Character Generation

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Ok, here I am going to go over the info and rules you will need to make up a character for Challis.

PLEASE do not make one up until you have gone over character concepts and character creation with me. I will not accept characters not discussed, at length, with me before hand.


General Info You Will Need:


No Level Limits for Non-Humans.


No Non-Humanoid, Magical, or "Evil" Races are Allowed. No races or classes for other AD&D worlds at this time (Wu Jen, Ninja, Athasian Gladiators, Preserver Mages, Gully Dawarves, Spelljamming Trolls, etc.) That means no Drow, Centaurs, Illithids, and such either people.

Humanoid Races Permitted are as Follows: Human (multiple ethnicities), Most Elf, Dwarf, Gnome, and half breed variations of each. Don't start on me with the whole "how can they breed" thing. Accept it and move on.



NO EVIL Alignments. I want to run a "good" campaign, so sorry but no evil aligns. On the other hand, I am doing something with alignment you all need to know. I add "tendencies" to my alignment chart.

For example, You COULD (you don't have to pick a tendency) play a Neutral Good character with Lawful Tendencies...they tend more often that not to go lawful, but just can't give up their less lawful ways...

If you add a tendency, I expect an explaination. Often, I use this to reflect alignment shifts during game play as a character's outlook shifts. To start with one, you have to convincingly make it part of your backstory.



I am using NONE of the AD&D deities. My own will be used to replace them.



I am using Perception checks, not unlike I do in my Pally games. Higher is better on a D20. Describing what you do to search and how you do it can modify your roll.



All Things Die Rolling:



For Multiclass characters, all die rolls (HP dice, cash, etc) are done as the better of the two classes.


Max Hits at Level One. Do not roll for First Level HP.


Cash: Add +1 to roll before the multiplier.


Stats


First off....DO NOT ROLL COMELINESS. It is a seperate stat. I am allowing you to assign your COM, up to racial max and down to racial min. Yep, that's right, you get to choose your character's attractiveness. You also get to live with the results of that; good and bad.

As for the rest You start by assigning an "8" to every one of them. Now you roll 10D6 and total that for a number between 10 and 60. That is the number of stat "points" you have to distribute among your stats. Roll that 10D6 twice and pick the better (higher) of the two totals. Divide them among the stats, adding them to the already present 8. 18 is the max stat, before racial (like Elf Dex and Dwarf Con mods) or class (like the fighter "00") mods.


All Things Skillie:


I am using the NWP and WP rules with some tweaking.


You get fluency (NOT read/write) FREE in your Native tongue and one other you are familiar with (DM must OK it)

You are permitted the normal amount of WP an NWP, with the usual class restrictions and such except for the following changes:

You get one free extra NWP slot.
The INT bonus for extra Languages can be used for extra skills, of any type (WP at cost of 2 bonus slots/1 WP or NWP at 1/1 ) with GM ok.

Multiple skills can be spent on a skill to effectively gain more "ranks" in it (+1 Bonus per). The real benefit to this comes in role play...when expertise and dedication to the "art" is applied or important these "ranks" will be taken into consideration.

Only Fighters and Rogues can start with any Weapon Specializations but they must be bought with WP slots or bonus slots from INT. Fighters can start with up to 3 Specializations, Rogues with only 1.

Specializations in bow DO NOT require 2 WP slots to be spent. It now works like this: First specialization in Bow gets you the Poin Blank bonus ad the whole +1/+2 thing, Next specialization gets you two trick shots, and so on. I am making up a chart of exactly how this works so I will go into greater detail later.


I do allow new skill acquisiton as per the rules AND as per training/circumstance. As per the rules, all I ask is you have put some play or reason into what you acquire. this could be anything from another rank in a WP to another ranks in a NWP, or a whole new skill. I just ask you have it make sense.

In the same line, I do allow new skills to be acquired purely by circumstance. If you put enough time and effort in, I will allow a new skill. Also, I often do mods to your skill: for example, you learn some weird shite, and now when you use your Ancient Elf lang skill your character speaks with an accent...or after all the Hellhouds you party has encountered, your efforts to skin them are forever +1 bonus...etc.

