Random Character Creation

Creating a random character, whether as a PC or NPC is a very similar to the process gone through by tarot card readers when they creatively invent their future predictions. Take a Tarot deck, shuffle it, and lay out the cards in a “Spread”. Have a look at where the cards are within the spread to determine what the character's game information is.

There are two spreads made for a character if you want a detailed description. The first is for the game-related statistics, and the second is for personality and background.

For characteristics, lay the cards out in 10 rows. Some rows will have only one card. When a particular item has several cards, add them together. No characteristic should exceed 10.

1. Class (1 card)
2. Birth (1 card)
3. Body (1 card)
4. Beliefs (2 cards)
5. Reputations (2 cards)
6. Favours (2 cards)
7. Repartee (2 cards)
8. Skills (5 cards)
9. Contacts (3 cards)
10. Currency (1 card)

While this spread is easier to do, the interpretation is harder. Lay twelve cards out in a circle to form a clockface. Each position on the clock represents a separate zodiac house. 12 of the cards in the Tarot also represent zodiac signs. There are several things to look for in this spread-

1. Which zodiac“ card is in which position.”
2. Which other major arcana card is in which position.
3. Where other normal cards fall.

1. identity, personality, disposition
2. values, finances, possessions
3. communications or travel
4. home, family, heritage
5. creativity, children, romance
6. work and health
7. marriage or any other partnerships
8. support from others, regeneration
9. education, religion, philosophy
10. profession / career, reputation, social status
11. friendships, aspirations
12. fears, sub-conscious, and secrets

• The Hierophant. — Ares - leadership role
• The Sun. — Taurus - domestic role
• The Moon. — Gemini - expressiveness
• The Star. — Cancer - sympathetic or emotional nature
• The World. — Leo - pride or self-assurance
• The Empress. — Virgo - industrious nature
• The Emperor. — Libra - cooperative or diplomatic nature
• The High Priestess. — Scorpio - motivation or determination
• Justice. — Sagittarius - philosophy or idealism
• Temperance. — Capricorn - resourcefulness
• Strength. — Aquarius - intellect
• The Hanged Man. — Pisces - intuition

• If a “zodiac” card falls within one of the positions, that is how the character views that area. i.e. If The Sun falls in the ninth position, the character probably lives as a teacher or curate - or they view education, religion or philosophy as a particularly domestic thing to do.
• If another major arcana card falls on a position - you can either interpret it according to that card's meaning (see the descriptors in the Tarot chapter), or you can regard it as a null (the character doesn't care about that subject).
• For the numerical cards, regard them as how important the subject of that position is according to the suit of the card (see the faculties in the Tarot chapter). i.e. An 8 of Staves in the fourth position means the character invests most of their creative energy in their home and family or their heritage.