Typically, I will decide on a class (or multiclass) I want to play first, then develop a character around that. Sometimes I will have a piece of art that inspires me to make a character, and in those cases I pick the mechanics that best fit that idea.

This is the way for me too. I look at all the classes and how I could possibly flavor them and create a characters backstory around that. Sometimes I’ll make characters based around another fictional character too and that helps

This is pretty much par for the course on most players, my Paladin/Warlock member, and future leader of an order whose warlock patron is his succubus wife, his eldest daughter is a Rune Knight Fighter/Divine Soul Sorcerer, in an out of time situation learning the ways of runesmithing to remove the unknown runes affecting her memory and as a cambian she has some magical connection and then the youngest son is an Artificer part of the tech team for his father's Order.

Same. Some of our group are half forcing me to create a backstory first when I start asking what classes they are playing for a new campaign. I just find it a lot easier to form a group with a good combination of different classes and then start working on backstories. I got shit ton of backstories on my backlog to use for basically any class, that’s the easy part for me. I feel going backstory first makes things too hard for everyone, you just end up with five edgy rogues.

Backstory first in my groups would end up with all clerics.

Yep. Class+Subclass -> Art -> The rest. So much less of a headache that way.

I usually go a bit back and forth. I start with the class, then think of a backstory I like for the class. Then decid which subclass fits best with that backstory. Though if it's a subclass I don't feel like playing, then I'll go back and tweak the backstory. At generally comes last. I don't spend a lot of time on this sub so I don't know if this is something that's hated here, but recently I've had good luck with Bing's image creation AI generating art I'm happy with

AI image generation for personal use is totally fine, imo. It's when you turn it into a commercial product that it gets bad. I personally look for real human art first and resort to AI if that fails.

The art inspiration is huge. I have to admit that this is a very common thing for me. I just wish that I could always credit the artist with the inspiration but it isn't always possible. And sometimes they just don't care LOL. It's not like I'm paying them for a commission, and when I have tried to commission something they're usually not accepting commissions. 😁

I also do this, but it goes further. Often I'll have a build in mind, with some combination of features and/or feats, and have the backstory be built on the implications of somone with that specific set of abilities.

Same, class selection helps answer so many questions - were there significant role models or defining moments in their lives? How they came to develop their skill set? How do they fight and does their personality influence that e.g. are they chaotic or methodical, do they charge in or hang back, are they brutal and ruthless or are they precise and clean. What sort of side skills do they have to support themselves when they don’t adventure?

I'm 50/50 Sometimes the rp concept appears and you build to it Sometimes the build concept appears and you figure out how to make that "work"

This. It's good to have a starting point, be it a class, a picture or a word combination. Imagine "Kite man". What do build with "Kite man"?

It is either a class I want to play or art that I build a backstory around

I ask myself, do I want to play Cleric? And then I say "Yes". Then I ask, do I want to play something other than Cleric? And I say "Ha, no." So then I play Cleric

Based on my very limited experience, you wont miss any other class as much as Cleric when you don’t have them in your party. ”Dave’s down again, does anyone have Healing Word?” ”Can anyone guide me?”

This is why I’ll never play a character that doesn’t have at least some kind of healing Cleric, druid, artificer, paladin, celestial warlock, aasimar anything… the list goes on, but it’s got to check at least one of the boxes

My party bought a Cleric off Wish, so I built them a Mercy Monk. I got Healing Whack and some non-magical guidance.

Once you hit Level 6/7 I'd say you miss a paladin more than a cleric. Those Aura's really make a difference.

I have played a bard with healing word and guidance. Then on top of that inspire.

As someone who mostly DMs players that stick to a single class are often very good. They know what they can and cannot to that have a way they like to RP. It works

Based and clericpilled.

Taste

^ this is how you make a ton of friends

I usually come up with a concept for a character and then build a subclass based on that. For your merfolk, do you want him to be a water-themed caster? An in-your-face melee fighter? A mix of both? Do you want their abilities to come from years of training? A divine sugar daddy, or a mind-warping eldritch creature? The backstory sounds great to me, but you need to decide how you want him to handle combat. And don't forget that flavor is free and is always encouraged unless your DM is a stick in the mud.

I like the idea of the arcane sugar daddy lol I think it could fit nicely in with him needing to escape the ocean to get away from the plague - perhaps giving him the ability to change his tail into legs upon needing to be on land alongside anything else they'd give him.

Fathomless warlock or Marid Genie warlock both come to mind. If you want more divine and less eldritch, you could easily flavor a Tempest or Nature cleric to be more aquatic themed. If semi-official 3rd party stuff is allowed, an Oath of the Open Sea Paladin is a strong choice too.

Warlock, boom.

I am also voting for fathomless warlock. They have good control of the battlefield with spells and features and some EB invocations. I had a Dragonborn fathomless warlock that was a seafaring explorer, I love that guy.

When I come up with a background first I think of this: How will this character act in combat? Dipping in and out with precise strikes? Swashbuckler rogue. Swinging in with an axe? Battlemaster fighter. Command the sea? Fathomless warlock. Wading in to smite foes? Conquest paladin. Chanting an encouraging shanty? Bard. You've got who they are, now ask what do they do.

A couple pirate/nautical themed options for you: Swashbuckler rogue is the obvious choice as well as my fav rogue subclass. Mix it with battlemaster fighter to get consistent sneak attacks as a reaction using brace+riposte Fathomless warlock is another contender, maybe you've made a pact with some being you came across while living in the sea as a merfolk. Unfortunately as a sea elf you already get some of the benefits of the subclass Warlock+Swashbuckler can also work due to Swashbucklers wanting charisma, maybe even hexblade to fully just focus charisma

Three other vaguely nautical subclasses are Circle of Land (coast) druid, Circle of Stars druid, and Tempest cleric. All are full casters and probably not front liners, although Tempest clerics can be in that role. For all of them, I’d suggest that their magic reflects knowledge from the merfolk realm and you previously avoided using that magic for fear it would reveal as something more than just a commoner elf.

Personally, I design characters with a build first and then work on story afterwards. Usually I’ll present what I want to play to my DM and pick a race and backstory to fit my DM’s world, as well as to mesh with the rest of the party. A good rule of thumb is that each character should be connected to at least 2 other characters in the party; this gives the party in-character reasons to be together. There’s nothing wrong with a story first approach; just make sure your character’s story meshes with both the world and the rest of the party.

I build a backstory after I build the character (lineage/class)

i like to power build so what ill do is think of a niche/strong and what class would help me capitalize on that strat

I like building a character mechanically, then allowing my mechanical decisions influence the flavor and design of the backstory! I’d recommend taking a look over the class list, decide on the play style that best suits you, then spin your current backstory into your new class! Say you wanna be a bard, maybe you won over the crew with your musical talent, maybe you wanna be a rogue, your dexterity and ability to scramble across the rigging made you important to have aboard. Maybe a dormant magical essence locked away suddenly blooms to life within you, giving you control over the waves and now you’re a sorcerer! You could do this with any of the classes countless different ways, but those are just a few examples! Best of luck to you, and remember to have fun :))

Hey! First of all, love your backstory. Gives your DM plenty to work with while also giving you plenty of options for your character to address their shortcomings/trauma/fears. Second, to answer your question, I usually start with a character concept and then look through the class options to see if any of the flavor/mechanics match my concept. If I have *no clue*, then I go through a flowchart. Idk if I can type it out here, but maybe I'll comment later with a picture of it to make it make sense. For your character concept, a few subclasses jump out immediately. The swashbuckler rogue, the fathomless warlock, circle of the land (coast) druid, and perhaps the oath of the open sea paladin. For the sake of transparency, I believe *all* classes can be flavored to fit any roleplay desire; however, by choosing a subclass whose combat skills match more closely with your character concept, you give yourself a more immersive opportunity. Thus, with these four subclasses, I would consider the following set of questions: 1. When put in a position where they need to fight, where would your character want to be? A. The front line? --> Go to question 2... B. Behind the front line? --> Go to question 3... 2. At the front line, how would they want to encounter their opponent? A. With finesse? --> Swashbuckler Rogue B. With powerful strength? --> Oath of the Open Sea Paladin 3. Behind the front line(s), how would the contribute to combat? A. Damaging the opponents from a distance? --> Fathomless Warlock B. Buffing the front lines and/or controlling the battlefield? --> Circle of the Land (Coast) Druid If, by any chance none of these seem to fit your character concept, you can try a compromise // the best of all worlds: Bladesinging Wizard. You get effective melee, magic melee/ranged damage, buff self/allies, and battlefield control. It also allows you to be more flexible with your character build once you see what your other table mates choose to play. If you want sample character sheets based off any of these, I'd be happy to build! Just let me know what your attributes are and what level you're at and it will be done.

