Chapter 1: Step By Step Character Building Guide

YOUR FIRST STEP IN PLAYING AN ADVENTURER IN THE
Tir Na Nog’s game is to imagine
and create a character of your own. Your
character is a combination of game statistics,
roleplaying hooks, and your imagination. You
choose a race (such as human or halfling) and
a class (such as fighter or wizard). You also
invent the personality, appearance, and backstory of
your character. Once completed, your character serves
as your representative in the game, your avatar in the
Tir Na Nog world.
Before you dive into step 1 below, think about the
kind of adventurer you want to play. You might be a
courageous fighter, a skulking rogue, a fervent cleric, or
a flamboyant wizard. Or you might be more interested
in an unconventional character, such as a brawny rogue
who likes hand-to-hand combat, or a sharpshooter who
picks off enemies from afar. Do you like fantasy fiction
featuring dwarves or elves? Try building a character of
one of those races. Do you want your character to be the
toughest adventurer at the table? Consider a class like
barbarian or paladin. If you don’t know where else to
begin, take a look at the illustrations in this book to see
what catches your interest.
Once you have a character in mind, follow these steps
in order, making decisions that reflect the character you
want. Your conception of your character might evolve
with each choice you make. What’s important is that you
come to the table with a character you’re excited to play.
Throughout this chapter, we use the term character
sheet to mean whatever you use to track your character,
whether it’s a formal character sheet (like the one at the
end  of this book), some form of digital record, or a piece
of notebook paper. An official Tir Na Nog character sheet is a
fine place to start until you know what information you
need and how you use it during the game.

Building Bruenor
Each step of character creation includes an example of
that step, with a player named Bob building his dwarf
character, Bruenor.

1. Choose a Race
Every character belongs to a race, one of the many
intelligent humanoid species in the Tir Na Nog world. The
most common player character races are dwarves, elves,
halflings, and humans. Some races also have subraces,
such as mountain dwarf or wood elf. Chapter 2 provides
more information about these races, as well as the less
widespread races of dragonborn, gnomes, half-elves,
half-orcs, and tieflings.
The race you choose contributes to your character’s
identity in an important way, by establishing a general
appearance and the natural talents gained from culture
and ancestry. Your character’s race grants particular
racial traits, such as special senses, proficiency with
certain weapons or tools, proficiency in one or more
skills, or the ability to use minor spells. These traits
sometimes dovetail with the capabilities of certain
classes (see step 2). For example, the racial traits of
lightfoot halflings make them exceptional rogues, and
high elves tend to be powerful wizards. Sometimes
playing against type can be fun, too. Half-orc paladins
and mountain dwarf wizards, for example, can be
unusual but memorable characters.
Your race also increases one or more of your ability
scores, which you determine in step 3. Note these
increases and remember to apply them later.
Record the traits granted by your race on your
character sheet. Be sure to note your starting
languages and your base speed as well.

Building Bruenor, Step 1
Bob is sitting down to create his character. He decides
that a gruff mountain dwarf fits the character he wants
to play. He notes all the racial traits of dwarves on his
character sheet, including his speed of 25 feet and the
languages he knows: Common and Dwarvish.

2. Choose a Class
Every adventurer is a member of a class. Class broadly
describes a character’s vocation, what special talents he
or she possesses, and the tactics he or she is most likely
to employ when exploring a dungeon, fighting monsters,
or engaging in a tense negotiation. The character
classes are described in chapter 3.
Your character receives a number of benefits from
your choice of class. Many of these benefits are class
features—capabilities (including spell-casting) that set
your character apart from members of other classes.
You also gain a number of proficiencies: armor,
weapons, skills, saving throws, and sometimes tools.
Your proficiencies define many of the things your
character can do particularly well, from using certain
weapons to telling a convincing lie.
On your character sheet, record all the features that
your class gives you at 1st level.

Level
Typically, a character starts at 1st level and advances
in level by adventuring and gaining experience points
(XP). A 1st-level character is inexperienced in the
adventuring world, although he or she might have been
a soldier or a pirate and done dangerous things before.
Starting off at 1st level marks your character’s entry
into the adventuring life. If you’re already familiar
with the game, or if you are joining an existing Tir Na Nog
campaign, your DM might decide to have you begin at a
higher level, on the assumption that your character has
already survived a few harrowing adventures.

