AllDungeons & Dragonsplayers share one thing: a character sheet.

Your party needs to conserve their strength in Dungeons & Dragons' 2024 Player’s Handbook.

You will want to pick something thatyou are excited to play.

Dungeons & Dragons 2024 character sheet with a gnome warlock looking up at it happily.

Alwayscheck with your DMfirst.

Not all rangers must hold some resemblance to a certain Lord of the Rings character.

They canuse different weapons, prioritize different skills, and so on.

A collage of exhausted characters.

Art by Craig J Spearing

So don’t feel boxed in by other examples you’ve seen, and make your character your own.

Wizards suggests that you pick your background before your species, butthe order doesn’t matter.

Species

For species, there areten choices held within the 2024 Player’s Handbook.

Dungeons & Dragons Character Sheet with class and subclass highlighted.

You will use all of this information tofill out multiple sectionsof your character sheet.

But, for any of those options, you’d have toget approval from your DM.

Backgrounds

When it comes to backgrounds, there are16 different options.

Dungeons & Dragons Character Sheet with background and species highlighted.

Hopefully, this list helps that decision.

Calculate And Fill Out Your Ability Scores

There are three ways to decide what your ability scores will be.

If you decide to usethe Point Costmethodto decidescores, this is the cost of each ability score.

Dungeons & Dragons image showing a barbarian, a ranger and a monk fighting gnolls.

Art by Craig J Spearing

Modifiers

Each score that you either selected or rolled abovewill have a corresponding modifier.

Your modifier will be what youadd to your D20 Testsand to any skills you do not have proficiency in.

This decisiondoesn’t affect any of the math.

Dungeons & Dragons image showing the Entertainer background.

Entertainer background image by Kenny Vo.

This is purely for roleplaying.

So you’ll want to pick whicheveralignment your character best embodies.

Wild cackles, raised eyebrows, and nefarious plans await in Evil Dungeons & Dragons.

Dungeons & Dragons gnomes enjoying a meal together over a blurred background.

You haveall the information you needto fill out the details.

Add Your Proficiency Bonus

Your proficiency bonus is based on yourcharacter’s overall level.

As you grow on your adventure, your character’s proficiency score improves.

Dungeons & Dragons Character Sheet with Ability Scores highlighted.

It increases as shown below.

If you arestarting at level one, you’ll putlevel one and zero for XP.

You will find each level and it’s beginning XP underCharacter Advancement in Chapter Two.

Dungeons & Dragons Character Sheet with ability score modifiers highlighted.

However, check with your DM how leveling up will work as there aredifferent ways to approach it.

This is yourDexterity modifier plus your proficiency bonus.

Your speed is given to you based onyour species selection, as is your size.

Dungeons & Dragons Character Sheet with alignment highlighted on page two.

Some species will give youthe choice of being Medium or Small, while otherslock in one size.

This is used to see what you may perceive around you when you aren’t actively looking for anything.

For a barbarian, you wouldroll a d12 and then add your Constitution modifier.

Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Player’s Handbook alignments chart showcasing the nine alignments you can choose.

Alignments by Chris Seaman

At level one, that gives youyour maximum HP.

And so on until you, hopefully, reach level 20.

Using a barbarian again, you would gain proficiency in Strength and Constitution saving throws.

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That will give you your saving throw.

Then, in that same example, you would do the same for your Constitution.

Both yourclass and background give you the option of picking equipment or gold.

Dungeons & Dragons image showing a wizard reading his book.

The Wizard Leomund by Michele Giorgi.

For everything that isn’t classified as heavy, you will beadding a flat number to your Dexterity modifier.

If you are given leather armor, for example, you will add 11 to your Dexterity modifier.

That becomes your armor class, which is what any monsters will betrying to beat with their attack rolls.

Dungeons & Dragons Character Sheet with proficiency bonus highlighted.

Some classes benefit you more if youare not wearing armor.

Barbarians do not get armor in their starting equipment for that reason.

Most weapons will require you touse your Strength score.

Dungeons & Dragons Character Sheet with skills highlighted.

Others will bebased on your Dexterity.

The other big factor is whetheryou are proficient with a weapon or not.

Now for your spell attacks, you will be toldwhat your spellcating modifier is when you select your class.

Dungeons & Dragons Character Sheet with level and xp highlighted.

The list ofevery spell you have access to is included under your class.

you’re able to also, in many cases, choose to cast it immediately.

However, it will thenuse one of your spell slots.

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You will find this informationunder your class features.

What difference does a decade make, really?

Dungeons & Dragons Character Sheet with initative, speed, size, and passive percection highlighted.

Dungeons & Dragons Character Sheet with class features, species traits, and feats highlighted.

Dungeons & Dragons Character Sheet with equipment, weapon, and tool proficiencies highlighted.

Dungeons & Dragons Character Sheet with HP and saving throws highlighted.

Dungeons & Dragons Character Sheet with spell section highlighted on page two.

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