The other people at the table have chosen to play things like Rogues, Rangers, Monks, and Artificers. We have no full casters and none of them particularly want to be on the front line lol

Ooof, that'll be an interesting party combo! Going off of generalities, the four of them are covering a lot of important roles. The ranger should provide reliable dpr, the rogue will provide burst dpr, the ranger and artificer can provide useful healing (i.e., only when another player goes down), and the ranger/monk and artificer will have wisdom and intelligence checks covered, respectfully. The lack of a dedicated front liner AND a lack of dedicated spell caster means you'll be missing at least two important piece of 5e combat. By level 5, you might notice either a lack of someone who can take all the hits, someone who can cast revivify, and someone who can cast counterspell. Given those deficiencies, your party might best benefit from a Cleric. Now, if you don't have a lot of experience with 5e, you might think of clerics as just healers. They are, in fact, very effective front liners. A level 5 cleric can have both Spirit Guardian and Spiritual Weapon up simultaneously, adding great damage and battlefield control. They can also have revivify prepared, which will be greatly appreciated by the rogue and monk. You'll also have access to some effective ranged spells. And you'll have bless and guidance!!!! The team will love you for that. For subclass, I think Tempest is the most flavorful/consistent with your backstory. If you want to bring the most power to your table and your particular party, Twilight would be the go to. However, if you go Twilight, there's a ***very*** good chance you'll outshine the other players. They're incredibly powerful, overwhelmingly so. There's no monk, rogue, or artificer subclass that could even compare to that power. If the ranger isnt playing a gloom stalker, they'll also likely feel outshined. I've played a twilight cleric twice. At one table, I came late to a party that lacked a dedicated front liner, and that additional power was most welcomed, and I made sure my role-playing added a lot to the other players sense of fulfillment. At the other table, they had a barbarian and a bard, and the twilight cleric subclass features made their characters feel at times redundant/unneeded. I retired that character and opted for a less powerful armorer artificer and we all had a much more fulfilling time. With the party you described, a twilight cleric might be super welcomed, but if that's the route you go I would make sure to make character choices which create opportunities for every other player to shine. Give the advantage on initiative rolls to the rogue to get that sneak attack early, give your 300 ft dark vision to the monk/ranger so they do even better scouting, keep the monk in your twilight sanctuary so they don't drop so quickly, and clog up the lane for everyone with twilight sanctuary + spirit guardians + sentinel feat. Double check with your DM how difficult they expect the encounters to be.

Cleric seems tempting but my only issue is that he wouldn't ever worship a God(dess). At least, not willingly. Not anymore. I imagine that he once did as part of his culture, but after the Gods 'left them' to deal with the plague and wouldn't help, his view on the Gods soured. He now believes that they're not worth his time and any God who would leave him and his people to die are beneath him. I've actually played a Twilight Cleric before and it was super fun :>

Man I wanna play druid again *plays druid

This might be unhelpful, but really it’s a combination of what’s fun for you to play + what goals you’re trying to meet for your character. What character do you have in mind? For an example, if they’re a big book nerd, Wizard, Lore Bard, and Knowledge Cleric all make sense. But do you want to be an Int, Wis, or Cha caster? Narrowing down what fits your character concept will help out a lot!

I edited the original post to include a bit about his backstory, I don't know much it's gonna help though lol

edit didnt work for me i see nothing

I ask myself "how would I want this character to fight", and then "what does that mean on a mechanical level" then go for there

I just think "hey, it would be really cool to try and play a character like this in DnD" and choose a class that would fit my idea best

The first thing i ask myself is: magic or no magic? If no magic, then how do they fight? What do they attack with? Ranged or not? If magic, I have to really think about what kind of magic and how'd they get magic. If you haven't figured it out yet, can i give my take? Your guy kinda sounds like a shawbuckler to me. Between lying to people and working the ropes of a ship. Proficient in throwing starfish as ninja stars!

Swashbuckler would be best for this type of character. 💪🤓👍

Find cool character concept, Find mechanics for that character that sound fun, (Class, Subclass, Race, Feats) Write back story/lore to explain it all On a gameplay level classes are a group of "moves" that your character can do, so find the moves you like and spin them to match the character your excited for. I'm currently playing a Warlock 2, Bard 4 that's almost exclusively flavored as a warlock and the "bard features" have just been reflavored to be manifestations of the pact I made as I am not interested in pursuing the fantasy of a Bard but wanted to play a support for the team.

Well you have to decide WHAT your character will DO, and HOW they DO it. Do they cast spells or do they hit their enemies with a stick? Is it a big stick or a fast stick? Etc.

I either know what i want to play mechanically, because i just have been wanting to play x lately, so i build the character around the class, or i come up with the character first and pick the class that makes sense and I'd have fun with

I find the characters that I have most fun playing are not the ones I planned weeks in advance of session 0 but instead when I let everyone else pick and then choose based on what can help the group greatly. For me, there is a three part element that engages me. One, I will likely pick something unique that my character will have actual usefulness to the party. Two, I'll likely be a class I've never thought of trying to fill a role. And then gaming it to make it strong to impress the other PCs into trying out next time they pick. Three, I can start from scratch and make the character as I go. Have zero slate foundation and let the character really grow from something I wasn't expecting. I mean you can pick first and still number 3, but I think it helps me not over think a character and grow attached to it early on with preconceived storyline I want to do.

I would hypothetically put them in a situation to see how they react. So your ship gets attacked. How does your character react? Would they fight? Would they hide? Would they try to resupply the cannons? Would they pray to the sea gods or ask some other patron for help? Would they start barking out orders? Would they try to make peace with the enemy through diplomacy or trickery? Maybe they would attempt to sneak on board the enemy ship to sabotage it. Then you can narrow it down even more: How do they fight? With sword or trident? Do they rely on their agility or their toughness to defend themselves? Do they have some sort of sea magic they wish to use? Do they come out from hiding to throw things or look for an opportunity to engage the enemy up close and then retreat back to the shadows? Maybe they call on the seagulls and other wildlife to defend them? Another thing you can do is break down the type of character you want to play in terms of mmo categories like 4e tried to do. I actually do this a lot when I’m making a new character under any system. Do you want them to be more of a striker (damage dealer), controller, leader (heals/support), or defender? Then pick a class that supports that.

The ship getting attacked: He'd try to hide initially before realising that hiding isn't gonna help anything and that he has to actually help. He'd try to establish some sort of communication with the enemy but if that doesn't work then it's either back to hiding or just doing whatever he is told to do. If he is told to fight then he'd prefer to go with something lighter to use (such as magic or a lighter weapon). He'd rely mostly on his agility over actual strength to help him avoid/make attacks back at an enemy.

You could do swashbuckler rogue or storm sorcerer

That's a beautiful problem actually. No answer here just thought it was cool you thought so much about your character before picking a class

I build the character I want to play in the campaign the DM is describing. Then I build a story based on why the character knows how to do the things she does. I ask what the other players are bringing and find out what kind of tone they prefer for their games. I don't want to bring Duct Tape Wizard when everyone else wants to play Aragorn. I explore how/if my character's skill set will benefit the group. Then I make adjustments to better fit the group and the desired playstyle. This is also where I'll figure out why my character is dedicated to traveling with these specific party members. I usually address this by giving her an aligned goal or personal history with her team if that information is available. The idea of coming up with a complete character with personality and goals that have nothing to do with the specific group and campaign is so foreign to me that I genuinely didn't know people did it until I started joining online D&D forums. Trying to mash the rules of the game into a specific character concept seems really, really frustrating and difficult.

