When a player builds their first Drizzt Do'Urden D&D character clone or a min-maxed nightmare. Ultimately, having fun is the purpose of the game, regardless of how the first character turned out, or what their fate was.
D&D 5e is extremely -friendly when it comes to making new characters, and the new iteration of the game that is arriving in 2024 will be even more so. The intention for the 5.5e upgrade is for the new Player's Handbook to introduce suggested spell lists for all classes, which will make it a lot easier for new players to select spellcaster characters and jump straight into the game. One D&D has also brought Advanced D&D class groups into D&D 5e, where each class will be separated into one of four groups (Expert, Mage, Priest, and Warrior), with the idea that a new group can select one from each to ensure a balanced party.
There are lots of online resources available for players who are coming to D&D for the first time and want to research the game as much as possible. Not everyone who wants to play D&D for the first time has the chance to get up to speed on the game and many will show up to their first session as a blank slate, with no idea of who or what they want to play. There are some simple things that players can keep in mind when building their first character, to ensure that things go smoothly.
Stick To One Of The More Basic Classes While Learning The Rules
A new player who comes into an experienced group will find it easier to create a character from one of the more basic classes in the game, as there are D&D classes that are better for new players. This will give them the chance to get to grips with the rules, while still being able to perform actions that have a meaningful effect in the game world. In of simplicity, the fighter and the rogue are easily the best choices, as they only have a handful of special abilities and they're easy to manage and understand. The barbarian is also a great choice for a first character, even if Rage has more moving parts that need managing.
If the entire group consists of new players, then things get a little trickier. In this case, the DM should probably offer suggestions for character classes and aim for the classic fighter/cleric/rogue/wizard dynamic, with additional players adding another martial or arcane class. In these instances, it's best for D&D's new spellcaster players to let the DM select their spells and for the player to write out spell cards that have their descriptions to hand (or at least have them prepared on a smart device). Spellcaster characters can be trickier to manage for new players, but those who are ionate about playing one should be given the chance, so long as they're aware that their character will have more things to manage than the other of the group.
Don't Be Afraid To Base A Character On A Famous Fictional Hero
There are some D&D players who have countless character ideas in their head, enough for every class and race combo in the game. This isn't always the case for newcomers, especially if they get asked to a game at short notice and are unsure of what role they'll be filling in the party. The kind of campaign that the DM is running can also factor into the kind of characters that will appear at the table, as a more serious campaign, such as D&D's Curse of Strahd campaign, requires more serious characters, whereas a more light-hearted campaign, such as The Wild Beyond The Witchlight, can have more comedic characters.
A new player who is fresh to the game shouldn't be afraid to copy a character concept from a popular media franchise and use it as the basis for their first character. One simple test is to base a character on their favorite member of the Fellowship of the Ring, at least as a starting point. Making a character who is similar to Legolas, Aragorn, or Gimli offers an anchor point when it comes to the basics of a character, especially in of mechanics, which can be expanded on over the course of the game.
There are numerous characters who could be adapted to D&D, especially since D&D 5e changed the race rules to make all class/race combos viable. A player who is a fan of anime, comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games, will find countless inspirations for a D&D character. Anyone from Link from The Legend of Zelda, Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII, Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, or Harry Potter could serve as the foundation for a first character. As the player experiences more of the game, they will start to develop their own character concepts that they can use in the future.
Don't Make An Evil Character Or Character With A Disruptive/Anti-Social Personality
In of "Don'ts" when it comes to making a new character, there isn't much in of mechanics that players can do, as D&D 5e is finely-tuned to avoid incredibly weak character builds. The more pressing issue involves the kind of character that the player wants to build, such as wanting to make an Evil-aligned D&D character straight off the bat. Most groups disallow evil player characters, due to the amount of disruption they can cause during a game. As such, players should avoid making an evil character straight off the bat and should save it for a time when they know the game and the group a lot better, and can come to them with a pitch for an evil character idea that everyone can agree on and won't detail the campaign.
The more important thing that players need to avoid is creating a character with a personality that will be disruptive or prevent them from engaging with the group. D&D is not Grand Theft Auto, but some players do treat it like that, and use a character's personality as an excuse to go off the rails and disrupt the game. D&D is a team game, where players must work together to overcome obstacles. A player who creates a character who steals from their allies, attacks random civilians, goofs around during combat, purposely sets off traps, and otherwise acts like a bore, will soon find themselves united from the Dungeons & Dragons group.
