We've listed the core options below (you can also choose to be an Artificer, but that requires the separate purchase of Tasha's Cauldron of Everything). When it comes to classes, you can pick between combat-heavy martial options, spellcasters, or a mix of the two. If you're willing to invest, you can choose from over 40 different races. There's no need to limit yourself to the species above, of course - they're just the easiest to get hold of by virtue of being free. Tiefling: The result of demonic ancestry, tieflings boast greatly increased charisma and an improved Intelligence score if you're going by the Player's Handbook.Half-orc: Looking for a battle-ready tank? Half-orcs get a boosted Strength score and are generally hardier than other races in the basic rules.Half-elf: Because they mix the best of humanity and elven-kind, half-elves benefit from a high Charisma score and two other increases of your choice in the basic rules.Dragonborn: These characters do what they say on the tin - they feature their namesake's superior Strength to go with higher Charisma in the core rules.Gnomes: As D&D's tinkerers, gnomes excel at anything requiring brain-power according to the Player's Handbook - they have increased Intelligence points.
However, you’re truly free to create whatever combination you like. For example, a Wizard uses the Intelligence ability to cast spells, while gnomes get to add two extra points to their Intelligence modifier, making them well suited for each other. You can use Wizard's official digital dice roller (opens in new tab), or if you’re on DND Beyond, then the service has a digital dice roller built into the website.Įven though a lot will hinge on what you like the look of, be aware that your choice can have an impact on gameplay too - it’s possible to pick race and class options that are optimized to work together. You’ll also have a D4, D8, D10, D12, and a D100 to play with, but there's no need to panic if you don’t have physical ones to hand. There are seven different dice used in D&D, with the most common being a D6 (a six-sided dice) and a D20 (a 20-sided dice). Just remember to have a quick chat with your Dungeon Master first as some rules can vary depending on who's running the campaign. Whichever you pick, the method to ‘rolling’ your first character will be largely the same. And, given that this is 2022, you have the option of creating your first character either traditionally with a printed sheet and a pencil, or digitally via services like DnD Beyond (opens in new tab).
So, where should you start? The fifth edition of D&D is the most recently released version, so this is the one we'll run through the character creation process for (keep in mind that the steps in this guide may vary if you want to play older editions).
Dungeons and Dragons books have shot up in popularity recently thanks to the additional publicity this long-running tabletop game has had in the media, such as its mentions throughout Stranger Things and in livestreamed campaigns such as Critical Role. This means that the iconic RPG is now even more accessible than ever, with free online resources that can help you jump into playing your first session without having to spend any money on things like the Dungeons and Dragons Starter Set or Player's Handbook. And seriously, we can't recommend doing so enough.