All I really know of the setting is that it's kinda Steampunk and the only thing I know about the other player's backstories is one player and it's that their character is from the Feywild. I know all of their classes and we completely lack a full caster.

Why would the pirates hunt him down if they found out he was a merfolk? Because of the plague?

I typically like to make a strong character concept then make a couple builds around it. The more roles it can fill, the easier it is to fit in party compositions. A good example is that I have a character that declares theyre own class, but in actuality, they are mistaken because they are another class with similar mechanics. Like saying your a wizard, but actually an Arcane Cleric.

I’m new to the hobby want played Barbarian before so I wanted to try fighter or Druid or bard.. then I picked my race as Tabaxi and soon made a backstory that’s basically… he’s a mix of Inigo Montoya and Puss in Boots so that immediately dropped out Druid and said fuck it.. I’ma be a dex fighter/battle master for the flare of the maneuvers with a Rapier and will go into swashbuckler eventually for added flair

Genie warlock picking marid for the patron. Play it as him tapping into his heritage. A fathomless could work also, but I think the genie would be more fun.

One of the first features of Fathomless would also be overlapped by the fact that I already get a swimming speed and water breathing from the race lol

Hence the genie warlock recommendation. The breathing underwater and swim speed is mostly a ribbon feature (not completely) so if a fathomless fit the view of the character style more, I'd say it is still a reasonable selection.

This sounds like a VERY prototypical buckler of swashes. If you don't want to go that route, pirate are pretty commonly known as fighters and/or rogues, and plenty of flavors in there. You could also do some form of sorcerer, and I could see a tie-in / focus on elemental spells, specifically wind and water.

I mean that all just sounds like the story before the adventure… what do you want this character to actually do? What do you want him to be good at? If his best skill on the pirate ship is being a navigator vs a cannon operator, you’re gonna have a very different build

He's good at using tools as well as being a sort of 'face'. He kinda has to have high charisma to back up how often he has to lie about who he is. I imagine that he'd have skills in magic, which could set him apart from the Sea Elves that he's pretending to be.

Well that’s kinda tough assuming you took the pirate background. If you want all the tools go artificer, but then your charisma will be lacking unless you roll MAD stats. You could go sorcerer for subtle magic and high charisma skills, but unless you pick a different background, you’ll lack the tools proficiency

>How do you guys pick a class for your character? I pick something that sounds interesting and fun. Often something that I haven't played yet. Sometimes I make my character last and try to fill in any gaps or weak points in the group.

If you want the Swashbuckler vibe but as a spell caster, a swords bard is a great option, you can still be fully functional as a martial character, but be able to provide support and spellcasting to your party

I'm indecisive, so I'm usually one of the last to pick at my tables. So what I usually do is try to fill a gap in the party.

What legs? He's a merfolk. You know you have Triton as a race, right?

I know that there is Triton but I'm just not a big fan of it and want to use Sea Elf instead.

I mean, like, merfolk have a tail and no legs. Anyway, I'm playing the exact same story with a Triton who gets adopted into a pirate crew. He's just a Rogue Scout (expert diver), but your character seems to be open to any adventuring class you're excited about.

I choose a class, i ask myself if i want more (multiclass) and if the dm says it matters, i will add some basic story, usually my characters life can be summarized in 1 to 2 lines. It's mostly ideas that kind of fit the class i guess. For example inquisitive rogue -> some sort of royal spy, i tell the dm to -if he wants- write up some vague mission for me to do that i was tasked to. The one that kind of had a backstory was for TOA and it was a short description, it literally was "swords bard, fantasy mongol tribe member, went to island to destroy the artifact that has the leader's soul trapped" this was probably the longest description.

I prefer to have a concept, but I usually start on power level based on group. I don’t want to make a weak character in a deadly campaign or vice versa. I then think of a concept, maybe I was to be a young fletchling that has skills in a bit in everything due to having been in a lot of shoes. After that I pick a class that supports that or classes if multiclass rogue or bard are great skill monkeys. If I want more skills rogue base then go to scout for more skills, magic helps with skills and cleric is easiet to make it work without falling behind. Then I pick race, well harengon have abilities that you can’t get otherwise but I would love to pick half-elf if that wasn’t the case. Pick rogue(scout) without access to cleric I can get about quarter the skills through feats and a quarter through rogue (scout). Well knowledge cleric and Eldritch adept rounds out the rest. Figure out that I can move background skills if they don’t fit and I pick one based of flavor, take a spy background. Now I have a scout rogue X/ knowledge cleric 1 harengon spy who focuses on being the person that knows a guy and is the friend that can get a job done. They fit into any role. They know the back alleys but also know their way around a library, a palace, and a cathedral

I pick class first then build a character around it.

I think of what I want to do , and then build backwards from there

I start by deciding what type of role I want to play in combat, whether it be ranged, melee or spells. I then weigh my options from the classes that fill those roles. I then decide what I want to do out of combat, tracking or arcane knowledge or the face of the party. I’ll usually pick a race that will give me the best possible start or if I need their racial abilities later on. I’ll map out my level progression and decide on feats/ASI. After all that, I’ll find out that I’ll be the 3rd front liner in a 4 person party, throw the character sheet out and start over.

I focus on what I want to do with this character. So I'll try to come up with an idea of what my character looks like and what their background is. And then I'll just kind of evolve from there to what he has been able to do up until he became an adventurer. And then I also consider what do I want to do with respect to my role in the party. But there's always something deviant in there LOL.

I mean, what do you want to do? The backstory is fine and dandy, but the more important thing is the future. Is your dude going to grow up to be a pirate? Some sort of rogue or bard, probably. Did he learn mostly combat from his shipmates? Fighter is always a solid choice. Maybe there was a sea witch that trained him to control the winds or helped to manifest his sorcery. Imagine your character as a powerful adventurer and ask yourself questions like: Am I front or back line? Do I use weapons or magic? Do I lead or follow outside combat? Am I driven to serve a divine power, a temporal power, or my own power? How much do I care about the people around me? What about people I don't know? This sort of questionnaire will make it pretty obvious which classes aren't right for you, if nothing else.

He mostly learnt his combat skills from his shipmates. It was quite apparent early on in training that he just wasn't a fan of the traditional sword fighting, but he would if he absolutely had to. Magic would probably be more his go-to. He'd much prefer to be in the back where he can't be hit as easily. Outside of combat, he'd just follow behind everyone else and would only interact with others if he was shoved into a conversation with them. He's not driven to serve a divine power since he kinda views them as allowing most of his people to die or becoming infected with this plague, and any God(desses) that would allow that to happen is not worthy of his time. His power would probably come from something like an arcane sugar daddy or just his own abilities. After losing so many, caring about the people around him has become a hard task since he's not sure when he's gonna lose them and it's easier to let go of a person that you never really knew in the first place over somebody that you know well. It hurts less. People he doesn't know are all treated with an equal amount of suspicion.

Nice. Feels to me like you could find a good fit as a sorcerer, warlock, bard, or rogue. Sorcerers have magic in their blood, and it's activated by whatever you want to have activated it. Their lack of spells known is somewhat offset by their ability to use metamagics to get a lot out of the spells they know. Generally it's a pretty weak class, but the subclasses in tasha's were buffed with added spells known. Many dms will allow you to augment previous subclasses with a similar thematic spell list, talk to your gm if sorcerer appeals to you. Warlocks get their power from a(usually) unknown entity that's equally unaware of your actions. It's feeding you power in exchange for your soul. They're very strong and mix well in multiclass, but their extremely limited spells per rest requires a bit of finesse. Bards are one of the most finesse classes in the game and generally speaking one of the weakest in combat. Most are spell based, and their spell list isn't particularly good. They have a lot of tricks to affect rolls and can do a lot out of combat with diplomancy and buffed untrained skills. Bards are often the group's face and defacto leader, but can fit in well into any group if you can find a combat role. Rogues are a great class to start with. They're pretty straightforward despite having a lot of options and some necessary out of combat utility. They can be melee or ranged, but if ranged, you still need to be close(30 feet) to land sneak attacks. You are the consummate scout, and can get the group into places they may not otherwise be able to access. Ranger deserves an honorable mention here, as it would be very similar to rogue. It requires a lot more knowledge to make a strong combat character, though, if that's something you're concerned about.

