Chapter III · the long way around
Build Your Own
For the Baldur's Gate 3, Skyrim, and veteran D&D players who want to build from scratch.
If you already know the drill — if you've spent three hundred hours staring at a character sheet in some other game — ignore the archetype gallery and build whatever you want. This page has every species, every class, a stat array, and a short note on how to wire your backstory into ours so the night's big twist still lands on your seat too.
Pick a species. Pick a class. Write three paragraphs about why they left home. Email Andreas. He'll sharpen the rough edges with you in chat. Done.
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Pick a Species
These are the ten in the 2024 Player's Handbook. Any of them works for this adventure. The flavor text below is a one-line vibe check — the full traits are a Google search away.
Want something off-menu?
These aren't in the 2024 PHB, but Andreas will let you play them if the vibe is right. Ask.
- Half-Elf — rootless, bridged between two worlds
- Half-Orc — the classic outsider, all teeth and heart
- Tabaxi — feline wanderer, impossibly curious
- Firbolg — gentle giant from the deep woods
- Genasi — born of an elemental plane, fire/water/earth/air-touched
- Githyanki — astral warriors. You know what these look like if you played BG3
Pick a Class
All twelve 2024 classes are in play. Your subclass (the flavor of your class) is unlocked at 3rd level, and you're starting at 4th, so you'll pick one. Any class can lean in any direction — the archetype gallery has suggestions if you want inspiration.
Your Stats — Standard Array
Don't roll dice for stats. Don't do point-buy unless you love spreadsheets. Assign these six numbers to your six abilities (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma), highest to lowest, in whatever order makes sense for your class:
Wait — what do those six actually mean?
Short version, for the crowd that didn't grow up with a character sheet. Full explainer on the New Here? page.
- Strength — raw muscle. Doors, greatswords, shoves.
- Dexterity — quickness. Dodging, sneaking, bows, lockpicks.
- Constitution — toughness. Hit points. Soaking punishment.
- Intelligence — book smarts. Wizards, spell recall, clues.
- Wisdom — street smarts. Spotting traps, reading people, sensing.
- Charisma — force of personality. Persuasion, performance, lies.
15Primary
14Secondary
13Third
12Fourth
10Fifth
8Dump
Your species and background give you modifiers on top of this. The short version: Fighters and Barbarians want 15 in Strength; Wizards want 15 in Intelligence; Clerics and Druids want 15 in Wisdom; Bards, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Paladins want 15 in Charisma; Rogues, Rangers, and Monks want 15 in Dexterity. Put your 14 into Constitution unless you really hate staying alive.
You are starting at 4th level. That means you've already taken one Ability Score Improvement (add +2 to one stat or +1 to two), you've got your subclass features, and you're playing a character with some real teeth. Hit points, proficiency bonus, and the rest are on any 2024 character sheet — or Andreas can just fill them in for you. Don't sweat it.
Slot Your Backstory In
This is the only part that isn't optional. The adventure hinges on every player secretly sharing a thread — so whichever species and class you picked, your backstory needs to click into one of the eight archetype slots. It doesn't have to match exactly. It just has to rhyme.
Look at the archetype gallery and pick the one whose story sounds closest to yours — even if the suggested class is different from what you rolled. You want to play a halfling druid but the Disgraced Knight story sings to you? A halfling druid who was exiled from their circle for a crime they didn't commit is a fantastic character. Send that email.
When you write Andreas, tell him three things:
- Your species and class.
- Which archetype your backstory is rhyming with.
- A short paragraph — three or four sentences — about who they are, where they're from, and what they want.
He'll do the rest in chat. The adventure is built so that every archetype — played straight or reskinned — has a thread waiting for you.
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A week before we play, a letter will arrive at your house. Open it alone. Do not compare notes with the others until you reach the Trade Way.