Hi guys as my first post. i am very new to DnD i have created a quest and a world filled it with 30 towns, i have sat for weeks on end designing a back story for each of my 5 group members and have interlinked them to each other to enhance the final plot line. i just have problems setting up my Characters. i would like to keep them balanced starting at level 10 (due to back story reasons) i have never been able to grasp the concept on paper if i could put it that way. any suggestions?
i do realize i might be going off tangent with some of the chars
Half-Orc - Barbarian
Halfing - Mage
Human - Rogue/Ranger
Elf - Thief
Human - Fighter
any help suggestions or anything please let me know