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AllDungeons & Dragonsplayers share one thing: a character sheet. This two-page document holds everything you need to know at a glance about your character, what they are able to do, and how to calculate all of the actions you can take and checks you can make with them.
If you’re familiar withfilling out the 2014 character sheet, then you may only need to get familiar with the placement of everything on a 2024 sheet. But if this is your first time or you need a little helping hand, this guide will cover where you get the information needed and where everything goes.
1. Choose Your Class
In the 2024 Player’s Handbook, one of the first decisions to make iswhich class you wantyour character to be.
This is one of the most important decisions you will make as a player, as this will bethe class that carries you through the course of the game. You will want to pick something thatyou are excited to play.
There are12 classesfor you to choose from included in the Handbook, each of which hasdifferent subclasses you’re able to explore. Depending on the level your Dungeon Master (DM) starts the campaign at, youmay or may not have access to your character’s subclassright away.
Wizard
There are other classes available as part of the Fifth Edition rules, but it wouldbe up to your DMif they wish to include those as options in their campaign. Alwayscheck with your DMfirst.
When you pick your class, you will be given some of the information you will need to fill out portions of your character sheet. These include your:
You can play any of the classes in any way that you want to. Not all rangers must hold some resemblance to a certain Lord of the Rings character. They canuse different weapons, prioritize different skills, and so on. So don’t feel boxed in by other examples you’ve seen, and make your character your own.
2. Choose Your Species And Background
After you’ve decided on your class, you can then move on to pickingyour species and your background. Wizards suggests that you pick your background before your species, butthe order doesn’t matter. Some may find it better to know what species they are working with before picking a background and vice versa.
While many may want to pick a background or species that best complements their class choice, it is important that youstill choose the origin you want.
Species
For species, there areten choices held within the 2024 Player’s Handbook. Once you’ve picked one, you will also be given yoursize, speed, and any other traitsall members of that species have access to. You will use all of this information tofill out multiple sectionsof your character sheet.
Ancestry or Lineage Options
Tiefling
Similar to classes, there are more species options in other Fifth Edition sourcebooks and homebrewed species. But, for any of those options, you’d have toget approval from your DM.
Backgrounds
When it comes to backgrounds, there are16 different options. While your species choice will give you traits and features you’re able to use, your background will be the source of the informationyou need for your ability scores, which will be covered in the next section. You will also then be given your:
For thethree ability scores listedunder each background, you will have to decide toincrease one skill by two points and one skill by one pointorincrease all three by one point.
So, with all of this information about ability score increases and proficiencies, how do you know what those scores are?
3. Calculate And Fill Out Your Ability Scores
There are three ways to decide what your ability scores will be.
If you decide to usethe Point Costmethodto decidescores, this is the cost of each ability score.
8
9
1
10
2
11
3
12
4
13
5
14
7
15
Your DM may decide that every player will use one of the three ways to determine ability scores, socheck with them which they would preferor if they don’t care which method you use.
Now that you have your ability scores and have decided how to distribute them among your skills, you can calculate what they will be after applying yourincreases from your background.
Modifiers
Each score that you either selected or rolled abovewill have a corresponding modifier. Your modifier will be what youadd to your D20 Testsand to any skills you do not have proficiency in.
-4
4-5
-3
6-7
-2
8-9
-1
10-11
12-13
+1
14-15
+2
16-17
+3
18-19
+4
20
+5
4. Choose Your Alignment
Next, you will be choosingthe alignment that best suits the kind of moral codeyour character will have.
The 2024 Player’s Handbook lists each alignment andhow a character within that moral code might behave.You’ll want to read over each option before deciding, asyou will be held to that code,and if you drift from it, your DM might see fit tochange your character’s alignmentif they make multiple choices outside of that range.
This decisiondoesn’t affect any of the math. This is purely for roleplaying. So you’ll want to pick whicheveralignment your character best embodies.
If you want to playan evil-aligned character, you will want tocheck with your DM if they are allowing evil player characters.
5. Fill In Your Characters' Features, Proficiencies, and Other Details
This is the part that can seem most daunting. But fear not! You haveall the information you needto fill out the details. Whether listed in theclass, species, or background sectionsof the book, each of these is answered, or you’re given the math needed to get there.
Add Your Proficiency Bonus
Your proficiency bonus is based on yourcharacter’s overall level. As you grow on your adventure, your character’s proficiency score improves. It increases as shown below.
+6
Add Your Skills And Proficiencies
Your various skills are foundunder their corresponding ability score and modifierson the character sheet. Any skill proficiencies you received as part of yourclass, species, and backgroundcare package will be calculated and the circle next to itgets bubbled in.
If you have a +2 to Charisma andyou are proficientin Performance, you willadd your proficiency bonus and your Charisma modifierto all of your Performance checks.
For all the other skills thatyou are not proficient in, you will simply fill it in with whatability score modifier you have. So if you have a +2 to Charisma but youare not proficientin Deception, you will still add +2 to that skill check.
Level And Experience Points
This will be another easy section to fill out as you talk with your DM about the start of the campaign. If you arestarting at level one, you’ll putlevel one and zero for XP.
