Building Characters

Notes for Characters in this Campaign

  • Players will be starting with level five characters.

  • If you are building a new character and choose a species, subclass, and background from the 2024 ruleset, then we won’t need to do any custom work to build your character; It should work as-is.

  • If you are using a pre-existing character or building a character that has a subclass, species/race, or background from the 2014 ruleset, you will need my help and approval before using that character. We will tweak it to fit the setting as needed.

  • Your character will start with standard gear provided by your build as well as 500 gold, 1 common item, and 1 uncommon item.

  • I am happy to provide recommendations for magic item choices and gear purchases (there is a well stocked store in Arnrock that has every standard non-magic item, as well as the occasional health potion).

Leveling Up

Since players can use the same character from one session to the next, it stands to reason that they would still level-up. I made a system to show how fast that occurs for each character level. I find this to be a happy medium between how slow leveling can be in a standard campaign and how fast it feels if you level up every single session.

  • Levels 1-4: 1 session to level up.

  • Levels 5-8: 2 sessions to level up.

  • Levels 9-12: 3 sessions to level up.

  • Levels 13-16: 4 sessions to level up.

  • Levels 17-19: 5 sessions to level up.

Mix & Match from 2014 & 2024 rules

Roll20’s brief summary: 2024 Class Changes
RPGBOT’s detailed dive: Everything Different in the 2024 Rules
The 2024 ruleset
The 2014 Ruleset

You are allowed to use any and all of the published 5th Edition DnD content to make your character, but if there is an updated version of something you’d like to use in the 2024 version, please use that and not the 2014 rules.

    • 10 Species

    • 16 Backgrounds

    • Barbarian & 4 subclasses: Berzerker, Wild Heart (Totem), World Tree, Zealot

    • Bard & 4 subclasses: Dance, Glamour, Lore, Valor

    • Cleric & 4 subclasses: Life, Light, Trickery, War

    • Druid & 4 subclasses: Land, Moon, Sea, Stars

    • Fighter & 4 subclasses: Battle Master, Champion, Eldritch Knight, Psi Warrior

    • Monk & 4 subclasses: Mercy, Shadow, Elements, Open Hand

    • Paladin & 4 subclasses: Devotion, Glory, Ancients, Vengeance

    • Ranger & 4 subclasses: Beast Master, Fey Wanderer, Gloom Stalker, Hunter

    • Rogue & 4 subclasses: Arcane Trickster, Assassin, Soulknife, Thief

    • Sorcerer & 4 subclasses: Aberrant, Clockwork, Draconic, Wild Magic

    • Warlock & 4 subclasses: Archfey, Celestial, Fiend, Great Old One

    • Wizard & 4 subclasses: Abjurer, Diviner, Evoker, Illusionist

    • Any of the species (called races/lineages in 2014) unless they are one of the 10 in the new rules.

    • Any of the backgrounds not in the 2024 rules (we can tweak the 2014 ones a bit).

    • Artificer class and all 4 of its subclasses.

    • Barbarian subclasses: Ancestral Guardian, Beast, Giant, Wild Magic

    • Bard subclasses: Creation, Spirits, Swords, Whispers

    • Blood Hunter and all 4 of its subclasses

    • Cleric subclasses: Arcana, Death, Forge, Grave, Knowledge, Nature, Order, Tempest, Twilight

    • Druid subclasses: Dreams, Shepard, Spores, Wildfire

    • Figher subclasses: Arcane Archer, Banneret, Cavalier, Echo Knight, Rune Knight, Samurai

    • Monk subclasses: Ascendant Dragon, Astral Self, Drunken Master, Kensei, Long Death, Sun Soul

    • Paladin subclasses: Conquest, Crown, Redemption, Watchers, Oathbreaker

    • Ranger subclasses: Drakewarden, Horizon Walker, Monster Slayer, Swamkeeper

    • Rogue subclasses: Inquisitive, Mastermind, Phantom, Scout, Swashbuckler

    • Sorcerer subclasses: Divine Soul, Lunar, Shadow, Storm

    • Warlock subclasses: Fathomless, Genie, Undead, Undying

    • Wizard subclasses: Bladesinging, Chronurgy, Conjuration, Enchantment, Graviturgy, Necromancy, Scribes, Transmutation, War Magic

    DO NOT USE: Peace Cleric (OP), Eloquence Bard (OP), Hexblade (features were replaced).
    DO NOT USE: 2014 Feats