Construction Werk: Order of Operation

Combining different species, classes, and backgrounds with proficiency and feat selection allows most people to make characters close to their original vision. But, sometimes, a character concept is original, or complex, and requires a unique look at character options to build it. There are often many ways to build characters with similar abilities, and finding the best option(s) to choose can be challenging, but challenging can be fun and rewarding. In the Construction Werk feature we will look at various tips and recommendations on the early phases of creating a character versus builds into even the early levels. This is about creating a solid foundation for your character.

This time we will look at our recommended order to make your initial selections at 1st-Level, which is applicable even if your campaign starts at a higher level.

When creating your character, no matter what level you will start with, there are four primary selections you will make: Class, Background, Species and Ability Scores. That is the order that the PHB and the character creation tool in DDB lay out for you to do the steps. While it is understandable why they say to select Class first, from a background story and also trait selection standpoint we recommend a different order: Species, Background, Class and Ability Scores.

It makes sense why they say to choose your class first, so you have an idea of your character’s primary role and abilities. You primarily want an idea of what their primary, highest, ability score should be. But besides the storytelling aspect, it isn’t necessarily the best first step to take to state filling out your character sheet. Because of how skill Proficiencies and other selections are made, and can impact later choices, your Class is best left for later in the process to actually choose and record your selections. If you start recording your class first you may come into conflicts where you get those selections by the other steps. Instead, once you have decided on your (starting) class, we recommend you follow an order that mimics how you would have been born and grew up on your path to that class. The Species>Background>Class order is like mapping out childhood>teen>adult, or nature>nurture>volition: i.e. what you were born as, how you were raised, and what you chose to be.

One other recommendation: you can always save selections within a step for later to see if you might double up or miss out on something like an Origin Feat or skill proficiencies. You can always come back later.

Species

Your species is what you were born as, what your ancestry is from your parents. It partly describes your appearance including some physical qualities such as your Size and Speed. Each species has a general physical description, they all inherit certain qualities, and also some cultural background. Besides your Size and Speed, the other Traits you may inherit from your species can be senses, spells or spell-like abilities, resistances, and skill proficiences.

While to us it makes sense to choose your species first, since it is how your character started life, if you have choices for proficiencies (or an Origin Feat like humans have) you might want to hold off until after your Background and come back.

Background

Your Background is what you did, how you were raised or educated or trained, after childhood and began to turn into who your character really is. They provide Ability Score bonuses (a selection of three for your +2/+1 or+1/+1/+1 bonuses), an Origin Feat, 2 Skill Proficiencies and a Tool Proficiency along with recommended equipment (or just take the gold and buy your own).

The main trait here is your Origin Feat since, other than a very few options, you can only get an Origin Feat from your Background. It can be hard to find a Background that has the Feat and Ability Scores you like, more so of you get hung up on the name and description or the Skills provided.* If you use Standard Array or Point Buy for Ability score (see later) it can be even harder since you can only state with a 15. Because of the new 2024 Backgrounds and Ability Score bonus limits, we recommend a rolling dice or using a custom Standard Array (again see below). This can make it less impactful to a character’s priority ability and can free the player up for more creative than obvious choices. Focus more on the Feat and Proficiencies than the Ability Scores to pick a Background that truly describes your character’s formative years. It can help round out missing traits, or make your character more versatile. Want some spells for your martial character? Select Acolyte, Guide or Sage without worrying as much about your abilities. Same for more proficiencies from Skilled or whatever Origin Feat you want. If you are stuck with Standard Array or Point Buy for abilities in your campaign, its up to you if you want to choose a Background to get you the right +2 option… in 5e, its fairly forgiving to not be optimizing your primary ability and you can always raise it later (at least +1 if not +2 at 4th level single class). Obviously if you are say a rogue or monk you want at least the 15 in your Dexterity, but if that’s the best you can do it will be fine (people who roll dice, even with the safest option, could end up with no 15 at all).

*Custom Backgrounds are official as they appear in the DMG. Unfortunately you can’t build them (hopefully yet…) in DDB with the standard character creation tool. You would have to make a homebrew one. Of course if you are using paper you can make your custom selections.

