Create Character Now

As any Dungeon Master knows, populating your D&D campaigns with compelling characters is essential for adventure and intrigue. But for those who may be new to the realm, one look at the D&D character sheet can leave you feeling overwhelmed and confused. 

Fortunately, Roll20's Fifth Edition Character Sheet creator system provides robust tools for bringing heroic protagonists and nefarious NPCs to life at your virtual tabletop.

Whether looking to create the strongest dragonborn paladin to ever guard the Sword Coast or the most cunning drow assassin ever to stalk Waterdeep's alleyways, Roll20's 5E sheet helps build them through three methods:

  1. The intuitive Step-by-Step Charactermancer
  2. Customizable NPC stat blocks
  3. Direct sheet editing for advanced control

This guide will cover the key features of each approach, with tips to efficiently build characters that capture your creative vision while remaining playable and legally valid in Fifth Edition. Soon, your tavern will overflow with mighty adventurers and shadowy quest-givers alike, ready to drive epic stories forward!

The Basics of Building A Character

To build a D&D character in Fifth Edition, you'll go through a series of decisions that define their adventuring capabilities:

  1. Choose Race: Select one of D&D's fantasy species as described in the Player's Handbook, like humans, elves, dwarves, etc. Your race determines starting attributes, traits, languages, and racial features.
  2. Choose Class: Decide if your character will be a mighty barbarian, pious cleric, cunning rogue or other adventuring archetype. Their class and subclass options will determine what weapons, armor, and abilities they can access.
  3. Determine Ability Scores: Roll or allocate numbers reflecting your character's core Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. These impact what actions they'll excel at.
  4. Select Skills and Features: Further customize your character based on their background, gaining bonuses to certain skill checks and other traits that influence gameplay.
  5. Buy Equipment: Use your starting wealth to purchase weapons, armor, Adventuring Gear, and other equipment to outfit your hero or villain for the trials ahead!

With core decisions made, your character sheet will auto-calculate your attack bonuses, save DCs, HP totals, and other derived stats, making them ready for adventure in your D&D campaigns!

Does Your Biography Guide Your Background?

While ability scores, class features, and gear impact the mechanics of how a D&D character plays at the table, their backstory and personality motivate action within the campaign's unfolding narrative.

When utilizing the Charactermancer or editing the 5E sheet directly, you can select your character's background, which describes their former life before adventure called - guild artisan, folk hero, noble, sage, and more. This background choice gives skill and tool proficiency bonuses tied to that history.

Did your barbarian train with Leonin warriors? Does your bard seek fame to earn his estranged father’s approval? Your character story can drive bonuses and roleplaying direction beyond their background tag. With the “Notes” section and other biofields, Roll20’s sheet gives space to make your heroes truly your own.

While rules and stats enable actions in-game, the personal touch of backstory gives life to your character at the table. So get creative!

Step-by-Step Character Creation with Charactermancer

For those seeking guided character creation, Roll20’s innovative Charactermancer offers step-by-step walkthroughs that automatically validate choices under 5E rules. Players answer a series of questions about their hero, making key decisions along the way.

Each screen offers insights into 5e rules and populates their choices directly onto the sheet. You can select various options, see how they populate and build your character, and select different ones to compare. It’s the OG of creating your own character!

  1. Selecting Race: Refine based on various creature types and innate abilities. Descriptions assist informed choices that suit your playstyle preference.
  2. Choosing Class: Filter classes by key mechanics like spellcasting or martial prowess. Read through intro summaries for subclasses to optimize roles.
  3. Allocating Scores: Distribute points across your six core attributes or roll virtually to randomize. The impact on key bonuses is displayed in real time.
  4. Defining Background: Pick from curated options encompassing diverse backstories that grant related gameplay benefits.
  5. Outfitting Equipment: Filter instruments, tools, and items by categories, then select gear that fits your narrative vision.
  6. Learning Spells: Construct spell lists by drawing from your class's options, then prepare a daily list for quick reference.
  7. Adding Feats: Peruse feat summaries that clearly state bonuses gained and roleplaying utility.

The Charactermancer streamlines building everything from the most basic fighter to an intricately customized bard or druid. As selections are validated against official rules, even newer players can feel confident their vision will work in actual game sessions. 

And with real-time visibility into attribute bonuses and other impacts as you adjust traits, the trial-and-error process becomes highly intuitive.

Populate Your World With Roll20’s NPC Creator

In addition to player character options, Dungeon Masters need to bring to life compelling allies, rivals and villains - this is where Roll20's NPC creator comes in clutch.

The NPC creator quickly builds stat blocks for non-player characters that DMs can operate during sessions. With pre-set ability score arrays linked to suggested challenge ratings, creating basic guards, scouts, priests, or mages takes just seconds. Customize gear, spells, and actions to suit their role.

But the tool truly shines when constructing more intricate NPCs. Develop multi-classed combinations like a Trickery Cleric/Rogue master spy pulling strings from the shadows of Waterdeep. Or draft up stat blocks for unique humanoid boss monsters and villains using different race traits and class features.

The NPC creator automatically formats abilities, skills, saves, and actions on the sheets for easy reference and rolling. DMs can flavor the backstory and motives driving these characters without being overloaded by mechanics.

Whether placing a random city guard to move the story along or developing a crew of intricate villains with unique motivations to challenge your party, the NPC creator helps shoulder the load so you can focus on crafting exciting adventures.

Direct Input via a Digital 5e Character Sheet 

For seasoned players with deep knowledge of Fifth Edition mechanics, Roll20 allows manual editing of character sheets for granular control. Accessible in the character builder system, the digital 5E sheet can be fully customized with a click.

However, with flexibility comes responsibility. Without the validation checks of the Charactermancer, mistakes or exploitative min-maxing builds are possible. This makes direct editing best for experienced players who understand game balance implications.

That said, editing does enable intricate concepts like:

  • Unique Multiclass Blends - Mix and match levels across classes and subclasses to achieve unorthodox combinations. But keep relative power appropriate.
  • Expanded Spell Options - Optionally learn spells from any list by manually adding, not just those available to your class. But seek DM approval first.
  • Custom Feats and Features - Create new traits by directly typing bespoke bonuses onto your sheet. However, avoid gaining unjust advantages lacking official analogues.
  • Rich Backstories and Bonds - With additional space, expand your personal character story, connections and motivations to enrich roleplaying.

When utilizing direct access, open communication with your DM is key to ensuring your vision aligns narratively and avoids mechanical exploits.

Start Building On Roll20 – Adventure Awaits

Thanks to Roll20's integrated character sheet tools, your next great D&D adventurer or dastardly villain awaits!

The step-by-step Charactermancer simplifies complex rules to guide new players in crafting concepts that channel their unique playstyle. With its check-as-you-go process, players of any experience level can confidently bring ideas to playable reality.

Their NPC creator turns making enemies and allies for your world into a fun, creative exercise rather than a stat block slog. Develop as much intrigue or as little lore as you wish - Roll20 handles the grunt work.

And for 5E veterans, directly editing a sheet can unlock incredible flexibility for those who understand gameplay balances and work in good-faith with DMs. Sky's the limit on intricate multiclass combos!

The magic truly unveils itself when a party of colorful player-made heroes meet your carefully crafted cast at the fictional table. So get creating, gather your friends, and join the weekly game night you've always dreamed of from any place across the globe. Adventure awaits on Roll20!

Start Building Your Character On Roll20