechanics.

For example, if your character has a rank of trained in a given skill or ability, her modifier to rolls when using that skill or ability is equal to her level.

Once you’ve spent your character’s starting wealth, note the equipment she owns as well as any remaining gp, sp, or cp she might still have. Record your character’s weapons in the Melee Strikes and Ranged Strikes sections, depending on the weapon, and the rest of her equipment and her money in the appropriate section on your character sheet’s second page. You’ll calculate specific numbers for her melee Strikes, AC, and TAC in Step 9.

Note your character’s key ability score on your character sheet as well as her class DC, which is equal to 10 plus her key ability modifier plus her level (in this case, 1). Note her total starting Hit Points as well. Use the proficiency fields on your character sheet to note your character’s initial proficiencies, including your character’s proficiency ranks in Perception and saving throws. Record your character’s weapon proficiencies in the appropriate section on the first page, and her armor proficiencies in the Armor Proficiencies section. Don’t worry yet about finalizing any values for your character’s AC, TAC, or Strikes—you’ll handle that in Step 9.

Indicate which skills are your character’s signature skills and choose which skills your character is trained in, but don’t worry about finalizing the total modifiers for your skills, either. You’ll handle that in the next step.

7 Determine Skill Modifiers

Now that you’ve noted which skills are signature skills for your character and decided which skills she’s trained in, it’s time to calculate her skill modifiers. In the second box to the right of each skill name on your character sheet, there’s an abbreviation that reminds you of the ability score tied to that skill. When you attempt checks using a skill, add the indicated ability modifier to your proficiency modifier, if any, as well as any other applicable modifiers, bonuses, and penalties, to determine the modifier for your check. Many uses of certain skills require you to have at least a proficiency rank of trained in those skills, as further described in Chapter 4.

Fill the relevant ability modifier in the box to the right of each skill name. Then, for skills in which you are trained, add your proficiency modifier to your ability modifier to determine the modifier your character has for each skill roll. For the rest of your character’s skills, subtract the proficiency modifier for being untrained (your level – 2) from the relevant ability modifier, and record those totals on the lines below the respective skill names. If you have any modifiers, bonuses, or penalties from feats or abilities, add them to the totals if they always apply, or note them next to the total if they apply only in certain circumstances.

8 Buy Equipment

At 1st level, your character has 150 silver pieces (sp) to spend on armor, weapons, and other basic equipment.

Armor and weapons are often the most important.

Your character’s class lists the types of weapons and armor that she is proficient with. Her weapon determines how much damage she deals in combat, and her armor influences her Armor Class, but these calculations are covered in more detail in Step 9. Don’t neglect essentials such as food and traveling gear. For more on the equipment available and how much it costs, see Chapter 6.

9 Fill In The Finishing Details

Now add the following details to your character sheet on the appropriate lines.

Age
Note your character’s age. The description for your character’s ancestry in Chapter 2 gives some guidance on the age ranges of members of that ancestry. Beyond that, you can play a character of whatever age you like.

Your character’s age is a major factor that shapes how she interacts with the world. There aren’t any mechanical adjustments to your character for being particularly old, but you might want to take it into account when considering your starting ability scores and future advancement; for instance, an old and wise character might have a higher Wisdom score, so you might want to make sure to put one of your free ability boosts in Wisdom. Particularly young characters can change the tone of some of the game’s threats, so it’s recommended to play characters who are at least young adults.

Alignment

Armor Class (AC and TAC)
Your character has two values to represent how difficult she is to strike in combat. These are her Armor Class (AC) and her Touch Armor Class (TAC). Most attacks will be made against your character’s AC, while those that need only to touch her to be effective are made against her TAC.
To calculate her AC, add 10 plus her Dexterity modifier (up to her armor’s Dexterity modifier cap), plus her proficiency modifier with her armor, plus her armor’s item bonus to AC and any other bonuses and penalties that always apply.
To calculate her TAC, add 10 plus her Dexterity modifier (up to her armor’s Dexterity modifier cap), plus her proficiency modifier with her armor, plus her armor’s item bonus to TAC and any other bonuses and penalties that always apply.
Spells or abilities that give your character a bonus or penalty to AC also give an equal bonus or penalty to TAC unless stated otherwise.
You can choose backgrounds from the rulebook, or you can choose a campaign specific backgorund:
Character_Backgrounds.jpg
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Grimbold
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Rules: Character Generation

Post by Grimbold » Tue Apr 02, 2019 6:58 pm

I'm happy to assist you, or make a character for you if you prefer.

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Vardaen
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Post by Vardaen » Thu Apr 04, 2019 4:18 pm

The Character_Background.jpg isn't there.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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Post by Grimbold » Thu Apr 04, 2019 7:32 pm

I hope it works now.

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Post by Vardaen » Thu Apr 04, 2019 8:24 pm

Yup
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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Post by Vardaen » Fri Apr 19, 2019 3:50 pm

Sorry I have had 0 time to look at this yet
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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Post by Grimbold » Wed Apr 24, 2019 5:03 pm

Would you like me to make a character for you? The scenario is kind of designed to learn the rules step by step.

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Post by Vardaen » Fri Apr 26, 2019 1:59 pm

I have had zero energy to look into this so far. So sure, how about a spellcaster of some type
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring

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Post by Grimbold » Mon Apr 29, 2019 7:48 pm

I'll just continue this on the chatter thread.

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