Your Character at Level 4

Pick a Background

In the 2024 rules, background is the heavy lifter. It's not a flavor tag any more — it's where your stats, your first feat, and half your starting gear actually live. If you've played older D&D and are used to background being "a cute paragraph about your past," reset that expectation. One pick gets you all of this:

• Ability-score boosts. Either +2 to one stat and +1 to another, or +1 to three stats. (These used to come from species. They don't anymore.)
• An Origin Feat. Your very first feat, baked in. No extra decision — each background comes with one attached.
• Two skill proficiencies — the things you're genuinely good at outside combat.
• One tool proficiency — carpenter's tools, thieves' tools, a musical instrument, whatever fits.
• Starting equipment — a clothes-and-coins package that paints who you were on day one.

Below are eight backgrounds that slot cleanly into this adventure's world. Any of the 2024 PHB backgrounds is fair game — these are just the ones whose Origin Feat and skill set we've sanity-checked against the story. Pick on vibe.

Pick a Species

Species is now the body — not the stats. Under 2024, species gives you size, speed, darkvision (or not), and a short list of traits baked into the biology. No more "+2 Strength for being a dwarf." Your dwarf can be the brainy one.

The ten in the 2024 Player's Handbook are all in play for this adventure. Full descriptions live on the Build Your Own page (and a deeper species reference is coming to this chapter). The short vibe check:

Pick a Class & Subclass

Class is the big one — what your character does. The 2024 PHB has twelve. At 4th level, you've already committed to a subclass (that's the flavor, and it unlocks at 3rd). So your Fighter isn't just a fighter — they're a Champion, or a Battle Master, or an Eldritch Knight. Your Warlock has a specific patron. Your Wizard has a school.

The eight archetype cards are the fast path — pick one and we hand you a pre-built character at level 4. If you'd rather build from a class, we're writing a deep detail page for every class (Barbarian → Wizard, twelve in total) — subclass breakdown, signature moves at level 4, a short "what you'll do on your turn" blurb, and a recommended build for this adventure.

Ability Scores + Your 4th-Level Pick

Six numbers describe your body and mind. You assign the standard array to them — no dice — highest to lowest, in whatever order suits your class:

Then apply your background's ability-score bonus on top (the +2 / +1 from Step 1). If you took Soldier and you're a Fighter, that Primary 15 becomes a 17 in Strength. A +3 modifier. That's what you roll with.

Don't know what the six abilities do? The full explainer is on the New Here? page. The two-line version: Strength for weapons and doors, Dexterity for bows and dodging, Constitution for hit points, Intelligence for book-smarts and Wizard spells, Wisdom for street-smarts and Cleric/Druid spells, Charisma for talking and Bard/Sorcerer/Warlock/Paladin spells.

If you want a feat instead, these eight are the crowd-pleasers at this power level — all are General feats, which is what the 4th-level pick lets you take (a few you might have heard of — Lucky, Tough, Magic Initiate — are Origin feats in 2024, baked into backgrounds only):

Spells, Features, HP & Gear

The last stuff — the kit you walk into Act I with. This is where most character sheets get nervous. Don't. Andreas will fill any of this in with you if it feels like homework.

Spells at Level 4

How much magic you're slinging depends entirely on class:

• Full casters (Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard): cantrips + four 1st-level slots + three 2nd-level slots. You can throw down real magic.
• Half casters (Paladin, Ranger): three 1st-level slots. No 2nd-level yet. Your magic is a seasoning on your fighting.
• Pact caster (Warlock): two 2nd-level pact slots — and they come back on a short rest. Weird math, great at a one-shot.
• Subclass casters (Eldritch Knight Fighter, Arcane Trickster Rogue): limited — two 1st-level slots at this level.
• No spells (Barbarian, Monk, most Fighters, most Rogues): zero. Which is fine. Your class features are your magic.

At this level, don't overthink spell selection. Pick one strong attack spell, one control spell (Hold Person, Faerie Fire, Web), one utility (Detect Magic, Healing Word, Misty Step), and fill the rest on vibe. Andreas has the recommended list for each class — just ask.

Features You've Unlocked

Between levels 1 and 4, every class unlocks a handful of signature moves. A rough sketch:

• Barbarian — Rage (3×/day at level 4), Reckless Attack, Danger Sense, Primal Path features.
• Bard — Bardic Inspiration (d6), Jack of All Trades, Song of Rest, College features.
• Cleric — Channel Divinity (1×), Domain features, domain spells always prepared.
• Druid — Wild Shape (2×/short rest), Circle features, Primal Order.
• Fighter — Action Surge (1×/short rest), Second Wind, Weapon Mastery, Archetype feature.
• Monk — Martial Arts, Ki/Focus points (4), Unarmored Movement, Tradition feature.
• Paladin — Divine Smite, Lay on Hands (20 pts), Sacred Oath feature, first Aura.
• Ranger — Favored Enemy, Natural Explorer, Fighting Style, Conclave feature.
• Rogue — Sneak Attack (2d6), Cunning Action, Uncanny Dodge, Archetype feature.
• Sorcerer — Sorcery Points (4), Metamagic (two options), Origin feature.
• Warlock — Pact Boon (Blade, Chain, Tome, Talisman), Patron feature, Eldritch Invocations (two).
• Wizard — Arcane Recovery, Sub-school feature, 10 spells in your spellbook.

Hit Points

Take the average for each level after 1st. It's faster and usually better than rolling. The math for a level-4 character with a +2 Constitution modifier:

• d12 classes (Barbarian): 12 + (7 + 7 + 7) + (2 × 4) = 41 HP
• d10 classes (Fighter, Paladin, Ranger): 10 + (6 + 6 + 6) + (2 × 4) = 36 HP
• d8 classes (Bard, Cleric, Druid, Monk, Rogue, Warlock): 8 + (5 + 5 + 5) + (2 × 4) = 31 HP
• d6 classes (Sorcerer, Wizard): 6 + (4 + 4 + 4) + (2 × 4) = 26 HP

Higher CON means more. The Tough feat adds +8 on top. These are comfortable, survivable hit-point totals — you can take a couple of hits and keep going.

Starting Gear

Class + background combined give you everything you need: armor if your class wears it, a primary weapon, a backup, a pack full of useful junk (rope, rations, torch, bedroll), a trinket from your background, and a handful of gold. Don't buy anything exotic yet — the adventure has loot waiting for you.

Send It

You don't have to have all of this locked before you email Andreas. You probably shouldn't — half of it is easier to talk through in chat. The four things he actually needs:

1. Your species.
2. Your class (and subclass if you've picked).
3. Your background.
4. Which archetype your backstory rhymes with (see the gallery).

Everything else — ability scores, feats, spells, HP, gear — Andreas can sort out with you over one beer at Oscars, or in a five-message text chain. The adventure is designed so no one walks into the tavern feeling like they missed their homework.