Character Creation Rules

The following are rules specifically pertaining to character creation in the world of Agathok. In the future, there may be changes or adjustments made to certain things, which will be carefully considered by Gabe Grimoire and announced in the Discord server. For starters though, here are some important things to note:

The World of Agathok plays using the 2024 version of Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (D&D 5e / D&D 5e'24).
Some of the articles—particularly class options—are hidden from the general public. If you are a Player, you must have a World Anvil account and must ask your GM to grant your account the necessary permissions to access said hidden articles.
If you are ever (a) confused or in doubt of anything, (b) wondering if a specific thing exists in the world, or (c) curious and want to know about something, do not hesitate to speak with your GM. You will never be judged, reprimanded, or looked down upon for doing so—quite the opposite, actually! That's the 100% truth. <3

Accepted Content

Accepted Content is defined as any material (ancestry, subclass, feat, spell, monster stat block, etc.) permitted for you—the player—to use. Only content found on this wiki (Agathok World Anvil website) and otherwise approved official material (see below) are considered Accepted Content. Unless otherwise told, all other content is banned. If you're ever in doubt or would like to express interest in an apparently banned player option, speak with your GM.

Accepted

Anything from these books are a "yes". Though, do note that some content may have revised versions found in this wiki; use the revised versions only.

PHB'24 — Player's Handbook (2024)

Tentatively Accepted

Anything from these books are a "tentative yes", meaning they are accepted but either (a) have large sections of content that need to be reviewed and revised beforehand, and/or (b) are likely to be banned or replaced later for something "better".

DMG — Dungeon Master's Guide
MM — Monster Manual
SCAG — Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide
XGE — Xanathar's Guide to Everything
TCE — Tasha's Cauldron of Everything
FTD — Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
MPMM — Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse

Guide

Character Creation is a streamlined process and though you can do it any order you’d like, the general guideline is as followed:

Class
Ancestry
Origin
Ability Scores
Details
Equipment
Other

When creating your character, remember to work with your GM throughout the process. Ask questions, be curious, and make your character believable in the world. Who knows, some very cool things might just come out from doing that! If you are a New Player, it's also very recommended that you ask your GM and/or fellow other players for help when creating a character.

Class

Though you might want to start by picking your Ancestry or something else first, it is generally suggested that you pick your Class first. A Class gives your character access to a suite of abilities, determines how effectively they fight, and governs how easily they can shake off or avoid certain harmful effects. Each Class is fully detailed in the Classes folder or Classes List article, but the drop-down summaries below provide a quick overview of each.
Artificer

Artificer

A master of invention who uses magic and ingenuity to create magical items.

Suggested Primary - Intelligence
Suggested Secondary - Constitution or Dexterity

Barbarian

A fierce warrior of primitive background who can enter a furious battle rage.

Suggested Primary - Strength
Suggested Secondary - Constitution

Bard

An inspiring magician whose power echoes the music of creation and the arcane arts.

Suggested Primary - Charisma
Suggested Secondary - Dexterity

Blood Hunter

A dark martial warrior who uses their own vitality to strengthen their weapons, and curse their enemies.

Suggested Primary - Strength or Dexterity
Suggested Secondary - Intelligence

Cleric

A priestly champion who wields divine magic in service of a deity or other higher power.

Suggested Primary - Wisdom
Suggested Secondary - Constitution or Strength

Druid

A priest of the Green Pantheon, wielding the powers of nature--moonlight and plant growth, fire and lightning--and adopting animal forms.

Suggested Primary - Wisdom
Suggested Secondary - Constitution

Fighter

A master of martial combat, skilled with a variety of weapons and armor.

Suggested Primary - Strength or Dexterity
Suggested Secondary - Constitution

Monk

A master of martial arts, harnessing the power of the body often in pursuit of physical and spiritual perfection.

Suggested Primary - Dexterity
Suggested Secondary - Wisdom

Paladin

A holy warrior bound to a sacred oath, often in the service of a higher power.

Suggested Primary - Strength
Suggested Secondary - Charisma

Ranger

A warrior who uses martial prowess and nature magic to combat threats on the edges of civilization.

Suggested Primary - Dexterity or Strength
Suggested Secondary - Wisdom

Rogue

A scoundrel who uses stealth, cunningness and trickery to overcome obstacles and enemies.

