Me and some pals are looking to start an adventure together! Everywhere I look there seems to be different classes/races to choose from when creating a character. Are some only available for certain campaigns? Please help a noob!
If you're referring to the Character Builder here on the site, then it depends on which of the digital books the individual has purchased or not purchased. If you just have a free account, with no digital books purchased, then your options will be extremely limited. But purchasing a digital book will add it's content to the Character Builder for you to use.
Sadly, there is no way to include physical book purchases into a DnDB account.
Different books contain different races and/or (sub)classes. The Player’s Handbook (or PHB) is a core book, with what I suppose you could call the “base” races and classes. Subsequent books offered more options. For example, Volo’s expanded race choices, and Xanathar’s has a batch of additional subclasses. Officially speaking, a character can be of any race and can choose any class. Some combinations are more optimal than others from an ability score standpoint, but even “suboptimal” combinations can be fun to play. Practically speaking, the DM in charge of a given game may restrict races and/or classes.
If you don’t have any of the books, you can use the more limited selection of races and the subclasses found in the Basic Rules or the SRD, all of which are available on this website.
On DDB here, you have to have purchased the appropriate source material in which the race or class appears, or you won't be able to use it on your character sheet here. However, if you want to just do stuff on pen and paper you don't need to buy anything. Tons of places online will tell you what bonuses each race gets (or you can ask here and we can tell you), which is technically all you need to know to put stuff on your paper character sheet.
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WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
So just to make it clear for you Herg, you can theoretically use any official race or class when building your character. The only restrictions are what the DM disallow. Some are fine with all the races, some wont allow flying races etc. Depending on the world the game is taking place in there may be one restriction or another or none at all. Realistically you'll have to check with your DM. Personally in my games I allow all the races because its fun to see how my players use the more unusual races to solve problems or navigate their way through social situations. Of course, if I think that they may run into issues in game based on the race they'd like to play (Full blooded Orcs may be unwelcome in a lot of places for example) I'll let them know beforehand but I still let them make the final choice
Me and some pals are looking to start an adventure together! Everywhere I look there seems to be different classes/races to choose from when creating a character. Are some only available for certain campaigns? Please help a noob!
as people already said, there is the core races/classes/backgrounds in the players hand book, a limited selection of these in the free rules (basically what is offered for free on here). further books add more options, but there are fan wiki's and such that will give you the stats necessary to create your own on paper. there is also some sites that have character creators, like this sites, but people have added the other stuff to their databases.
regarding "Are some only available for certain campaigns?" yes and no.
Yes, officially the "X" race was added in the "Y" campaign guide, and is only available for that campaign due to it being on a different plane/dimension/world.
No, if you want, you can put them in any story on any plane/dimension/world, as you/your DM are the person doing that story, so you can decide what rules you want. this is the reason for various homebrew races/backgrounds/classes/items you might find out there. someone has decided that because Wizards of The Coast has not released a book with "this thing i thought up and want to use" people have created it themselves.
Thank you all for responses they have clarified so much for us! So we are not playing online we are playing on paper and in person. I can look up races online to get all the stats for said races?
As designed, all published races and classes work; you're allowed to use any that exist.
The restrictions are:
1) What you actually have access to. E.g. if you don't have, say, the Tabaxi, either in physical book or online somewhere, you can't play it. Because you literally can't read what it is, not because of any particular rule.
2) Adventurer's League play restricts you to using ONE additional book beyond the basic ones, so you can't pick a subclass from one extra source and a race from a different extra source. If you're not playing Adventurer's League, this isn't relevant to you.
3) Whatever the DM has decided makes sense for their world. DMs can obviously make any sort of restrictions they like - for example, maybe the backstory of their world involves all the elves disappearing, so you can't play an Elf.
Thanks guy we played lastnight until 4 am LOL it was a journey. Am watching some videos today and it has cleared up a ton about everything. Cant wait to make the experience all around better for my players!
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Me and some pals are looking to start an adventure together! Everywhere I look there seems to be different classes/races to choose from when creating a character. Are some only available for certain campaigns? Please help a noob!
