Random Characters - Pathfinder

Introduction

So you need a new character. Maybe you just need a quick NPC, or maybe you don’t know what to play next. Maybe you just like surprises. Either way, get your dice out and get friendly with the tables below.

You can use these sections in any order, and mixing up the order can produce even more interesting characters.

Introduction
Abilities
Race
Class
Alignment
Traits
Religion
Equipment
Details
Birth Gender
Personality
Example Random Character

Abilities

For a truly random character, use 4d6-keep three for abilities. If you want something reasonably playable, use the Elite array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8) with the ability score priorities list below. Keep in mind that these may not be the “best” way to do abilities, but they are a straightforward way to make a playable example of the class.

Race

Roll once on the “common races” table below. The composition of the table is intended to represent the approximate racial makeup of a generic Pathfinder/DnD fantasy world. If your setting has a different racial composition, you may need to change the values in the table. “Uncommon” races are selected from the “featured races” in the Pathfinder Advanced Races Guide.

d100	Common Races
1-15	Dwarf
15-25	Elf
26-30	Gnome
31-40	Half-Elf
41-45	Half-Orc
46-60	Halfling
61-90	Human
91-100	Uncommon Race

d100	Uncommon Races
1-10	Aasimar
10-15	Catfolk
16-20	Dhampir
21-25	Drow
26-30	Fetchling
31-40	Goblin
41-50	Hobgoblin
51-55	Ifrit
56-60	Kobold
61-65	Orc
66-70	Oread
71-75	Ratfolk
76-80	Sylph
81-85	Tengu
86-95	Tiefling
96-100	Undine

Class

Roll on the table. If you do not want to use random abilities, use the elite array (15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8). Assign abilities in descending order as specified below.

d100	Class	Abilities
1-5	Alchemist	Int > Dex > Con > Wis > Cha > Str
6-10	Barbarian	Str > Con > Dex > Wis > Int > Cha
11-15	Bard	Cha > Con > Dex > Str > Int > Wis
16-20	Cavalier	Cha > Str > Con > Dex > Wis > Int
21-25	Cleric	Wis > Str > Con > Cha > Dex > Int
26-30	Druid	Wis > Con > Str > Dex > Int > Cha
31-35	Fighter	Str > Con > Dex > Wis > Int > Cha
36-40	Gunslinger	Dex > Wis > Con > Int > Cha > Str
41-45	Magus	Int > Str > Con > Dex > Wis > Cha
46-50	Inquisitor	Wis > Str > Dex > Con > Int > Cha
51-55	Monk	Wis > Str > Con > Dex > Int > Cha
56-60	Paladin	Str > Cha > Con > Wis > Dex > Int
61-65	Ranger	Dex > Con > Str > Wis > Int > Cha
66-70	Rogue	Dex > Int > Con > Cha > Wis > Str
71-75	Ninja	Cha > Dex > Int > Con > Wis > Str
76-80	Oracle	Wis > Str > Con > Cha > Dex > Int
81-85	Samurai	Cha > Str > Con > Dex > Wis > Int
86-90	Sorcerer	Cha > Dex > Con > Wis > Int > Str
91-95	Witch	Int > Dex > Con > Wis > Cha > Str
96-100	Wizard	Int > Dex > Con > Wis > Cha > Str

Alignment

Roll twice on the following table. Once for the Law-Chaos axis, once for the Good-Evil axis. Depending on your class, one or both parts of your alignment might be pre-determined. All traits are drawn from Utimate Campaign.

d6	Law-Chaos	Good-Evil
1-2	Lawful	Good
3-4	Neutral	Neutral
5-6	Chaotic	Evil

d10	Alignment
1-2	Neutral Good
3-4	Lawful Neutral
5-6	True Neutral
7-8	Chaotic Neutral
9-10	Neutral Evil

Traits

The table below lists traits of the four basic trait types in priority order appropriate to each class. While two traits is normal, some campaigns allow more or fewer. Roll random traits as needed for your campaign. Racial traits have been ommitted. If you want even more randomness, roll a d4 to select which trait type to use.

