FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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Now that the Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook 2024 edition is the new standard, will you be taking down the older 2014 character generators?
NO, full support for
original 5E Player's Handbook 2014 characters will stay up, along with the 2014-era "core" expansions (
Xanathar's Guide to Everything,
Tasha's Cauldron of Everything,
Monsters of the Multiverse, and a few other books). As appropriate, the
2024/5.1E/ONE D&D generator will hybrid as possible (such as race options from older sourcebooks).
For old-school gaming fans, or just those curious about
D&D from a simpler time - namely, 1981 - check out the
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS B/X character sheet generator. (Yes, dwarves, elves, and halflings were considered classes back then. If you young kids don't like it, take your loud music, fax machines, and hula hoops and get off my lawn.)
What are the differences between characters created from the 2014 versus 2024 Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook versions?
Generally speaking, the 2024 revision of
Dungeons & Dragons added many more character abilities making use of reactions, a rule previously used mostly for opportunity attacks, the
Shield spell, and the occasional surprise use of
Feather Fall. Teammate buffs are more common, with many classes now having abilities to heal, grant temporary hit points, and give Heroic Inspiration to other party members. Other changes...
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More Class Options, Usually: Each class has four subclasses options, which for most is an expansion over three options from 2014's PHB, except for clerics and wizards who now have much fewer options. Most "new" subclasses appeared previously in either XGtE or TCoE, but the Artificer class is not included in PHB 2024 at all.
*
Moderate Power Ups: Everybody gets more feats. Some class abilities and spells work better. Characters hindrances (slower small characters, the "Flaw" role-playing mechanic) have been completely removed. (Also, I expect fans of the 2014 version of the Assassin are gonna be angry about the nerfed damage potentials...)
*
Rules Nuances: Many minor (and not so minor) tweaks to class features, particularly in using spell slots to recharge some abilities (like bards' Bardic Inspiration). Species (aka "races" or "heritage" in various previous rules) are simplified. Starting ability score modifiers (+2/+1) have been removed from Species and put under Backgrounds instead. Also, weapon choice matters more due to new Weapon Mastery rules, special effects similar to those found with some cantrips (damage plus slow or push a target, cause minor damage even on a miss, or so forth). Exhaustion rules are simplified. Many more spell descriptions (but again, most appeared in previous books).
For those seeking a more comprehensive recap of specific changes from 2014's 5E PHB, check out
T.E. Kamstra's 2024 DnD 5e Transition Guide over on his site
RPGBOT.net.
I think you calculated (insert ability here) wrong...
A HUGE thank you to everyone who has reported every wrong attribute, saving throw, uses per day, damage type and a dozen other little errors that crept in during the making of this site.
Please keep reporting them as you find them.
A Note About Rules And Sources: FastCharacter.com aims to give priority to the three original core rulebooks -
Player's Handbook,
Dungeon Master's Guide,
Monster Manual - although later sourcebooks and expansions may change how a specific race, class, or other rule works in the recommended "official" ruleset. Even the same rule published in different sourcebooks may be inconsistent.
For example, 5E rules for the Goliath race debuted in the
Elemental Evil Player's Companion and were repeated in
Volo's Guide To Monsters. However, the Goliath player character rules in
Icewind Dale: Rime Of The Frostmaiden are slightly different, adding resistance to cold damage. (Maybe Icewind Dale Goliaths are just tougher than those from other locations?) The
Monsters Of The Multiverse book presents even more Goliath changes... and then the 2024
Player's Handbook really changed Goliath abilities. Wherever possible, the source of a character rule will be noted for clarity.
When are you going to add stuff from (insert D&D sourcebook title or playtest material) to the list of race, class and background options?
For new or missing races, character classes, backgrounds, and feats from unlisted sources, use the
CUSTOM OPTIONS blocks to define your character. For classes, the character sheet will list placeholders for where subclass features become available. For example, if creating a barbarian from a third-party sourcebook, the sheet will list "(3rd level Primal Path feature)" under "Barbarian Class Features" while keeping all the available abilities given from the root barbarian class.
The
Monsters of the Multiverse player character race changes conflict with established rules in at least three published books -
The Monster Manual, Dungeon Master's Guide, and whichever book originally published the race's game stats (
Player's Handbook,
Volo's Guide,
Tome of Foes, and so forth.) Revised racial traits from
MofM, other variants and third-party sources may be entered using the
Custom Racial Lineage block instead.
