Ch. 1: Step-by-Step Characters

Here we will detail the step-by-step process of creating a character from scratch, using the various characteristics available in D&DS

Throughout this section, we use the term **character sheet** to mean whatever you use to track your character, whether it's a sheet of paper, or a digital record in your device's notepad

## Section 1: Choose a Homeland

Every character belongs to a homeland, one of the many locations across Lordran, or other distant lands in the D&DS world. Some common homelands are the Great Swamp, Anor Londo or Astora.

The homeland 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 homeland grants particular homeland traits, such as Soul Score increases, proficiency with certain weapons or tools, proficiency in one or more skills, better affinity with a covenant, and more. These traits sometimes dovetail with the capabilities of certain classes. For example, the homeland traits of Great Swampers make them exceptional pyromancers, and Astorians tend to be powerful clerics. Sometimes playing against type can be fun, too. Anor Londo warriors and Catarina sorcerers, for example, can be unusual but memorable characters.

Record the traits granted by your homeland on your character sheet.

## Section 2: Choose a subclass

Every adventurer is a member of a subclass. Class broadly describes a character’s vocation, what special talents they possess, and the tactics they are most likely to employ when exploring a dungeon, fighting monsters, or engaging in a tense negotiation, and the subclasses go into the specifics of each one. The character classes are described in the Classes section.

Your character receives a number of benefits from your choice of subclass. Some of these benefits are class features — capabilities 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. Your subclass also has a bearing in what your starting Soul scores are

### Level

An Undead starts at a soul level determined by their starting class, and after that it goes up by 1 every time you increase a Soul Score (more on Soul Scores later), and advances in level by adventuring and gaining Souls, and spending them on their Soul Scores at a bonfire. A low level Undead is inexperienced, although they might have been a soldier or a thief and done dangerous things when alive, it does not matter anymore.

Starting off at your first level marks your character’s entry into the Undead “life”. If you’re already familiar with the game, or if you are joining an existing D&DS 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.

Record your level on your character sheet. Also record your souls. A starting character has 0 souls.

### Hit Points and Hit Die

Your character’s hit points define how tough your character is in combat and other dangerous situations, they will all be promptly depleted. Your hit points are determined by your Hit Dice (short for Hit Point Dice).

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. After you rest, you can recover all your Hit Points (See “Resting” in the Adventuring section

### Proficiency

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

Your class determines your weapon proficiencies, your saving throw proficiencies, and some of your skill and tool proficiencies. (Skills are described in "Using Soul Scores", tools in "Equipment.") Your background gives you additional skill and tool proficiencies, and some homelands give you more proficiencies and Soul Scores. Be sure to note all of these proficiencies, as well 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.

## Section 3: Determine Soul Scores

Much of what your character does in the game depends on their 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 use in the game are described in the Using Soul Scores section. The Soul Score Summary provides a quick reference for what qualities are measured by each ability, what homelands increase which abilities, and what classes consider each ability particularly important.

You generate your character’s six Soul Scores randomly. Roll four 6-sided dice and add up the total of the highest two dice. Do this five more times, so that you have six numbers.

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 soul scores as a result of your class and homeland choice.

After assigning your Soul Scores, determine your Soul modifiers using the Soul Scores and Modifiers table. To determine a Soul modifier without consulting the table, subtract 10 from the soul score and then divide the result by 2 (round down). Write the modifier next to each of your scores.

* Strength: Natural athleticism and bodily power, such as your capability of using heavy weapons and your maximum equip load. Important for most Knights and Warriors.

* Dexterity: Physical agility, reflexes and balance, such as your dodging and ability with light and ranged weapons. Important for Rogues, Hunters and a few Knights

* Constitution: Health, stamina, vital force, it determines your maximum hit points and how resistant you are to certain effects and spells. Important for everyone. Raised by Catarina homeland

* Intelligence: Mental acuity, information recall, analytical skill, it dictates how powerful your sorceries are, and resistance to certain effects and spells. Important for Sorcerers. Raised by Great Swamp homeland

* Wisdom: Awareness, intuition, insight, it allows you to have more spell Attunement slots, and slightly boosts your sorceries and miracles. Important for any spellcasters. Raised by Anor Londo homeland

* Charisma: Confidence, eloquence, leadership. It measures the power of your miracles, and resistance to certain effects and spells. Important for clerics. Raised by Astora homeland

## Section 4: Describe your character

Once you know the basic game aspects of your character, it’s time to flesh them out as a person. Your Undead needs a name. Spend a few minutes thinking about what they look like and how they behave in general terms.

Using the information in the Personality and Background section, you can flesh out your Undead’s physical appearance and personality traits. Choose your character’s alignment (the moral compass that guides their decisions) and ideals. The Personality and Background section also helps you identify the things your character holds most dear, called bonds, and the flaws that will inevitably hollow them.

Your character’s background describes their original occupation, what they did when alive, and the character’s place in the D&DS world. Your DM might offer additional backgrounds beyond the ones included in the Personality and Background section, 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 skills, and it might also give your proficiency with certain kinds of tools. Record this information, along with the personality information you develop, on your character sheet.

## Section 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 the Equipment section.

Extensive lists of equipment, with prices, appear in the Equipment section. If you wish, you can also have one gift at no cost (see the "Gifts" table at the end of the Equipment section).

Your equip load limits the amount of gear you can carry. Try not to obtain equipment with a total weight exceeding your total equip load, it is calculated using your Strength.

### Armor Class

Your Armor Class (AC) represents how well your character avoids being wounded in battle, there are multiple armor classes for every type of damage. Things that contribute to your AC include the armor you wear, the shield you carry, and your Dexterity modifier. Not all characters wear armor or carry shields, however.

Without armor or a shield, your character’s AC equals 5 + their Dexterity modifier. If your character wears armor, carries a shield, or both, calculate your AC using the rules in the Equipment section. Record your AC on your character sheet.

Your character needs to be proficient with armor and shields to wear 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 the Equipment section.

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 soul modifier(s).

For attacks with melee weapons, use your Strength or Dexterity modifier for attack and damage rolls, depending on the weapon. Heavier weapons typically use Strength, and lighter ones use Dexterity, there are exceptions such as small clubs that use Strength and some heavy spears may use Dexterity. Some weapons may deal elemental damage, these weapons may use multiple modifiers as detailed in their description.

## Section 6: Coming together

In this era, after Gwyn, the Lord of Cinder was defeated and succeeded by an undead who linked the flame, monsters have become too powerful, monarchs command huge armies, dragons roam the lands however they please, and hollows still wander aimlessly, a lone Undead will surely become hollow, so the Undead come together to form teams, trying to take advantage of every party member’s abilities, it is the only way to survive. Dungeons & Dark Souls is a teamwork based game. Talk to your fellow players and your Dungeon Master to decide whether your characters know one another, how they met, and what sorts of quests the group might undertake. Perhaps they aim to become the next Lords of Cinder, slay a certain monster, bring tranquility to the land, or simply survive. Will they fail or succeed? Regardless, in the end, it does not matter, not even becoming a Lord of Cinder will prevent you from going Hollow