DragnaCarta
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Bronze+ Exclusive—Beginner's Character Sheet
🕑 Added 2022-01-12 18:10:06 +0000 UTCRunning TTRPGs for newbies is one of the greatest joys of being a DM—but I've often found that new players struggle with traditional character sheets.
"What's this number mean?" "What do I put in this box?" "What's a proficiency bonus?"
"Don't worry about it," we tell them—but if they're not supposed to worry about it, then why is it there, confusing them and slowing them down?
Enter: a new character sheet for beginners that focuses on (in my opinion) the most important part of TTRPGs: not the stats they have or the cool features they can use, but the decisions they make in-world. My goal is to ensure that, the next time you try to get your sibling, coworker, or parent to play D&D for the first time, they won't be immediately waylaid by the technical aspects—and won't have their imaginations limited by the specific "tools" their sheet presents—and can instead just enjoy a few hours of collaborative storytelling with friends.
How to Use this Sheet
1. Speak with your player about the kind of character they'd like to play. An elven pyromancer? A wise human wizard? A hardened dragonborn fighter?
2. Build a (1st-level) character for them. Generate ability scores that fit the character, and pick weapons, spells, tools, and skills that suit the player's aesthetic. Fill out the character sheet accordingly.
3. Give the character sheet to the player and let them read it. Answer any questions they have, but don't force them to memorize which skills are which. All they need to know: If they try to climb a cliff or attack with a longsword, they should trust you to tell what die to roll and (based on their sheet) what modifier to add.
4. If, after the first session, the player is excited and invested enough to want to keep playing and eventually reaches 2nd level with this character, swap this character sheet out for a traditional character sheet with more comprehensive features and teach them how it works.
I hope this helps! I'm hoping to continue to work on new DM tools and resources in 2022, so stay tuned for more.
Thanks as always for your support!
-Dragna
Comments
DragnaCarta
I used the Obra Letra and Didact Gothic fonts on Canva! I hope this sheet proves helpful :)
Carl Richard Hoopingarner II
Hi, what font did you use? I'd love to add translations in Chinese next to the English for my players who are English language learners and I don't want to mess up the font already in place. This character sheet is perfect for us!
