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roleplaying:hero:ws:character_creation

Character Creation

Character creation in Western Shores

Design Guidelines

For those folk wanting to get into the guts of the mechanics in a system-up approach (rather than a character concept-down approach)

  • Base Points: 150
  • Points able to be taken from Disadvantages: 100
  • Maximum points in a Disadvantage category: 50
  • All characters have Normal Characteristic Maxima
  • Maximum Active Points allowed in any power: 60
    Active Points above 30 must be okay-ed.
  • Maximum Damage Classes (DC) in any attack: 10 (10d6 N or 3d6+1 K)
  • Maximum Combat Skill Levels (CSL): 5
  • Maximum OCV/DCV (CV) for combat types: 9
    for non-combat types: 8
  • Maximum Characteristics:
    Characteristic: 23
    SPD: 5
    Skill Rolls: 14 or less
    PD/ED: 12/12
    Resistant defenses: 6
  • Divine spells must have the limitations: Gestures, Incantation, Uses END, Requires Skill Roll and Side Effects
    The skill used is Faith
  • Secular spells must have the limitations: Uses END, Requires Skill Roll and Side Effects
    The skill used is Tap
  • Divine spellcasters must have the disadvantage: Watched by God(dess), and may have Watched by Church
  • Secular spellcasters must have the disadvantage: Watched by Church, and may have Hunted by Church
  • Spells cannot be put in power frameworks other than a multipower based on the college of the spell. Non-theme spells must be bought separately.

Everyman Skills

Everyman skills are default skills that cost nothing and start at the base level for every character. Every player's character has these.

  • Acting
  • AK (Area Knowledge): Home nation
  • CK (City Knowledge): Home town
  • CuK (Cultural Knowledge): Home nation Culture and Customs
  • Climbing
  • Concealment
  • Conversation
  • Deduction
  • LANG: Home nation (4 pts, idiomatic, literacy costs 1 pt) AND nearest nation (1 pt, basic conversation)
  • Paramedics (basic first aid)
  • Persuasion
  • PS (Professional Skill): Appropriate to local economy (grain farmer, fruit farmer, mining, fishing, herding, merchant, teacher, politician, knight, noble, scholar, priest, public servant, private servant)
  • Shadowing
  • Stealth
  • TF (Transport Familiarity): Wagons or other appropriate vehicle, OR FAM (Familiarity): Riding

Ramblings

I'll go through the various Hero genre/setting books and use as many character types as possible. Some tweaking is necessary to have them fit - and sum just won't fit at all.

I like the idea of three packages for each character. A package being a archetype of skills/powers/characteristics that define a particular stereotype. Character can have more than three - but the point is that packages do not alter the costs of skills/powers/characteristics. The more they use, the less points they'll have for customisation outside the packages.

But, on the other hand - packages save labour, and really flavour what a typical “one of these” is like (ie creating an average elf, or average inn keeper).

Three package types - Race, Culture and Profession. Extra packages would be Profession Specialists (ie a Dragonslayer Bounty Hunter), and anyone with more than one Cultural background, or Profession.

This means that an Elf, growing up in a Barbarian Culture as a Blacksmith is different from an Elf, growing up in a City as a Blacksmith. A different package (Barbarian, rather than City Dwelling Culture) means their initial starting characteristics, skills, talents, perks, powers and disadvantages will be different from each other.

There is a fourth category in Fantasy Hero - for Environment/Ancestry packages. It covers things like characters with a divine/infernal/elemental/magical parent, or ones with magical/unusual properties. But to have those as well, would be more superhero-ish than I like. The characters would have to have more starting points than a heroic level setting allows. I don't want half-fire elementals tossing fireballs around. Too unbalancing - and it would play havok with the ambient magic/ley lines of the area. FH Professional packages

Here's a listing of FH Professional packages I'll be using. I'll put the Racial and Cultural up as I read them/determine changes needed (brackets denote further specialisations) :-

Contemplative Priest (Itinerant Priest, Monk, Village Priest), Crusading Priest (Demonhunter, Marshal, Warrior-Priest, Withfinder), Druid, Rogue, Bandit, Bard, Shaman, Assassin, Bounty Hunter (Dragonslayer), Archer, Barbarian (Desert, Forest, Sea, Horse Raider), Commander, Knight (Squire), Martial Artist1), Paladin, Ranger (Archer, Hunter, Monster Hunter, Commando, Wanderer), Wizard (Adept, Apprentice, School Taught*, Warrior-Mage), Alchemist, Witch, Craftsman (Artisan, Blacksmith, Cook, Healer, Innkeeper, Miner), Mariner, Merchant, Noble

Another note on professions - priests, wizards, witches and paladins include some form of magic ability in their packages. The other profession would need to be customised by the player to add the ability if wanted. There are no restrictions in Western Shores (but other FH settings may have them) as to who can cast magic. The sole criteria is that the character has enough points to pay for spells.

