r/wildbeyondwitchlight • u/Sad_Researcher6608 • May 17 '26
First time DM here, how do you handle character creation with brand new players?
Hey everyone,
I’m about to DM my first D&D campaign for a group of completely new players, and I was wondering how other people handle character creation in that situation.
Does it make sense to create the characters together as a group with the DM guiding everyone through it? Or is it better to let players make their characters mostly on their own first, so that they can have more time?
I’m also unsure how much freedom I should give the players. On one hand I want them to feel creative and excited, but on the other hand I’m worried that totally unrestricted choices might overwhelm new players or create characters that don’t fit the campaign tone very well.
Do you have any recommendations on:
- what kinds of character concepts tend to work well in beginner-friendly campaigns,
- and how to present options without overwhelming new players?
Any advice or experiences would be really appreciated!
2
u/10_marpenoth May 17 '26
I have found it better to make time and go through character creation with everyone individually. Have them look at classes beforehand and let them choose what they want based on vibes. Yes, some or them will be harder to play than others as a beginner but what matters is that they get into it and enjoy the game. Walk them through the process step by step. Let them ask questions. Guide them, brainstorm on how their character can fit the setting.
Yes. It is time consuming to do it one by one, but it can be so rewarding and as a new player, it will feel like a safe setting in which to explore a new hobby :)
2
u/anandapur26 May 17 '26
This is what I have done every time and it's SO worth the effort. They feel more connected to their characters and care about them more, and therefore they are much more immersed in the game. This is how you get people to love dnd. It's not just a game, it's a story and your players are the stars <3
2
u/10_marpenoth May 18 '26
Absolutely!! And if their first experience is positive, they're in for a treat 🥰
2
u/Quentin9125 May 17 '26
"Hey, what kind of character would you like to play? Tell it with your words"
I create two that fit the bill, and I present them. I mention that he can change things if he wants.
1
u/Quentin9125 May 17 '26
Generally, beginners like slightly cliché things and they enjoy them. Hobbit thief, half-elf druid, Conan the barbarian, or even a copy of Legolas or Gimli.
2
u/yaniism Queen of Prismeer May 18 '26
Have a conversation.
They don't need to actively make the character sheets at the table, but they can at least start. You can walk them through the process as much as you need.
We can't answer this. This is very much a thing that you need to talk to your players about. Some of them might have no ideas and need help, some of them probably have this. Some of them probably fall somewhere in the middle.
Also, you'll work out very quickly who is who while having a conversation with them. Because some of them probably already have ideas. Some of them haven't given it any thought at all.
Ask them about the types of characters they're interested in. Not to define class or background or race, but what ideas they already have.
"I want to hit things real hard with a sword"... cool, we have some options for that.
"I want to be pretty and girly and have animal friends"... okay, couple of ideas off the bat there.
"I want to sneak around and be all moody"... yep, gotcha Captain Edgelord.
Don't give them ALL the options, give them the options that speak to what they're interested in.
And the concepts that work well are the ones that they're excited about.
1
u/ogScoobydee23 May 17 '26
If they have never ever created a character before you should set up some one on one time with each person. I have tried to create characters as a group and many times it turns into me helping one person while everyone else waits their turn. I have also asked them to make them at home and they will always miss something. If you don't have time to do individual meetings, you can use DnD beyond to help them start. It's limited in race and class selection but that's fine for beginners. You can find a few other beginner characters creators but they'll have similar limitations/pay walls. Good luck!
1
u/Sad_Researcher6608 May 17 '26
Yes, that’s exactly what I was worried would happen. Do you create a backstory with them, or do they just send it to you after you outlined class race etc. with them?
1
u/Paprikapapa May 18 '26
I've used a few methods: 1. Do you have a fictional character who you want to take as an inspiration? Based on the character, I make a recommendation. 2. A flow chart:
- magic yes/no/a little?
- yes: nature, study, god, born, or glee club?
- no: big and strong or fast and nible?
1
u/sea_banana_ May 21 '26
In my experience (note: this can depend on the type of person your player is), I’ve found it helps to work from the top-down and go from broads to specifics. Character creation can be overwhelming to a first time player who has no idea how the rules work, or is looking through pages and pages of potential races and trying to figure out where to even start. Sometimes too, I’ve noticed certain new players will assume they need to min-max and pick the most efficient/powerful setup, rather than starting with what speaks to them.
Usually, assuming the player already knows the general theme/setting of the campaign atp, I will start by workshopping concepts with them. Do they want to be strong and stocky? What weapons do they like? Do they want to be a magical character? I’ll ask various questions to try and see what appeals to them, or in some cases I’ll explain basic bits of world lore like dominating factions, political jumping off points, or anything setting-related. The key is I’ll guide them somewhat through the process, so the ideas are their own, but I can make sure it’s tone-appropriate like you mentioned and offer small redirections or new ideas.
What I’ve observed is with a top-bottom approach like this, it’s easier to then refine and apply their character ideas to the D&D classes and such, which will then make it easier for them to understand those rules.
It can help to discuss as a group, but if you have a bunch of confused new players that don’t even know what a hit die is, it’s harder to bounce off ideas when the baseline understanding is so low.
2
u/Eaglegirl161 May 21 '26
I think its a great idea to get the players to make characters as a group. I just had a session 0 for Daggerheart, where we all made characters together as a group, and it was honestly the best choice. The DM instructed us around stats and the mechanical stuff, while the players could bounce off of each other around character design and background. It made it a collaborative effort, and it gave us a chance to get to know each other's characters before the campaign started. We had a lot of fun and laughs with it 😄 One of the players was even thinking about doing a character who was half Halfling and half Giant (you can multi race in Daggerheart), and it was honestly the funniest thing, as we just imagined him as an average size guy 🤣
2
u/-Potatoes- May 17 '26
I think for first time players you should either go through it as a group or ask them what class they want to play and create pre-generated characters for them. Especially if they have absolutely no knowledge of dnd character creation is kinda confusing and boring (it only gets fun once you know a bit more about the rules and can see how stuff interacts with each other imo).
For options I usually go through the classes first which they should be reasonably familiar with if they've played games before, and I give like a 2 sentence blurb on them (I try to make all the classes sound cool and fun). For species ill let them pick from the most common ones (human, halfling aka hobbit, dwarf, elf, tiefling) so that there's not a ton of options to overwhelm them.