Difference between revisions of "OAAAA Character Creation"

Revision as of 18:08, 16 July 2008

Characters will begin with between 50-100 character points. This will be based on character race, mostly, and which races get more/less points will be explicitly specified.
EDIT: based on player request, all characters will start at 75 points (25 points base, 50 points of disadvantages). Racial bonuses must be purchased out of these points, while racial disadvantages must be taken, even if this takes the character over 50 starting disadvantage points: additional points are lost.

Characters must take the "normal characteristic maxima" disadvantage, for 0 points, modified based on their race.

Characters cannot start the game with a speed greater than 3. Most character classes will not be allowed to advance beyond speed 3 until late in the game. The reason for this is that it allows us to bypass the speed chart entirely and act purely using "turns" in which everybody acts. It also makes high speeds a significant benefit for certain classes.

Players will need to assign their character to a series of classes: multi classes of 2 different classes will be permitted, as long as the requirements of both classes are met.

Group Hook: All characters must incorporate the following into their concept: 1.) They must be desirous of, or at least excited by, the concept of adventure. In a grander sense, they must desire to be sung in the sagas, to have their story told throughout the ages, much as in Dawnforge, as I understand it. 2.) They must care about the well being of their city/island-state. 3.) They must care and/or honor the importance of the auspice-bond (more on this later: in brief: on your island, it is believed that children born under the same auspice (a so far undefined/nebulous form of prophecy) have some form of shared destiny). 4.) they must be relatively young: ie, 15-25.

Characters will NOT be permitted to take Power Frameworks. This includes magic users: the Hero Grimoire apparently recommends against allowing spells in frameworks because the discounts for them are already so large. The one exception may be to allow small, restricted variable power pools for certain types of spellcasters. If this makes you want to cry or hit me with a large side of beef, I can lay out a more extensive argument for why I think this is a good idea.
Some very powerful magic items will grant the character power frameworks, thus vastly increasing their value/usefulness.

Character Background: I DO NOT expect players to write an extensive background for their characters (not to say, no background). Your characters are young and just starting on their life path. I DO expect players to have ideas about how they want the story of their character to evolve: in other words, ONCE your character is famous and legendary, what sorts of things will be said about her/him? I would like to incorporate these ideas into the actual adventures. In most games, you start with most of the points you will ever get, so it makes sense that your character starts the game almost totally defined. But in this game, you will have doubled in points after 6 sessions or so, so your character's defining events/characteristics should reflect that. I would like players to come up with a list of events/concepts/etc that they want to have happen to them/for them/etc during the course of the game: these will become part of the story, I hope. I am still working on a mechanic for this.

Deadlands-esque Disad. System: your character begins the game with 50 points of disadvantages. Subsequently, characters may get into all sorts of tight spots, lose body parts, gain psychoses, or make enemies. All of these things are story elements that the burgeoning hero may take forward into his/her saga. The disadvantage system therefore works like this: disadvantages are not assigned, they must be bought (!!! wait for it...). A disadvantage costs ([cost of disad]/2, round down) in experience points. In any subsequent session where this disadvantage has a significant impact on the story (a simple guide is that it actually affects a dice roll), you get ([cost of disad]/5, round up) bonus xp that session. For you "what's in it for me" types, this means that if your disad shows up in 3 sessions, its more than paid for itself.
You are making a name for yourself in Amora, and in that quest your experiences are as often negative as positive, but these are the very things that help you grow.
Obviously, you can only take disads that actually fit the story elements that have occurred.

Advancement: characters will get 10 XP at the END of every session, + any bonuses from disads., - any spent for laying down the law (see below/upcoming). Characters may spend their xp at any point it is appropriate, within the limits set out on this page.