If your character's starting off at level one, they're really only getting started with adventuring. You can let that be reflected in their backstory.
If you want to play a badass, starting above level 1 is allowed, though probably not recommended for new players still learning the rules of whatever system you're playing.
I'd never recommend playing dnd 5e at level 1, even for beginners. Level 3 is where classes get their basic identity and you don't instantly die to everything
The first few levels should be thought of as a tutorial, where there is no true peril no matter what enemies you face.
It's useful to get a feel for a new character before you start piling on all the details of class skills.
But the peril is highest in those first few levels as a strong breeze will kill a level 1 character. I also think it is hard to get a feel for a character if they lack eveything that defines them class-wise imo
Considering that a real world new recruit who's only martial experience is about 8-10 weeks of basic training would probably be a second or maybe even third level fighter, first level characters aren't very impressive. If there's an actual zero next to "Experience" on your character sheet you aren't a grizzled veteran and you haven't seen anything rougher than a barfight. You probably lost that fight, too.
"I've never lost a fight."
"Jim, that's only because you've never even been in a fight."
Or play Exalted, initial Chargen gives you an initial badass.
I still maintain DND is kind of a bad first rpg. It's extremely idiosyncratic in its rules, and it's also a dream crusher that squeezes the creativity out of new players.
More people would be happy with Fate.
I'm still traumatized from the crit fail I rolled during a campaign five years ago.
I was playing a gunslinger, and made an admittedly foolish attempt to shoot a vermin crawling near my foot. I rolled a 1, and the DM ruled that meant I shot myself in the foot. I couldn't really argue with that outcome, but it was hard to come back from that. It was a harsh post-apocalyptic setting, which meant that the other characters were obliged to rib me for it incessantly, and my character could never seem to redeem himself afterwards.
I hate fumbles I hate fumbles I hate fumbles.
No, my basically competent character does not shoot themselves 5% of the time when they make an attack.
To be fair, if I was aiming literally anywhere else but down at a rat crawling over my foot, it probably would have been a misfire or a bad ricochet.
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