Suggested Primary - Dexterity
Suggested Secondary - Intelligence

Sorcerer

A spellcaster who draws on inherent magic from a gift or bloodline.

Suggested Primary - Charisma
Suggested Secondary - Constitution

Warlock

A wielder of magic that is derived from a bargain they made with an extra-planar entity.

Suggested Primary - Charisma
Suggested Secondary - Constitution

Wizard

A scholarly spellcaster capable of manipulating the structures of reality.

Suggested Primary - Intelligence
Suggested Secondary - Constitution or Dexterity

You don’t need to write down all of your character’s Class Features yet. You simply need to know which Class you want to play, which will help you determine the other decisions you'll be making (like picking Ability Scores).

Ancestry

Your Ancestry determines your appearance, innate abilities, inclinations, and sometimes culture and homeland. Your Ancestry is a combination of your Species (sometimes also referred to as "race") and Heritage (if any; sometimes also referred to as "subrace"). Every Heritage of a particular Species shares the same ancestry, but are at least somewhat physically distinct from one another for one reason or another. Every individual Species has their own history and more, varying at least somewhat from others with the same or similar ancestors (e.g. elves and genasi). Select an Ancestry for your character, which determines your character’s Size, Speed, Languages, Traits, and more. All playable Ancestry options can be found in the Ancestries folder. Playing a Hybrid Humanoid Character

Playing a Hybrid Humanoid Character

Thanks to the magical workings of the world and the love of both Amara and Tavysia, Humanoids of different species sometimes have children together. For example, folk who have a human parent and an orc or an elf parent are particularly common. Many other combinations are possible.

If you'd like to play the child of such a wondrous pairing, choose two Ancestry options that are Humanoid to represent your parents. Then determine which of those Ancestry options provides your game traits: Size, Speed, and so on. You can then mix and match visual characteristics—color, ear shape, and the like—of the two options. For example, if your character has a halfling and gnome parent, you might choose Halfling for your game traits and then decide that your character has the pointed ears that are characteristic of a gnome.

Finally, determine the average of the two options' Life Span traits to figure out how long your character might live. For example, a child of a halfling and a gnome has an average life span of 288 years.

Parts of an Ancestry

When reading an Ancestry's traits, do note the following.

Ability Score Increase. Located under the ancestry's name and above the rest of the traits. These are the typical Ability Scores boosted for a member of that ancestry; you may choose to instead assign a +2 to one score of your choice and a +1 to another, or assign a +1 to three diferent scores of your choice.
Size. Your character’s Size; if there are multiple listed, you choose one for your character to be. This determines your general height and weight, and can affect your Carrying Capacity and your ability to interact with things in game (e.g. small holes).
Speed. Your character’s base Speed, sometimes referred to as Land Speed.
Creature Type. What type of creature your character is (typically Humanoid). This can matter for things like spells.
Life Span. The Species’ typical age of maturity, and how many years someone of the Species typically lives for. You are not permitted to play a child.
Alignment. The color of your Soul, which is a reflection of the choices and life your character has lived. Your Alignment can shift over time. It's recommended you start as Neutral. Alignment can matter for things like spells or magic items.
Languages. What Language(s) your character speaks. The last listed one can be swapped for one other Language of your choice from the Standard or Rare list of Languages (that your GM agrees is appropriate).
Ancestral Traits. Everything else listed, which your character has access to from being someone of the Species.
Heritages. Some Ancestries have Heritages, which come about when different members of the same Species are physically (or magically) distinct for one reason or another (often due to different ancestors/parents). If a Species has Heritages, you choose one for your character to have; your character gains all of the chosen Heritage’s listed traits.

Origin (Region & Background)

Your character’s Origin is comprised of two parts: your Region and your Background.

Region. Also known as a Country, your Region is the place in the world where your character lived or spent most of their significant life. This can also be where your character was born.
Background. Your character's Background might represent their upbringing, an aptitude they’ve been honing since their youth, or another aspect of their life before they became an adventurer.