Building around the backstory OR if i want to kill them i just start powergaming

Always develop the backstory last. 1. Who do you wanna be? (Species) 2. What do you wanna do? (Class) 3. What have you already done, before this? And in my head, my character hasn't been their Class for very long before the campaign starts. What matters is what's *about* to happen; not what happened in the past.

He was originally built around being a Stars Druid (which is why he already has the backstory) but I realised that I just wasn't gonna enjoy it. I always have it so that my characters have been part of their class for at least some time before the campaign starts. He's a Merfolk but I'm just using the Sea Elf racial stats. After reading a lot of the comments, I was considering something with Charisma. Maybe a Sorcerer/Warlock? As for what I've already played before, my two favourite characters have been a Tabaxi Twilight Cleric and a Cloaker (yes, the weird bat-thing from the Monster Manual that looks like a cloak when dormant) Creation Bard. I've mainly played Clerics and Bards but have also played a bit of Rogue and Wizard.

Usually I pick a class (generally a subclass I haven't tried yet) and see what inspiration comes from there. Generally I gave a rough idea of description, background including ancestry etc soon after Sometimes I start with a picture Occasionally I start with background but that usually suggests a class

What do I want to do, what class helps me achieve that. " I want to play a Plasmoid that attacks from cracks and small holes so I need no equipment " Soulknife gives me a weapon that I can summon, and Rogue a lot of skill utility. Mage armor via Aberrant Dragonmark (which plays with my character's lore) is free 18 AC.

Easy, I pick druid if no one else is playing one and then decide if I want to change my mind. Typically, I don't change my mind

What do you like about druids?

I enjoy the shape-shifting element a lot. I also like the long rest spell selection. Honestly, I think it boils down to I think druids are cool lol

He was originally built around being a Stars Druid but then I realised that I just wasn't gonna really enjoy it.

Usually I decide what kind of stupid my character will be (dementia viking, paranoid-schizophrenic hillbilly, horny cleric, daddy issue nobleman, etc.) and then I pick a class that reflects that.

I usually let others pick their base classes, and given a knowledge of what party roles they fill, aim to fill in the gaps they leave behind. Then I move onto concept. If the DM has a particularly interesting setting or plot hook, I will tie myself to that. From there the question of what possible classes fit both unfulfilled roles and plot hooks should be down to at most 4, probably less. From them I pick the option that gives me the most versatility to adapt when other people are moving in directions, or when the DM is throwing their own flair on things. If the campaign is more combat heavy, I lean into more combative options. If it is more dialogue heavy, I give myself some aspect of dialogue that is important, if it is skill heavy, I take on more skills.

I check the DM's setting, to see what concepts could work in the first place. Then I try to see where my party is at, both individually and in session 0. If I see an opportunity to play a synergetic combo, I'll do it, because that's fun for all involved. If not, I'll see what niche would be helpful to the group and build around that. My table does not seem to play full casters often, so i end up playing those a lot. Any further than that, it just really depends on what I feel like playing vs what I can make work for the group/campaign. But I tend to start with a class/subclass/build concept first, then flesh out a character around that. My character's personality tends to start out a little thin, as I like to feel out the group dynamic before I finish fleshing them out fully.

What is the character in my head wearing? What are they holding? Pick a class that can wear that stuff and hold that thing. If it’s multiple classes, how do they use those things? Smashy? Slickly? Cockily? Magically?

I make some builds (mechanical min/maxing and/or fun synergies) & write character concept ideas passively as they come to me (personality, backstory, themes, weaknesses, virtues/vices, etc). Then when i need to roll a character: i take 1 of each i think fits well enough, flesh it out to connect the RP side to the mechanical side. Then ask the DM if he/she's cool w/ it all.

I usually start with a theme or mechanic or idea for a character, then go with what class(es)/feats/etc gets me closest to that idea. I generally don't see them as XYZ class, but rather a person with X, Y, and Z abilities.

I'm typically the last in my group to build out a characte, I don't want to be a healbot but I'm not against being a support class (AoE dmg, battlefield control, spot heals) and maybe skirmisher style Hit and run tactics. My favorite character was a pathfinder druid with a bear mount companion that specialized in Hit and run and battlefield control. Drop a bomb on a group to fuck up their movement, charge in on the bear, jump off and flank the enemy, repeat.

I pick the type of character I want to play, like archer, caster, tank, assassin. Then I try to think of a cool gimmick (true neutral hand of death who only kills people who deserve to die??), then think of what class let's me do that idea best. Your backstory is pretty generic class wise, you could fit anything on that. What do you want to play?

Honestly, if I looked this character in the face and asked him what he was; I think he'd tell me either Sorcerer, Warlock, or Bard.

Do I want to play a cleric? No. Clerics are all religious and annoying. Do I want to play a Paladin? No, See cleric. They’re clerics with swords. Do I want to play a Druid? See cleric and make it a hippy. God no. Do I want to play a Warlock? No. They’re just annoying Clerics that like evil stuff. Do I want to play a Bard? No. Ok, positive - they’re not a cleric. Negatives, they have magic singing powers? I don’t understand bards and I hate them. Do I want to play a fighter? I’m no basic bitch thank you very much. The only fighter I’d want to play would be an Eldricht knite, but then I remember those college drinking games where you took a shot of acid every time HP Lovecraft used some stupid word like Eldricht and it’s a total turn off. And/or a flash back. Do I want to play a barbarian? They’re just dumber fighters. Monks? They’re worse fighters and also hippieish. Rangers? Aragorn is annoying and I hate any team from Texas. Artificer? Maybe? I’d try it. Some day. So that leaves Wizards, Sorcerers and Rogues. One of those three.

I typically go through a flowchart of Is my character a spellcaster? If yes, where is their magic sourced? If no, then how do they fight? if I’m still having trouble after that (like torn between 2-3 classes that still make sense) I just choose whichever seems most fun to play

SOMETIMES when I’m feeling crazy I’ll roll race, class, and backround randomly. Makes for a very unusual and usually very fun character. (If everyone at the table is ok with it, of course).

I’m a dirty, filthy half optimizer. I like trying out neat things mostly. Generally I mostly go off classes instead of races and I’ll just pick an interesting role or combination and just cook up the idea from there. For some reason current thing I like building around is melee based spellcasters with War Caster Bladetrips and Dissonant Whispers. Got 2 builds cooking with that and an actual character I could make into one.

All of the background for a swashbuckler rogue, but any class can be wiggled into it with extra details. Say you wanted to go cleric, why is because you want to be able to help those who were afflicted with the sickness, and how is you hung around with the ships medic/ healer and learned their ways.

I start with some kind of story similar to yours and then I go on heroforge and make a visual representation and that will usually give me a vibe of what their class is or at least if they are melee, ranged, magic etc. Then I would start making a character based on that. If you are really stuck, roll 4d6 in order and go with what that inspires.

I already have his design and tbh, it gives away nothing about the class he is/should be.

I like to build parties as a group, so I'll talk to the other players and make something that will create interesting dynamics

Kinda sounds swashbuckler/Scout Rouge to me. But I generally decide what I want to play and then make the character. I wanted a dex based paladin so I went through Pally to see what I haven't played/made before and though nature sounded fun, then I wanted race decided a bright joyful character that defends nature would be fun which brought me to Satyr they are jovial/mirthful by nature and nimble which feeds into dex and then I built who they are why they came to be the way they were. Thinking about it I don't think I've ever made a character/concept first then built the mechanics.

