Zen & the Art of Character Creation was a series of articles published between February and May of 2009 which dealt with the dos and don'ts of character creation. Although most material used was based on Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 ed., many of the concepts relating to fairness and good player behaviors are universal, and can be used by any ruleset.

Each article has a specific focus, such as philosophy or class selection. Part 5 focuses on five separate character builds that utilize the good practices developed in the previous four installments.

Part 1 - 02-26-2009
    A discussion of character design philosophy and negative playing styles.

Part 2 - 03-12-2009
    An in-depth look at character race. What you should look for and what to avoid.

Part 3 - 03-27-2009
    A look at character class. Pick the one that best suits you.

Part 4 - 04-24-2009
    An analysis of feat and skill selection and how to make the most of what you get.

Part 5 - 05-22-2009
    Look at five sample character builds using the methods previously discussed.