Select a Region and a Background for your character, which grants you a number of benefits ranging from access to abilities, to a boost to certain Ability Scores. All playable Regions and Backgrounds can be found in the Origins folder (no other Background can be used). Backgrounds listed under a Region can only be chosen if your character is of that Region. Backgrounds listed under Shared Backgrounds can be chosen regardless of your Region. If you want a Shared Background for your character but the Region you want is listed as "circumstancial" for it, it means to discuss that particular Origin combination with your GM, first, as it might not make sense.

Ability Scores

Ability Scores are determined by a multi-stat array system, which is augmented through your other choices made during Character Creation (like Ancestry and Origin). Choose one of the following stat arrays for your character: Standard: 16 / 14 / 13 / 12 / 10 / 8
Versatile: 15 / 15 / 12 / 11 / 11 / 10
Specialist: 17 / 12 / 12 / 11 / 10 / 10
Polymath: 13 / 13 / 13 / 13 / 13 / 13
Narrowed: 16 / 16 / 11 / 10 / 9 / 8

Details

Additional Skills

In addition to the Skills in base 5e, there are the following additional Skills: Martial, Mercantile, and Linguistics. As such, the following classes have the following additional options to choose from when choosing Skill Proficiencies:

Barbarian ★
Bard — Linguistics, Martial, Mercantile
Cleric — Linguistics, Martial
Druid ★
Fighter — Linguistics, Martial, Mercantile
Monk — Linguistics, Martial
Paladin — Linguistics, Martial, Mercantile
Ranger ★
Rogue — Linguistics, Martial, Mercantile
Sorcerer — Linguistics, Martial
Warlock — Linguistics, Martial, Mercantile
Wizard — Linguistics, Mercantile

Additional Languages

For every +2 modifier in Intelligence your character has, you gain an additional Language of your choice from the list of Standard or Rare Languages.

Attunement Slots

Unlike in base 5e, every character starts with one Attunement Slot. Characters gain an additional Attunement Slot at levels 5, 10, and 15.

Deities & Faith, Clerics & Paladins

Faith in Agathok is strong, and comes in varying shades of morality. Some people will choose to worship multiple deities, and others will choose to worship none at all. Those who worship a single god however (typically a Cleric or Paladin), are often rewarded by their god for doing so. If you choose to start play worshipping a deity (found under Divinity), you may gain 1 Piety with that deity. If you are a Cleric or Paladin, you instead gain 4 Piety with that deity and effectively gain that deity's Lip Service. While you follow a deity, you can earn or lose Piety with them through play. If you have enough Piety, you will receive unique boons from your deity. In contrast, if you lose enough Piety with a deity that you get into the negatives (often a result of going against their beliefs or orders), you will get a divine warning which if not heeded, can cause your deity to disown you. If disowned, you lose all benefits from worshipping that deity.

Playing a Cleric

As a Cleric, you may only choose from Divine Domains your deity has available. You may be a Cleric that does not follow a deity ("Faithless") and you can choose any Divine Domain you want, but it is assumed then that you derive your powers from Polaris. Whether or not you choose to earn Piety with Polaris though, is entirely up to you.

If you wish to change the deity you worship after Character Creation, speak with your GM to discuss possibilities.

Multiclassing Limitations

Although multiclassing is permitted, there are two limitations:

You can only multiclass into up to three different classes; your character can only have up to a total of four classes. Any more than this, and your character will be considered a "meme character"; speak with your GM for more on the matter.
To multiclass into a particular class, steps must be taken beforehand. This might involve finding a teacher or making contact with an entity. Speak with your GM to discuss how your character might multiclass into a particular class.