A general restriction on starting magic I've seen in other settings that I'll use is that no starting spell can have more than 60 active points.

One final really good point about the advantages of packages - players can just say I'd like to be this, this and this, and they don't have to worry about the points and mechanics behind it.

Races

Brief note - some races suffer huge xenophobic reactions, and this will be pointed out to players if they contemplate them.

And now a much longer note explaining the reacions-

Elves

(and magic users in general) are hated by all major religions. They undermine the Gods. Well - the higher-ups believe they do, as they have half the truth. The basic religous person just thinks they have no soul, and shuns them wherever possible (except if they need magic and they know a guy, who knows a guy). Minor change to the racial package - they are immune to aging (rather than merely long lived). Also - Elves have 5 subraces. They have a unique adaptiveness such that their culture determines their subrace, because their beliefs are closely tied to magic. This also accounts for the ability of Half-Elves to consciously choose one race or the other.

Dwarfs

Are viewed with suspicion. Because technically they are self replicating golems, and biological life forms have a subconscious perception of this. It does lead to interesting birth and death rituals for the Dwarfs, however - The Halls of their Fathers where statues of their ancestors are placed, is really a crypt full of Dwarfs whose life force has finally faded. BTW, a note on “Father” - possibly Dwarfs view themselves as male, and the entire world as female - they hew their descendants out of the rock of the mountain. Minor change to the racial package - reproduction as an optional power (can be bought at any time), counts as a “major transform - rock to dwarf, extra time, concentration, cummulative, one charge (non recoverable), independant”. Because it's independant - once the power is used, it's lost. Which means they need more experience points to buy it again to have a second child.

Other manufactured races

Ogres, Trolls, Orcs and Goblins. Not only shunned, but actively hunted down and killed by just about everyone. Some damn fool Necromancer thought they would try mind controlling and altering captured Elves and turn them into useful slave labour. And, unfortunately - word of that particular spell got out. Grab one Elf, use their soul to power the creation of clones spawned from their body. You'll kill the Elf .. eventually .. but will have created a hundred Orcs, barring loose change in Goblins. Same spell - other vicious Necromancer with an aptitude in experimentation - Ogres and Trolls. Loyal, obedient, unsavory eating habits, and totally without morals. Technically Orcs and Goblins are as immortal as Elves, but their lifestyle gives them, in general, a life expectancy of 20 years. I'm not ruling them out as a PC race - they just better have a damn good backstory.

Felines

Treated quite gingerly by the folk of WS. Very much the same way a Human would treat a Klingon in Trek. Mainly because everyone thinks it would be a good idea not to annoy the Kartar Empire. Most Felines encountered will be runaway slaves, or those sent to get them back.

Lizardmen

About the same as the Americans treat any Arabs. Which is unfortunate, because the Cold Blooded will be ones most likely to appear in the WS, and they are refugees from slavery. If they make it to the Dragon Folk in the north, they will be so traumatised by humans (and the Warm Blooded) that it insures that Dragon attitudes will always remain the same.

Dragon Folk

Treated with fear. Because, basically - they never are seen in the WS. Always staying in the frozen north. And they are just as cold blooded as Dragons and Lizardmen. How do they survive? Magic, of course!

Races from FH

So, here is a list of races from FH (Fantasy Hero book) that will be in the WS. The ones in brackets are sub-races. The ones with asterisks are (preferrably) NPC only. Again, I'll look at the other books when I can.

Cat-Folk, Centaur*, Dragon-Folk*, Dragons*, Dwarf (Mountain, Hill), Elf (Dark, Sea, Wood, High, Council), Gargoyle*, Giant*, Gnome, Goblin*, Halflings, Humans, Lizard-Folk, Ogre*, Orc*, Serpent-Folk*, Sprite, Troll*, Wolf-Folk*

In the case of Serpent-Folk and Wolf-Folk, they aren't on the continent of Western Shores.

Character Benchmarks

Eosin has written a great benchmarking document that lists the statistics of well known mythic characters for players to have an idea of suitable levels. I reproduce it here for your enlightenment 🙂

Original message -

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1161864

FANTASY BENCHMARKS

This list speculates about the characteristics of Greek and Arthurian heroes. I wanted to see about including some of the mainstay fantasy characters such as those from Lord of the Rings, Conan, Wheel of Time, A Song of Fire and Ice, and Others as suggested by folks. The fantasy genre displays an amazing range of abilities with many characters falling well outside of the Normal Characteristic Maxima. The list is specific to fantasy characters and only hits the high points of well-known heroes, but it may give the players ideas on where they want to go (and more importantly - where they can go) with their character.

