We used various methods to generate characters over the years of game play in my campaign. Mostly the dice quantity used is the big change.
I'll link to the various pages here on how we generated characters.
Most players wanted a specific character race; elf, gnome, half-elf, human, etc.
So instead of rolling dice first, then using those numbers to decide character race and character class, the player decided the race and class first.
I allowed re-rolls under some conditions. Typically we rolled 4d6 for 7 numbers. And the player placed them where they wanted them to. I didn't go by the 'roll in sequence' for the character stats.
After a year or so of game play, I decided that first level characters could get the maximum hit points possible.
For hit point generation above first level:
d4 characters if roll a 1, reroll until you don't get a 1.
d6 or d8 characters, if roll a 1 or 2, reroll until you don't get a 1 oe\r 2.
d10 or d12 characters, if roll a 1, 2, or 3, then reroll until you don't get a 1, 2, or 3.
Any stat under a 9 gets re-rolled until it is at least a 9.
These character race pages show the character classes available, the minimum and maximum starting ability numbers, and the character alignment requirements. I'm currently retyping them and I hope to be done sometime in March, 2012.
Player Characters races not in my campaign; deep gnome, drow, wild elf. These are NPCs only.
Player characters can't be assassins.
Dwarf character classes
Elf character classes
Gnome
Half-Elf
Halfling
Human
After selecting a character race and class, dice are rolled.
I allowed a few rerolls if the player really wanted a particular character race and class.
Hair and eye combinations are all on one page.
Equipment price lists Items on several pages, in alphabetical order. Not all items available in all game towns. Some items require going to a city to find.
— Character generation
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