Creating the Player Character
Creating the Player Character (p.8) 
| Character creation in Oath-Bound is undertaken at Session Zero — a structured group event convened before play begins, with all players and the GM present. It is not a solitary process. The choices made during character creation have implications for the whole table, and the GM needs to be present to mediate, contextualise, and establish the Competency Profile that underpins each character. |
Characters are generated using Method I from the PHB: roll 4d6 for each ability, discard the lowest die, and sum the remaining three. This method produces characters who sit at the upper edge of the normal population distribution — not chosen ones, but people whose capability profile makes them credible exceptional actors in the world. It is the mechanical expression of that premise.
Scores are assigned to abilities in the order the player chooses, not in the order rolled. This is the standard Oath-Bound practice and requires no GM approval.
Once ability scores are established, the Session Zero process moves to race, class, and the mediated construction of the Competency Profile — the record of what the character knows and can do that is not captured by class mechanics alone. The Competency Profile is established through discussion between the player and the GM, informed by the character’s background and the needs of the campaign.