Part Two - Character Creation

Creating a Character

1. Creating a character that will both work well in the setting and with others requires a few steps: Remember the Golden Rule: Your character will have to work with others and be willing to go on an adventure. If either of these are false, your character will not succeed.
2. Come up with ideas and discuss them with your DM and other players. Keep what you want to be secret close to your chest, but brainstorming together is a great way to bond and develop a character's personality and goals. You will create this using accepted materials.
3. Character sheet creation can be done on D&D beyond or within Foundry. Ask for assistance within Foundry.
4. Characters are generated by rolling. We roll using the Avrae bot in Discord or in Foundry. Both are done when the DM is present unless otherwise stated.
5. Character Backstory will be determined by you, but there are ways I can assist. Please read the Character Backstoryquestionnaire
6. Lastly, you will need a Foundry Login.

Concept and Discussion

It is very important for every character to have the spot light every now and again. Discussing your character plans with other players allows you to avoid overlap that may make this more difficult for both of you. Two gloomstalker rangers with slightly different stats may leave one person slighted. Two characters that both have a similar flaw may lesson the impact or force one to change a part of their character's identity. Each character's identity is unique and important to the player that plays it. All that aside, this is your first chance to work together as a team. Character creation is one of the most fun parts of D&D, and sharing that joy with your friends is all the more fun. The entire point of this is for both of us to have fun. 
In line with all this and the Golden Rule, there are to be no evil characters UNLESS discussed with the DM. I would prefer characters to only dip their toes in evil as a result of development in game, but even still we may have a discussion if I notice that happening.

Creating a Character

Let's get the basics out of the way first. We are playing 5e and all published material is a go. 

Approved Materials

Approved Classes, Backgrounds, Spells & Races from WOTC Books are as follows. Please use the most updated version of each race:

• PHB
• DMG
• Sword Coast
• Volo's
• Tortle Package
• One Grung Above
• Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes
• Tasha's 
• Eberron
• Wildemount
• Theros
• Ravenloft
• Fizban's
• Monsters of the Multiverse 

Ask on:

• Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica (Any spells are approved)
• Strixhaven (Ask on Backgrounds, Spells are Approved)

All races are accepted aside from the following:

• Aarocokra,
• Kender,
• All Races from Spelljammer,
• Simic Hybrid,
• Vedalkin,
• and Verdan

These simply do not fit within the setting. If at any time this changes or you give me a good enough reason, I would be happy to update this list.

Tasha's Cauldron of Everything

When creating your character, you may use the Customizing Your Origin and Optional Class Features rules outlined in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.

Approved Homebrew

• Tome of Heroes from Kobold Press
• Races from Tome of Beasts

All other play-tested homebrew (DM's guild, Tal'Dorei Unlimited, etc.) must be approved by the DM 3 days prior to game start. All other homebrew (most UA, personal home-brew) must be play-tested by the player and DM up to two weeks before game start. If at any time you wish to test homebrew, please contact the DM and arrange a one-shot.
At the end of the day, the DM has full permission to veto any homebrew they dislike from entering the setting.

Level 1

At level one, characters will select their race, class, stat attributes, and background. For me, background is always something I pick last after everything else of my character is set in stone. I typically try to find something that is most similar only to have a feature that I'll never use in the game. I fully believe player characters should feel like they are special because they are -- they are the heroes of the story we're making together. So I present:

The Background Alternative

This turns backgrounds into a trait. You will gain:

• A two skill proficiencies
• A tool proficiency and the tool to start with.
• A language
• A feature - I am still working to assign feats to all available backgrounds in my setting. When this content is available, the button here will be a hyperlink.
• Starting Equipment

If you are making a sheet on beyond, select a background that best fits you. I can show you how to adjust your stats manually.

Character Backstory

Every character needs a backstory. In my campaigns, each character's story is carefully woven into the central plot. That way every single character has moments where they get to feel special and they never have to abandon the main questline to get those moments. Backstory is insanely important to me, as such I've made a google form called Character Interview Questions that can be found here. This form is entirely optional, however players that have filled it out in the past have reported feeling like they better understood their character's motives and felt more fleshed out before even playing a game. 

Foundry

I run all my games on Foundry VTT. This is free to use for all players. The system is similar to Roll20 for players but more in depth for DMs. The link is avaliable in our Discord. When you sign in, your Player Name Login will be waiting for you with whatever name you give me. If you wish to have it password protected, let me know so that we can set that up. Your character will be found in the actors tab - it will be the only one you can access. This can be imported from Beyond (what most players do) or created in Foundry. If you need help with the latter, let me know. 

Session 0, Mini Campaigns, & One Shots

Once everyone has made a character we'll agree on a date and time for session 0. Session 0 is an important part of playing the game. We will go over potential triggers, things that are off limits, player expectations, and my own expectations. I will write these down and once everyone has reviewed them, it will act as a binding agreement. If a player violates these agreements it will result in a warning. 3 strike system. I've never had to utilize this as I only play with close friends. 
If this is is a mini campaign or a one-shot we will likely forgo session 0 and begin playing. If we've played together before, we'll likely briefly discuss a setting and then move on to the game.