Origin

Chapter 01 · You find yourself in a tavern

Many want to play D&D. Few come out of the character creation process unscathed

Almost everyone I know has said "I've always wanted to try D&D" at some point. And then they open the Player's Handbook. Twelve base classes, a pile of species (and sub-species because who plays as a human right?), subclasses, backgrounds, ability scores, saving throws, proficiencies, spell slots… and that's all before you've rolled a single die.

Beginners don't struggle because the game is boring. They get stuck because every choice seems to need three other rules to understand it, and it's hard to tell which ones actually matter.

The inspiration

The BG3 approach

Many players are all too familiar with staring at a blank character creation sheet or the first step of creating a character on D&D Beyond, and feeling overwhelmed. Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3) has a different approach: it shows you the options visually, explains them only when you need them, and lets you watch your character take shape as you make each choice.

That's what I wanted for tabletop: the same depth, with a path through it that doesn't require reading 300 pages across 4 different books first.

BG3 is the model for how Origin feels and flows, not for its rules. The game adapts D&D and changes parts of 5e, so it isn't an official way to build a tabletop character. Origin follows the tabletop rules.

Chapter 02 · Scouting Report

What adventurers told me

I've been gathering feedback from people who play D&D and people who have wanted to but never quite finished the character creation process, about where character creation loses them.

• 10 survey responses: 4 new players and 6 experienced players and DMs
• 2 of 4 new players stopped or put off their character. No experienced player did.
• 3.3 vs 4.8 average confidence out of 5, new players vs experienced
• 7 of 10 don't care which edition they play, or don't know what an edition is

"New players" have played once or twice. With 10 responses, read these as signals, not statistics.

Finding 01 · Two different bosses

New players fight the mechanics. Veterans fight the story.

Nobody new found choosing a class or species hard. They got stuck on the list-heavy steps that come after: three of four needed help with skills, and three of four named reading the rules as a problem. Experienced players breeze through the mechanics; what's left for them is the creative part, with four of six naming backstory, name or appearance as a sticking point.

Finding 02 · Party members wanted

New players learn from people and examples

All four new players found a friend helpful, and all four found a pre-made example character helpful. Experienced players lean on what they already know (all six) and on D&D Beyond, which four of them use. Across everyone, half named a person (a friend, the DM or their group) as their most useful source of help.

"Having someone actually there tailoring advice to your situation is the best way to learn hands-on."

"Creating with a group… helped having experienced people there who knew the lore."

Finding 03 · Lost in the woods

Only new players stalled

One new player never finished their character and another came back to it later. Their complaints were the maths and the time. Even BG3, the friendliest creator in the survey, took one new player four hours. When I followed up, they said that time went into both building the character and customising its looks. The looks are outside Origin's scope; the building part is exactly what it should explain.

"There's so much math…"

"It's difficult for novice people to understand the intricacies of classes/species unless they've read thoroughly."

Finding 04 · Nobody asked for an edition

Beginners want to know what a choice does

Every new player either didn't care which edition they played or didn't know what an edition was. What they asked for was explanation: "actual instructions", and what a choice means once the game starts. One experienced player's wish was the opposite of more options: fewer homebrew variants cluttering the app.

"Specific explanations on how choices could affect gameplay, such as what spells are useful in which scenarios."

Finding 05 · The last boss is the backstory

Even veterans want help with the story and the paperwork

Backstory was the most common recent difficulty overall (4 of 10), and three of those four were experienced players. Wishes included suggestions built from a character concept, help with lore, and help filling in a physical character sheet for in-person games.

"A platform to save all my details and AI to suggest things like background based on the character concept. Especially if I didn't have experienced players around."

"Something that helps fill out my physical character sheet. That always takes me the longest for in person one shots."

Loot · What this means for Origin

• Spend the help where it hurts. Keep class and species quick; put guidance and recommended picks into skills, spells and equipment.
• Be the friend at the table. Short, in-context answers to "what does this do?" instead of rule text.
• Start from an example. Offer ready-made characters people can tweak instead of a blank sheet.
• Show the payoff. Explain how each choice plays out in a game, and do the maths for them.
• Help with the story too. Backstory prompts and suggestions that build on the character concept.
• Finish on paper. Export to a printable character sheet, which is already on the quest map.
• Keep the rules official. Default to current rules, skip homebrew clutter and don't make anyone pick an edition first.

Chapter 03 · Tales by the Fire

Every adventurer has a backstory. This one has three.