Again, this is only my opinion of their abilities and it is not intended to be a strait jacket. I omitted the PRE stat because nearly all of the characters demonstrate enormous courage, even when facing sure death.

STRENGTH DEXTERITY CONSTITUTION BODY
8 Peasants, Levy, Merlin
10 Farmers, Militia
11 Soldiers, Mercenaries
13 Squires, Elite Guards, Atlanta, Kay, Paris, Waylander
15 Royal Guards, Most Knights, Arthur, Gawain, Rand, Jaim Lannister, Galad
18 Galahad, Achilles, Lancelot, Lan, Aragorn
20 Hector, Bors, Ector, Roland
21 Odysseus
23 Bedivere, Boromir
25 Conan
27 Druss
28 Minotaur, Gregor Clegane
30 Beowulf
35 Ajax
40 Grendel
45 Hercules
8 Militia
10 Guardsmen
11 Soldiers, Mercenaries
12 Squires, Gregor Clegane
13 Young Knights
14 Elite Guards, Ajax, Knights, Druss
15 Royal Guards, Grendel, Ector
17 Hercules, Aeneas, Arthur, Boromir
18 Gawain, Bors
19 Rand, Aragorn, Jaim Lannister
20 Beowulf, Roland, Galahad
21 Hector, Atlanta, Lan
23 Lancelot, Conan, Galad
24 Waylander
25 Achilles
26 Legolas [Movie]
8 Peasants, Levy, Farmers
10 Militia, Soldiers, Mercenaries
13 Squires, Elite Guards
15 Royal Guards, Most Knights, Jaim Lannister
18 Lancelot, Gawain, Hector, Galad
20 Achilles, Atlanta, Ajax, Rand, Boromir
23 Minotaur, Beowulf, Lan, Aragorn
25 Grendel, Hercules, Conan, Gregor Clegane
28 Dragons
8 Peasants, Levy, Farmers, Merlin
9 Soldiers, Mercenaries
10 Squires, Elite Guards, Kay, Paris
11 Atlanta, Gawain, Ector, Galahad, Jaim Lannister, Galad
13 Hector, Lancelot, Odysseus, Rand
15 Beowulf, Ajax, Roland, Lan, Aragorn, Boromir
17 Hercules, Achilles, Conan, Gregor Clegane
20 Minotaur, Grendel
23 Dragons
INTELLIGENCE EGO COMELINESS SPEED
8 Peasants, Ajax
7 Gregor Clegane
8 Peasants, Ajax
10 Lancelot, Paris, Jaim Lannister, Galad
13 Gawain, Galahad, Percival, Lan, Boromir
15 Arthur, Kay, Hector, Conan, Aragorn
18 Bellerophon, Mordred, Ector
20 Odysseus, Morgaine, Rand
25 Memnon, Nimue (Lady of the Lake)
28 Merlin
8 Militia, Mercenaries, Ajax, Grendel
10 Guardsmen, Soldiers, Paris, Gregor Clegane
11 Lancelot, Kay, Jaim Lannister
12 Squires, Young Knights, Boromir
13 Knights, Atlanta, Ector
14 Morgaine, Mordred
15 Gawain, Hercules, Odysseus
17 Achilles, Arthur, Bors
18 Hector, Memnon, Conan, Druss
20 Beowulf, Roland , Lan, Galad
21 Galahad, Percival, Aragorn
23 Merlin, Rand
25 Nimue
5 Gregor Clegane
10 Bors, Ector, Beowulf
13 Hector, Gawain, Hercules
15 Percival, Paris, Atlanta, Aragorn, Boromir
18 Galahad, Roland, Circe, Rand
20 Lancelot, Medea, Achilles, Jaim Lannister
23 Guinevere, Morgaine, Galad
25 Nimue
28 Helen.
1 Peasants
2 Soldiers, Guardsmen, Squires
3 Mercenaries, Knights, Kay, Ajax, Grendel, Gregor Clegane
4 Arthur, Gawain, Hercules, Roland, Odysseus, Druss, Rand, Boromir, Jaim Lannister
5 Beowulf, Lancelot, Galahad, Hector, Achilles, Conan, Waylander, Lan, Aragorn
6 Legolas [Movie], Galad
1)
Restricted to certain nations/cultures only. In the case of Martial Artist, this is presumed to be “Unarmed Martial Artist”, as just about everyone is an Armed Martial Artist.
roleplaying/hero/ws/character_creation.txt · Last modified: 2015/01/26 19:23 by 127.0.0.1