How can I print out my character?
Two "character sheet" outputs have been formatted to fit on an 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper ("Letter" size in Portrait layout), with or without color. You should be able to simply print from any desktop web browser and many mobile devices. To print on A4 paper, adjust the scale percentage setting of the print options from your browser.
As an alternative, many operating systems and browsers now let you "Save As PDF..." as a print option.
Why are the boxes and graphics missing when I print?
Under your browser's print settings, make sure "Print Background Graphics" is turned on.
What if not all my character abilities fit on my character sheet?
The default vertical sheet layout was updated on Jan. 1, 2022, to add a second page and shift blocks of ability notes (such as spellcasting) when the script predicts it may otherwise not first on the first page.
Can I change my character's selected spells, equipment, magic items and other details from what's listed on the sheet?
Yes, if the DM allows time for changes before starting a game session. The Fast Character sheet is only a starting point for your own creativity and planning.
How are ability scores generated for D&D characters?
By default, this site uses the standard array found on
Player's Handbook 2024 p. 38 - or on
PHB 2014 p. 13 - that is 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8 and assigns the highest numbers to two or three abilities that best fit the character class. The next highest two or three scores tend to be assigned either to Dexterity and/or Constitution, and the bottom two scores of 10 and 8 are randomly assigned to "dump stat" abilities that don't often come into play for that class.
Racial modifiers are added after priorities are set for the character class. For some heritage options such as half-elves and more recently published material, the stat bonuses are driven by class instead of race (+2 to a class prime ability, +1 to a second ability). This option is also available for any race but checking the "float +2/+1 ability score increases" box under
Custom Ability Scores.
For higher level characters, primary abilities are increased up to 20 first, then usually Constitution is increased by default.
If using the
"Customized Ability Scores at Level 1", "per class" will use whatever number is default for that ability per the selected character class. For example, a Fighter (Champion) uses 15 at level 1.
If using the "Ability Score Point Cost" method per the
D&D Player's Handbook p. 13, options available include the sets of numbers shown below and available in the pulldown menu.
15, 15, 15, 8, 8, 8 | 15, 15, 11, 10, 10, 10 | 15, 14, 12, 11, 11, 9 | 15, 12, 12, 12, 11, 11 | 14, 14, 12, 12, 12, 9 |
15, 15, 14, 10, 8, 8 | 15, 14, 14, 12, 8, 8 | 15, 14, 12, 11, 10, 10 | 14, 14, 14, 13, 9, 8 | 14, 14, 12, 12, 11, 10 |
15, 15, 14, 9, 9, 8 | 15, 14, 14, 11, 9, 8 | 15, 14, 11, 11, 11, 10 | 14, 14, 14, 12, 10, 8 | 14, 14, 12, 11, 11, 11 |
15, 15, 13, 12, 8, 8 | 15, 14, 14, 10, 10, 8 | 15, 13, 13, 13, 11, 8 | 14, 14, 14, 12, 9, 9 | 14, 13, 13, 13, 13, 8 |
15, 15, 13, 11, 9, 8 | 15, 14, 14, 10, 9, 9 | 15, 13, 13, 13, 10, 9 | 14, 14, 14, 11, 11, 8 | 14, 13, 13, 13, 12, 9 |
15, 15, 13, 10, 10, 8 | 15, 14, 13, 13, 9, 8 | 15, 13, 13, 12, 12, 8 | 14, 14, 14, 11, 10, 9 | 14, 13, 13, 13, 11, 10 |
15, 15, 13, 10, 9, 9 | 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8 | 15, 13, 13, 12, 11, 9 | 14, 14, 14, 10, 10, 10 | 14, 13, 13, 12, 12, 10 |
15, 15, 12, 12, 9, 8 | 15, 14, 13, 12, 9, 9 | 15, 13, 13, 12, 10, 10 | 14, 14, 13, 13, 11, 8 | 14, 13, 13, 12, 11, 11 |
15, 15, 12, 11, 10, 8 | 15, 14, 13, 11, 11, 8 | 15, 13, 13, 11, 11, 10 | 14, 14, 13, 13, 10, 9 | 14, 13, 12, 12, 12, 11 |
15, 15, 12, 11, 9, 9 | 15, 14, 13, 11, 10, 9 | 15, 13, 12, 12, 12, 9 | 14, 14, 13, 12, 12, 8 | 14, 12, 12, 12, 12, 12 |
15, 15, 12, 10, 10, 9 | 15, 14, 13, 10, 10, 10 | 15, 13, 12, 12, 11, 10 | 14, 14, 13, 12, 11, 9 | 13, 13, 13, 13, 13, 10 |
15, 15, 11, 11, 11, 8 | 15, 14, 12, 12, 11, 8 | 15, 13, 12, 11, 11, 11 | 14, 14, 13, 12, 10, 10 | 13, 13, 13, 13, 12, 11 |
15, 15, 11, 11, 10, 9 | 15, 14, 12, 12, 10, 9 | 15, 12, 12, 12, 12, 10 | 14, 14, 13, 11, 11, 10 | 13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12 |
Under EQUIPMENT & TREASURE, characters get gems. Where are the rules for gaining gems?
