I got enough positive feedback during class last week to justify following up on. If any of you would like to play Dungeons&Dragons (dNd) at some point, here is a list of how you might start thinking about your character.
You must first choose what race your character will be. She may be of any sex. Before you read the descriptions of the various races, note the list of what are called base ability scores. Every character has these six statistics, but in different degrees. They will be references in many of the descriptions from here on out. Once you have thought about what kind of character you would like, email me (troturaov@gmail.com) and we can begin constructing your character. A game will likely not occur until after the semester is over.
Ability Scores:
Strength - Physical strength of the character. Primarily affects your ability to hit with melee attacks (swords, axes, clubs, etc) and how much damage you do with them.
Dexterity - The characters agility. Primarily affects your ability to hit with ranged attacks (bows, crossbows, throwing knives, etc) as well as your armor class (likelihood of being hit).
Constitution - The overall well-being of the character. This stat primarily affects how many hit-points (life/health) you have.
Intelligence - The cunning and rapidity of thought of your character. Intelligence is important for getting skill points (the more intelligence, the more points). It is especially important for thieves and some spellcasters.
Wisdom - The depth of your understanding. Wisdom has a number of uses, especially for spellcasters (for most it determines how many spells they can have access to, as well as how powerful some of their spells are).
Charisma - Your character’s overall charm. Charisma plays an important role in all characters’ lives, but an especially important one for Paladins and Rangers.
Races
Humans - Humans represent the middle road for character creation. They do not take any bonuses or penalties to their base ability scores (the six base ability scores are strength, dexterity, constitution, intelligence, wisdom, and charisma). Humans can be any class (i.e., there are no bad classes for them, as there are for other races).
Dwarves - Dwarves are the rugged, stocky people of the earth. While they make excellent fighters, barbarians, and even clerics, they are ill suited for most magical classes (like sorcerer, wizard, druid). The right dwarf can make a powerful Monk (see classes below for descriptions each class). Dwarves receive a bonus to their constitution but at the cost of their charisma. They can also see in the dark for up to 20 feet, are resistant to poisons, spells and spell-like effects, as well as a handful of other handy bonuses.
Elves - Elves are the elegant protectors of arcane knowledge, whether it be of an ancient wood or a mage’s academy. Despite their slight frame and stature, Elves are formidable opponents in battle. Elves receive bonuses to their dexterity (making good thieves, rangers, and bards) but lose bonuses to their constitution (making them poor fighters and monks). Elves also make decent clerics, sorcerers, wizards, and druids. Elves can see twice as far as humans in starlight, moonlight, or torchlight. They are excellent archers. They gain automatic bonuses to listen, search, and spot skills. They also automatically know where secret doors are if they pass within five feet of them.
Gnomes - Gnomes are funny little folk that are known for their experimentation, craft, humor, and trickster magic. Gnomes gain bonuses to their constitution, penalties to their strength. They have the same vision as elves. They are particularly strong against illusions. They have good ears, and most come with a handful of simple magics.
Half-Elves - Half-elves have a blend of elvish and human blood, and therefore, abilities. They are almost as versatile as humans in their class choices. Half elves often have trouble fitting in no matter where they go. They receive no bonuses or penalties.
Half-Orcs - Half-Orcs are half human and half orc. They are almost solely barbarians or warriors. They have trouble fitting in, even worse than half-elves. Half-Orcs receive a bonus to strength, but at a heavy cost to their intelligence and their charisma. They can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Halflings (Hobbits) - We all know that hobbits are little, sturdy, jovial folk from the gentle hills and plains. They get bonuses to their dexterity at the cost of their strength. They make great thieves and bards.
Classes:
Barbarian - Barbarians is one of the most effective warrior classes. They can come from anywhere in the (imaginary) world, and regularly come from wandering tribes or other types of warrior settlements. They have more raw hitpoints than other classes. Barbarians are also proficient with most weapons and armors. One of the barbarian’s most powerful abilities is his Barbarian Rage. The rage gives him huge bonuses to his ability scores at a modest penalty to his armor rating. Half-orcs, dwarves, and humans are typical candidates for Barbarians. Though, because of their wandering and versatility, almost any race can be brought up in a barbarian tribe.
Important Ability Scores: Strength and Dex (primarily) and wisdom and constitution (secondary).
Bard - Bards are musical/lyrical performers that use their songs like magic. Bards have detailed knowledge of the lore of the lands. Bards, like all characters, can be good or evil. A good bard acts like a support for a party, using his music to give bonuses to everyone around him. An evil bard makes a great thief. Their musical magic is often “thievy” in their effects. Typical bards are human, elven, or half-elven. However, gnomes and Halflings make for good bards as well, especially as thief-like bards.
Important Ability Scores: Charisma is the primary score for bards, as it directly effects how powerful his/her spells are. Other useful abilities are dexterity and intelligence (especially for thieving bards).
