[RPG] New to D&D, a little unsure about character creation stats

character-creationdnd-5efightertabaxi

So, I just recently started playing D&D5e a few days ago. I have created my own character but I'm a bit confused about how certain stats are calculated, and what path to go down with my character. The character I rolled is as follows:

Race: Tabaxi

Class: fighter

background: I wasn't aware of this mechanic when I created my character, so I just assumed it meant to write a backstory for my character. Being a swordsmith, I can't really find any official backgrounds that works with my backstory (monk/cenobite turned swordsmith due to drama). So I'm a bit lost on this front, and I don't know how important it is.

stats:

STR: 19 (+4)

DEX: 16 (+3) Dex rolled as 14 but Tabaxi gain +2 to dex

CON: 15 (+2)

INT: 14 (+2)

WIS: 12 (+1)

CHA: 08 (-1) Cha rolled as 7 but Tabaxi gain +1 to cha

Have I calculated these correctly? I found a few conflicting articles when creating my character, so I'm not sure I added the racial bonuses or stat modifiers correctly.

My skills are Arcana, Athletics, History, and Survival.

Best Answer

Ability Scores

Your ability scores can't be right - without a racial bonus (or a feat as a Variant Human), there is no way for an ability score to be 19 as a starting character.

Saving Throws

It appears you've conflated saving throw proficiency with stat bonuses. Being proficient in a type of save does not increase your stat at all times, it only adds your proficiency bonus when an effect forces you to make a save of the type matching the stat.

Backgrounds

Backgrounds are important mechanically, at least for determining starting proficiencies - each background provide two skill proficiencies, plus a combination of any two language proficiencies and tool proficiencies.

They also provide a background ability (Acolytes can get free spellcasting, Soldiers have some reputation from their battle prowess, etc). Some of them are more potent than others, but all have their uses.

As for your desired background, there are quite a few appropriate choices in the PHB. Acolyte or Hermit would work if the monk part is more important, while Guild Artisan would work for the weaponsmith part. Note that it is also permissible to adjust the backgrounds, as long as you take two skill proficiencies and two tool or language proficiencies.

Skill Proficiencies

At the very minimum, a character should have four - two from class and two from background. Some races gives extra, and some classes let you pick more than two.

As a Tabaxi, you should have six - Stealth and Perception from the race, two from your background, and two from Fighter.

Armor

Heavy armor gives you a static AC; your ability scores do not affect it. Chainmail, for instance, is always an AC of 16. A shield would bump it to 18, and better armor could be even higher.

That said, your proficiency bonus is not added to AC by default. There may be feats or class abilities that can temporarily apply it, but it's not a full-time thing and certainly not at 1st level.

Commentary

While creating characters is a decent exercise, and gives you cause to write questions like this, it can only be safely undertaken as a thought exercise. Almost all DMs who use rolled stats will want to have them rolled where they can see, while many use point buy instead. There may also be setting-specific cultural elements (or even mechanical world design elements) that influence race and class combinations.