How to Make the Ultimate Dungeon and Dragons Team
Make preliminary decisions., Find your style of play., Choose your class., Assign your ability scores., Train your skills., Choose your feats., Choose your character's powers., Complete your character sheet., Watch for any possible story hooks the...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Make preliminary decisions.
If you are controlling a single character, you should choose a role (preferably not covered by the other players) in the team.
A Leader focuses on healing and "buffing" his friends.
He also does a bit of fighting and/or controlling.
Clerics and artificers are good examples of classes that focus on the Leader role.
A Controller weakens his enemies, making them vulnerable to Defenders.
He is also protected by the Defender, since he can't fight properly.
Wizards, sorcerers (although less effectively) and sometimes clerics, focus on the controller role.
A Defender protects his friends and devastates his foes with his mighty power.
Fighters, paladins, monks and many other classes focus on this role.
A Striker rushes his enemies when they least expect it and release their inner tempest to crush their enemies.Rangers, (archers , two-handed or otherwise)ninjas, rogues and many more focus on striking hard and disappearing from sight. -
Step 2: Find your style of play.
Do you enjoy a well-thought character? Do you enjoy crushing your enemies? What is your personality? What personality did you always wish you had? Your character can be anything, from something like you or what you wish you could be, to a character which is completely different from you in every manner.
There is something for everybody. , Your class reflects your style of play and personality, so choose carefully.
You may always choose a reckless and irrational character, but if you were reckless enough to choose to do that, it still reflects your personality, so you still have to choose carefully. , You can use a standard array, meaning you use the numbers 16, 14, 13, 12, 11 and 10 respectively to any skill you want, or you might want to do a classic 22-point buy, but you must first think of what will help your character most.
A wizard might find intelligence to be the most useful ability, while a cleric values wisdom.
A fighter would emphasize on strength, while a monk would focus on wisdom.
A ranger or rogue would focus on dexterity, while a bard would focus on charisma.
You must looks at your class carefully and watch for patterns to find the skills does it (primarily) rely on.
Remember to assign your racial bonuses. , Depending on your class you might be able to pick more or less than four skills to train in at 1st level.
To calculate your base skill check bonus, do the following:
Add one half your level.
Add your ability modifier (each skill relies on one of the ability modifiers).
Add 5 if that skill is trained.
If the skill in question relies on Strength, Dexterity or Constitution, subtract your armor check penalty.
Add any racial or feat bonuses.
Add any other bonuses. , Choosing feats is important.
Think of your role in the party when you choose.
It's helpful to choose feats that get bonuses from your highest skills and ability scores.
Remember that all your decisions revolve around your style of play. , These can be categorized as utility powers, encounter powers, daily powers and more.
As said before, all your decisions should be based on your style of play and your role in the party. , Fill in all the numbers if you haven't already, calculate your healing surges, HP, Spell Points, etcetera etcetera.
The next part is what you actually do during the game to make it powerful, and you may find to your surprise that it is the most important part. , It may be as obvious as an advertisement, but if you search the whole town and you find nothing you should start talking to people in pubs, where you will almost always find work.
If not, you can always go exploring ruins and finding lost artifacts.
Make sure that the rest of the party wants that too.
It's all about your collective fun! , Knowing your surroundings is key to surviving.
Does that old tree springing up from the tree climbable? Are those elven tree-houses you spotted above the oak trees? , Climb that tree, negotiate with those elves, help them with all they need, find lost artifacts in the ruins of Xen'drik! Do what you feel you want to do, like it was for real.
Live your story, live your hero, and you shall prevail.
Your GM will love you for that, and you'll be sure to always be helped by locals if you negotiate appropriately with them. , It revolves around your play-style.
If in your original background you said you were a scholar studying some lost artifact, develop your background! Go find it and study it, and write about it for the whole community of wizards to be able to read your books and learn more, expanding their knowledge! , Complete your background with anything that happened at your previous level.
For example, if you finally found it, write about it! And write a summary of your studies.
You could hand it over to the GM to include that in the world.
Then everyone that read it will recognize you and will be able to talk to you about it as you both know what is written in the book.
Then there is no difference in what the player is imagining in the book and what the players has imagined. , Now you have to decide whether you want one or not.
You might want to think it over, and think about your adventures.
Do you really want a prestige class? And if yes, you should probably know why, so you can decide whatever prestige class suits you! , You might want one or not.
If you want one, it could mean an ending earlier then you would have expected when you first started.
It would mean it will probably end at level
32.
But that is just a way to end the game.
You might want to continue adventuring, to become and Elder for your original village, or attain a function of great prestige.
You might become a well known individual and start a royal family! Or you might be modest, and keep helping those in need, until you achieve your character's goal in life. -
Step 3: Choose your class.
-
Step 4: Assign your ability scores.
-
Step 5: Train your skills.
-
Step 6: Choose your feats.
-
Step 7: Choose your character's powers.
-
Step 8: Complete your character sheet.
-
Step 9: Watch for any possible story hooks the GM throws at you.