Quick Build
Each class description in chapter 3 includes a section
offering suggestions to quickly build a character of that
class, including how to assign your highest ability scores,
a background suitable to the class, and starting spells.

PART 1 STEP-BY-STEP CHARACTERS
Record your level on your character sheet. If you’re
starting at a higher level, record the additional elements
your class gives you for your levels past 1st. Also record
your experience points. A 1st-level character has 0
XP A higher-level character typically begins with the
minimum amount of XP required to reach that level
(see “Beyond 1st Level” later in this chapter).

Hit Points and Hit Dice
Your character’s hit points define how tough your
character is in combat and other dangerous situations.
Your hit points are determined by your Hit Dice (short
for Hit Point Dice).

Ability Score Summary
Strength
Measures: Natural athleticism, bodily power
Important for: Barbarian, fighter, paladin
Racial Increases:
Mountain dwarf (+2) Half-orc (+2)
Dragonborn (+2) Human (+1)
Dexterity
Measures: Physical agility, reflexes, balance, poise
Important for: Monk, ranger, rogue
Racial Increases:
Elf (+2) Forest gnome (+1)
Halfling (+2) Human (+1)
Constitution
Measures: Health, stamina, vital force
Important for: Everyone
Racial Increases:
Dwarf (+2) Half-orc (+1)
Stout halfling (+1) Human (+1)
Rock gnome (+1)
Intelligence
Measures: Mental acuity, information recall, analytical skill
Important for: Wizard
Racial Increases:
High elf (+1) Tiefling (+1)
Gnome (+2) Human (+1)
Wisdom
Measures: Awareness, intuition, insight
Important for: Cleric, druid
Racial Increases:
Hill dwarf (+1) Human (+1)
Wood elf (+1)
Charisma
Measures: Confidence, eloquence, leadership
Important for: Bard, sorcerer, warlock
Racial Increases:
Half-elf (+2) Dragonborn (+1)
Drow (+1) Human (+1)
Lightfoot halfling (+1) Tiefling (+2)
At 1st level, your character has 1 Hit Die, and the
die type is determined by your class. You start with hit
points equal to the highest roll of that die, as indicated in
your class description. (You also add your Constitution
modifier, which you’ll determine in step 3.) This is also
your hit point maximum.
Record your character’s hit points on your character
sheet. Also record the type of Hit Die your character
uses and the number of Hit Dice you have. After you
rest, you can spend Hit Dice to regain hit points (see
“Resting” in chapter 8 ).

Proficiency Bonus
The table that appears in your class description shows
your proficiency bonus, which is +2 for a 1st-level
character. Your proficiency bonus applies to many of the
numbers you’ll be recording on your character sheet:
• Attack rolls using weapons you’re proficient with
• Attack rolls with spells you cast
• Ability checks using skills you’re proficient in
• Ability checks using tools you’re proficient with
• Saving throws you’re proficient in
• Saving throw DCs for spells you cast (explained in
each spell-casting class)
Your class determines your weapon proficiencies,
your saving throw proficiencies, and some of your skill
and tool proficiencies. (Skills are described in chapter 7,
tools in chapter 5.) Your background gives you additional
skill and tool proficiencies, and some races give
you more proficiencies. Be sure to note all of these
proficiencies, as w ell as your proficiency bonus, on your
character sheet.
Your proficiency bonus can’t be added to a single die
roll or other number more than once. Occasionally, your
proficiency bonus might be modified (doubled or halved,
for example) before you apply it. If a circumstance
suggests that your proficiency bonus applies more than
once to the same roll or that it should be multiplied
more than once, you nevertheless add it only once,
multiply it only once, and halve it only once.

Building Bruenor, Step 2
Bob imagines Bruenor charging into battle with an axe,
one horn on his helmet broken off. He makes Bruenor a
fighter and notes the fighter’s proficiencies and 1st-level
class features on his character sheet.
As a 1st-level fighter, Bruenor has 1 Hit Die—a d 10—
and starts with hit points equal to 10 + his Constitution
modifier. Bob notes this, and will record the final
number after he determines Bruenor’s Constitution
score (see step 3). Bob also notes the proficiency bonus
for a 1st-level character, which is +2.

