What is your inspiration?

When creating your character, it is helpful to know where to start. Think about what you enjoy most about playing or what you think would be a good role to try out. If you enjoy the approach a certain character from a book or movie has, that can help give direction. Or, it is helpful to capture a moment or type of interaction you want to be playing out regularly, like sneaking around, scouting ahead, haggling with shopkeepers, healing allies, etc. Start with a simple idea, role, or concept and build from there. 

Race

When considering the race of your character, there are many important factors to check in with your DM about. You will want to know how the world responds to certain races (if relevant), if the natural stat increases from each race are important, and other abilities they have, as well as the overall appearance and concept you want to run with. Certain stats and abilities go better with other classes, but also making a perfectly optimized character is not necessarily important to every player. 

Very specific sidenote: In traditional D&D, races have certain bonuses to specific stats but in Tashia’s Hideous Cauldron, this rule is replaced with the ability to customize these bonuses however you want, allowing more freedom in race selection. 

Class

The class is where the magic happens! This is where your character will get their core abilities. If you are very unfamiliar with the possibilities here, I would consult your DM or look for a quick rundown of each one. Picking the right class will allow you to grow in the direction you want your character to go, so develop your idea on the role you want to have and how you want that to play out. Consider three major aspects of the game: combat, socializing with others, and exploration of the world. Which of these are most important to you and how do you want to affect each one?

Background

Here is the upbringing, training, and experience your character has had before the start of the campaign. This comes with learned languages, skills, and equipment that can aid you in your journey. Be sure to pick a background and write a backstory that is appropriate for the starting level of your campaign. How important this is to your character very much depends on your own expectations and also the expectations of your DM so check in with them about how this will affect the game. 

Questions to ask yourself

What type of character interests me for this campaign?

How do I want to interact with other players, people in the world, and enemies?

What fighting style or role in combat do I want to have?

What is a cool scene or action I would enjoy doing as my character?

Is this design appropriate for the starting level of this campaign?

Does my DM approve of this concept?

Do I feel like the race, class, and background allow me to act within the role I want to have in the game?