Class

Your Class is generally considered, for good reason, to be the most important choice. That is partly why we say to save it for later than at the beginning. You can build up to its selection. At level 1 it is how you will start adventuring (though many campaigns start at 3rd level—or higher—for various reasons). We will talk here about single-class or primary class selection starting at 1st-Level. Of course you can multi-class which can change some things. There are some reasons to start at level 1 in a different class than you plan to focus on more as you level. That is an entirely different discussion (called a dip), often for optimization, but can make sense from a storytelling or character description standpoint. Again, we will talk here about selecting the class you plan to start and continue with into your career.

Each class has a Primary Ability which informs which one you probably want highest to get the most out of the class traits. They have different Hit Point Dice (to determine your hit points), two Saving Throw proficiencies, Skill Proficiencies, and Weapon and Armor proficiencies. These are the initial definitions on your character’s combat abilities: are they tough (high hit points), skilled, good at weapons and defense?

One of the reasons we left class until later is for Proficiency selection. Every class has at least 6 skills to choose from for 2 proficiencies. Previous selections had no choice (Background) or a choice of 2-3 (species). Now that you can see what you already have from your Background and Species, you can better select your final 2-4 of 1st-level character creation.

Finally, each class has features that truly separate each on from the other. Can you cast spells or not? Do you have added weapon features?

Ability Scores

There are a few different ‘official’ ways to generate ability scores: Standard Array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8), Point Buy (which makes you out at 15 for your highest option), and Random Generation: rolling dice (roll 4d6 and drop the lowest, six times). The last is the only way to get above a 15 (so 17 highest to start with if you can get the +2 option).

As mentioned previously, due to the Backgrounds and determined Ability Score options, we recommend a house rule of a standard array of similar to the official one just replacing the 15 with a 16 (so 16, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8). This allows you to at least have a 16 (for a +3 bonus) even if you don’t add any bonuses to it, or to open up the 3 +1s option as well, or use the +1 to your primary and the +2 to a different ability to bring it up (you could have a 17 and 16 by adding +1 to 16 and +2 to 14).

Other than your primary ability being your highest, the rest of the choices are up to you to describe their physical and mental abilities. Your chosen proficiencies and their abilities can help you choose which ones to select, or if you do plan to multi-class make sure you have the requirements of your starting and additional class(es).

Hawkins: A Human Archer

Hawkins is a fairly straightforward character, for some more complex and creative ones see our ongoing series which all follow the same build order, but he still has some choices that develop his character background versus building an optimized damage dealer. We will be building an archer. There are numerous ways to get there via the possible selections. By describing his birth and upbringing we can help make the choices of species, background, and class to develop his character.

Meet Hawkins. Hawkins is a human young man from a poor community. In the land of Taluma he was born and raised in the city of Gaithewaite, but outside its walls in the ruins of the last war where the poor live in squalid conditions, trying to rebuild without much aid from the wealthier people inside the city’s walls. Luckily as he stayed out of trouble as a youth and into his teens managed to find honest work loading and unloading caravans coming and going from the city. Eventually he traveled with the wagons to guard and support them, including hunting while camped to supply feed the caravan or to take the spoils home to sell. He learned to wield a bow and showed a natural ability, eventually growing into a young man that was respected and trusted. He worked his way and saved enough to be able to run his own deliveries.

The Build

We know Hawkins is a human, and peeking ahead at his class, we can see a few paths to being an archer: a fighter, ranger or even rogue. Hawkins is a purely martial character, no magic, so ranger is out and he is too honorable to be a rogue. So fighter it is. But that choice will wait in selecting and recording his traits.

Species
Hawkins is human. He is Medium sized. He gets the Resourceful feature. He is Skilled and Versatile giving him a choice of any Proficiency and an Origin Feat. Because of his upbringing and making camp and hunting on caravan expeditions, we give him the Survival skill and the Alert Origin Feat.

