8 best D&D character sheets for every type of player
From new players to seasoned adventurers and everyone in-between, get your next character idea down on paper with these tools.
Dungeons & Dragons 5E is without a doubt the most accessible and popular tabletop RPG on the market right now. Thanks to its huge community, there won’t be any lack of players anytime soon. One of the most fun aspects of the game is character creation, and that means looking for the best D&D 5E character sheets. New players will likely be going through dozens of character sheets on this journey finding what's right for them.
Best D&D character sheets
- The best D&D character sheet for new players: D&D Beyond
- The best D&D character sheet for most players: Official D&D 5E Character Sheets/GSheet
- The best D&D character sheet for dyslexic and visually-impaired players: An Anonymous Redditor’s OpenDyslexic Character Sheet
- The best D&D character sheet for kids: Emmet Byrne’s Kid-Friendly Character Sheet
- The best D&D character sheets for specific classes: u/hornbook1776’s Class Character Sheets
- The best premium D&D character sheet: D&D Beyond Premium
- The best D&D character sheet for playing online: Foundry Virtual Tabletop
- The best D&D character sheet for advanced players: MorePurpleMoreBetter
On the other end of the experience, veterans will be "theory-crafting" - making experimental character builds for fun - and that's gonna chew through a lot of character sheets too. There are hundreds of character sheets out there, and the fun part is that all of them are valid. D&D 5E prides itself on personalisation after all. That said, the following character sheets are some of the most popular and well-made you can find.
Whether you’re a newbie still learning the ropes, a dyslexic or visually-impaired player who wants a more accessible experience, or someone willing to pay extra for something convenient, these character sheets are worth looking into.
1. D&D Beyond
The best D&D character sheet for new players
D&D Beyond is the first stop for many players on their D&D 5E journey, and with good reason. It’s bound to be the first thing they’ll find when searching for a D&D 5E character sheet, and it helps that it’s supported by D&D maker Wizards of the Coast itself.
D&D Beyond’s step-by-step character creation makes it far less intimidating to new players, and even comes with a “Show Help Text” option for beginners. The free tier also provides access to the Basic Rules, Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide and Elemental Evil Player’s Companion.
The character sheet also helpfully calculates things such as health, attributes and other ability modifiers that the player may need. While there are only six free slots, most new players won’t be likely to have more than six characters anyway.
Find D&D Beyond's character sheet over on D&D Beyond.
2. Official D&D 5E Character Sheets/GSheet
The best D&D character sheet for most players
Once you’ve gotten comfortable with the D&D Beyond character sheet, it’s time to graduate to the bog-standard D&D 5E character sheet. Most character sheets for 5E are going to be some variation of the official one released by Wizards of the Coast.
The most straightforward of the bunch is GSheet. This is a spreadsheet version of the classic D&D 5E character sheet that provides handy notes and streamlined calculations. Since this is just a spreadsheet, you also have “unlimited’ character slots. Just click “make a copy” and go wild.
Experienced players will get the most use out of this because they’ll be able to customise the sheet to their liking. After all, it’s just a simple spreadsheet, so there are a lot of ways to optimise it to your liking. For everyone else, GSheet is a reliable and straightforward D&D character sheet that’s printer-friendly.
Download the official D&D 5E character sheets for free from Wizards of the Coast, and find GSheet here.
3. An Anonymous Redditor’s OpenDyslexic Character Sheet
The best D&D character sheet for dyslexic and visually-impaired players
This fantastic D&D character sheet was created with dyslexic players in mind. It’s a simplified three-page version of the standard 5E character sheet with larger text and spaces. The font also uses the aesthetically pleasing OpenDyslexic font to ensure accessibility.
Oftentimes, printed character sheets will be even worse for visually-impaired players to read since it’s not adjustable. With the size and design used for these character sheets, it’s a great way to make sure everyone at the table enjoys their experience.
Find the OpenDyslexic characer sheet over on Reddit.