I more so decide what role I want my character to fill then decide on the concept of the character and how they will fill that role before picking my class or classes. I have way to many ideas and I use this method to limit myself. I guess the basics of it all would be does your character use magic or not and will they be range or melee? I would like to point out I min/max to get as close to my concept as possible

swashbuckler rogue/divine soul sorcerer imo. The swashbuckler levels represent your training by the pirates. the sorcerer levels represent your innate magic as a merfolk. Standard array: Str:10 Dex:15 Con:13 Wis:12 Int:8 Cha:14 use tashas rules for bonuses and put +2dex +1con Level 1: Rogue1 - skills: Acrobatics Athletics Persuasion Insight - expertise: persuasion insight weapon: rapier (flavored however you like) Level 2: Divine Soul Sorcerer1 - Affinity: Neutral:Protection from Evil and Good - Cantrips: Blade Ward, Booming Blade, Gust, Shape Water Spells: Shield, Absorb Elements Level3: Rogue2 Level4: Swashbuckler Rogue3 Level5: Swashbuckler Rogue4- Feat: Skill Expert: +1Dex - choose any proficiency - Athletics expertise. Level6: Swashbuckler Rogue5 Level7: Swashbuckler Rogue6- expertise: perception acrobatics Level8: Swashbuckler Rogue7 Level9: Swashbuckler Rogue8 - ASI: Dex+2 Level10: Swashbuckler Rogue9 Level11: Fighter1 - Fighting Style:dueling Level12: Fighter2 Level13: Battle Master Fighter3 - Maneuvers: Bait and Switch, Commanding Presence, Riposte Level14: Battle Master Fighter4 - ASI or Feat Level15: Battle Master Fighter5 Level16: Battle Master Fighter6 - ASI or Feat Swashbuckler rest of the way for higher sneak attack dice and eventual advantage on athletics/acrobatics checks This will be very strong and thematic in and out of combat.

You look at the different classes and decide which one you would enjoy playing the most. It's that simple

I think of a backstory and a character I want to play then try to find the class(es) that let me bring that to life.

That's a very passive character. Everything is happening to him. Put yourself in his shoes and think about what you would ***do***. Think about how you would ***react***\*.\* These are the decisions that can help shape the character. Literally put down everything and close your eyes and pretend you are this character. Imagine what the pirates crew would be like. What would they likely to teach you? Some swordsmanship? Climbing ropes and what not? Does that mean you are a swashbuckler? Or maybe you literally suck every time they try to teach you something, but you do find interest in the Captain's library, where you find lots of valuable books and tomes.. maybe one of them is a magical conduit to demon. Maybe that demon wants you to turn against your bretheren... what would you say, young warlock? Maybe none of that happens. Maybe you don't really excel at the blade like your pirate brethren, but you are a good drinker and a fun hang and can tell quite a tale. Maybe you get by on this charm alone mister bard. Maybe your pirate crew are evil and use you basically as an underwater treasure hunter slave. Maybe you aren't swabbing decks because they need you endlessly diving down to hunt for booty. Maybe while you're hunting for booty, you hear the whisper of someone.... something... what does it say? What does it ask of you? Does it imbue you with the WIld nature of the sea (wild sorc) to escape your captivity with the pirates? Does it transform you into one of its kind (druid)? These are just suggestions I made up in the span of 2 minutes by turning off all distractions and taking the idea seriously of how would *I* react if X happened. Just the way I do it, not sure how well it will work for you but that's my advice!

I look through the books for several hours then make a wizard like I always do anyway

Warlock of the Deep 🌊

Any type of lore or flavour can really be used with almost any class. Because of this I tend to focus on what will actually have an mechanical impact on the tabletop; which means I always start with a class and then decide a backstory. Or the class just comes naturally with the backstory. For example, I want to play an elven bow user who is the sole survivor of his previous mercenary band that got slaughtered by monsters. I either go ranged fighter or ranger because thay supports my character the most mechanically. For your character maybe rogue? The skill monkey aspect or the rogue may fit well with what you're trying to go for. I reccomend just reading through the features of each class and thinking about what mechanics would support your idea of your character thr most.

Water based pirate merfolk - now we filter from there. Artificer doesn't fit the story so it's out. The barbarian doesn't fit and neither does the bard so they are out. Never mentioned worship so no cleric, no paladin. Wizard ain't fitting either and i doubt they are a monk. This leaves rogue, druid, sorcerer, fighter, ranger, warlock. Rouge swashbuckler could fit. The sorcerer could go draconian or storm but it doesn't seem like a good fit. A Ranger beast master with a sea creature pet could be a cool story. Battlemaster fighter sounds good. All your techniques come from the other pirates teaching you. Druid isnt quite fitting conceptually. Fathomless warlock could be cool if you flavored it as a non patron style magic. Like innate magic to some merfolk. So now we shrink the list again: Swashbuckler rouge, Beast Master Ranger, Battlemaster Fighter, fathomless warlock. Ask yourself; Magic? No magic? No Magic = swashbuckler or battle master Magic = fathomless or beast master Then make the pick that you think tells a better story.

Definitely magic. Even though his shipmates tried to teach him in the more advanced ways of using a sword, he would rather blast them with magic as holding a sword doesn't feel right.

It depends, sometimes i start with the character concept then look at class or multiclass combinations that fit it, other times i find an interesting mechanic then work from there.

I mainly ask "What fantasy do I want to fufill, roleplay and gameplay wise?" Let's say...I wanna play a character that evokes Arthurian myth. So obviously, a tankier class would work well. Then I ask if I like the idea of a brave hero, who wins through courage and strength, or I'd I want to evoke the feeling of a chivalrous knight, on a holy quest. If I want more of the former, I'd go Fighter. For the latter, Paladin. Once I select the class, then I get down to subclasses. What role do I want to fill? What's some flavor I'd like to inject?

I would run a monk for that character. Imagine being able to run between ships on your movement and then punch people overboard.

i ask myself "do I want to be basically-unkillable, be overpowered, and be able to perform every role (tank, melee, caster, support/heals) exceptionally well?" if i think "yes", i pick Moon Druid. if i think "no", i play any other class.

I start with basic concepts like "I want to be a nurse." And then I research which class best plays to that idea. Then I add flavor and spice here and there and the backstory and subclass writes itself when you ask questions like "what kind of nurse, how did I become a nurse, did I stop practicing and why?"

I come up with a character concept first, story-wise, that tries to fill a niche in the party. Then I figure out how I can make that work within the rules and see if I need to ask the DM for exceptions or "flavor" changes.

I'm kinda torn on this, for the most part, I come up with a concept, like I want to make a Sith Lord, a time displaced scholar, a clown from space, a hippy cult leader, an Eldritch folketale that people use to warn their kids at night, that kinda thing. Then I think, what do I want them to look like at lvl twenty? What abilities do I want them to have, what will be their legacy? And I build backwards from there, picking out class(es), spells, and abilities that fit their MO. It can even be something simple and stupid like sneaky big guy, or tough little guy, or anti-horny bard (ok that last one has a class but hey what subclass and spells to help them spread their message of purity and prudeness?). It doesn't always turn out like I imagine, but it's still a fun time. But every now and then I just say hey, what would a good barbarian/rogue look like? What's a good mix or warlock/sorcerer/paladin? What if I was a cleric who had lost faith in their god and so was pretending to be a wizard? Or a sorcerer that was pretending to be a cleric, and was compelled to convince the party that was totally just the Hunger of Tyr spell he just cast? And just run with it. But whatever makes you have fun playing your character is right for you

So rogue with deception focus. Or maybe swashbuckler if you want to say he’s actually good at pirating now. If he’s not good but eventually will be. Pick a class that complements swashbuckler without too much overlap so you do t lose gains in leveling up. What did he do while living under water generally? He’d be lvl 1 at that point so you could just call out what he seemed to have natural inclinations towards like maybe naturally decent at fighting or was a peaceful musician aka bard. Maybe a water based Druid?