If you're referring to the Character Builder here on the site, then it depends on which of the digital books the individual has purchased or not purchased. If you just have a free account, with no digital books purchased, then your options will be extremely limited. But purchasing a digital book will add it's content to the Character Builder for you to use.
Sadly, there is no way to include physical book purchases into a DnDB account.
We are playing in person. I have not purchased any books. Why does the book matter for the classes? This seems to be where I am not understanding.
I guess I am talking about races**
Different books contain different races and/or (sub)classes. The Player’s Handbook (or PHB) is a core book, with what I suppose you could call the “base” races and classes. Subsequent books offered more options. For example, Volo’s expanded race choices, and Xanathar’s has a batch of additional subclasses. Officially speaking, a character can be of any race and can choose any class. Some combinations are more optimal than others from an ability score standpoint, but even “suboptimal” combinations can be fun to play. Practically speaking, the DM in charge of a given game may restrict races and/or classes.
If you don’t have any of the books, you can use the more limited selection of races and the subclasses found in the Basic Rules or the SRD, all of which are available on this website.
Trying to Decide if DDB is for you? A few helpful threads: A Buyer's Guide to DDB; What I/We Bought and Why; How some DMs use DDB; A Newer Thread on Using DDB to Play
Helpful threads on other topics: Homebrew FAQ by IamSposta; Accessing Content by ConalTheGreat;
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On DDB here, you have to have purchased the appropriate source material in which the race or class appears, or you won't be able to use it on your character sheet here. However, if you want to just do stuff on pen and paper you don't need to buy anything. Tons of places online will tell you what bonuses each race gets (or you can ask here and we can tell you), which is technically all you need to know to put stuff on your paper character sheet.
WOTC lies. We know that WOTC lies. WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. We know that WOTC knows that we know that WOTC lies. And still they lie.
Because of the above (a paraphrase from Orwell) I no longer post to the forums -- PM me if you need help or anything.
So just to make it clear for you Herg, you can theoretically use any official race or class when building your character. The only restrictions are what the DM disallow. Some are fine with all the races, some wont allow flying races etc. Depending on the world the game is taking place in there may be one restriction or another or none at all. Realistically you'll have to check with your DM. Personally in my games I allow all the races because its fun to see how my players use the more unusual races to solve problems or navigate their way through social situations. Of course, if I think that they may run into issues in game based on the race they'd like to play (Full blooded Orcs may be unwelcome in a lot of places for example) I'll let them know beforehand but I still let them make the final choice
as people already said, there is the core races/classes/backgrounds in the players hand book, a limited selection of these in the free rules (basically what is offered for free on here). further books add more options, but there are fan wiki's and such that will give you the stats necessary to create your own on paper. there is also some sites that have character creators, like this sites, but people have added the other stuff to their databases.
regarding "Are some only available for certain campaigns?" yes and no.
Yes, officially the "X" race was added in the "Y" campaign guide, and is only available for that campaign due to it being on a different plane/dimension/world.
No, if you want, you can put them in any story on any plane/dimension/world, as you/your DM are the person doing that story, so you can decide what rules you want. this is the reason for various homebrew races/backgrounds/classes/items you might find out there. someone has decided that because Wizards of The Coast has not released a book with "this thing i thought up and want to use" people have created it themselves.
Thank you all for responses they have clarified so much for us! So we are not playing online we are playing on paper and in person. I can look up races online to get all the stats for said races?
Okay I am being redundant LOL Thanks ladies and/or gentleman!
As designed, all published races and classes work; you're allowed to use any that exist.
The restrictions are:
1) What you actually have access to. E.g. if you don't have, say, the Tabaxi, either in physical book or online somewhere, you can't play it. Because you literally can't read what it is, not because of any particular rule.
2) Adventurer's League play restricts you to using ONE additional book beyond the basic ones, so you can't pick a subclass from one extra source and a race from a different extra source. If you're not playing Adventurer's League, this isn't relevant to you.
3) Whatever the DM has decided makes sense for their world. DMs can obviously make any sort of restrictions they like - for example, maybe the backstory of their world involves all the elves disappearing, so you can't play an Elf.
Thanks guy we played lastnight until 4 am LOL it was a journey. Am watching some videos today and it has cleared up a ton about everything. Cant wait to make the experience all around better for my players!