Class	Trait 1	Trait 2	Trait 3	Trait 4
Alchemist	Magic	Combat	Social	Faith
Barbarian	Combat	Social	Faith	Magic
Bard	Social	Combat	Magic	Faith
Cavalier	Combat	Social	Faith	Magic
Cleric	Faith	Magic	Combat	Social
Druid	Faith	Magic	Combat	Social
Fighter	Combat	Faith	Social	Magic
Gunslinger	Combat	Social	Faith	Magic
Magus	Magic	Combat	Social	Faith
Inquisitor	Combat	Faith	Social	Magic
Monk	Combat	Faith	Social	Magic
Paladin	Faith	Combat	Social	Magic
Ranger	Combat	Social	Faith	Magic
Rogue	Combat	Social	Magic	Faith
Ninja	Combat	Social	Magic	Faith
Oracle	Faith	Magic	Social	Combat
Samurai	Combat	Social	Faith	Magic
Sorcerer	Magic	Social	Faith	Combat
Witch	Magic	Faith	Social	Combat
Wizard	Magic	Faith	Social	Combat

The table below shows traits selected from the Ultimate Campaign traits so that your traits will always be beneficial. The traits may not be particularly exciting, but they are guranteed to benefit any character regardless of race, class, or build.

d12	Combat Traits	d6	Faith Traits	Magic Traits	Social Traits
1	Anatomist	1	Blessed	Focused Burn	Grief-Filled
2	Armor Expert	2	Focused Disciple	Greater Purpose	Life of Toil
3	Axe to Grind	3	Indomitable Faith	Magical Talent	Merchant
4	Bloodthirsty	4	Inspired	Possessed	Rich Parents
5	Courageous	5	Oathbound	Skeptic	Seeker
6	Deft Dodger	6	Reincarnated	Worldly	Unintentional Linguist
7	Dirty Fighter
8	Indelible Ire
9	Killer
10	Reactionary
11	Resilient
12	Tactician

Religion

Unfortunately, there isn’t a good way to randomly determine a character’s deity since I can’t guess what setting or pantheon you use. If it matters, just say that your character is agnostic and prefers not to discuss his religious beliefes with other people. If you’re a Cleric or a Paladin, you can just worship your alignment.

Equipment

Ultimate Equipment provides class kits which include several useful adventuring items (bedrolls, rope, torches, etc.) based on your class. These are fantastic starting points, and are used as the basis of the starting packages listed below. Each class entry lists the starting gold values (both the dice values and the average).

You can choose to roll for gold, take the average gold, or take the items and gold listed in the class entry. If you want to get playing as fast as possible, I recommend using the listed starting package. If you prefer to buy your own items, either roll for gold or take the average, then purchase items as normal.