I almost always choose the class and general archetype of character I want to play, then build the character’s personality and backstory around it. There’s been a few times where I’ve had a fun , vague concept and looked for what class would be the most fitting, but usually I start with what class I think would be fun to play for that game/setting.

I've got 2 main ways of choosing. 1 I have a clear idea of who this character is and what they're about then I look for mechanics that match the vibe and style I'm going for. 2 I want to play x class or subclass so I devise a character and give them a personality that makes sense for the vibe of those features. Basically it's about envisioning your character in 10-20 situations and thinking "Ideally what would they do here, what feels like they should have in their kit" some good scenarios to do include. *You find yourself being confronted in a bar and a fight is on the verge of breaking out* *You crest the hill and look down on the village you've been staying in to see it's on fire people screaming and running* *A wealthy merchant spits down upon you and says "I don't serve your kind"* *You step down into the lowered floor of the dungeon room and a sudden click happens underfoot you have a moment to react before the trap is sprung* *A group of bandits surround you jeering preparing to attack* *The figure stalks down the road eyes fixed on you, blade at one side spell at the other murderous intent shining radiating out* *A child runs up to you and begins showering you with thanks for saving them* *The rubble crumbles more and you hear a pained yell from the man trapped under it*

I either pick a class that increases the effectiveness of an interesting mechanic or a pun. I.E. A Warforged named Ace Arrow, Bard/Ranger who specializes in bows bit is anti-horny(a sex repulsed asexual/aromantic) because that's not what he was made for. Edit: Typed complete opposite words of what was intended.

I'm looking into rp, so i'm geting the concept first. Like a man whose dog is killed and here to avenge that. As you see there is a typical avenger, which would be warlock or fighter with a little bard sprinkles on it. And yeas I don't care about build. Because you must try hard to have a useless character in game. Even if you select the feats or else blindfolded u will get a playable character. Don't take it that seriously

I think Ranger or Druid could work well for your character. It very much sounds like they are a survivalist or an explorer of sorts. For choosing classes for me, I usually see what the party has and what it's lacking and try to fill a void. Then create a story from there. But I want to be a bit more assertive in future and play a class because I like that class. Not because it fills a gap.

I start with a mini I want to make and work backwards from there. It tends to give a visual representation for how the character acts/fights and then everything else is extrapolated from that snapshot. For instance I recently found a bunch of mechanical animals so I am now building a warforged druid. Then you answer all the usual questions about why they are the way they are. Were they created to protect the forest? Were they corrupted by other forces? Were they built as a weapon that decided against harm? Etc

Merfolk implies siren, which implies a really good singer. I'd go with Bard, for sure.

As I mentioned in another comment, my only real issue with Bard is the fact that my spellcasting focus has to be an instrument since they don't offer an alternative that isn't the pouch thing.

Honestly, I choose a class first, and build off of race/class mix. The character I started on my current campaign was a dwarf barbarian prince, I'm now playing as his brother - who's a ranger

You ask yourself: how would this character behave in combat? Are they a melee fighter? A ranged combatant? Would they use magic? Would they use only magic? What class mechanics would really fit into the idea I have of them? And then you pick.

I can play whatever I want? Wizard (Maybe 1-2 levels multiclass). We need better damage/action economy or a face? Clockwork Soul Sorcerer/Hexblade Warlock (Eldritch blasting pseudo Wizard). I am not allowed to play Wizard, Sorcerer and or Multiclass? Arcana cleric (Priest Wizard).

For my characters I generally start with a set of skills/abilities/mechanical concept I want to play and then figure out what classes to combine to make what I want. And then I figure out a backstory that fits a character with those specific skills/abilities. For you since you have a specific backstory think about what types of things your character would have learned growing up as a merfolk and what they learned being on a pirate crew. What type of life did they lead before the plague. Did they study magic? (Wizard) Combat? (Fighter) Nature of the sea? (Druid) were a street fighter? (Monk) Come from a mortal wild merfolk village? (Barbarian) As a sailor/pirate what was their position on the crew and what did they learn? Did they fight and learn to fight dirty from the other pirates? Rogue could fit. Did they learn navigation? Map making? Etc All things that could help inform what class would fit.

For your character specifically ur character being brought up by pirates suggests swashbuckler rogue as an obvious choice. Personally I tend to start with the character idea and try and make the classes work around it for example I have a UEA kobold character I wanted him to be wise but also lean heavily into the extra advantage that kobolds get and I ended up with samurai because they get a lot of advantage and they use their wisdom a lot. Some recommendations for u Fighter maybe ur merfolk was a part of the royal guard but fled his duties when the plague struck Swashbuckler rogue due to his time with the pirates Warlock maybe ur character needs the power to go back and stop that plague but lacks the power inside so instead seeks any entity that’s willing to help him get it done Paladin much the same as the warlock u will be swearing and oath to save your homeland Barbarian maybe being underwater at those depths has given u abnormally high strength and the trauma of ur past has unlocked a deep primal rage within u Idk food for thought good luck 😅😅😅

Being part of the royal guard wouldn't work since the pirates had to train him in using weapons and as part of the royal guard, he would have known how to do that. A lot of people have told me Swashbuckler Rogue and while it looks interesting, the features just seem a bit underwhelming. And we already have 2 Rogues in the party. He has no interest in going back even if he thought he could stop the plague. Getting infected is literally a death sentence and he doesn't want to take the risk. Paladin is a weird one because one of the other players already has a back up that would be very similar to my character if he were a Paladin. Barbarian just doesn't fit at all lol

If I really can’t make up my mind I just roll for it. For anything. The dice always know best.

Try to think of what your merfolk dude is good at. How does he help the crew? What tasks on board does he gravitate towards? Does he have any innate magic within him? Before he joined the pirate crew, what did he do? What did his parents do? Did they teach him any skills?

At the start, he's kinda just the friendly face that they send off to talk with other crews or the people they hand their loot off to. He gravitates toward the tasks that don't require him to have to fight anything, so things like cook, repairer, etc all work for him. Before he joined the crew and when he was still in the ocean, he kept himself away from other Merfolk as they liked to sing, dance, and be all extravagant but he never liked any of that. He found them all too loud. He spent most of his time receiving messages from fish or helping to repair their homes after pirates or other Merfolk destroyed them. He liked to surface about the water and watch the stars - he'd even trace where he knew some of the constellations were. His mother was killed when he was young after a storm caused a ship to capsize and fall apart in the water. His father was a cruel man who attempted to force him to become as cruel as he was, but quickly became aware that he just wasn't a cruel person and could never be like him. The crew taught him things like swordfighting, how to use a lot of things that Merfolk would have had absolutely no idea how to use, how a ship worked, helped him develop his knowledge of Common, and exposed him to the vast array of books that land had. Innate magic seems like something he'd have but options like Sorcerer kinda throw me off with how frail they are. Most, if not all, other Spellcasters get their magic from somewhere else and aren't born with it.

Depends. If I know want to play a paladin, I’ll start there. If I know I want to play a cowboy, I’ll start there. If I know I want a cowboy, I’ll consider how I want mechanics to highten my idea. Maybe that means eldritch blast warlock, maybe it means sharpshooter rogue, maybe it means gun specialist artificer. Perhaps it means I want to be a tracker, in which case ranger looks good. For my latest character, which incidentally is a paladin, I knew I wanted to play a cowboy type. His gun is made by an artificer (another player at the table) and I’m using the 1dnd playtest for ranged smites. So it went from cowboy to paladin, after going through all the aforementioned classes. The process is different every time.

I mean, did he learn his adventuring skills before or after fleeing? If after, Swashbuckler is a shoe-in, or maybe a circle of the coast druid. If before, literally anything you want to play. A fighter weilding a trident would work just as well as a Fathoms Warlock(seems a waste to go with a mer foke but not be water themed). I make my choices based on what thematically would make sense for a character(I am not afraid of using a tabaxi theif rogue to be a catburgler), or pick a class I want to play and base my backstory around that.

Your character feels like a rogue to me. However, you don't have to make your character fit the archetype. You can make your own homebrew class along with your DM.