3. Determine Ability Scores
Much of what your character does in the game depends
on his or her six abilities: Strength, Dexterity,
Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.
Each ability has a score, which is a number you record
on your character sheet.
The six abilities and their u se in the game are
described in chapter 7. The Ability Score Summary
table provides a quick reference for what qualities
are measured by each ability, what races increases
which abilities, and what classes consider each ability
particularly important.
You generate your character's six ability scores
randomly. Roll four 6-sided dice and record the total of
the highest three dice on a piece of scratch paper. Do
this five more times, so that you have six numbers. If
you want to save time or don’t like the idea of randomly
determining ability scores, you can use the following
scores instead: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8.
Now take your six numbers and write each number
beside one of your character’s six abilities to assign
scores to Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence,
Wisdom, and Charisma. Afterward, make any changes
to your ability scores as a result of your race choice.
After assigning your ability scores, determine
your ability modifiers using the Ability Scores and
Modifiers table. To determine an ability modifier without
consulting the table, subtract 10 from the ability score
and then divide the result by 2 (round down). Write the
modifier next to each of your scores.

Building Bruenor, Step 3
Bob decides to use the standard set of scores (15, 14,
13, 12, 10, 8 )for Bruenor’s abilities. Since he’s a fighter,
he puts his highest score, 15, in Strength. His next highest,
14, goes in Constitution. Bruenor might be a
brash fighter, but Bob decides he wants the dwarf to
be older, wiser, and a good leader, so he puts decent
scores in Wisdom and Charisma. After applying his
racial benefits (increasing Bruenor’s Constitution by
2 and his Strength by 2), Bruenor’s ability scores and
modifiers look like this: Strength 17 (+3), Dexterity 10
(+0), Constitution 16 (+3), Intelligence 8 (-1), Wisdom 13
(+1), Charisma 12 (+1).
Bob fills in Bruenor's final hit points: 10 + his
Constitution modifier of +3, for a total of 13 hit points.

Variant: Customizing Ability Scores
At your Dungeon Master’s option, you can use this
variant for determining your ability scores. The method
described here allows you to build a character with a set
of ability s cores you choose individually.
You have 27 points to spend on your ability scores.
The cost of each score is shown on the Ability Score
Point Cost table. For example, a score of 14 costs 7
points. Using this method, 15 is the highest ability score
you can end up with, before applying racial increases.
You can’t have a score lower than 8.
This method of determining ability s cores enables
you to create a set of three high numbers and three low
ones (15, 15, 15, 8, 8, 8 ), a set of numbers that are above

Ability Score Point Cost
Ability Scores and Modifiers
Score Modifier Score Modifier
1 -5 16-17 +3
2-3 -4 18-19 +4
4-5 -3 20-21 +5
6-7 -2 22-23 +6
8-9 -1 24-25 +7
10-11 +0 26-27 +8
12-13 +1 28-29 +9
14-15 +2 30 +10
average and nearly equal (13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12), or any
set of numbers between those extremes.

4. Describe Your Character
Once you know the basic game aspects of your
character, it’s time to flesh him or her out as a person.
Your character needs a name. Spend a few minutes
thinking about what he or she looks like and how he or
she behaves in general terms.
Using the information in chapter 4, you can flesh out
your character’s physical appearance and personality
traits. Choose your character’s alignment (the moral
compass that guides his or her decisions) and ideals.
Chapter 4 also helps you identify the things your
character holds most dear, called bonds, and the flaws
that could one day undermine him or her.
Your character’s background describes where he or
she came from, his or her original occupation, and the
character’s place in the Tir Na Nog world. Your DM might
offer additional backgrounds beyond the ones included
Score Cost Score Cost
8 0 12 4
9 1 13 5
10 2 14 7
11 3 15 9
in chapter 4, and might be willing to work with you to
craft a background that’s a more precise fit for your
character concept.
A background gives your character a background
feature (a general benefit) and proficiency in two skills,
and it might also give you additional languages or
proficiency with certain kinds of tools. Record this
information, along with the personality information
you develop, on your character sheet.