Alchemist (3d6 x 10 gp or 105 gp)
- Alchemist’s Kit (40 gp)
- Dagger (2 gp)
- Crossbow, Light (35 gp)
- 20 bolts (2 gp)
- 26 gp
Barbarian (3d6 x 10 gp or 105 gp)
- Barbarian’s Kit (9 gp)
- Dagger (2 gp)
- Greataxe (20 gp)
- Hide Armor (15 gp)
- Javelin (3) (3 gp)
- Potion of Cure Light Wounds (50 gp)
- 6 gp
Bard (3d6 x 10 gp or 105 gp)
- Bard’s Kit (41 gp)
- Dagger (2 gp)
- Leather Armor (10 gp)
- Longsword (15 gp)
- Shield, Light Wooden (3 gp)
- Shortbow (30 gp)
- 20 Arrows (1 gp)
- 3 gp
Cavalier (5d6 x 10 gp or 175 gp)
- Cavalier’s Kit (23 gp)
- Dagger (2 gp)
- Light Horse (75 gp)
- Javelin (3) (3 gp)
- Longsword (15 gp)
- Scale Mail (50 gp)
- Shield, Heavy Wooden (7 gp)
- 14 gp
Cleric (4d6 x 10 gp or 140 gp)
- Cleric’s Kit (16 gp)
- Heavy Mace (12 gp)
- Javelin (3) (3 gp)
- Scale Mail (50 gp)
- Shield, Heavy Wooden (7 gp)
- Scroll of Cure Light Wounds (2) (25gp each)
- 2 gp
Druid (2d6 x 10 gp or 70 gp)
- Druid’s Kit (14 gp)
- Hide Armor (15 gp)
- Spear (2 gp)
- Shortbow (30 gp)
- 20 Arrows (1 gp)
- 8 gp
Fighter (5d6 x 10 gp or 175 gp)
- Fighter’s Kit (9 gp)
- Dagger (2 gp)
- Javelin (3) (3 gp)
- Longsword (15 gp)
- Scale Mail (50 gp)
- Shield, Heavy Wooden (7 gp)
- Potion of Cure Light Wounds (50 gp)
- 39 gp
Gunslinger (5d6 x10 gp 175 gp)
- Gunslinger’s Kit (26 gp)
- Black Powder, Dose (10) (10 gp each)
- Firearm Buller (10) (1 gp each)
- Leather Armor (10 gp)
- Rapier (20 gp)
- 9 gp
Inquisitor (4d6 x 10 gp or 140 gp)
- Inquisitor’s Kit (30 gp)
- Longsword (15 gp)
- Shortbow (30 gp)
- Studded Leather Armor (25 gp)
- 20 Arrows (1 gp)
- 39 gp
Magus (4d6 x10 gp or 140 gp)
- Magus’s Kit (22 gp)
- Longsword (15 gp)
- Shortbow (30 gp)
- Studded Leather Armor (25 gp)
- 20 Arrows (1 gp)
- 47 gp
Monk (1d6 x 10 gp or 35 gp)
- Monk’s Kit (8 gp)
- Kama (2 gp)
- Nunchaku (2 gp)
- Shuriken (5) (1 gp)
- 22 gp
Ninja (4d6 x 10 gp or 140 gp)
- Rogue’s Kit (50 gp)
- Daggers (2) (2 gp each)
- Shuriken (5) (1 gp)
- Studded Leather Armor (25 gp)
- Wakizashi (35 gp)
- 27 gp
Oracle (3d6 x 10 gp or 105 gp)
- Oracle’s Kit (9 gp)
- Heavy Mace (12 gp)
- Javelin (3) (3 gp)
- Scale Mail (50 gp)
- Shield, Heavy Wooden (7 gp)
- 24 gp
Paladin (5d6 x 10 gp or 175 gp)
- Paladin’s Kit (11 gp)
- Dagger (2 gp)
- Javelin (3) (3 gp)
- Longsword (15 gp)
- Scale Mail (50 gp)
- Shield, Heavy Steel (20 gp)
- Potion of Cure Light Wounds (50 gp)
- 24 gp
Ranger (5d6 x 10 gp or 175 gp)
- Ranger’s Kit (9 gp)
- Dagger (2 gp)
- Shortsword (2) (10 gp each)
- Longbow (75 gp)
- Studded Leather Armor (25 gp)
- 20 Arrows (1 gp)
- Potion of Cure Light Wounds (50 gp)
- 2 gp
Rogue (4d6 x 10 gp or 140 gp)
- Rogue’s Kit (50 gp)
- Daggers (2) (2 gp each)
- Rapier (20 gp)
- Shortbow (30 gp)
- Studded Leather Armor (25 gp)
- 20 Arrows (1 gp)
- 12 gp
Samurai (3d6 x 10 gp or 105 gp)
- Cavalier’s Kit (23 gp)
- Katana (50 gp)
- Shield, Heavy Wooden (7 gp)
- Studded Leather Armor (25 gp)
- 0 gp
Sorcerer (2d6 x 10 gp or 70 gp)
- Sorcerer’s Kit (8 gp)
- Crossbow, Light (35 gp)
- Quarterstaff (0 gp)
- 20 bolts (2 gp)
- 25 gp
Summoner (2d6 x 10 gp or 70 gp)
- Summoner’s Kit (8 gp)
- Crossbow, Light (35 gp)
- Quarterstaff (0 gp)
- 20 bolts (2 gp)
- 20 gp
Witch (3d6 x 10 gp or 105 gp)
- Witch’s Kit (21 gp)
- Crossbow, Light (35 gp)
- Quarterstaff (0 gp)
- 20 bolts (2 gp)
- Scroll of Cure Light Wounds (25 gp)
- 22 gp
Wizard (2d6 x 10 gp or 70 gp)
- Wizard’s Kit (21 gp)
- Crossbow, Light (35 gp)
- Quarterstaff (0 gp)
- 20 bolts (2 gp)
- 11 gp

Details

Many of the specifics of your character’s appearance can be randomized.