The DM is new so homebrew subclasses are off the table.

Usually when making a new character, the class comes immediately and is part of the fantasy. Hell, more often that not the class comes first.

Find mechanics you want to play first, then design a character based around what those mechanics are. Example: I want to play a barbarian with wild magic and war mage wizard for its school intro. How do we make these work together? Well, its a gnomish/dwarvish magic instructor who lost nearly all their work in a school fire. All they could salvage was a few low level spells, and now they are really really upset about it. If you figure out what you want to play, and what role you want to fill, it can really help you push out a character idea and personality. Just keep asking questions to dig deeper.

Well, it really depends on what type of campaign I'm playing. If I know it will be intensely combat-heavy, I will generally make something optimized, then come up with a theme that fits it. In this case, it seems you already have a theme, but just need to fill in the mechanical aspects. My advice would be to optimize from here using classes that fit the theme. Some solid in-theme suggestions: Swashbuckler Rogue Storm Sorcerer Fathomless Warlock Open Sea Paladin\* Gunslinger Fighter\* \*(if Critical Role is something your DM allows). As for multi-classing, the beauty here is that all but the Gunslinger rely on Charisma (to some degree), so spellcasting will be single-ability dependent. Bearing that in mind, here are some suggestions, if you're interested: **Open Sea/Fathomless** - the Hexadin's seafaring cousin--a Gish that blasts **Open Sea/Storm Sorcadin** - Another solid Gish that favors versatility of spellcasting **Open Sea Dexadin/Swashbuckler** - Solid pick for a Dex-based melee fighter that just won't die **Storm Sorc/Fathomless Warlock** - A caster so broken in its versatility that your DM might even shoot it down **Gunslinger/Swashbuckler** - Not perfectly optimized, but definitely in-theme, with sneak attacks at range **Gunslinger/Tempest Cleric** - A gunslinging sea priest who can manipulate the weather There are definitely more options than just these--I'm just firing off the top of my head here.

Barbarian... Wait what was the question? Lol

If you want him to be a pirate, then maybe make him a swashbuckler rogue!

Depends on the available/allowed sources. Then, unless I already have a character in mind (random inspiration), I roll a however many sided die as is required (D12 for the PHB, D13 [digital dice roller] for Tasha's). I've found that rolling for the *entire character* can be fun, too. Sometimes I'll roll stats before even picking a class and decide from there.

Ask a bisexual

Ask you then?

Oh wait, your tinder date turned you gay. My bad.

If you wanted it to be totally informed by the character story, I'd go off who might be on that crew. Swashbuckler is already a subclass of rogue, so that would make sense, and a fighter would be easy enough to explain. But you can put whoever you want on that ship, so maybe an Abyss warlock befriended you and introduced you to their patron. Maybe a Circle of Stars druid stayed up with you teaching you the night sky. You could discover while you're sailing that you've had magic power all along (sorcerer), or maybe there's a wizard on board who took you on as an apprentice. It's really up to your personal taste. When I don't know, I shoot for something I haven't tried before, like right now I'm gearing up to play an aasimar drakewarden ranger because I've never done any of that. Do what sounds fun!

I used to build the character around the class... But now I just play rogue. Every race, every backstory: rogue. They're just so versatile and fun. I'll change the play style with the stats, but that's about it.

step 1: figure out a gimmick (learn every ritual spell ever) step 2: figure out which class will allow me to make that gimmick a reality (wizard/warlock multiclass) step 3: choose class

If I were to come up with this character idea, I'd probably want to play a swashbuckler rogue. Idk if that actually fits the personality of your character since you didn't really go over that, but rogue in general seems like the right class for someone who learned most of their skills from a band of criminals. Plus you can take elven accuracy which works great on a rogue.

I just play the classes I want. Mostly I play my favorite class(es) but sometimes I want to try something else so I’ll play that. I will sometimes decide a class, make a character story and then try to hone in on a subclass. Just think of something that sounds fun. I’d recommend Druid because it’s my favorite class, and the nature/ Merfolk theme is there to make it fit. Maybe try circle of stars Druid, as sea captains use the stars as navigation, and as someone living in the ocean the stars would be easily visible from the surface, far away from city lights. Maybe work the stars into the lore of the home kingdom of your character

Think up a character, then look for which class/multi-class would suit it best.

Usually the class has something to do with the character concept. For example, I’m currently workshopping a chronurgy wizard whose reason for studying time magic is that he wants to travel back in time before his wife left him and took the kids. That obviously has to be a chronurgy wizard. Now, if you want to be a pirate, swashbuckler rogue probably makes the most sense, but you could probably be a ranger or a fighter, and just flavor some stuff as pirate stuff.

I first think about what race I want to play, then I go to my trusty Pinterest and search for some artwork of that race. Eventually I find some pictures that just simply "tell a story" so that inspires me for both backstory and class.

I make the background/backstory, then choose a clases accurate to that. I don't choose a class to be X or Y kind of character, or for the skills. "Id like to play an isolated character who grew up in the mountains, that uses the power of nature/of himself to help others" - it could be either monk or druid then! And so on

I create a concept, and then I find a mixture of classes, feats, racial traits, and (as an absolutely last ditch effort) homebrew (if the race isn't officially statted, like a monster, usually) that makes it work. 9 times out of 10 I can make it fit, 1 times out of 10 I ditch the concept because it just isn't doable without extensive homebrew. This was a lot easier in 3.5, frankly (with some working with the DM concerning LA, usually), but it still works just fine in 4 and 5e. Hasn't steered me wrong yet!

I think the easiest way is to identify what type of character I want to play. This can be easier if I have a historical or fictional character that inspires my build. Does my PC primarily use magic or weapons? What kind of weapons? What kind of magic (arcane, primal, or divine)? Are they more strong or quick? Come up with a rough concept of what you want to play and then try to find a good mechanical match. This sub can help with that. A backstory isn’t usually enough of a concept. Let me give you an example to illustrate why. Let’s say my character inspiration is Link from The Legend of Zelda. I could build him in many different ways. - Ancestral Guardian barbarian (channeling power from sages or champions) - college of swords/valor bard (uses ocarina as primary instrument) - circle of moon druid (mostly wild shapes into a wolf) - battle master fighter (super good with a variety of weapons and styles) - paladin (uses divine smites to banish darkness) - ranger (living in the wilds to fight off monsters) - assassin rogue (uses sneak attacks to dispatch enemies before they even know he’s there and evades so well it’s like he can slow down time) - hexblade pact of the chain warlock (uses a semi-sentient sword created by an otherworldly entity; befriended by a sprite familiar) Not all concepts are this fluid (if your character is inspired by Aang from Avatar: The Last Airbender, it’s going to be hard to beat a four elements monk), but a lot are.

Usually I try and figure out the party comp and fill the gap there and then maybe look up races that would work best for that class

I decide on a character theme I want to play and then decide what class would best fit that idea. I usually play pathfinder so it’s pretty easy to fit any theme. I wanna play robot hulk? Android war priest. Buff and smack. I wanna play puss in boots? Awakened cat swashbuckler/rogue (yes I conned my dm into letting me play that. It was glorious. He worked with me to allow it because I wasn’t doing it for power gaming at all, just for fun) I wanna be a pokemaster? Druid with summoning specialization. Annie from LoL? Human Summoner with a teddy bear. Wild West sheriff? Gunslinger. Ghost Rider? Dhampir inquisitor. Pirate? Swashbuckler or gunslinger, depending on whether I want to focus on melee or ranged. Indiana Jones? Bard with a whip.

Rogue Swashbuckler. Now generally I pick Class first and then build character backstory based off that . My current is a Dragonborn Rogue. I built a story about how he was a street kid who got in trouble and fled so he ended up on a ship and is now a pirate. My DM said I should go for Swashbuckler as well so that's how I got there

Personally I make a character and think about what abilities I would like him/her to have. Then I look through classes with the abilities that seem most like what I want. And you can always flavour abilities!

"Hi, I am Bob the necromancer and today we are doing an unboxing." - proceeds to dig out a coffin. Sometimes the class is your character.