You will find each level and it’s beginning XP underCharacter Advancement in Chapter Two. However, check with your DM how leveling up will work as there aredifferent ways to approach it.
If your DM advances youbased on story milestones, you thenwon’t have to track your XPand will only need to change your level as you continue through the campaign.
Initiative, Speed, Size, And Passive Perception
Initiative is what you will be rolling to seewhere you sit in the combat order. This is yourDexterity modifier plus your proficiency bonus.
Your speed is given to you based onyour species selection, as is your size. Some species will give youthe choice of being Medium or Small, while otherslock in one size.
For your Passive Perception, you will simplyadd ten to whatever your Perception modifier is, which is based on yourWisdom ability score. This is used to see what you may perceive around you when you aren’t actively looking for anything. A good example is to avoid being pick-pocketed; a thief wouldroll Sleight Of Hand to see if they beat your Passive Perception.
Class Features, Species Traits, And Feats
These sections will be filled in based on theclass, species, and background that you chose. The majority of the sheet is given to your Class Features as, besides your skill checks, they arewhat will be used the most.
For feats, you may add to this as you go, asevery four levels,you can choose to eitherpick a new feat or increase one or two of your skills.Both options are very valid and will vary wildly depending on your character and the stats you chose or rolled for them.
Equipment Training And Proficiencies
Equipment covers three things:your armor training, weapon proficiencies, and tool and kit proficiencies. These can havevarious sources, but when you first start at level one, you will be given what kind ofarmor and weapons you are trained to use based onyour class’s core traits.
For a barbarian, they have training insimple and martial weapons, as well aslight armor, medium armor, and shields. So you willbubble in what kind of armor you’re able to useand thenwrite in what types of weapons you’re proficient in.
Tools will also have various sources as the campaign progresses, but you will be givenat least one based on your background.
Add Your Saving Throws And HP
To formulate your hit points, you will use thehit point die under your class’s core traits. You’ll take the hit dice, add the constitution modifier, and the total will be your hit points at level one.
For a barbarian, you wouldroll a d12 and then add your Constitution modifier. At level one, that gives youyour maximum HP.
When you level up, you willroll your hit point die and add your Constitution modifier again, giving you yourlevel two maximum HP. And so on until you, hopefully, reach level 20.
For your saving throws, you will find what you are proficient in justunder your class’s hit point die. Using a barbarian again, you would gain proficiency in Strength and Constitution saving throws. Similar to skills, you willbubble in the circle on your sheet and add your proficiency bonus to your ability score modifierfor your Strength. That will give you your saving throw. Then, in that same example, you would do the same for your Constitution.
Add Your Weapons, Equipment, And Armor Class
Next comes all the goodies you get just from being you. Both yourclass and background give you the option of picking equipment or gold. If, for the sake of this guide,you picked equipment, you will end up withweapons, armor (if any), a pack or kit, and a smaller sum of gold.
While adding your weapons and equipment is as easy as copying the information over, your armor class will involve a little more math. For everything that isn’t classified as heavy, you will beadding a flat number to your Dexterity modifier. If you are given leather armor, for example, you will add 11 to your Dexterity modifier.
That becomes your armor class, which is what any monsters will betrying to beat with their attack rolls.
Some classes benefit you more if youare not wearing armor. Barbarians do not get armor in their starting equipment for that reason.
Calculate Your Weapon Attack, Spell Attack Modifiers, And Spell Save DC
Depending on your class and the type of weapons you wield, it will impact how you calculate your weapon attacks. Most weapons will require you touse your Strength score. Others will bebased on your Dexterity.
The other big factor is whetheryou are proficient with a weapon or not. If youare not proficient with a weaponyou are wielding, you will simplyadd either your Strength or Dexterity modifier to the attack roll. However,if you are proficient, which is recommended, then you willadd your proficiency bonus to whatever you rolledas well asadd your Strength or Dexterity score modifier.
Now for your spell attacks, you will be toldwhat your spellcating modifier is when you select your class. When you want to attack with a spell where you roll to see if you hit, you will roll a d20 and add what you get to yourspellcasting modifier plus your proficiency bonus. So, if you are a level one bard, you will add two plus your Charisma modifier to what you rolled on a d20.
As for your Spell Save DC, which is what a creature will roll tosee if they avoid the effect or damageof a spell, you willadd eight to your spellcasting modifier and your proficiency bonus.
Select Your Spells (If Applicable)
If you are playing a spellcaster, naturally you will need to pick some spells. The list ofevery spell you have access to is included under your class. However, you will have to flip to Chapter Seven of the 2024 Player’s Handbook to read the spell description.
Each spell will list its:
You will copy down all of the details onto the second page of your character sheet andbubble in if it requires your Concentration, can becast as a Ritual, and if itrequires any materials. In addition to these, your spell may requireverbal, somatic, or material componentsto cast it, or any combination of the three.
A spell that can be cast as a ritualdoes not consume a spell slotif you take the time to cast it as such. You can also, in many cases, choose to cast it immediately. However, it will thenuse one of your spell slots.
At the top of the second page you will also see the area to trackhow many spell slots you haveandhow many you have used. Your number of spells increases as you level up, including the level of spells that you can cast. You will find this informationunder your class features.
