Pregens

Pregens, short for pre-generated characters, are ready-to-use character sheets for tabletop role-playing games. They provide a complete set of statistics, abilities, equipment, and a backstory that participants can adopt without creating a character from scratch. They are commonly used to speed up first sessions, facilitate demonstrations, or introduce new players to a system. They also help gamemasters balance encounters by providing known power levels and party roles.

A typical pregen includes race or species, class or profession, ability scores or modifiers, hit points, armor class, attack bonuses or saving throws, skill ranks, special abilities or feats, starting equipment, and a short background. Some can include personality traits or goals. Variants may emphasize a particular archetype or highlight a specific campaign hook.

History and usage: Pregens have long been part of published modules and introductory sets, especially in popular systems such as Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and Starfinder. They are distributed in core rulebooks, adventure modules, starter sets, and digital toolkits, and are commonly used in conventions and online play to reduce setup time.

Advantages and limitations: The main benefits are quicker onboarding, consistent power level, and teaching through ready-made examples. Limitations include reduced player agency and customization, potential misalignment with party needs, and the risk of staleness if players rely too heavily on premade characters.

Variations: Some pregens are balanced for specific party roles, others emphasize story hooks or archetypes. They may be permitted temporarily or permanently at a table, and often come with backgrounds that players can develop during play.

Examples: D&D 5e starter sets and adventure modules commonly include pregens; Pathfinder and Starfinder beginner materials also provide ready-made characters.