About

Creating a D&D character from scratch takes 30 - 60 minutes. Cross-referencing race modifiers, class hit dice, background proficiencies, and rolling 4d6-drop-lowest for six ability scores introduces frequent arithmetic errors. A misapplied racial bonus to the wrong ability score cascades into incorrect modifiers, wrong saving throws, and an unplayable character at the table. This generator implements the full SRD ability score pipeline: roll 4d6, discard the lowest die, sum the remaining three, apply racial Ability Score Increases, then derive modifiers via (score − 10)2 floored. It cross-references class hit dice for Level 1 HP, assigns background skill proficiencies without duplication, and draws personality traits from the official tables. The output is a print-ready character sheet. Note: this tool uses SRD-compatible content only and approximates name generation via syllable-based Markov chains rather than official setting-specific name lists.

Formulas

Ability scores are generated using the standard 4d6 drop-lowest method. For each of the 6 abilities, roll four six-sided dice, discard the die showing the lowest value, and sum the remaining three.

score = 4∑i=1 d6_i − min(d6₁, d6₂, d6₃, d6₄)

The ability modifier is derived from the final score (after racial bonuses):

modifier = floor(ability score − 102)

Level 1 hit points equal the maximum value of the class hit die plus the Constitution modifier:

HP = hit die_max + CON modifier

Where score is the base ability value (3 - 18 range), modifier ranges from −4 to +4 for typical rolls, hit die_max is the maximum face value of the class hit die (6, 8, 10, or 12), and CON modifier is the modifier derived from the Constitution score. Proficiency bonus at Level 1 is fixed at +2.

Reference Data

Class	Hit Die	Primary Ability	Saving Throws	Armor Proficiencies	Starting HP Formula
Barbarian	d12	STR	STR, CON	Light, Medium, Shields	12 + CON mod
Bard	d8	CHA	DEX, CHA	Light	8 + CON mod
Cleric	d8	WIS	WIS, CHA	Light, Medium, Shields	8 + CON mod
Druid	d8	WIS	INT, WIS	Light, Medium, Shields (nonmetal)	8 + CON mod
Fighter	d10	STR or DEX	STR, CON	All, Shields	10 + CON mod
Monk	d8	DEX & WIS	STR, DEX	None	8 + CON mod
Paladin	d10	STR & CHA	WIS, CHA	All, Shields	10 + CON mod
Ranger	d10	DEX & WIS	STR, DEX	Light, Medium, Shields	10 + CON mod
Rogue	d8	DEX	DEX, INT	Light	8 + CON mod
Sorcerer	d6	CHA	CON, CHA	None	6 + CON mod
Warlock	d8	CHA	WIS, CHA	Light	8 + CON mod
Wizard	d6	INT	INT, WIS	None	6 + CON mod

Frequently Asked Questions

The Standard Array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) totals 72 points. The expected total from 4d6-drop-lowest across six abilities is approximately 73.47, with a standard deviation near 6.4. This means rolled characters average slightly higher but with significant variance - roughly 29% of rolled sets produce a total below 70, creating characters weaker than the Standard Array. The generator lets you switch methods to control this risk.

This occurs when the Constitution modifier is sufficiently negative. A Sorcerer or Wizard with a hit die of d6 (max 6) and a Constitution score of 3 (modifier −4) would yield 6 + (−4) = 2 HP. Per SRD rules, a character always gains a minimum of 1 HP per level. The generator enforces this floor.

After. The generator first rolls or assigns base scores, then adds the racial ASI (e.g., +2 DEX for Elves), then calculates the modifier from the final value. This matches the Player's Handbook procedure. A base STR of 15 with a Half-Orc's +2 STR bonus becomes 17, yielding a modifier of +3 rather than +2.

The generator uses race-specific syllable tables derived from published fantasy phoneme patterns. Dwarf names use hard consonant clusters (Th, Gr, Br) while Elf names favor liquid consonants and long vowels (el, ae, ri). The Markov chain operates at the syllable level with a chain length of 2, preventing nonsensical outputs. Names are filtered against a minimum length of 3 and maximum of 12 characters.

Yes. Each section of the character sheet (race, class, background, ability scores, name, personality) has a lock toggle. Locked fields persist through subsequent generations. This is useful when you want a specific class but random everything else, or when you have rolled excellent ability scores and want to explore different race and class combinations around them.

Yes. In Point Buy mode, each ability starts at 8. Scores above 13 cost 2 points per increment instead of 1. The maximum pre-racial score is 15 and minimum is 8. The generator allocates exactly 27 points randomly, prioritizing the class's primary ability scores with a 60% weighting bias to produce viable characters rather than purely random distributions.