Background
As an archer, a Dexterity-based fighter, we know his preferred ability score. We could look for options that gov that bonus to maximize it as much as we can; but the options available don’t fit with our description: Artisan, Charlatan, Criminal, Entertainer, Guide, Sailor, Scribe, Soldier or Wayfarer. He has been a sort of Guide, but it gives spells and he isn’t a magic wielder. Living in a poor neighborhood could make Wayfarer work, but it gives Thieve’s Tools and he won’t ever use that. Soldier could work as a guard but it still doesn’t feel right. There is one that is perfect except for one thing. Merchant. It’s Feat, Skills and Tool are right in line with his description. He just won’t have access to Dexterity for Ability Score bonuses. This may seem like a big thing, but as long as you can start with at least a 16 (through rolling or our house rule array versus the Standard Array or Pint Buy) you should be fine.
Merchant. He gets Animal Handling and Persuasion proficiencies as well Navigator’s Tool. His Origin Feat is Lucky which is always helpful (and can help offset not optimizing Dexterity). He can choose from Constitution, Intelligence, and Charisma and we choose +2 to Constitution and +1 to Charisma.

Class:
Level 1: Fighter 1
Proficiencies: Athletics and Perception.
He gets a Fighting Style and we—obviously—pick Archery. This gives him +2 to attack rolls with ranged weapons including the longbow he will wield.
He also gets three Weapon Masteries which gives special effects when using weapons. We of course take Longbow (Slow), and then take Handaxe (Vex) and Whip (Slow).

Ability Scores
Using our house rules array with Ability Score increases I chose this setup:
STR 12, DEX 16, CON 10 (+2 Background), INT 8, WIS 14, CHA 13 (+1 Background)
for these final scores
STR 12, DEX 16, CON 10, INT 8, WIS 14, CHA 14

Summary

We weren’t able to get Dexterity to 17 which most builds can get in their primary ability (from a 15 and +2 from background) but he still has a 16 and a +3 (which is the same bonus as 17 anyway, it will just be harder to get to 18+ for higher bonuses). With his proficiency bonus, using finesse or ranged weapons (using Dex) he has a +5 to hit; but because of Archery with any ranged weapons, including his longbow, he has +7 to hit at first level. His Alert Feat gives him an advantage in getting a high Initiative to act early. As an archer using a longbow, he has a base range of 150’ and with the Slow Mastery of the Longbow he can keep his targets at bay, and should be able to get numerous attacks before they could get into melee with him. Because of his Luck he can get Advantage on attacks twice per Long Rest.

He has a good chance to strike first, or at least early in Initiative order, and from far away, slowing his opponents so that he can get multiple shots off, or hit enemies staying at range while staying out of their range (most spells max at 120’ and other ranged weapons are shorter range than longbows.)

Furthermore, he has proficiencies that make sense for his development: Animal Handling (for the pack animals), Insight (to gauge customer intent), Perception (to see things while on the road or a camp), and Survival as well as Athletics and Persuasion and his Navigator’s Tools.

Level 2+

Fighters don’t get any special attack damage increases (like Hunter’s Mark or Sneak Attack) at 1st-Level, but even a few levels and the right Subclass selection can make up ground very quickly if we stick with it.
At 2nd level they get Action Surge to get an extra Action (like an Attack Action) once per Short or Long Rest.
At 3rd level Hawkins would get his subclass and we select Battlemaster. This gives him four d8 Superiority dice to use with three Maneuvers he can select. Many Maneuvers add the Superiority die to damage. For Hawkins and how he would play we select Disarming Attack (which would add the 1d8 damage), Precision Attack (to add the d8 to a missed attack roll), and Evasive Footwork (to add the d8 to our AC if we are threatened).
At 5th level he would get Extra Attack so every Attack Action would give him two attacks.

But before that, at 4th level, we get a Feat. We could just use Ability Score Improvement and raise his Dex to 18 and get another +1 to ranged attack rolls, Initiative and AC. Or we could select a Feat and get +1 to Dex (so our next feat—which for Fighters is 6th vs. 8th level—would get it to 18) as well as other useful features. There are a few that work well for an archer: Piercer can increase damage output and Sharpshooter makes it easier to hit with attack rolls. Skulker and Speedy won’t increase damage or hit chance, but can give your character other useful benefits. Since Fighters get Feats quicker than other classes, by 12th level we could get all four AND max our Dexterity at 20. For Hawkins I would take Sharpshooter first—to make sure we hit more often—then take Piercer. He would also take Speedy, but instead of Skulker I would look for a different Dexterity Feat like Athlete. Or, at 8th level we could max Dex and then at 12th pick whatever Feat you want, which doesn’t even have to be a Dexterity one.