Birth Gender

Flip a coin. Gender is obviously more complex than that, but if you’re randomly determining your character’s gender, you may not want a character who is transgender or non-binary generated randomly.

Age, Height, and Weight

Generate your character’s age, height, and weight based on the tables on the Paizo SRD.

Distinguishing Trait

Not to be confused with mechanical Traits, distinguishing traits are features which help to set your character’s appearance and personality apart from everyone else in the world.

d%	Distinguishing Trait
01	Distinctive scar
02	Missing tooth
03	Missing finger
04	Bad breath
05	Strong body odor
06	Pleasant smelling (perfumed)
07	Sweaty
08	Hands shake
09	Unusual eye color
10	Hacking cough
11	Sneezes and sniffles
12	Particularly low voice
13	Particularly high voice
14	Slurs words
15	Lisps
16	Stutters
17	Enunciates very clearly
18	Speaks loudly
19	Whispers
20	Hard of hearing
21	Tattoo
22	Birthmark
23	Unusual skin color
24	Bald
25	Particularly long hair
26	Strange sense of humor
27	Unusual hair color
28	Walks with a limp
29	Distinctive jewelry
30	Wears flamboyant or outlandish clothes
31	Underdressed
32	Overdressed
33	Nervous eye twitch
34	Fiddles and fidgets nervously
35	Whistles a lot
36	Sings a lot
37	Flips a coin
38	Good posture
39	Stooped back
40	Tall
41	Short
42	Thin
43	Fat
44	Visible wounds or sores
45	Squints
46	Stares off into distance
47	Frequently chewing something
48	Dirty and unkempt
49	Clean
50	Distinctive nose
51	Selfish
52	Obsequious
53	Drowsy
54	Bookish
55	Observant
56	Not very observant
57	Overly critical
58	Passionate artist or art lover
59	Passionate hobbyist (fishing, hunting, gaming, animals, etc.)
60	Collector (books, trophies, coins, weapons, etc.)
61	Skinflint
62	Spendthrift
63	Pessimist
64	Optimist
65	Drunkard
66	Teetotaler
67	Well mannered
68	Rude
69	Jumpy
70	Foppish
71	Overbearing
72	Aloof
73	Proud
74	Individualist
75	Conformist
76	Hot tempered
77	Even tempered
78	Neurotic
79	Jealous
80	Brave
81	Cowardly
82	Careless
83	Curious
84	Truthful
85	Liar
86	Lazy
87	Energetic
88	Reverent or pious
89	Irreverent or irreligious
90	Strong opinions on politics or morals
91	Moody
92	Cruel
93	Uses flowery speech or long words
94	Uses the same phrases over and over
95	Sexist, racist, or otherwise prejudiced
96	Fascinated by magic
97	Distrustful of magic
98	Prefers members of one class over all others
99	Jokester
100	No sense of humor

Background

No person exists in a vacuum. Everyone has parents, and everyone came from somewhere. Ultimate Campaign introduced a fantastic Background Generator which you can use to randomly generate your character’s background.

Personality

The concept of Jungian Archetypes has been used as a way to interpret literature for a long time, certainly longer than I have been reading. Various interpretations and iterations on these archetypes exist, but I stumbled on my favorite example at the Seattle MoPOP’s Fantasy exhibit. Despite a lack of any actual explanation, the poster provides some fantastic concepts for your character’s personality and role in the game’s story.

Because I couldn’t find any sort of official explanations for these archetypes, I have taken some liberties to define broad personality concepts for each archetype. If you have already rolled your character’s other details, you may find that your personality does not mesh well with the rest of your character. You may take this as a challenge, but in some cases you may wish to reroll if you can’t find a way to make things work. Many of the personality archetypes are also gender-specific (such as the Iron Maiden). If you are not happy being constrained to a gender, you may take this as a challenge to interpret the archetype as a different gender.

