Rebuilding Your D&D Adventurers League Character

NOTE: The Sword Coast Adventures Guide rebuild option expired at the end of season 3 (March 3rd, 2016)

The following article is reprinted with the author’s permission. It first appeared on November 6, 2015, on the author’s blog, Merric’s Musings, but has been updated by the author to reflect the subsequent update by the D&D Adventurers League.

With the recent release of the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, the D&D Adventurers League has allowed everyone to rebuild their characters. Although this is intended primarily so you can include material from the new book, the option to rebuild is open to all players even if their rebuild doesn’t use material from the Adventurer’s Guide.

Normally, you can rebuild your character any number of times before you reach 5th level. This one-time-only option allows you an opportunity to rebuild your higher level characters. I’ve included details on the rules sources you can use below (under Story Origins).

You can’t just change everything about your character. The full rules for rebuilding are found in the D&D Adventurers League Player’s Guide, but here’s a summary of what you can and can’t change. Please double-check with the Player’s Guide!

What You Can’t Change

Character Name

Story Origin

Experience Points

Magical Items

Renown

Downtime

Equipment (except for starting equipment)

Your character’s name is on all your logsheets, which detail your XP, Renown, Gold and Magic Items. That’s why you can’t change that.

The Story Origin determines which set of rules sources you can use to build your character. There are three Story Origins at present – corresponding to the D&D Storyline Seasons – and once selected, can’t be changed.

It’s pretty obvious why you can’t change Experience Points, Downtime, Magical Items and Gold.

Equipment you’ve gained over the course of adventures can’t be directly changed. Have a look below for the exceptions and clarifications to that.

What You Can Change

Character Race (or subrace)

Character Class, including multiclass options

Feats

Ability Scores

Class Archetype

Class Features

Spells

Rules sources (see below)

Faction (but if you do so, your Renown drops to 0)

Starting Equipment Packages

Backgrounds (including bonds, features, flaws, ideals, and personality traits)

Skills

Alignment

A few things I may have forgotten (let me know and I’ll add them to the list)

In other words, you can change everything you got to select during character creation and levelling up, except for Story Origin and Character Name. You don’t get to change the rewards you gained during playing the game.

“Rules Sources” mean that if you have the Elemental Evil Story Origin, you can switch between using the Elemental Evil Player’s Companion or the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide as your source of additional options. (This also applies to other origins in the future.) It doesn’t mean you can change your Story Origin.

As Renown is a measure of how well-known you are and respected within your faction, if you change to another faction, your Renown drops to zero.

Of course, Hit Points, Armor Class, Initiative and other derived statistics will change based on your other choices.

Equipment

When you rebuild your character, you may change your choices as to what starting equipment you took. This includes the forced change due to changing your background or class. If you change which starting package you have, remove the equipment of the old package and add the equipment of the new package. If you no longer have items of equipment provided by the old package, you will need to rebuy those pieces before swapping the packages.

For the rest of your equipment, you can change it by selling it (at half price) and buying new pieces (at full price). Yes, it’s not exactly rebuilding, but it’s what you’re allowed to do!

Rules Sources

Here’s an updated list of Story Origins and the Rules Sources you can use with them. Note that the regular rules on D&D Adventurers League character creation still apply (fixed hit point gain, point buy ability scores, etc.). You can’t choose evil alignments (except due to your faction). You can choose to play the variant human in the Player’s Handbook.

Tyranny of Dragons

D&D Basic Rules

D&D Player’s Handbook

Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide (see below)

Hoard of the Dragon Queen appendix A

D&D Monster Manual appendix A (beasts only)

Elemental Evil

D&D Basic Rules

D&D Player’s Handbook

D&D Monster Manual appendix A (beasts only)

Mulmaster Backgrounds and Bonds

In addition, you may choose one of these substantive rules sources:

Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide (see below)

Princes of the Apocalypse appendices A and B

Elemental Evil Player’s Companion (this free supplement includes the Princes appendices). You may not use aarakocra.

Rage of Demons

D&D Basic Rules

D&D Player’s Handbook

Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide (see below)

Out of the Abyss appendix A

D&D Monster Manual appendix A (beasts only)

Hillsfar Backgrounds and Bonds

Restrictions and Clarifications on Using the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide

The “Winged” option granting a fly speed for tieflings is not legal for D&D Adventurers League play. Cosmetic wings from the “Appearance” option that don’t grant a fly speed are fine.

Races or other options that are mentioned but whose rules are found in another source (i.e. aasimar or genasi) do not become legal without other campaign documentation unless that source is also legal for your character’s Story Origin. Elven characters may choose to select one of the rare elf subraces for roleplay purposes. There are no mechanical benefits or hindrances associated with choosing a rare elf subrace.

Only dwarves can become Battleragers.

Only elves and half-elves can become Bladesingers.

All human languages listed on page 112 of the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide are legal for use.

The Inheritor background requires additional guidance. You may roll on the random table provided in the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide as normal, but if you decide to choose your item, it must be a non­consumable item found in the Player’s Handbook worth 75 gp or less. Whether you choose to roll randomly or pick your inheritance, you may choose to have your inheritance be entirely mundane or possess a minor magical quirk. If you wish your item to have minor magic quirk, you may choose to either have your inheritance glow with the light of a candle or you may select an option from the “What Quirk Does It Have?” table found in the Dungeon Master’s Guide to determine what quirk it possesses instead. Also, under “equipment” substitute the phrase “any items with which you are proficient” for “any one gaming set or musical instrument with which you are proficient.”

What Is Rebuilding?

When you rebuild your character, you basically recreate your character, making different choices along the way. For example, if you took the Mounted Combat feat and discovered you never are mounted, you could replace it with the Heavy Armor Mastery feat. Or you discover your 8 Charisma character is always the one talking to people, you could rearrange your ability scores so your Charisma is higher. Rebuilding is an opportunity to fix the character, especially after you’ve had a chance to see it in action. The style of game you’re playing may not be the one you expected!

In the D&D Adventurers League, you may rebuild your character any number of times before you reach 5th level. After 5th level, you are stuck with the choices you’ve made. However, because the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide has just been added to every story origin, you’ve been given a one-time opportunity to rebuild your higher-level characters as well, even though you don’t have to use the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide in the rebuild.

When does this opportunity expire? Well, when you use it, it does! Otherwise, the answer is “it depends.” Basically it’s best if you use it before your next session with that character, but we’ll all understand if you hold off for a couple of weeks until you can actually get a copy of the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide! Check with your DM and your local store’s organiser for how they want to handle it. Waiting six months until doing this rebuild? That’s probably a bit too long!

Update Your Logsheet!

The final stage of the rebuilding process is to update your logsheet. Don’t know how to do that? Find out in the Advanced Logsheet Tutorial!