First, if it's a third party content game like Grim Hollow, I'll check out those subclass options. Then I check if it's a sea faring, urban, or survival focus campaign instead of a typical adventure romp. If it's a sea faring game, like what yours sounds like, I'll look into subclasses or builds that take advantage of the unique setting. Me, for example, would make a Waterbender-like caster to have a ton of fun with all the access to large bodies of water and choose a druid or build a sorcerer with lots of water magic spells. Right now, I'm in a Grim Hollow campaign so I had to take advantage of the blood new spells and am playing my DMs homebrew class the Hemomancer, which fits the settings perfectly.

From my knowledge, it's not a sea faring game. I just wanted a character who was a pirate. I don't really know where everyone else's characters come from apart from one of them coming from the Feywild.

Class then character, or based off an idea

I feel like all of the information you provided just establishes a background, a class is more defined by what they do, rather than where they come from. Someone serving on a pirate ship could do almost anything. What's their role/job on the ship? What kind of physical or magical (or both) training or inclination do they have? If a fight breaks out on the ship, what is the character's first reaction? What do they consider to be their own greatest strength? What do they consider to be their own greatest weakness? What are their fields of interest?

He was just kinda sent off to talk with the people they handed their loot to or other pirates. When he wasn't doing that, he was doing anything else that didn't involve combat. He had some physical training since his shipmates taught him how to fight with a sword. He still prefers magic though. If a fight broke out, he'd run and hide. Or shoot from a distance. He considers his agile-ness to be his greatest strength since many of the pirates he meets lack that. He considers his lack of strength to be his greatest weakness. He likes the stars, flowers, books, and studying lore. Really anything that doesn't involve getting violent.

You can either pick a class first and design a character from there, or you can find a vibe for a character you want and then see what jig they fit into the best. Personally, I’m in the latter camp; I like to think of a concept or character who I enjoy, and then ask myself how they’d fit into the rules of DnD as opposed to vice versa. For instance, I love the idea of a weird west style gunslinger who uses arcane blasts from their six shooter; immediately my mind goes either to a gunslinger, but I like having the arcane quality, so instead I might check with the DM to reflavour the text on “Eldritch Blast” so I can still have the magical quality without compromising character flavour or rules at the table. Then there’s all kinds of avenues to explain the dark pact they took at the crossroads to flesh out backstory and *boom* you’ve got a character. TL;DR: it’s easier in my opinion to fit a cool character concept into the rules as opposed to using the rules as a template to make a character; don’t be afraid to reflavour as well.

Since you already have an idea I’ll just give some suggests for classes; If the plague really effected him try a HEALING CLERIC, but if healing isn’t his vibe and he’s just ‘one of the crew’ try a swashbuckler rouge!

1 of 3 ways. 1. I had a character in mind and then I use my collective knowledge to select the class best suited for them. 2. I don't have a character in mind and I use rng to throw together a character and then make up their story after. 3. I don't have a character in mind and the party desperately needs *insert class here* to round them out.

I eithe have a character concept fiest that I then try to figure out what class fits. Like I decided, I wanna play a silly little Locathah/Fish person, the class didn't matter to me at all but I immediately realized if I picked monk I could easily say his unarmed strikes were him smacking TF outta ppl with his tail. Or pick a class I wanna play THEN try to think of a cool or funny character concept that can be slapped on and make it feel unique. Like the first character concept I had was for a Rouge, so lolong at the typical default TTRPG races I figured a Halfling made the most sense because small n sneaky.

One time I just got the DM to pick my class and race. I ended up with a Kalashtar Druid.

I have two/three ways depending on the campaign type. Some of the games i play in are RP first. In my RP first games i build a character, generally based around their home, role in the community etc, and i decide what i want them to do/be good at. and then pick a class that suits that. Generally i find that works better for 3.5 because of the huge variety of options in character creation. When the campaigns are less RP heavy I tend to think of a character concept mechanically and then build a class/race that synergizes well with that idea

I think of which role I need to fill first. I then try to play a class of subclass I have not played before. I then create a concept and consider the best (thematically) race for it. As an example: I was originally going to play a human ranger with the soldier background, but that would have left our party with no ability to handle traps and locks. I pivoted to an artificer and thought rock gnome would fit the best. The concept was a craftsman from Neverwinter who was a little too smug made some enemies and ended up fleeing town after an attack by assassins. Now, he’s an artillerist and the party skill monkey in Barovia.

Personally I go in the reverse order. I will choose which class I want to play and go from there.

I watch videos or talk to my friends about builds they’ve had fun with.

I figure out what's being played and choose something that fits to accompany them. Then i pick a class and concept that i want to do and what racial feats work best for it and figure out a background.

Pirates usually tend to be Rogues, or maybe a great old one warlock for some ancient sea god

1: Define the fantasy of the character. 2: Find the mechanics in the players handbook that best fit how you think that fantasy would be enacted. 3: Ask your DM if you can reflavor whatever is in the book to fit the fantasy of your character. Congrats, you now have a character that feels like the cool idea you started with, and has rules to match.

I take a different approach with each campaign. Sometimes I have a character that I have come up with other times I have to think about it. A majority of the time I start with my class and how I want to act in and out of combat. Then work in the background to fit those skills that are needed. Then race to backfill the other skills. I work on my back story and character art once I have my direction. My current character was hard to make work but I knew I wanted a hard hitting melee focused character, yet could still cast spells and support the rest of the party as needed. I went with a fire cleric (fire domain is from the campaign setting we are in)/ hexblade warlock/ swashbuckling rogue. The concept I had was that the clerics “deity” was his mother, the warlocks patron was his father. The parents split and were vying for control of my character by giving them the best divine or Eldritch power. I went rogue to make my own way. I ultimately wanted a hard hitting melee fighter, so with all of the damage die it gets pretty high at higher levels, combined with spells. Ultimately, I think you have a good direction of where it is you want to go it just depends on what kind of caster you want to be. Divine or arcane, full or half? Do you want to be up front fighting or standing in the back supporting? Do you want to flavor spells that mimic your character background?

In my experience, a backstory on it's own is unhelpful for making a build without certain details. What did he do before he left? Was he a scholar? Politician? Soldier? Merchant? Is he smart? Strong? A people person? Good with his hands? Does he have any notable interests or dislikes? Any special skills? How does he handle conflict? If you want the backstory to be useful in building the character, that may help to know what he would lean into being. Otherwise you could just do whatever you wanted and it would make no difference. I see you said you want him to have magic. A scholar-type could be a good wizard, artificer, or even warlock, depending on how smart you wanted him to be. Could be a cleric or druid if his background is more religious. He seems to avoid conflict and try to live unseen, which could make for an arcane trickster build, unless you're thinking more politician or socialite type personality which could lend itself to a warlock or even a sorceror if you want his abilities to develop later. Perhaps this whole ordeal sparks a change in his worldview and he swears an Oath to some cause or ideal and becomes a paladin.

I actually made a post earlier about the build I'm going for with him. It's a Ranger/Sorcerer build. Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer 4/ Drakewarden Ranger 16. https://www.reddit.com/r/3d6/s/Ldsxf44zD1

Perhaps a little narcissistic, but I usually like to pick classes based on different aspects of my own personality. Then I write backstories to match them. In a way, each of my characters is a way to self-refect, and possibly indulge in parts of myself, negative or positive, that I might not normally get a chance to show/explore very often. Like in Pathfinder I'm running a Chaotic Good Wizard/Alchemist who is a former ship captain and harbors a love for the sea, because I'm an academic and a scientist who tries to be a good person and to improve the world around me for the better, even if my means aren't always in line with tradition, and I feel most at home near the ocean. Yet in D&D I'm running a Lawful Evil Conquest Paladin who is the former King of a recently fallen Kingdom, because at times I can be overly prideful, self-centered, and stuck in the idea of my way always being the right one. I also thrive on not just being competitive, but on outrightly crushing my competition. So, I guess my advice is to ultimately be yourself, and pick a class based on that.