Want an even more interesting personality? Try rolling twice and combining the results.

d20	Archetype	Description
1	The Mystic Warrior	The Mystic Warrior is a warrior with some sort of special power. They might understand and wield the power, or the power might be the influence of some otherworldly force that the character cannot control. Class Suggestions: Bloodrager, Cleric, Magus, Oracle, Ranger, Shaman, Warpriest
2	The Maiden Warrior	The Maiden Warrior is typically a woman with historically female traits and interests who takes up arms to tackle some challenge or enemy. The Maiden Warrior falls somewhere between the Iron Woman and the Unlikely Hero. The Maiden Warrior is all about breaking out of tradition gender and personality roles, so don’t feel required to play a female character. Instead, your character might be a peaceful homebody who enjoys cooking, gardening, and needlepoint, but has an untapped talent for fencing. The Maiden Warrior should generally be a class which uses light armor and Dexterity instead of a class which depends on heavy armor and Strength. Class Suggestions: Any
3	The Knight	The iconic warrior hero, the Knight is honorable, strong, true. Many Lawful-Good characters work as the Knight, but the Knight isn’t necessarily good. The Knight is typically Lawful-Good-aligned, but an Evil-aligned knight with a strict code of conduct makes just as much sense. Class Suggestions: Cavalier, Cleric, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Samurai, Warpriest
4	The Barbarian	The Barbarian is a wild warrior, perhaps from a distant and uncivilized land, but nearly always more in tune with nature and the wilderness than most characters. Don’t feel obligated to play the Barbarian class, though this is an obvious and perfectly acceptable choice. The Barbarian is typically Chaotic-aligned. Class Suggestions: Barbarian, Bloodrager, Druid, Shaman, Ranger
5	The Trickster	The Trickster is a clever and creative character. They might see odd solutions which other characters don’t, and they rarely face foes head-on. Any character with a talent for stealth, trickery, and deception can make a good trickster. The Trickster and the Shadow are easy to confuse, but where the Shadow is more devious and subtle, the Trickster is typically more flashy and in-your-face. The Trickster is typically Chaotic-aligned. Class Suggestions: Alchemist, Bard, Fighter, Gunslinger, Ninja, Rogue, Swashbuckler, Wizard (Especially Illusionists)
6	The Earth Shaker	The key component of the Earth Shaker is their significance. Wherever the Earth Shaker goes, their presence has significant and lasting effects. An evil Earth Shaker might leave a path of destruction and chaos, while a good Earth Shaker might bring peace and prosperity as an indirect result of their actions. Class Suggestions: Any
7	The Wise Wizard	The Wise Wizard isn’t necessarily a Wizard. Instead, they are defined by their characteristic wisdom, experience, and knowledge. Wise Wizards are often well traveled, but in lieu of real-world experience might be particularly intuitive, clever, or just very well-read. Wise Wizards nearly always have magical abilities, and are typically defined by high Intelligence and/or Wisdom. Class Suggestions: Arcanist, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Magus, Oracle, Wizard
8	The Warbringer	The Warbringer brings war, for good or for ill, but typically for ill. Whatever their intentions, the Warbringer sees violence as a viable and likely course of action to achieve their goals. Class Suggestions: Antipaladin, Barbarian, Cavalier, Fighter, Samurai
9	The Shadow	The Shadow is subtle, clever, and dangerous. They typically work behind the scenes or at the edge of sight, and prefer not to draw attention to themselves. The Shadow is typically a stealth character, and often chooses to retreat from direct conversation. Class Suggestions: Bard, Monk, Ninja, Ranger, Rogue
10	The Anti-Hero	Where the Knight is an honorable, stand-up guy, the Anti-Hero is rough around the edges, and typically has notable and defining character flaws. The Anti-Hero is rarely Good-aligned, but typically does good deeds either out of necessity or out of desire to be a better person. Class Suggestions: Any
11	The Witch	The Witch is a magic-user with strange magical powers which force them to the fringes of society. The Witch’s neighbors might be afraid of magic in general, or the Witch might derive their powers from horrific sources like demons or other horrific extraplanar beings. The Witch is typically non-Lawful, and might be non-Good, but this depends largely on the feelings of the society in which the Witch lives. Class Suggestions: Alchemist, Arcanist, Druid, Shaman, Sorcerer, Witch, Wizard
