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I'm starting a new game, and every player missed the fact they get +2 to four ability scores during character generation.
I suggest you put "Ability Boost" on the table for each class at first level, like it is for 5th, 10th, etc.
Then update the Ability Boost text for each class to include 1st level, with the restriction that the first level boost can't take a score above 18.
The class description has a reminder for all the first level character options except this, and new players are missing it.
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If you missed that I would be willing to bet you also missed the free boost for taking your class as well.
Class: Your character’s class provides an ability boost to
the ability score most important to your class, called your
key ability score.
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Yeah I'm still sort annoyed they went with the ABC ordering for chargen. They really should have bucked tradition and just recommended players choose a class first, the class has a nice grocery list of things you need to do to create your character and it's the choice that's going to influence every other choice you make about your character. Deciding you're a Fighter first makes it much easier to figure out what Ancestry you'll take and where you'll put its bonuses, you can just add your stats together organically as you pick things rather than try to think three steps ahead.
Especially for new players, seeing that 12 in STR on their character sheet gives a great big hint as to what they should be putting their other boosts into, it's a great starting point so it's really strange that the PHB instructs you to worry about that last. It feels like forgoing CAB for ABC is just unnecessarily setting up new players for frustration.
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You could phrase it as "Don't forget your ABC's and 1,2,3,4's of character creation." The ABC's are already spelled out in the books, while the 1 is for the 1 Boost for your Class, 2 from your Background, 3 from your Ancestry, and 4 from creating a first level character. It's not perfect, Humans only get 2 Boosts, and non-Humans also get 1 Flawed Ability, but it could be a good memory tool none-the-less.
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I prefer having ancestry and backgrounds before class.
It breaks some of the association of class being a character in and of its self, and anyone who is looking to optimise doesn't need guidance anyway.
Character creation progression should be what is ideal for new players, past that point we can adjust for what works for us. (Excluding people who skim over text the first time they are building a character of course, but there is no helping them without making the book significantly larger)
The ABC order also makes sense when you consider 0-level characters. You start with AB, then add C when you reach level 1. I suspect something very much like this will be in the upcoming Gamemastery Guide.
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ABC is also the progression of living as the character. Though I tend to call it ABC4 lol.
But first your born. Ancestry.
Then you have your upbringing. Background.
Then you find your calling. Class.
Then you become an adventurer. The 4
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I think a good routine for building a character is:
- Think of a general thing you want to make
- Browse the classes a bit, and pick a suitable one
- Read that class and figure out what abilities you need
- Do your ABCDs then, knowing which abilities are important to you
The D can stand for "dedications" or "discretionary" or whatever. Doesn't really matter.