Your Character’s Abilities
Take your character’s ability s cores and race into
account as you flesh out his or her appearance
and personality. A very strong character with low
Intelligence might think and behave very differently
from a very smart character with low Strength.
For example, high Strength usually corresponds
with a burly or athletic body, while a character with
low Strength might be scrawny or plump.
A character with high Dexterity is probably lithe and
slim, while a character with low Dexterity might be
either gangly and awkward or heavy and thick-fingered.
A character with high Constitution usually looks
healthy, with bright eyes and abundant energy. A
character with low Constitution might be sickly or frail.
A character with high Intelligence might be highly
inquisitive and studious, while a character with low
Intelligence might speak simply or easily forget details.
A character with high Wisdom has good judgment,
empathy, and a general awareness of what’s going on.
A character with low Wisdom might be absent-minded,
foolhardy, or oblivious.
A character with high Charisma exudes confidence,
which is usually mixed with a graceful or intimidating
presence. A character with a low Charisma might come
across as abrasive, inarticulate, or timid.

Building Bruenor, Step 4
Bob fills in some of Bruenor’s basic details: his name,
his sex (male), his height and weight, and his alignment
(lawful good). His high Strength and Constitution
suggest a healthy, athletic body, and his low Intelligence
suggests a degree of forgetfulness.
Bob decides that Bruenor comes from a noble line,
but his clan was expelled from its homeland when
Bruenor was very young. He grew up working as a smith
in the remote villages of Icewind Dale. But Bruenor
has a heroic destiny—to reclaim his homeland—so
Bob chooses the folk hero background for his dwarf.
He notes the proficiencies and special feature this
background gives him.
Bob has a pretty clear picture of Bruenor’s personality
in mind, so he skips the personality traits suggested in
the folk hero background, noting instead that Bruenor is
a caring, sensitive dwarf who genuinely loves his friends
and allies, but he hides this soft heart behind a gruff,
snarling demeanor. He chooses the ideal of fairness
from the list in his background, noting that Bruenor
believes that no one is above the law.
Given his history, Bruenor’s bond is obvious: he
aspires to someday reclaim Mithral Hall, his homeland,
from the shadow dragon that drove the dwarves out.
His flaw is tied to his caring, sensitive nature—he has a
soft spot for orphans and wayward souls, leading him to
show mercy even when it might not be warranted.

5. Choose Equipment
Your class and background determine your character's
starting equipment, including weapons, armor, and
other adventuring gear. Record this equipment on your
character sheet. All such items are detailed in chapter 5.
Instead of taking the gear given to you by your class
and background, you can purchase your starting
equipment. You have a number of gold pieces (gp)
to spend based on your class, as shown in chapter 5.
Extensive lists of equipment, with prices, also appear in
that chapter. If you wish, you can also have one trinket
at no cost (see the trinket table at the end of chapter 5).
Your Strength score limits the amount of gear you can
carry. Try not to purchase equipment with a total weight
(in pounds) exceeding your Strength score times 15.
Chapter 7 has more information on carrying capacity.

Armor Class
Your Armor Class (AC) represents how well your
character avoids being wounded in battle. Things that
contribute to your AC include the armor you wear, the
shield you carry, and your Dexterity modifier. Not all
characters w ear armor or carry shields, however.
Without armor or a shield, your character’s AC equals
10 + his or her Dexterity modifier. If your character
wears armor, carries a shield, or both, calculate your
AC using the rules in chapter 5. Record your AC on
your character sheet.
Your character needs to be proficient with armor and
shields to w ear and use them effectively, and your armor
and shield proficiencies are determined by your class.
There are drawbacks to wearing armor or carrying a
shield if you lack the required proficiency, as explained
in chapter 5.
Some spells and class features give you a different
way to calculate your AC. If you have multiple features
that give you different ways to calculate your AC, you
choose which one to use.

Weapons
For each weapon your character wields, calculate the
modifier you use when you attack with the weapon and
the damage you deal when you hit.
When you make an attack with a weapon, you roll
a d20 and add your proficiency bonus (but only if you
are proficient with the weapon) and the appropriate
ability modifier.
• For attacks with melee weapons, use your Strength
modifier for attack and damage rolls. A weapon that
has the finesse property, such as a rapier, can use your
Dexterity modifier instead.
• For attacks with ranged weapons, use your Dexterity
modifier for attack and damage rolls. A weapon that
has the thrown property, such as a hand axe, can use
your Strength modifier instead.