-
Step 10: Once on an adventure track
-
Step 11: you should ask for great details about your surroundings
-
Step 12: and your GM might roll some dice secretly to see if you find something special.
-
Step 13: Achieve everything.
-
Step 14: Develop your background.
-
Step 15: As you advance in level
-
Step 16: upgrade your stats accordingly
-
Step 17: keeping in mind your role and play-style.
-
Step 18: Continue doing so until until you can earn a prestige class.
-
Step 19: When you are able to select an epic destiny
-
Step 20: it's time to think again.
Detailed Guide
If you are controlling a single character, you should choose a role (preferably not covered by the other players) in the team.
A Leader focuses on healing and "buffing" his friends.
He also does a bit of fighting and/or controlling.
Clerics and artificers are good examples of classes that focus on the Leader role.
A Controller weakens his enemies, making them vulnerable to Defenders.
He is also protected by the Defender, since he can't fight properly.
Wizards, sorcerers (although less effectively) and sometimes clerics, focus on the controller role.
A Defender protects his friends and devastates his foes with his mighty power.
Fighters, paladins, monks and many other classes focus on this role.
A Striker rushes his enemies when they least expect it and release their inner tempest to crush their enemies.Rangers, (archers , two-handed or otherwise)ninjas, rogues and many more focus on striking hard and disappearing from sight.
Do you enjoy a well-thought character? Do you enjoy crushing your enemies? What is your personality? What personality did you always wish you had? Your character can be anything, from something like you or what you wish you could be, to a character which is completely different from you in every manner.
There is something for everybody. , Your class reflects your style of play and personality, so choose carefully.
You may always choose a reckless and irrational character, but if you were reckless enough to choose to do that, it still reflects your personality, so you still have to choose carefully. , You can use a standard array, meaning you use the numbers 16, 14, 13, 12, 11 and 10 respectively to any skill you want, or you might want to do a classic 22-point buy, but you must first think of what will help your character most.
A wizard might find intelligence to be the most useful ability, while a cleric values wisdom.
A fighter would emphasize on strength, while a monk would focus on wisdom.
A ranger or rogue would focus on dexterity, while a bard would focus on charisma.
You must looks at your class carefully and watch for patterns to find the skills does it (primarily) rely on.
Remember to assign your racial bonuses. , Depending on your class you might be able to pick more or less than four skills to train in at 1st level.
To calculate your base skill check bonus, do the following:
Add one half your level.
Add your ability modifier (each skill relies on one of the ability modifiers).
Add 5 if that skill is trained.
If the skill in question relies on Strength, Dexterity or Constitution, subtract your armor check penalty.
Add any racial or feat bonuses.
Add any other bonuses. , Choosing feats is important.
Think of your role in the party when you choose.
It's helpful to choose feats that get bonuses from your highest skills and ability scores.
Remember that all your decisions revolve around your style of play. , These can be categorized as utility powers, encounter powers, daily powers and more.
As said before, all your decisions should be based on your style of play and your role in the party. , Fill in all the numbers if you haven't already, calculate your healing surges, HP, Spell Points, etcetera etcetera.
The next part is what you actually do during the game to make it powerful, and you may find to your surprise that it is the most important part. , It may be as obvious as an advertisement, but if you search the whole town and you find nothing you should start talking to people in pubs, where you will almost always find work.
If not, you can always go exploring ruins and finding lost artifacts.
Make sure that the rest of the party wants that too.
It's all about your collective fun! , Knowing your surroundings is key to surviving.
Does that old tree springing up from the tree climbable? Are those elven tree-houses you spotted above the oak trees? , Climb that tree, negotiate with those elves, help them with all they need, find lost artifacts in the ruins of Xen'drik! Do what you feel you want to do, like it was for real.
Live your story, live your hero, and you shall prevail.
Your GM will love you for that, and you'll be sure to always be helped by locals if you negotiate appropriately with them. , It revolves around your play-style.
If in your original background you said you were a scholar studying some lost artifact, develop your background! Go find it and study it, and write about it for the whole community of wizards to be able to read your books and learn more, expanding their knowledge! , Complete your background with anything that happened at your previous level.
For example, if you finally found it, write about it! And write a summary of your studies.
You could hand it over to the GM to include that in the world.
Then everyone that read it will recognize you and will be able to talk to you about it as you both know what is written in the book.
Then there is no difference in what the player is imagining in the book and what the players has imagined. , Now you have to decide whether you want one or not.
You might want to think it over, and think about your adventures.
Do you really want a prestige class? And if yes, you should probably know why, so you can decide whatever prestige class suits you! , You might want one or not.
If you want one, it could mean an ending earlier then you would have expected when you first started.
It would mean it will probably end at level
32.
But that is just a way to end the game.
You might want to continue adventuring, to become and Elder for your original village, or attain a function of great prestige.
You might become a well known individual and start a royal family! Or you might be modest, and keep helping those in need, until you achieve your character's goal in life.
About the Author
Douglas Palmer
A passionate writer with expertise in crafts topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: