Baldur's Gate 3 gives players a stunning array of options when it comes to creating the main character. With limitless possible combinations from which to choose, it can be overwhelming for first-time players. If you find yourself staring at the character creation screen without any idea what you'd like to do, we can help.
Related: Baldur's Gate 3: Do You Need To Have Played Baldur's Gate 1 and 2?
This guide breaks down every section of character creation, including what every choice means for your character and gameplay. Use it to plan out your build and make the perfect character for your style of play!
Origin
Your first choice at character creation is your Origin. This lets you choose from a handful of pre-generated characters, or choose the "Customize" option at the top to build a hero of your own from the ground up. All the pre-generated characters, except for The Dark Urge, can join your party as companions if you aren't playing as them, so you don't have to worry about missing out on their abilities in combat.
Check out our Origin Characters Guide for a rundown of each pre-built character, or get started on a custom hero of your own!
Race
Your character's race is their species - there are dozens of sentient peoples throughout Faerun, and you can choose from eleven of these. Each race has a set of unique perks that can be taken on their own or, with some crafty building, combo with other character traits.
Most races also have Subraces, different lineages or cultures within their species that allow you to customize your character further.
All Playable Races In Baldur's Gate 3
Race | Movement Speed | Darkvision | Proficiencies | Perks | Subraces |
|---|
Dragonborn | 9m per turn | 0m | | - Breath Weapon: Can deal 2d6 damage in an area during combat.
- Elemental Resistance: Gains Resistance to a damage type based on Subrace.
| Affects scale color and horn shape, as well as damage type associated with Breath Weapon and Elemental Resistance: - Black / Copper: Acid
- Blue / Bronze: Lightning
- Green: Poison
- Red / Brass / Gold: Fire
- White / Silver: Frost
|
Drow | 9m per turn | 24m | - Rapier
- Shortsword
- Hand crossbow
| - Fey Ancestry: Gains Advantage on Saving Throws against Charm, immune to Sleep from magical effects.
| Affects certain character interactions, particularly with other drow: - Lolth-Sworn: Dedicated to the Spider Queen, the drow goddess.
- Seldarine: Renegade drow seeking to overthrow Lolth and her minions.
|
Dwarf | 7.5m per turn | 12m | - Battleaxe
- Light Axe
- Light Hammer
- War Hammer
| - Dwarven Resilience: Gains Advantage on Saving Throws against Poison, gains Resistance to Poison damage.
| Grants additional perks: - Gold Dwarf: Gain one additional hit point per Level, including Level One.
- Shield Dwarf: Gain proficiency with Light and Medium Armour regardless of Class.
- Duergar: Doubles range of Darkvision, gains Advantage on Saving Throws against Charm or Paralysis.
|
Elf | 9m per turn | 12m | - Shortsword
- Longsword
- Shortbow
- Longbow
| - Fey Ancestry: Gains Advantage on Saving Throws against Charm, immune to Sleep from magical effects.
| Grants additional perks: - High Elf: Learn one Wizard Cantrip regardless of Class, or learn an additional Cantrip if you're a Wizard.
- Wood Elf: Base movement speed increases to 10.5m per turn.
|
Githyanki | 9m per turn | 0m | - Shortsword
- Longsword
- Greatsword
- Light Armour
- Medium Armour
| - Astral Knowledge: Can use an action to become proficient with all Skills of a chosen Ability Score until the next Long Rest.
- Githyanki Psionics: Can cast Mage Hand regardless of Class.
| None. |
Gnome | 7.5m per turn | 12m | | - Gnome Cunning: Gains Advantage on Saving Throws made with Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma.
| Grants additional perks: - Rock Gnome: Doubles Proficiency Bonus on History Skill Checks.
- Forest Gnome: Can cast Speak With Animals regardless of Class.
- Deep Gnome: Doubles range of Darkvision, gains Advantage on Stealth Skill Checks.
|
Half-Elf | 9m per turn | 12m | - Spear
- Pike
- Halberd
- Glaive
- Light Armour
- Shield
| - Fey Ancestry: Gains Advantage on Saving Throws against Charm, immune to Sleep from magical effects.
| Grants additional perks: - High Half-Elf: Learn one Wizard Cantrip regardless of Class, or learn an additional Cantrip if you're a Wizard.
- Wood Half-Elf: Base movement speed increases to 10.5m per turn.
- Drow Half-Elf: Can cast Dancing Lights regardless of Class.
|
Halfling | 7.5m per turn | 0m | | - Lucky: Can re-roll Ability Checks, Saving Throws, or Attack Rolls that result in a one.
- Brave: Gains Advantage of Saving Throws against being Frightened.
| Grants additional perks: - Lightfoot: Gains Advantage on Stealth Skill Checks.
- Strongheart: Gains Advantage on Saving Throws against Poison, gains Resistance to Poison damage.
|
Half-Orc | 9m per turn | 12m | | - Relentless Endurance: Regains one hit point when reduced to zero hit points or below.
- Savage Attacks: Critical hits with melee weapons triple the damage dice rather than doubling them.
| None. |
Human | 9m per turn | 0m | - Spear
- Pike
- Halberd
- Glaive
- Light Armour
- Shield
| - Human Versatility: Gains an additional Skill Proficiency of the player's choice, increases carrying capacity by one-fourth.
| None. |
Tiefling | 9m per turn | 12m | | - Hellish Resistance: Gains Resistance to Fire damage.
| Affects skin color and horn shape. Learn an additional cantrip, regardless of Class: - Asmodeus: Produce Flame
- Mephistopheles: Mage Hand
- Zarial: Thaumaturgy
|
Class
A character's Class is the most important part of their build, as it affects everything from their stats and powers to which types of equipment they can use. As with Races, certain Classes have Subclasses that let you further specialize your build.
All Classes In Baldur's Gate 3
Class | Equipment | Features | Subclasses |
|---|
Barbarian | - Simple Weapons
- Martial Weapons
- Light Armour
- Medium Armour
- Shield
| - Rage: Deal additional melee and thrown damage and become Resistant to Physical damage for ten turns. Ends if you stop attacking.
- Unarmoured Defense: Adds Constitution Modifier to Armour Class while not wearing Armour.
| None. |
Bard | - Simple Weapons
- Hand Crossbow
- Longsword
- Rapier
- Shortsword
- Light Armour
| - Bardic Inspiration: Grants an ally +1d6 to their next Ability Check, Saving Throw, or Attack Roll.
- Spellcasting: Knows two cantrips and four spells at the start of the game.
| Sound effects during songs changes based on instrument being played (no in-game effect). |
Cleric | - Simple Weapons
- Morningstar
- Light Armour
- Medium Armour
- Heavy Armour
- Shield
| - Spellcasting: Knows three cantrips and five spells at the start of the game. Available spells are based on Subclass.
| - Life Domain: Specializes in healing.
- Light Domain: Specializes in illumination and battling undead.
- Trickery Domain: Specializes in stealth and deception.
- Knowledge Domain: Specializes in manipulation.
- Nature Domain: Specializes in wilderness survival and animal control.
- Tempest Domain: Specializes in damage-dealing.
- War Domain: Specializes in melee combat.
|
Druid | - Club
- Dagger
- Javelin
- Mace
- Quarterstaff
- Scimitar
- Sickle
- Spear
- Light Armour
- Medium Armour
- Shield
| - Spellcasting: Knows two cantrips and five spells at the start of the game.
| |
Fighter | - Simple Weapons
- Martial Weapons
- Light Armour
- Medium Armour
- Heavy Armour
- Shield
| - Second Wind: Can self-heal for 1d10+1 hit points as a bonus action.
| Can select a Fighting Style for additional benefits: - Archery: Gains +2 to ranged weapon attacks.
- Defense: Gains +1 Armour Class while wearing any sort of Armour.
- Dueling: Deals two additional damage with one-handed weapons as long as the other hand is empty.
- Great Weapons: Can re-roll a damage roll of 1 or 2 when wielding two-handed weapons.
- Protection: Enemies that you can see gain Disadvantage when attacking an ally within 1.5m of you if you have a shield equipped.
- Two-Weapon Fighting: Negates the damage penalty for fighting with a weapon in your off-hand.
|
Monk | - Simple Weapons
- Shortsword
| - Flurry Of Blows: Can make two unarmed strikes as a bonus action.
- Ki: Gains access to a unique resource that powers Monk features.
- Unarmoured Defence: Adds Wisdom modifier to Armour Class while not wearing Armour.
- Dextrous Attacks: Can use Dexterity instead of Strength to calculate accuracy and damage with Monk weapons.
- Deft Strikes: Unarmed attacks and Monk weapons always deal a minimum of 1d4 damage.
- Bonus Unarmed Strike: After attacking with a Monk weapon or unarmed strike, can make an unarmed strike as a bonus action.
| |
Paladin | - Simple Weapons
- Martial Weapons
- Light Armour
- Medium Armour
- Heavy Armour
- Shield
| - Lay On Hands: Can heal others and cure them of poisons or diseases.
- Divine Sense: Use a bonus action to gain Advantage on attack rolls against celestial, fiend, and undead creatures for two turns.
- Oaths: Gain a power based on your Subclass.
| Paladins gain an action based on their Oath, but must observe specific rules of behavior: - Oath Of The Ancients: Heals the Paladin and all nearby allies, then does so again next turn. The Paladin must act with kindness and love.
- Oath Of Devotion: Can bless an ally, making enemies that hit that ally take 1d4 Radiant damage. The Paladin must act with courage and protect the weak.
- Oath Of Vengeance: Bless an ally's weapon or your own to deal two Radiant damage and inflict Daze, in addition to its other effects. The Paladin must fight against evil and show no mercy to the wicked.
|
Ranger | - Simple Weapons
- Martial Weapons
- Light Armour
- Medium Armour
- Shield
| - Natural Explorer: Gains one of the following powers, chosen at character creation:
- Beast Tamer: Can cast Find Familiar for free.
- Urban Tracker: Gain proficiency with Sleight Of Hand.
- Wasteland Wanderer: Gain Resistance to Cold, Fire, or Poison damage.
| The Ranger's Favoured Enemy grants additional perks: - Bounty Hunter: Gain proficiency with Investigation; enemies hit with Ensnaring Strike have Disadvantage on their Saving Throw.
- Keeper Of The Veil: Gain proficiency with Arcana; learn the spell Protection From Good And Evil.
- Mage Breaker: Gain proficiency with Arcana; learn the spell True Strike.
- Ranger Knight: Gain proficiency with History and Heavy Armour.
- Sanctified Stalker: Gain proficiency with Religion; learn the spell Sacred Flame.
|
Rogue | - Simple Weapons
- Hand crossbow
- Longsword
- Rapier
- Shortsword
- Light Armour
| - Sneak Attack: Deals additional damage to enemies when you have Advantage to your attack roll against them.
| |
Sorcerer | - Dagger
- Quarterstaff
- Light Crossbow
| - Spellcasting: Knows four cantrips and two spells at the start of the game.
| Sorcerer subclasses grant additional powers, sometimes with unpredictable effects: - Wild Magic: Casting spells has a chance of causing an additional effect at random. The Sorcerer can increase the chance of unintended effects to gain Advantage on their next Ability Check, Attack Roll, or Saving Throw.
- Draconic Bloodline: Grants an additional hit point per Sorcerer level; Armour Class defaults to 13 when the Sorcerer isn't wearing armour.
- Storm Sorcery: After casting a spell (but not a cantrip), the Sorcerer can use a bonus action to fly until the end of their turn without triggering Opportunity Attacks.
|
Warlock | - Simple Weapons
- Light Armour
| - Spellcasting: Knows two cantrips and two spells at the start of the game.
| Warlocks gain their power by forging a pact with an otherworldly entity: - The Fiend: Gain four temporary hit points upon reducing an enemy to zero hit points.
- The Great Old One: When the Warlock lands a critical hit, the target and nearby enemies must make a Wisdom Saving Throw or become frightened.
- The Archfey: The Warlock can use an action for force nearby enemies to make a Wisdom Saving Throw or become Charmed or Frightened.
|
Wizard | - Dagger
- Quarterstaff
- Light Crossbow
| - Spellcasting: Knows three cantrips and six spells at the start of the game.
- Arcane Recovery: Can recover spent Spell Slots of 5th Level or below without resting while out of combat.
| |
Classes that don't start with any Subclasses can unlock advanced Subclasses during the game. Every class gains new features as they level up.
Related: Baldur's Gate 3: What Is Proficiency?
Background
Your character's Background details the life they lived before the game began. It provides additional Skills beyond those you've learned from your Class. Additionally, you'll be able to gain Inspiration, a useful bonus, during gameplay after taking actions that align with your Background.
All Backgrounds In Baldur's Gate 3
Background | Skills | Recommended Classes |
|---|
Acolyte | | - Cleric
- Druid
- Monk
- Paladin
|
Charlatan | - Deception
- Sleight Of Hand
| - Bard
- Warlock
- Rogue
- Sorcerer
|
Criminal | | |
Entertainer | | |
Folk Hero | | - Druid
- Monk
- Paladin
- Ranger
|
Guild Artisan | | - Bard
- Cleric
- Druid
- Sorcerer
- Warlock
|
Noble | | - Bard
- Sorcerer
- Warlock
- Wizard
|
Outlander | | - Barbarian
- Fighter
- Monk
- Paladin
- Ranger
|
Sage | | |
Soldier | | - Barbarian
- Fighter
- Monk
- Paladin
- Ranger
|
Urchin | | |
Abilities And Skills
Every character has six Ability Scores that represent their base attributes. Whenever you try to do something in the game, you'll have a better chance of success with a higher Ability Score. Ability Scores lower than ten are bad, while sixteen or higher is very good.
Each Class uses different Ability Scores more frequently, so it's best to make sure that your Class's primary Ability is the highest. On the Ability screen during character creation, you can choose one Ability Score to get a +2 bonus, and another to get a +1.
Your character's Skill proficiencies will grant you a bonus to Ability Checks that are related to that Skill.
Ability | Primary Uses | Primary Classes |
|---|
Strength (STR) | - Physical feats requiring muscle.
- Calculating melee and thrown weapon attacks.
| - Barbarian
- Fighter (melee)
- Ranger (melee)
- Paladin
|
Dexterity (DEX) | - Physical feats requiring speed and coordination.
- Calculating base Armour Class.
- Calculating ranged weapon attacks.
- Determining who goes first in combat.
| - Fighter (ranged)
- Ranger (ranged)
- Rogue
- Monk
|
Constitution (CON) | - Resisting the effects of poison, disease, exhaustion, etc.
- Determines base hit point total.
| - None, but important for tank builds and survivability in general.
|
Intelligence (INT) | - Learning and memorizing information.
- Scholarly endeavors such as history or mathematics.
| |
Wisdom (WIS) | - Noticing details.
- Common sense.
- Level-headedness.
| |
Charisma (CHA) | - Social interactions.
- Self-confidence.
| |
Once you've chosen all of these details, all that's left is to choose which spells you know (if your character can cast spells), then customize your appearance to your liking. At last, you'll be ready to set forth on your quest!
The Guardian
After finishing your character, you'll be asked to create your Guardian. This is an NPC who will appear later in the game; you can fully customize their appearance, but this is a cosmetic decision only and has no effect on gameplay.
Next: Baldur's Gate 3: Guide To Companions
