| Finarfin |
I have never seen the player character generation process described accurately in any RPG manual. In all of the years I have been roleplaying, the players I have games with have created characters as follows:
1. Choose a class. This is by far the most important criterion for most players. People generally start out having a pretty good idea whether they'd rather play fighters, spellcasters, or whatever. It's also important to make sure that the party has a good mix of classes. So this is what nearly everyone starts out choosing.
2. Choose a race that is interesting and is appropriate for that class (e.g. one whose racial bonuses aid that class).
3. Roll or assign stats in the way that best benefits the chosen class.
4. Now that you know everything important about the character, you can come up with a background that explains him.