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Jim's DragonQuest Campaign:
New Characters

These are the rules for creating new characters. There is a slightly different set of rules for generating characters who are the children of existing characters.
  1. Gender. Pick your character's gender, or determine it randomly.
  2. Relative. If you wish, your character can be a sibling or cousin of a current or past player character, as long as your character's age (usually 18 for a new character) is within 10 years of the other character's. If you choose this option, you will have the same race, culture, religion, and homeland as the other character; these steps can be skipped below.
  3. Race. If your race hasn't already been determined, the GM will roll three times on the following table. You can pick any of the races the GM rolls up, or you can always pick human. If you pick a shape-changer, the particular type will be determined by your homeland.
    Random Race Table
    RollRace
    01Cloud Giant
    02-13Dwarf
    14-28Elf
    29Fire Giant
    30Frost Giant
    31-37Halfling
    38-87Human
    88-97Orc
    98-99Shape-Changer
    100Stone Giant
  4. Preferences. If you have a particular character type in mind, you can tell the GM your preferred culture, religion, background, or homeland.
  5. Homeland, Culture, and Religion. Based on what you've told the GM so far, the GM determines your character's homeland, culture, and religion. If you haven't specified any preferences, the GM will determine all of this randomly.
  6. Aspect. The GM determines your character's aspect randomly.
  7. Background. Each homeland has its own list of available backgrounds. Work with the GM to choose one. This is the background your character was raised in, and it's how the character can earn a living between adventures.
  8. Characteristics. Assign values to the six basic characteristics: PS (physical strength), MD (manual dexterity), AG (agility), EN (endurance), WP (willpower), and MA (magic aptitude). You have 100 points to use. The cost (in points) of each characteristic score is:
    Characteristic Costs
    Characteristic
    Score
    Point Cost
    5-17cost = score
    1819
    1921
    2023
    2125
    2227
    2329
    2431
    2533

    Your initial PC score is 8, although modifiers might apply. Your initial FT score is derived from EN according to rule 5.3.

  9. Modifiers. Apply the modifiers to each characteristic based on race and culture. Optionally, you can apply the modifiers of rule 6.1 (-2PS, +1MD, +1FT) if your character is female; however, you have to take all three together or not at all.
  10. Physical Beauty (PB). The GM will roll your PB score randomly. Just to add some flavor, you can make up some distinguishing features according to the table below:
    PBDistinguishing Features
    2-4Four unattractive features
    5-7Three unattractive features
    8-10Two unattractive features, or three unattractive features and one attractive
    11-13One unattractive feature, or two unattractive and one attractive
    14-16No distinguishing features, or one unattractive and one attractive
    17-19One attractive feature, or two attractive and one unattractive
    20-22Two attractive features, or three attractive and one unattractive
    23-25Three attractive features
    26-28Four attractive features

    Sample attractive features: handsome face, gorgeous eyes, athletic figure, noble face, musical voice, graceful movements. Sample unattractive features: permanent scowl, big nose, body odor, clumsy walk, bad breath, raspy voice, nervous tic.

    Dwarves automatically get the unattractive feature "looks like a dwarf." Even worse, orcs get "looks like an orc." Halflings get "hairy feet that have never once been inside a proper pair of shoes." Elves get the attractive feature "elfin appearance."

  11. Initial Skills and Equipment. The GM will inform you of your character's starting skills and equipment (based on culture and background).
  12. Additional Skills and Equipment. You can spend experience points on additional skills and money on additional equipment. The GM will tell you how many points or how much money you can use. You need to check with the GM on the availability of certain skills or items. If the request is unusual for the character's background, you'll have to work with the GM to come up with a rationale.
  13. Reason for Adventuring. Work with the GM to decide why your character is out adventuring. Maybe it's a break from the character's "day job," or maybe the character has run away, or maybe the character's profession requires travel and adventure.
  14. Known NPCs. The GM will tell you about one or more NPCs that your character knows (family members, mentors, lords, colleagues). You can also suggest some of your own: rivals, sworn enemies, best friends, or whatever.
  15. Name. Name your character. Lists of suggested names are available.
  16. Individual True Name. If your character is non-human, or a human who practices either the pagan or the Wotanic religion, the GM will assign your character an Individual True Name. This is the name assigned by a local Namer when your character reached adulthood; the adulthood ceremony is not complete without it.

    If your character is Christian and more superstitious than orthodox (your choice), you can request an Individual True Name.

    In any case, each character's Individual True Name is a closely guarded secret, shared only with those the character trusts completely.