> Playing Characters with Disabilities

A player might want to create a character with a disability, or their character might end up with a disability over the course of play. If you want to play such a character, work with your GM to find ways to respectfully represent the disability. For starters, conditions such as Blinded or Deafened aren’t a good fit for a character who has been living with a disability long-term. Here are some suggestions for rules you could use for PCs with disabilities. Blindness or Impaired Vision
A blind character can’t detect anything using vision, automatically fails Perception checks requiring sight, is immune to visual effects (such as a Basilisk’s Petrifying Gaze ability), and can’t be Blinded. You might give this character the Blind Fighting fighting style or Alert feat for free. A character with impaired vision might take a -2 to -4 penalty to vision-based Perception checks. Spectacles or other corrective devices might reduce or remove this. Deafness or Being Hard of Hearing
A deaf character can’t detect anything using hearing, automatically fails Perception checks that require hearing, and is immune to auditory effects. They have enough practice to supply verbal components for casting spells and activating magic items, but if they perform an action they’re not accustomed to that involves auditory elements, they must succeed at a DC 5 flat check or the action fails. It’s best to give them the Sign Language known, and you might give them the Observant feat as well. You might give one or more other characters in the group Sign Language as well. A hard-of-hearing character might take a -2 to -4 penalty to Perception checks that are hearing-based. Corrective devices for hearing are less common than spectacles are. Missing Limb
Some magic items require certain limbs or other body parts. It’s fine to allow an alternative form of the item, turning boots into bracers for a character without legs, for example. A character with a missing hand or arms might need to spend 2 Actions to take the Use an Object Action when interacting with an item that requires two hands, or otherwise compensate. Using a Two-handed weapon is not possible. A character can acquire a prosthetic hand or arm to compensate. Someone missing a foot or leg might take a small penalty to Speed, but can typically acquire a prosthetic to compensate. If they have no legs, they might use a wheelchair, a dependable mount, or levitation or flight magic. Mental Illness and Chronic Illness
Some disabilities, such as mental illness and chronic illnesses, are best left to the player to roleplay. Mental illness is an especially fraught topic, with a history of insensitive portrayal. Because of this, it is unlikely to be permitted due to the potential negative impact the presentation might have on other players (or spectators). If it’s something you really want to play out however, feel free to speak with your GM about it.

Equipment

Due to the overhaul of Backgrounds in base 5e with Agathok's Origins system among other things, starting equipment has been simplified. Unless otherwise stated, your starting equipment is determined by your Class at level 1 plus an amount of coinage determined by your Lifestyle Wealth below.

Lifestyle Wealth

Either (a) roll a d22 for a random lifestyle or (b) take the Modest lifestyle.

01 | Squalid: 1 SP
02-06 | Poor: 4 GP
07-16 | Modest: 20 GP
17-21 | Comfortable: 40 GP
22 | Wealthy: 80 GP

For reference, this coinage represents a little under a months worth of average savings.

Other Items

In addition to the items you receive from your Class, you might want to consider investing in a Bandolier or other useful Adventuring Gear. It's recommended you don't spend all your money though, as you will likely need it to pay for certain goods and services on your travels.

5 Tips for Making D&D Characters that are Fun to Play

Important Characteristics to consider:

A backstory that ties it to the world and the campaign's story.
It has clear goals, both short- and long-term, which motivates it to adventure.
It has room for growth and can evolve as a person.
It has quirks and mannerisms that make it feel unique and distinct.
It fits the player, the party, and the campaign.

You can read the full, detailed article here. It's very well written and has tons of useful information, that I recommend you read should you get the time to do so. However, to summarize it:

Backstory . Less is more, quality over quantity, leave inspirational nuggets for the GM and work with them to make it fit the campaign.
Motivation . Consider a long-term, deep motivation and why the character is that way—and try to come up with a more immediate, short-term motivation, such as finding/rescuing/killing/reviving/stealing/protecting/becoming/etc something or someone.
Growth . Make room for growth in your character—give them a personal flaw or misconception about themselves or the world that they may grow out of as they adventure, so they're not just a static character.
Unique . Think about what makes your character stand out when you're roleplaying it—its voice, its manner of speaking, its obsessions, quirks, and mannerisms. Make sure it's something you can keep up for a long campaign.
Fit In . Make sure the character fits your playstyle, the other characters in the party, and the campaign that you're playing. Communication is key—talk with the other players and the GM to make sure your character fits!

Some Backstory Questions To Consider

1. What do you see as your future goals? Both short and long term.
2. Tell me your past and how you got to where you will be at the beginning of the first session. You should be able to do so within a simple paragraph or two.
3. Tell me about your family. Do you have parents and/or siblings? Are they alive? And more.
4. Tell me about any potential accomplishments or failures that you did in your past.
5. What is something you fear? It can be a trauma, a phobia, or something else entirely.
6. What is something (or someone) you cherish? Reminder: I (Gabe, your GM) am more than willing to help you come up with ideas for your character, and to add things to the world that will help to do so. I will work with you to help make a character you really want to play.

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