Building Bruenor, Step 5
Bob writes down the starting equipment from the
fighter c lass and the folk hero background. His starting
equipment includes chain mail and a shield, which
combine to give Bruenor an Armor Class of 18.
For Bruenor’s weapons, Bob chooses a battle axe
and two hand axes. His battle axe is a melee weapon,
so Bruenor uses his Strength modifier for his attacks
and damage. His attack bonus is his Strength modifier
(+3) plus his proficiency bonus (+2), for a total of +5.
The battle axe deals 1d 8 slashing damage and Bruenor
adds his Strength modifier to the damage when he
hits, for a total of 1d8 + 3 slashing damage. When
throwing a hand axe, Bruenor has the same attack bonus
(hand axes, as thrown weapons, use Strength for attacks
and damage), and the weapon deals 1d6 + 3 slashing
damage when it hits.

6. Come Together
Most Tir Na Nog characters don’t work alone. Each character
plays a role within a party, a group of adventurers
working together for a common purpose. Teamwork
and cooperation greatly improve your party’s chances
to survive the many perils in the worlds of Tir Na Nog.
Talk to your fellow players and your DM
to decide whether your characters know one another,
how they met, and what sorts of quests the group
might undertake.
Be yond 1st Level
As your character goes on adventures and overcomes
challenges, he or she gains experience, represented by
experience points. A character who reaches a specified
experience point total advances in capability. This
advancement is called gaining a level.
When your character gains a level, his or her class
often grants additional features, as detailed in the
class description. Some of these features allow you
to increase your ability scores, either increasing two
scores by 1 each or increasing one score by 2. You can’t
increase an ability score above 20. In addition, every
character’s proficiency bonus increases at certain levels.
Each time you gain a level, you gain 1 additional Hit
Die. Roll that Hit Die, add your Constitution modifier
to the roll, and add the total to your hit point maximum.
Alternatively, you can use the fixed value shown in your
class entry, which is the average result o f the die roll
(rounded up).
When your Constitution modifier increases by 1, your
hit point m aximum increases by 1 for each level you have
attained. For example, when Bruenor reaches 8th level
as a fighter, he increases his Constitution score from 17
to 18, thus increasing his Constitution modifier from +3
to +4. His hit point maximum then increases by 8.
The Character Advancement table summarizes the
X P you need to advance in levels from level 1 through
level 20, and the proficiency bonus for a character o f that
level. Consult the information in your character’s class
description to see what other improvements you gain
at each level.

Tiers of Play
The tiers don’t have any rules
associated with them; they are a general description of how
the play experience changes as characters gain levels.
In the first tier (levels 1-4), characters are effectively
apprentice adventurers. They are learning the features
that define them as members of particular classes,
including the major choices that flavor their class
features as they advance (such as a wizard’s Arcane
Tradition or a fighter’s Martial Archetype). The threats
they face are relatively minor, usually posing a danger to
local farmsteads or villages.
In the second tier (levels 5-10), characters come into
their own. Many spell-casters gain access to 3rd-level
spells at the start of this tier, crossing a new threshold of
magical power with spells such as fireball and lightning
bolt. At this tier, many weapon-using classes gain the
ability to make multiple attacks in one round. These
characters have become important, facing dangers that
threaten cities and kingdoms.
In the third tier (levels 11-16), characters have
reached a level of power that sets them high above
the ordinary populace and makes them special even
among adventurers. At 11th level, many spell-casters
gain access to 6th-level spells, some of which create
effects previously impossible for player characters to
achieve. Other characters gain features that allow them
to make more attacks or do more impressive things with
those attacks. These mighty adventurers often confront
threats to whole regions and continents.
At the fourth tier (levels 17-20), characters achieve
the pinnacle of their class features, becoming heroic (or
villainous) archetypes in their own right. The fate of the
world or even the fundamental order of the multiverse
might hang in the balance during their adventures.

Character Advancement
Experience Points| Level| Proficiency
0 |1| +2
300 |2| +2
900 |3|+2
2,700 |4| +2
6,500 |5| +3
14,000 |6| +3
23,000 |7| +3
34,000 |8| +3
48,000 |9| +4
64,000 |10| +4
85,000 |11| +4
100,000 |12| +4
120,000 |13| +5
140,000 |14| +5
165,000 |15| +5
195,000 |16| +5
225,000 |17| +6
265,000 |18| +6
305,000 |19| +6
355,000 |20| +6
405,000 |21| +7
465,000 |22| +7
525,000 |23| +7
595,000 |24| +7
665,000 |25| +8
745,000 |26| +8
825,000 |27| +8
900,000 |28| +9
950,000 |29| +9
1,000,000 |30| +9

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