Cleric - The cleric is divine character. They either use their divine spells for healing, or destruction. Good clerics are vital allies to groups of adventurers because they heal, restore lost levels and abilities (which are severely hampering penalties), and when powerful, can even resurrect the dead. Evil clerics make decent necromancers (raisers of the undead), and focus on despoiling their enemies and the land directly (depending on their goals). Any class is technically suitable for being a cleric.
Important Ability Scores: Wisdom is vital for spell strength and the number of spells you can use. Secondary abilities are Charisma. It doesn’t hurt to have a decent constitution score, since Clerics are regularly on the front lines of battle.
Druid - The druid is the ultimate natural warrior. They gain from their connection to nature a number of spells and abilities. However, they are limited in the kinds of equipment they can use (for example, most druids do not use metallic armor or weapons). Using non-druid safe eq will result in the reduction of their magical abilities. Elves, gnomes, humans, and half-elves are the most typical druids.
Important Ability Scores: Wisdom determines how powerful their spells are, as well as how many they get. A high dex is also helpful to offset for their inability to wear the most protective (metal) armors.
Fighter - Fighters are the standard stock warrior class in DnD. Humans, dwarves, and half-orcs make the most common fighters. Other races can be fighters as well. Fighters do not have magic, but advance in the arts of combat much faster than most other classes.
Important Ability Scores: Strength is the most important. Constitution and dexterity are secondary (after all, a fighter must be strong, healthy, and fast).
Monk - Monks make their bodies into a weapon, instead of relying on other weaponry. Most monks are humans, or half-elf/half-orcs (often, monasteries are the only place where these two half-breeds fit in). Few other races ever consider being monks. While monks typically do not use weapons, they are talented with “peasant” weapons (like the staff, kama, nunchaku, etc.). Monks get a ton of abilities to their unarmed strikes as well as their armor bonuses.
Important Ability Scores: Wisdom directly effects Monk’s offensive and defensive abilities. Dexterity is an important follow-up, since most monks don’t wear armor (or if they do, it is weak).
Paladin - The Paladin is the ultimate holy warrior. They use their divine belief to power their righteous behavior. Think “chivalric knight” and you have a good conception of a Paladin. Paladins get a number of divine healing and buffing (powerup) spells when they grow powerful. Most paladins are humans. Paladins must be “lawful good.” If they slip to anything other than that, they may become fallen Paladins (losing their divine abilities). Paladins that fall to evil (instead of to chaotic or neutral good) may regain their abilities, but through evil instead of good.
Important Ability Scores: Charisma is the most important score for Paladins. Second is Strength and Wisdom.
Ranger - The ranger is a forest fighter. They are the class for archers, as they receive a lot of bonuses to archery. They are also in tune with nature, receiving similar benefits like druids. The most common ranger is an elf, but half elves and humans are regularly rangers. Aragorn is an example of what a ranger might be.
Important Ability Scores: Rangers rely heavily on dexterity, because of their focus on bows. They also need strength, and a number of their skills require a moderately high wisdom score.
Rogue - Wherever I have mentioned theives, you can also insert the word Rogue. Rogues are the theives of DnD. Humans make decent rogues. Halflings, elves, half-elves, and gnomes make excellent rogues. Rogues are vital to the success of a party, because they find and disable traps, open locked doors and containers, sneak and steal, and are otherwise handy all around. Bilbo the “Burglar” was the inspiration for this class.
Important Ability Scores - Rogues get more skills than anyone, and therefore need a high intelligence score so they can be proficient at them. They also require a high dexterity score, since most of their abilities are reliant on dex.
Sorcerer - Sorcerers are descendent from dragons, or have dragon blood (according to legend). They, unlike wizards, have inherent magical skills. They do not need to prepare their spells in order to call them. Instead, they may cast a certain number of any of their spells a day. However, they typically have fewer spells learned. Sorcerers are notoriously weak in their first few levels, but become extremely powerful as they grow stronger. Any race can be a sorcerer, but most common is human and half-elf.
Important Ability Scores: Sorcerer spell strength and number is based on charisma. Like a wizard, a sorcerer benefits from a high dexterity and constitution score as well.
Wizard - The wizard, unlike the sorcerer, must study arcane magic in order to use that magic. They must prepare their spells each day, and cannot cast spells they have not prepared (whereas the sorcerers can choose on the fly). However, wizards typically have a larger range of spells to choose from. As far as magical characters go, they tend to be slightly less weak magically in the first few levels as sorcerers. However, they do not gain power as quickly as sorcerers do in the later levels (usually). Humans, elves, gnomes, and drow (dark elves, more on that at a later date) are the most typical wizards.
Important Ability Scores: Intelligence is vital for spell strength and the number of spells. High dex is useful to bolster armor (since wizards are typically physically weak), and constitution scores help for the same reason.
so it def depends on the activity…