That's just a house rule I added for flavor. Dwarves start with more gems.
For warlocks, where can I find more info about the Otherworldly Patron listed on the sheet?
You can't, the 2014 PHB-based generator just uses generic entities put there as placeholders. Replace them with names that fit your DM's campaign.
Why is my character's random name offensive or unpronounceable?
While the array of random name options has been filtered to avoid obvious inappropriate combinations or results that cannot be deciphered, it can still happen.
Please report any bad results and include what race/class/gender combination was used to get to that name.
The "Character Gender" pulldown menu determines which array of names is used based mainly on Race / Ancestry / Heritage, but sometimes also from Class. "They and other non-binaries" includes a variety of gender-neutral options.
Are the race options from the Monster Manual and class options from the Dungeon Masters Guide "rules legal" to play?
Technically no, but they are presented in the main rules as "player character" options for Dungeon Masters who want to allow them. They are also included here for creating non-player characters.
Note that the vampire's powers are broken up into tiers (lesser powers at low level, more at higher levels). The "standard" vampire stats listed on MM p. 297 are for a being of roughly 15th to 17th level - an "elder" vampire, not someone recently turned undead. Legendary abilities have also been excluded from this option.
Are the low, modern and futuristic technology options from the Dungeon Masters Guide "rules legal" to play?
Kinda, it's up to your DM and the campaign. The semi-official options to include weapons and armor from other technology levels are based on Dan Helmick's
Unearthed Arcana: Modern Magic (classes and spells) and
My New D20 Modern Campaign (armor) conversion notes on
Wizards.com - expanding on the "Firearms" and "Alien Technology" rules already in the 5e
Dungeon Master's Guide.
For much more info on
Technology Levels For Dungeons & Dragons,
click here.
What's up with the Cypher System character generator?
I once had Monte Cook demo his
Numenera RPG for me and I really liked the system. I picked up
the Cypher System first edition rulebook and ran a few adventures with it for a couple of years. It's the way-less-crunchy
GURPS I've always wanted. The generator only creates "tier one" characters, which are Cypher's version of "low level" heroes.
Can you create a Fast Character version for (insert other role-playing game system here)?
Sadly, I've not had the time in real life to finish the other systems I've got in the works:
Traveller,
Call of Cthulhu 7th edition,
Adventures In Middle Earth, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons first edition). Maybe someday...
Can you create a Fast Character version in French?
Non. J'étais un élève pauvre, mais... "ne jamais dire jamais."
Who are you?
Just
an old grognard who has been
playing D&D and other RPGs since 1982. Programming was not my business when I started this site, I just Googled enough PHP to figure out how to make quick pre-gens. I put Fast Character out there because I needed something like it to exist for myself, and I want to help other people share in my life-long love of tabletop role-playing games.
Do you work for (insert game company here)?
No, but I have worked with serveral game publishers over the years to run organized play games, convention booths, live demonstrations and - back in the 1990s - live-action role-playing events based on
Traveller,
AD&D2e Planescape, the original
World of Darkness setting and some other supernatural games. (At a Gen Con long ago, I was asked to play the doomed vampire elder Hardestadt at White Wolf's official LARP at Milwaukee's Rave, and I was publicly murdered by Claudia Christian's character in the
Immortal LARP. So many fun death scenes that year.)
Post-pandemic in 2021, I began working with an interactive education company teaching creative writing through role-playing games to children in Brooklyn, New York.
For more information, drop me an email.