Download PART 1: CHARACTERS and more Slides Game Theory in PDF only on Docsity!
D&D Adventurer’s League Player’s Guide
of Forgotten Realms or nonhuman deities presented in appendix B of the Player’s Handbook or the D&D basic rules_._ Clerics and characters with the Acolyte background must choose a deity from that list. If you’re a cleric, you can choose one of the deity’s suggested domains or the Life domain. The Death domain is not allowed unless that rules option is available for your storyline season.
Determine Ability Scores
You can generate your character’s ability scores using one of the following methods:
- Standard set (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8)
- Customizing ability scores variant ( Player’s Handbook chapter 1) After assigning ability scores, apply your racial benefits to derive your starting ability score at 1st level. You cannot roll your ability scores.
Describe Your Character
Select the following additional details to help define your character, as presented in your allowed rules:
- Name
- Alignment
- Ideals
- Bonds
- Flaws
- Background
- Faction (optional)
Starting Lifestyles Your starting lifestyle is determined by your background. You can change your lifestyle (up or down) when you spend downtime days for activities.
Starting Lifestyles Background Starting Lifestyle Acolyte Modest Charlatan Comfortable Criminal Poor Entertainer Modest Folk Hero Modest Guild Artisan Comfortable Hermit Poor Noble Wealthy Outlander Poor Sage Modest Sailor Modest Soldier Modest Urchin Modest
Allowed Alignments D&D Adventurers League play focuses on creating a welcoming, fun environment. Though we recognize that most players are able to portray characters who run a wide range of motivations, we’ve decided to restrict
This section contains information on creating and advancing characters for play in the D&D Adventurers League.
Allowed Rules
Characters originating during the Tyranny of Dragons storyline season can use the following rules for character options:
- D&D basic rules (all rules except rolling ability scores and hit points, some alignment restrictions)
- D&D Player’s Handbook ™ (all rules except rolling abil- ity scores and hit points, some alignment restrictions)
- Hoard of the Dragon Queen ™ appendix A
Official documentation, such as a D&D Adventurers League certificate, might provide exceptions to the allowed rules.
Character Creation
To create a character for the D&D Adventurers League, follow the steps below. Special exceptions and unique rules as applicable to the D&D Adventurers League are noted within each section. Characters begin play at 1st level.
Choose a Story Origin
Select your story origin for your character. Most of the time, this is simple—it’s your starting adventure’s storyline season. Your choice of story origin tells you what rules you can use for character options. You can choose any available story origin, even if you plan on playing in another storyline. The following story origins are currently available:
Choose a Race
All races available in your rules for character options are allowed for play, including the uncommon races. Variant Human Traits. If you are playing a human, you are allowed to use the variant traits, as presented in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook.
Choose a Class
All classes and character options within each class available in your rules are allowed for play. Deities. D&D Adventurers League storylines are set in the Forgotten Realms, and as such, people worship the deities of that world. If you would like your character to worship a deity, you can choose one from the list
Using Pregenerated Characters
If you don’t want to create a character right away, that’s fine. You can use a pregenerated character to get started, and later on, you can change your character to something that you find more interesting, or modify your existing character. See “Character Advancement” for more information on how this is done.
Part 1: Characters
D&D Adventurer’s League Player’s Guide
The Adventure Logsheet In addition to your character sheet, you should have an adventure logsheet. This sheet serves as a record of each session of play. Treat your logsheet as an extension of your character sheet; it is your official record of your character! Fill in the top of the logsheet prior to playing your first adventure. At the end of each session of play, fill in all information provided, even if your character didn’t earn some of it (simply put a “0” on those lines). Most of the information on the sheet is self- explanatory, but a few items bear additional explanation. XP. You begin play with 0 experience points (XP). Gold. You begin play with whatever gold pieces (gp) you had after you purchased your initial gear. You can express silver pieces (sp) and copper pieces (cp) by using decimals. Downtime. At the end of each adventure, your character will earn days of downtime, which you can spend on different downtime activities. Your Dungeon Master will tell you how much downtime each adventure earns. You begin with 0 downtime days. Renown. You begin play with 0 renown points in your faction. If you do not have a faction, you do not track renown (just fill all the lines with “0”). Magic Items. Record the number of permanent magic items your character possess here; record the name of the item in the adventure notes area. You begin with 0 permanent magic items. Adventure Notes/Downtime Activity. Use this space to record notes from the adventure. At a minimum, you should write down any magic items gained (permanent or consumable). If you’re spending downtime, note what activity you’re engaged in.
