Character Creation Guide

20.07.2026 @ 2021

The following page is to help guide you through creating a new character for the Last Horizons West Marches game.

Characters are created using the core rules from the 2024 Player’s Handbook, together with the changes and additional options described below.

When starting a new character the starting level is ONE, if you have a living and active character at or above level five, you may start a character at level five.

If you are looking to create a level at a higher level jump to Starting at 5th level.

D&D Beyond Setup

After joining the campaign, the Dungeon Master will invite you to a D&D Beyond campaign containing the books and character options used in the game. Please take the time to ensure your character settings are set up accordingly:

Sources: Enable only the "5.5e Core Rules" and "5.5e Expanded Rules."
Make sure you disable the Partnered Content and "Third-Party Content" options.

Dice Rolling: Only enable this if you plan on using DDB as you main character sheet.

Optional Features: We will NOT be using the Optional Class Features and Customise Your Origin rules.

Advancement Type: Must be set to XP, not milestone.

Hit Point Type: This is your choice, the fixed option is recomended. Once you have set this option it can't be changed later.

Prerequisites: Are enabled for Feats and Multiclassing.

Level-Scaled Spells: For full class options it's best to enable this.

Encumbrance: We are using encumvernace at this tabel, set it to Use Encumbrance and ensure that the Ignore Coin Weight option is off.

Ability Score Display: Is player prefrence.

Your character sheet must be public, this is to ensure the GM has access and the VTT can find it.

Permitted Sourcebooks

If you are in the DDB campign page you will have access to the permited books even if you don't own them.

When building your characters the options from the following books don't need prior approval;

• 2024 Players Handbook (PHB)
• 2024 Dungeon Masters Guide (DMG)
• 2024 Monster Manual (MM)
• Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn (FR:HoF)
• Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn (FR:AiF)
• Ravenloft: The Horrors Within (R:HW)

Some rules need us to accesss other books. Options from the following are partly enabled:

• Xanathar’s Guide to Everything (XGE)
• Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything (TCE)
• Sword Coast Adventures Guide

When using any legacy content first check if it has a 2024 update, if not then ask the Dugneon Master if you can use it.

Ability Scores

Players a free to use the Point Buy or Standard Array methoods of seting up their attributes.

Starting Gear

A first level character may pick the starting gold set by there class and background, or the starting equipment of the class and background.

Encumbrance and Coin Weigh

Remeber this campaign is useing the standard encumbrance rules, starting gear can often push low STR characters beyond their carrying capacity!

you also need to remeber that coins have weight, 50 coins of any type weigh 1lb.

Backgrounds & Backstory

You can pick any background form the permited sources, if the background has a faction associated with it change the faction to the next best match in this world. Read the Faction Bios to get a better understanding of there goals!

When you pick any faction connected background you instantly gain five renown in that faction and a faction trinket.

Backstory

Once the characters mechanics are done its time to think about there story. You need to respond to the following promps as the character and note it on your chracter sheet. It's also worth sending it to your Dungeon Master!

What dies the Guild mean to me? Unless you are starting at level 5, you have only recently joined the Guild.
Think about:

• How did you join?
• Why did you join?
• What do you hope to do in the Guild?
• What does being part of the Guild mean to you?

A character starting at level 5 has already been a Guild member for several years. Describe some of the work they have previously completed for the Guild.

What Drives Me Forward? Describe your character’s primary goal.
Consider:

• What do they want?
• Why does it matter to them?
• What are they prepared to sacrifice?
• What will happen if they fail?

Who are my Contacts? Everyone knows someone this is your chance to creat an NPC ally, patron, lover, or even rival!

Who was I before the Guild? What where you doing before taking on a life of adventure, what made you stop?

Its a Knife!

As part of crafting your backstory make sure you forge at elast three Knives. When one of your Knives already appears elsewhere in your backstory, repeat it on the notes for clarity, and above all tell you Dungeon Master; "This is my Knife, please stab me with it."

What is a Knife?

A Knife is a person, secret, fear, obligation, mystery, or other story element that the Dungeon Master can use to make an adventure personal to your character.

They are called Knives because players lovingly forge them and hand them to the Dungeon Master, who may then use them to stab the character and their friends repeatedly.

A Knife could be:

• A named person your character cares about, living or dead.
• A mystery from your character’s life.
• A crime your character has been falsely, or rightly, accused of committing.
• A secret your character is protecting.

A good Knife should give the Dungeon Master something specific that could appear during an adventure. Instead of

"My character has enemies."

You should write,

"Captain Alrik Voss believes I murdered his son and has sworn to bring me back to Frankonia in chains."

Advanced Rules

If your just starting out this may be a good point for you to stop and come back to later. The rules up ahead cover more technical rules and systems!

Multiclassing

When a character arrives at level five they may multiclass assuming they have the core attribute score of there main class and off class above a 13.

Example.
A Druid Barbarain must have a 13 in both Wisdome and Strength.

Multiclassing can provide additional options and unusual combinations, but it may delay or prevent access to powerful higher-level class features. Consider the decision carefully.

A Characters combined level cannot be above a 20.

Starting at 5th Level

You may only create a new character at level 5 after one of your existing characters has reached level 5 in any class.

Starting Wealth and Resources

Instead of the standard starting gear and gold a character starting at level five gains:

• 500 GP
• 40 Downtime Days, to spend right away or save for later.
• 15 Renown in any faction

A level 5 character does not automaticly begin with a Bastion. They must establish one through the normal Bastion rules.

Magical Item Boon

A character starting at level five also gain the oppitunity to pick one of the following items to start with in there gear;

Experienced Guild Member

A level 5 character has already served the Guild for several years. Their backstory should describe one of the following:

• At least one previous Guild mission.
• A notable success or failure.
• Their existing reputation within the Guild, or there starting faction.
• How they earned their starting Renown.
• Why they are now available for new adventures.

Additional Characters

You may create more than one character, but all your characters must be socially connected in some way.

To unlock an additional character, one of your active characters must spend 3 downtime days introducing or establishing that character within the campaign. More information on downtime can be found in the Downtime Guide.

The Dungeon Master may reject or request changes to character lore that conflicts with the setting or established campaign events.

Replacing or Retiring a Character

You are not required to continue playing a character you no longer enjoy. A character may be retired and removed from active play at any time.

When a character is retired:

Their equipment and magic items are removed from play.

Their Bastion, if they have one, falls into ruin.

They no longer participate in major campaign plots, but tThe Dungeon Master may allow them to appear in the background of the setting.

You may then create a replacement character at level one or level five if that option is avilable to you.

Open Characters

The Dungeon Master may provide pre-generated, level-appropriate characters known as Open Characters. Nomraly when the world has an influx of new players or the adventure fits spesific character traits.

You may use an Open Character when:

• You do not yet have a suitable active character.
• our normal character is unavailable.
• You would like to try a different class or concept.
• You do not want to create a permanent character immediately.

Adopting a Character

A player without an active character may adopt an Open Character as their permanent character.

Submitting an Open Character

Players may submit their own Open Characters for Dungeon Master approval. An Open Character must follow all the normal character creation rules in this guide.