When I start a new campaign, I like to send out a set of guidelines outlining what I do and don’t allow for character creation. Sometimes these are very specific (I have been known to restrict a group to one character with a full base attack bonus, one with 9-levels of spellcasting, and one with 6 or more skill points… though that is far from universal). Sometimes they are pretty general. They are always designed to help players make characters that will fit well in the campaign I plan to run.

That doesn’t mean I am a dictator. If the rules mean you can’t make the character you want, talk to me. Normally, that’s because you want to run something that won’t work well in the game I want to run. In that case, the whole group may want to discuss what kind of game we want, and if I…