alignment choices to keep groups from becoming too self-destructive. The following alignments are not allowed in the D&D Adventurers League:
- Neutral evil
- Chaotic evil
In addition, the following alignment is restricted to Lords’ Alliance or Zhentarim faction characters only:
Factions When you create a character, or at any time you’d like during your character’s adventuring career, you can choose to become a member of a faction. A faction is an organization dedicated to achieving its goals through its members’ actions across Faerûn, the main continent of the Forgotten Realms. Each faction is distinct, and offers adventurers a chance to earn prestige within its ranks through the acquisition of renown by completing adventures and tasks that further that factions’ interest. Factions persist from storyline to storyline, and are woven into the fabric of current and future narratives in the D&D Adventurers League. Factions each have their own goals, but are not overtly hostile to one another. Faction members might have a dislike of other factions, but they are civilized enough to keep from being completely antagonistic. If you have your character join a faction, the following rules apply. Joining a faction is optional. One Faction Only. You can be a member of only one faction at a time. If you ever switch factions or decide to become unaffiliated, you lose all benefits and renown associated with your former faction. The factions aren’t kind to traitors or deserters. No Undermining of Other Characters During Adventures. Adventurers are brought together by common cause, and during an adventure, they’re expected to work together to overcome challenges. Though certain factions might find others distasteful, individuals will put that aside and become a team when put in dangerous situations. In short, play nice with each other when things get deadly.
Choose Equipment
When you create your D&D Adventurers League character, you can choose one of two options for your equipment:
- Take starting equipment as determined by your class and background.
- Take maximum gold pieces (gp) for your class as noted in chapter 5 of the Player’s Handbook or basic rules, and buy your equipment piecemeal. Purchasing Items. You can purchase any mundane item found in your rules for character options. Trinkets. You can begin play with one trinket of your choice from the table in chapter 5 of the Player’s Handbook or basic rules, or you can roll randomly to determine your trinket.
The Five Factions
Five factions are available for play in the D&D Adventurers League. More information on the factions and their associated ranks and benefits can be found in part 3 of this guide. Characters always begin at rank 1 in a faction. The Harpers is a scattered network of spellcasters and spies who advocate equality and covertly oppose the abuse of power. The Order of the Gauntlet is composed of faithful and vigilant seekers of justice who protect others from the depredations of evildoers. The Emerald Enclave is a widespread group of wilderness survivalists who preserve the natural order while rooting out unnatural threats. The Lords’ Alliance is a loose coalition of established political powers concerned with mutual security and prosperity. The Zhentarim is an unscrupulous shadow network that seeks to expand its influence and power throughout Faerûn.
D&D Adventurer’s League Player’s Guide
Magic items cannot be sold, and are not generally available for purchase, except for potions of healing (see “Adventuring Gear” in chapter 5 of the basic rules or Player’s Handbook ).
Receiving Magic Items Magic items are rare and wondrous things, with permanent magic items even more so. At the end of some sessions, your group might have a small number of magic items to divide up among the characters. The Dungeon Master helps the group determine who gets the magic items, but in general, if everyone in the group is in agreement that a specific character should receive a magic item, then that character gets it. If you receive a magic item, write the item in the adventure notes section of your adventure logsheet. If the item is a consumable item (a potion, scroll, or other one-use item), you can also write it on your character sheet, but make sure to erase or cross it out when you use it. If the item is a permanent magic item, write the item in the adventure notes section of your adventure logsheet and on your character sheet. In addition, you’ll need to update the number of magic items noted in the magic item column on the logsheet (above the adventure notes). Your total number of permanent magic items helps determine who gets future magic items found in adventures.
New Options. See the sidebars for using downtime for spellcasting services and catching up. Other Activities. Certain adventures might have special downtime activities available, and higher- ranking faction members get access to special downtime activities exclusive to their faction.
Recording Downtime To record your downtime activity, simply deduct the days from your total on your adventure logsheet. Make a note of your downtime activity and the total number of days used toward it in the adventure notes section. For example, if you wanted to train to learn the Gnomish language and you spent 10 days doing so, you’d write Training: Gnomish (10) after the first time you spent downtime toward this activity, and deduct 10 days from your downtime total. If you spend 5 days later on, you’d write Training: Gnomish (15) in your notes section, and deduct 5 more days from your downtime total.