12	The Rogue	The Rogue is a loose cannon who lives by their own rules. The Rogue can often also be defined as some combination of the Trickster, the Shadow, and the Anti-Hero. The Rogue is often charming with a heart of gold, but may be crass, rebellious, or otherwise unruly. The Rogue is almost never Lawful-aligned. Class Suggestions: Alchemist, Bard, Fighter, Gunslinger, Ninja, Rogue, Swashbuckler
13	The Damsel	The Damsel is not always in distress, but is typically a soft, gentle, and kind character. The Damsel is never a front-line character, and is generally not violent by nature. The Damsel is nearly always Good-aligned. Class Suggestions: Bard, Cleric, Oracle, Rogue, Shaman
14	The Unlikely Hero	The Unlikely Hero was in the right place at the right time, and has been swept up by events and forced into a life of heroism. The Unlikely hero typically has no formal training at the beginning of their journey, and nearly always comes from humble beginnings. The Unlikely Hero is nearly always Good-aligned. Class Suggestions: Barbarian, Fighter, Ranger, Rogue
15	The Iron Woman	The Iron Woman is a hard, but beautiful woman. In many examples, she struggles against the limitations of her gender (think Cercei Lanister from Game of Thrones), but is fiercely determined, and often ruthless. The Iron Woman shares many traits with the Maiden Warrior, but is typically no more combative than the Damsel. The Iron Woman is rarely Good-aligned, but even good people must sometimes be ruthless, devious, and strict. Class Suggestions: Alchemist, Bard, Cleric, Oracle, Shaman, Sorcerer, Witch, Wizard
16	The Companion	The Companion is often called the Sidekick in many interpretations of character archetypes, but the Companion is more than that. The Companion is a loyal friend, a faithful companion, and an ever-present source of support. The Companion is everyone’s best friend, and can often be the glue which holds the party together. Class Suggestions: Any
17	The Magical Prodigy	Possessing a growing control of some powerful magical ability, the Magical Prodigy is defined by their magic. More than just your average Wizard, the Magical Prodigy is impressively capable with magic, often beyond the skill of their peers and occasionally beyond the skill of their superiors. Class Suggestions: Arcanist, Sorcerer, Wizard
18	The Fool	The Fool might provide comedy relief, or they might simply see their own lives as an absurd affair hardly worth taking seriously. The Fool is nearly always Chaotic-aligned. Class Suggestions: Any (Though Bard and Rogue seem likely)
19	The Mystic	The Mystic is a source of wisdom, inspiration, and inspiration which stretches beyond the mortal realm. The Mystic often possesses powerful Divination abilities, and can provide all sorts of information and guidance which is otherwise unattainable. The Mystic is often cryptic, but is rarely unhelpful, and almost never wrong. Class Suggestions: Cleric, Druid, Oracle, Shaman, Sorcerer, Wizard (Expecially Diviners)
20	The Hero’s Muse	When the Knight asks “why I am I doing this?”, the Hero’s Muse either has the answer or is the answer. The Hero’s Muse is a motivating force for the party, and might set the plot direction for the campaign. Class Suggestions: Any

Example Random Character

Abilities: It doesn’t really matter, so let’s just pretend that I’m using the Elite Array.
Race: (37) Half-Elf
Class: (20) Cavalier
Alignment: (2, 2) Lawful-Good
Traits: (Combat 6, Social 4) Deft Dodger, Inspired
Equipment: See example equipment, above
Details:
- Gender: Female
- Age: (Self-Taught: 3+2) 25
- Height and Weight: (3+1) 5’4, 110 pounds
Distinguishing Trait: (79) Jealous
Personality: (8) Warbringer

Our character is a female Half-Elf Cavalier. She is Lawful-Good, but has a jealous personality, and is a Warbringer. This could mean any number of things, but as an example we could say that this character is a noble-born soldier with an older sibling who is the subject of our character’s jealous urges. In order to distinguish herself and to move out from her sibling’s shadow, she wants to raise an army to pacify some great threat to her homeland. However, despite her nominally good intentions, the reality of war may bear horrible consequences for her countrymen.

Random Characters – Pathfinder