Class Boards: Building Your Character in Heroes of the Borderlands

Tags author-mike-bernier Heroes of the Borderlands

When you open the Heroes of the Borderlands box, one of the first treasures you'll discover are the class boards. These are your gateway into the role of a hero, designed to combine the imagination of Dungeons & Dragons with the ease of use of a board game. Each board is a dashboard that clearly lays out everything you need to play, from your Armor Class to your spells and features, with card slots and token trackers that keep the game moving fast.

Let's explore how these boards make introducing new players to D&D smoother, faster, and more fun than ever before!

The Anatomy of a Class Board

Every class in Heroes of the Borderlands has its own board, but they share a similar layout so that new players can quickly find what matters. Let's break down the core sections:

Everything You Need to Get Rolling on Adventures

Each board is built so you can sit down, sort out a few cards, and start adventuring. The essential rules of your class are presented front and center, while the gear and gold you start with are listed in a tidy checklist.

  • Ability Modifiers. The six core abilities—Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma—dictate your character's strengths. Modifiers are pre-calculated and printed, so you can jump right into play with everything you need to make checks, saves, and attacks with zero prep.
  • Saving Throws and Skills. These sections seamlessly include your proficiencies to highlight where your hero shines.
  • What You Need to Play. This checklist shows which cards and tokens you'll need for your class. For example, the Cleric begins with a Chain Shirt, a Mace, a suite of staple spells like Bless and Cure Wounds, and 60 GP.
  • Playing Your Class. You'll also receive guidance on both the fantasy of the class and the strategy behind it. This includes recommended origin cards to help streamline character creation as much as possible.

Combat and Class Features at a Glance

When it's time to draw steel or let spells fly, you won't need to go flipping through pages—everything you need to know about what your character can do is laid out in front of you.

  • Initiative, Speed, and Hit Points. These trackers streamline combat. Tokens for Hit Points are a physical component, so losing tokens feels more like your character is fighting to stay standing.
  • Attacking. Need to cast an offensive spell or swing your sword? Everything you need is prominently displayed alongside an icon for which dice you need to roll.
  • Card Spaces. Clearly marked slots show where to place armor, origin, spell, and weapon cards. This keeps your table neat and helps you understand where your abilities are coming from and how to use them.

Bite-Sized Learning

Veteran D&D players will notice that these class boards slightly bend character creation and play rules to skirt around the more in-the-weeds details. This is done intentionally to help make onboarding as straightforward as possible.

For instance, you'll see that the section on Short Rest doesn't say anything about rolling Hit Point Dice; just that the character automatically receives 4 Hit Points after a Short Rest.

Similarly, the board doesn't mess around with describing components and weapon juggling to cast spells. It simply states, "You can also use a Shield, but you can't cast spells while you're holding one."

Growing with Your Hero

These boards evolve with your character. As you level up, discover new gear, and grow your abilities, your play surface changes in ways you can feel.

Level 2: A Burgeoning Hero

Cleric Character Board Level 2

Each character's starting board is double-sided. When you level up to level 2, you flip the board over. The reverse side updates your Hit Points, adds new features, and expands your options without adding complexity. It's a smooth, tactile way to mark your growth.

Level 3: Specializing Your Role

At level 3, you swap your board for one tailored to your subclass choice. For the Cleric, you choose between the Life Domain and the Light Domain. The Life board emphasizes healing, durability, and protection, while the Light board unlocks radiant power and fiery spells that burn away the dark.

Every character receives new and unique powers at this milestone, and the boards reflect that choice clearly with new spells or subclass features printed right where you need them.

Designed for Play, Not Paperwork

These boards serve as an introduction to what used to be an intimidating character sheet with an easy-to-read play surface. Tokens, cards, and dedicated spaces all work together like a living rulebook and prepare players for the experience of a full character sheet when they're ready.

For new players, this means Heroes of the Borderlands can enable faster learning and more fun. For veterans, it means more friends and family members to play with, fewer interrupting rule lookups, and more time telling stories!

Legendary Heroes: The Forgotten Realms' Greatest Adventurers
by Mike Bernier
How to Hook Your Friends and Family on D&D in One Night
by Mike Bernier
What Is Heroes of the Borderlands? Your Gateway to D&D Adventure
by Mike Bernier
A smug mage looks away as an explosion goes off behind them. Text reads, Adventurers wanted! Join the D&D Discord today!

Mike Bernier is the founder of Arcane Eye, a site focused on providing useful tips and tricks to all those involved in the world of D&D. Outside of writing for Arcane Eye, Mike spends most of his time playing games, hiking with his partner, and tending the veritable jungle of houseplants that have invaded his house.

Comments

  • To post a comment, please or register a new account.
Posts Quoted:
Reply
Clear All Quotes