4. Emmet Byrne’s Kid-Friendly Character Sheet
The best D&D character sheet for kids
More and more children are getting into Dungeons & Dragons every year, and they’re lucky that 5E happens to be one of the most accessible editions yet. Despite that, D&D 5E does still take some time to get used to, and a huge black-and-white character sheet with big words might not be the best start for a younger player.
Emmet Byrne’s character sheets are a great introductory character sheet for children. The character sheet uses appealing colours and has concise explanations of what each of the skills in D&D 5E does. There are also separate sheets for Inventory and Spells, to ensure the child doesn’t get confused during the campaign.
Download Emmet Byrne's Kid-Friendly Character Sheet from DMs Guild.
5. u/hornbook1776’s Class Character Sheets
The best D&D character sheets for specific classes
D&D 5E has hundreds of potential builds, and sometimes, the standard character sheet just won’t cut it. Certain class features need to be tracked, and character sheets fill up fast. Redditor hornbook1776’s custom-made character sheets are tailored to the needs of each class. For example, the Bard character sheet has extra panels for Bardic Inspiration and Song of Rest.
These are also quite handy for new players who want to quickly understand the nuances of a certain class. By having all the relevant information in one place, players can quickly reference their abilities and know what options they have in combat or other situations. Not to mention, the aesthetic is mildly cooler than the standard character sheet.
Find hornbook1776's class character sheets on Reddit.
6. D&D Beyond Premium
The best premium D&D character sheet
If you don’t have the time for learning new character sheets and don’t plan on too much homebrew, D&D Beyond's premium subscription is well worth the purchase at $2.17 a month. It’s the closest that a character sheet can be “plug-and-play” in D&D 5E. There’s no setup needed and access to digital books is straight from the source. Just follow the character creation guide and you’re pretty much good to go.
D&D Beyond’s premium service also offers unlimited character slots, early access to new tools, monthly perks and even some limited homebrew. The aesthetic is also great, thanks to its sleek gamified character profile. For $4.58 a month, you also get to share your unlocked content with other players.
Subscribe to D&D Beyond's premium offering here - with a free 30-trial if you're new.
7. Foundry Virtual Tabletop
The best D&D character sheet for playing online
While one of the relatively newer virtual tabletops, Foundry Virtual Tabletop is quickly making a name for itself thanks to its sleek and innovative all-in-one experience. Many players, especially those who’ve had to struggle with Roll20’s strange bugs and annoying quality-of-life issues, have been moving to Foundry VTT's offerings. The character sheet is just one part of an entire tabletop resource.
Admittedly, the learning curve for Foundry VTT is quite complex if you're not too familiar with automation. However, there’s a plethora of tutorials and resources online, so learning won’t be an issue. With some elbow grease, Foundry Virtual Tabletop is one of the most “complete” online experiences a D&D 5E player can have, once you get used to it.
Add Calego's D&D 5E OGL character sheet module to Foundry Virtual Tabletop.
8. MorePurpleMoreBetter
The best D&D character sheet for advanced players
As far as fillable and easily-customisable D&D character sheets go, few are better than MorePurpleMoreBetter. While there’s a fair bit of scripting involved in the setup process, it’s one of the most convenient character sheets on the market. Its biggest boon is that it’s fully automated, minimising the player’s busywork.
It does everything D&D Beyond does without limitations. That means stuff like Unearthed Arcana and homebrew can easily be added without paying a premium. MorePurpleMoreBetter also does all the maths, balances the skill points and auto-fills features you gain from levelling up. There’s a bit of a learning curve but MorePurpleMoreBetter is one of the best D&D character sheets out there.
Find MorePurpleMoreBetter's D&D character sheets here.
Remember, no character sheet is the “best”, because D&D 5E is a subjective experience. Try out all the character sheets here and see what works best for you. Even if the one for you isn’t here, odds are good that it exists out there somewhere.
Sites like DMs Guild and Reddit are full of custom character sheets just waiting to be discovered. At the end of the day, as long as you’re able to play the way you want, your character sheet can be anything you want it to be.