Recording Lifestyle Expenses Whenever you engage in a downtime activity, you must pay your lifestyle expenses, as described in chapter 5 of the basic rules or Player’s Handbook. Simply deduct the cost from your gold on your adventure logsheet. It takes a while to increase your lifestyle, but it’s easy to reduce it. If you spend one or more downtime days maintaining a lower lifestyle than your current lifestyle, your lifestyle changes to that new lifestyle. If you spend 30 downtime days maintaining a higher lifestyle than your current lifestyle, your lifestyle changes to that new lifestyle.
Buying and Selling Items
At the end of an episode or adventure (and sometimes during an adventure), you can buy or sell mundane items. Any gems, jewelry, art objects, and trade goods you find during adventures are automatically converted to their full value in gold and divided up among the adventurers in your group. Arms, armor, and other equipment fetch half their cost if you sell them. Arms and armor obtained from monsters is worthless unless otherwise specified; if such gear is found during an adventure, it can be used for the duration of the session before it breaks or becomes unusable.
Downtime: Catching Up
Sometimes the rest of your party levels up a bit before you do. Instead of watching them go on higher-level adventures while leaving you at home, you can catch up. When you’re catching up, your character is assumed to be going on a small side adventure, such as guarding a caravan or patrolling the wilderness. Catching up is a special downtime activity only available at 4th level and 10th level, to get your character to the next tier of play. At 4th level, you can spend 20 downtime days to level up to the start of 5th level. At 10th level, you can spend 100 downtime days to level up to the start of 11th level. You still pay lifestyle expenses when you spend downtime catching up.
Exchanging Wealth
You cannot give another character gold. However, you can pay for some or all of the cost of services that help another character, such as the cost of a raise dead spell. In order to donate funds toward services for another character, you must be in the same party (at the same play table) unless otherwise specified by the adventure.
Certificates
Some events offer certificates for magic items or other rewards. Most certificates are representations of an item earned in an adventure. Some magic items have a trade log on them. If you have a certificate of a magic item, it might unlock the ability to trade the item to another character. You cannot trade magic items without a certificate. Characters can trade magic items only on a one-for-one basis, and can trade items only of equivalent rarity. The rarity of each magic item is noted on the certificate. Fill out the trade log to trade the magic item to another character. If a magic item doesn’t have a trade log on it, it cannot be traded. Most magic items can be traded a maximum of two times before being locked to the last owner. You do not need a certificate to show you have ownership of a magic item. Your adventure logsheet should have that information. If you lend out your magic items during play to other characters, they revert back to your ownership at the end of the session. There are also a few special certificates that aren’t obtainable through normal play. These certificates might provide additional benefits or exceptions to some of the rules in this document.
D&D Adventurer’s League Player’s Guide
Character Advancement
A character who earns enough XP to advance a level can do so at the end of a long rest or at the end of a session. A character who earns enough renown to advance a rank in his or her faction can do so at the end of an episode or an adventure. Note your new level or rank on your character sheet and in the notes section of your adventure logsheet. Hit Points at Higher Levels. Whenever you gain a level, use the fixed hit point value shown in your class entry. You cannot roll your hit points. Customization Options. If your allowed rules for character options includes the Player’s Handbook, you can use the options in chapter 6, including multiclassing and feats.
Leveling and Tiers of Play
Adventures for the D&D Adventurers League are broken into four tiers of play—first tier (levels 1–4), second tier (levels 5–10), third tier (levels 11–16), and fourth tier (levels 17–20). Your character’s level determines which tier of adventures you can play with that character. You cannot play adventures outside your tier. You can level your character after completing a long rest, or at the end of an episode or adventure. You’ll find that your character will gain levels quickly to 3rd level. After that, it might take twelve hours of play or more to progress from one level to the next.
Character Rebuilding
We recognize that many players will start out with a pregenerated character, or might try out a character class, race, or other option, and then decide later on that it wasn’t what they were looking for. As such, characters in the first tier (levels 1–4) can be rebuilt after any episode or adventure. A player cannot change a character’s name, but can rebuild the character using any other rules options available for that character’s story origin. The character keeps all experience, treasure, equipment, magic items, downtime, and faction renown earned to that point. The character does not get new starting equipment. If a player decides to change his or her character’s faction, that character loses all renown earned with the former faction, and starts at 0 with the new faction. Once a character reaches 5th level, rebuilding is not allowed.