I also allow skill specializations. Usually, this will give you a bonus to a particular field and be at penalties to any other part of that field. For example: maybe Baking is not enough for you...your character is working to become reknowned for their cakes. You take Baking: Cakes as a skill and get bonuses to anything cake related and penalties when you try to use the same skill for a batch of cookies...you are out of practice with all those cakes you've been making.

I also allow the creation of skills if it is reasonable and I OK it first. For example, I have a character with "Exotic Sex Practices"...basically a freak's lore skill.





Lesse....I think that about covers it for now....more to come

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A few points on naming your characters in manners consistent with the world.


Elves:

The majority of Elves living in the area are effectively wood elf and the sort.

These types tend to have very Wolfrider (see the Pini series Elfquest) like names.

Surnames are often things like Softtreader, Treerunner, Moondancer, etc.

Common names are often things that incorporate an element of nature to them, but not always. They can be given based on traits and tendencies, or purely by esthetic. Also, it is not uncommon for them to be changed, up to and including the surname being altered, to honor and commemmorate a great deed.

Keep in mind, the elvin language would have different words for their name. Effectively, these rules are telling you what the name translates to in "common.

High elves, a rare and noble breed of elf (including the Grey Elf), tend to use the more traditional Elf form names lie you would find in fantasy. Lossa consanants and things to make Tolkien proud.



Dwarves:

They are fiercely proud of their surnames, as they hold a clan structure and are proud of their heredity. Think short Klingons here.

Surnames tend toward very Nordic sounding ones. Examples include Torrbueller, Duelendin, Varsskoller, and the like.

First names tend to be "dwarven" as well. These tend to be gruff, consonant ladden sounds. Again, refer to Klingon. Things like Kinnar, Tokett, Makel, and the like.

Dwarves also commonly have a nickname sort of common name that most people can, if they prefer, refer to them by. This is a very familiar thing, so if a dwarf tells you to use it, it is a certain sign of friendship. Use of it is also a very personal thing, so be careful. Machiste's Captain of the Guard has the name "Thunder Break" attached to him.


Human:

Highyl culturally diverse and such as they are today. These will need to be discussed, at least in terms of surnames, if you want to be consistent.

Generally, keep in mind the older origin of names like Smith, Johnson, Cooper, and the like, and you will be on the right track. Working the name into your backstory also earns happy joy joy of the GM.

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Still more...this part I was torn between "House Rules" and "Character Generation" as the place to place it.

I have decided to include, in this game, an element I included in the original game it is based on.

I am allowing players to start with things they normally could not, but with a cost.

This could mean something mundane; having a horse you cannot afford with starting wealth, or better armor, or more starting cash...

This could be something less mundane; starting at a higher level, having some unusual stat quirk (a bonus versus poisons or some such thing), noble status, a rare steed (zebra, for example) or the like.

It could be quite unusual; starting with a low level magic item, an exotic steed (unicorn, griffon, etc), racial alliance (an orc clan adopted your human ass some years back and treat you like one of them), or the like.

Or it could be something truly strange: unique spell abilities, innate powers, innate immunities, or the like.


Here's the catch kiddies: there is a disavantage given to you for the advantage you gain. The disadvantage will be in direct proportion to the power of the advantage.

In some cases, this might mean something as mundane as requiring an additional 5% tithing to the church, additional care for the mount, or the like. In other cases, it could be more extreme.

Worse yet, you (and your character) may have no idea what the "cost" even is...you may well mount a massive "A-Hook" to your character's back and some time, down the road, I will pull on the line that hook is connected to and your little character will really start to dance.

In any case, I do it like this: you ask for what it is you want and I will make an offer of what it will cost. You accept, or refuse. I will make one more offer. You accept or refuse. If you refuse, you need to change what you are asking for, or abandon that hope for your starting character (maybe they can seek such a thing later on).

It is NOT a negotiation. I will make two TOTAL offers based on what you desire. You don't like em? Change your need, significantly, and I will make two new offers.




Just a little something to "spice things up".