Your Guide To The D&D5e

Character Sheet
The Character Sheet
• If you plan on playing D&D, your
character sheet is your companion in
almost all parts of play.
• The character sheet is a document
that contains valuable information
about your character such as:
Character Statistics, Character
Abilities, Character Features, etc.

Simply the
name of your
character
The class is the primary
definition of a character’s
capabilities. A summarization
of the character’s identity. The
level is how advanced the
character is on that specific
class. Characters in D&D5e can
have multiple classes.
The species of your
character. Different
races have different
innate capabilities
unique to their race.
The backstory of your
character. What the
character is/was prior
to adventuring
The name of
the player
controlling the
character
Where your character
lies in the spectrum of A representation of
“good-evil” and how much your
“lawful-chaotic” character has
developed. Once this
reaches a certain
threshold, your
character levels up.
Not all DMs however
utilize this system.
Character Classes

• Summarization of an adventurer’s
identity
• Determines many of the adventurer’s
skills and abilities that a character can
learn
• Characters can have multiple classes
following certain requirements.
List of Classes
• Artificer – Intelligent technology expert. Utilizes artillery, armor, or alchemical formulas.
• Barbarian – Fierce warriors with strong arms and durable bodies.
• Bard – Charismatic spellcaster utilizing the power of expression. A jack of all trades.
• Cleric – Faith-driven spellcaster harnessing the power of the gods.
• Druid – Spellcaster utilizing the powers of nature. Innately capable of shapeshifting.
• Fighter – Multi-talented weapons expert. Specialized in all forms of armed combat.
• Monk – Quick, nimble close-quarters combatant. Their own body to augments their art.
• Paladin – Oath-driven knight. Their commitment to their cause empowers their strikes.
• Ranger – Rover of the land. Specialized hunter and tracker of their chosen environment.
• Rogue – Sneaky-stealthy skill experts who deal sudden lethal blows to their victims.
• Sorcerer – Inheritor of magical capability. They bend magic to their whim and will.
• Warlock – Spellcasters who formed a pact with an otherworldly creature.
• Wizard – Dedicated scholars of the arcane. Their power is their study made manifest.
Character Races

• The adventurer’s species.

• Each race has their own unique history in
the world of D&D.
• Each race also has their own capabilities
and innate racial features.
List of Most Common Races
• Dragonborn – Bipedal dragons that boast the best of humanoid and
dragonkin.
• Dwarf – Bold, hearty, and long-living warriors, miners, and workers.
• Elf – Graceful, slender, ethereal, and beautiful creatures.
• Gnome – Intelligent, ingenious, and curious creatures with high affinity for
magic.
• Half-Elf – A combination of human and elf rolled into one.
• Half-Orc – A mighty creature of human and orcish descent.
• Halfling – Brave, nimble, and adventurous creatures.
• Human – A blank slate with limitless potential.
• Tiefling – Of human descent but with noticeable infernal heritage.
Character
Backgrounds
• The origin of your character
• What your character is/was
before they started adventuring
• Determines certain
characteristics and features that
your character will have
• CAN be customized
Basic Backgrounds
Alignment
• Where your character lies in
the “GOOD – EVIL” spectrum
and the “LAWFUL –
CHAOTIC” spectrum.
• The alignment can be
something fluid and
developed over adventuring
with your party.
Ability Scores
• Usually represented as a number from 0-20.
• Determines a character’s “abilities” in different aspects.
The Tomato Method
• STRENGTH – How well you can crush a tomato
• DEXTERITY – How well you can dodge a thrown tomato
• CONSTITUTION – How well you can withstand eating a rotten tomato
• INTELLIGENCE – Knowing the tomato is a fruit
• WISDOM – Knowing that even if a tomato is a fruit, it doesn’t belong
in a fruit salad
• CHARISMA – Being able to sell a fruit salad with a tomato
Guide on ability scores
Saving Throws and Skills
• Applications of your ability scores
• Saving throws are when your character is
placed in a dangerous situation, and you need
to rely on an ability to get out of it safely.
• Skills are for when your character wants to
use an ability score and apply it for a certain
activity.
Physical Skills
Athletics – utilizing your physical might to
move yourself, or others
Acrobatics – utilizing nimbleness, grace, and
flexibility to move in ways a person normally
wouldn’t
Stealth – moving quietly and staying hidden
from the senses of pursuers
Sleight of Hand – pickpocketing, performing
non-magical illusions of the hand, quickly
moving things to and fro
Knowledge Skills
Arcana – identifying how magic, magical
phenomena, and magical objects work
History – remembering historical sociocultural and
political events as well as relevant laws.
Nature – knowing about both flora and fauna as
well as distinguishing what’s natural from what is
not.
Religion – knowledge about the gods, as well as
their relevant rituals and traditions
Scouting and Recon Skills
Investigation – figuring out patterns, things that
are out of place, solving problems that require
logic
Medicine – identifying phenomena that happens
in a body (usually injury and sickness) through
observation of it.
Perception – utilizing the senses to find something
that is otherwise hidden or muffled.
Survival – following tracks, navigating through
unknown lands, foraging, and gathering
Social Skills
Animal Handling – being able to bring animals to your side
and communicating ideas to them
Deception – making people believe something that is false
(or of a false premise).
Insight – reading a creature’s expression and body language.
Intimidation – getting people on your side using threats and
provocation
Performance – the ability to enamor people with your
artistic talents
Persuasion – convincing people to your cause using a factual
and logical premise
Inspiration, Proficiency, and
Passive Perception (PP)
• INSPIRATION is for when your DM likes something that you did
and grants your inspiration. You can utilize this for a benefit
which will be explained in a future lesson.
• PROFICIENCY BONUS is a representation of how consistent
your character is in abilities that they are trained in. This is a
consistent bonus that increases with character level.
• PASSIVE PERCEPTION represents how good your character is at
perceiving things that they themselves do not focus on.
ARMOR CLASS – a representation of how difficult to hit
your character is in combat. Usually dependent on either a
character’s dexterity or their type of armor.
INITIATIVE – how quick your character is to act in combat
SPEED – how far your character can move in a turn of
combat
HIT POINTS – the current state of health of your character.
If this hits zero, your character falls unconscious and could
die.
TEMPORARY HIT POINTS – a reserve of health granted by
certain spells and abilities
HIT DICE – a well of vitality a character can tap upon while
resting or with certain abilities.
DEATH SAVES – a measure on how close/far your character
is from dying
• OTHER PROFICIENCIES & LANGUAGES – Things that your
character has training in. Can be weapons, armor, languages,
the use of certain tools, and artforms.
• ATTACKS & SPELLCASTING – The list of the most relevant
combat capabilities of your character.
• EQUIPMENT – The list of equipment your character is carrying
with them.
• FEATURES & TRAITS – A list of abilities your character has
granted by their class, race, background, or other sources.
• PERSONALITY TRAITS – Certain traits your character has
about how they deal with situations.
• IDEALS – Certain viewpoints about the world your
character stays true to (or wishes to stay true to).
• BONDS – Attachments that your character has to people,
objects, or even events.
• FLAWS – Negative aspects of your character that might
be seen as a flaw.
• SPELLCASTING CLASS – Which class does your character get their
spellcasting ability from (if any).
• SPELLCASTING ABILITY – Which among your ability scores does your
character use for their spellcasting.
• SPELL SAVE DC – A number representing how difficult it is to resist
your spells
• SPELL ATTACK BONUS – A number representing the accuracy of
attacks made with spells