Character Creation

Character creation is a complex activity. Here's some rules, guidelines, and tools to help you out!

Tool Pack

I've assembled some of the best character management tools available for you in one easy-to-download-if-you-have-broadband package: Character Development Pack . It includes instructions for the rather robust spreadsheet I use to make NPCs and my characters, Timpani, which has been customized for our campaign to include classes, races, feats, and spells we will be using. Additionally, I wrote a tutorial for Timpani, to help you with the process. It's a little complex, but well worth the learning curve.

Also included are about 5 alternate old-fashioned, print-out and fill-in-the-blank character sheets, the Backstory Creation Helper (see below), and the Quick Item Selection Guide (see Gear, below).

Current Campaign Level

Third

Please make your character at the current campaign level.

Guidelines

Table: Ability Score Costs

Ability Score	Cost		Ability Score	Cost
3	+5		11	3
4	+4		12	4
5	+3		13	5
6	+2		14	6
7	+1		15	8
8	0		16	10
9	1		17	13
10	2		18	16

Races

There are a wide number of races available, see Races for more information.

Attributes

• All characters will be created using the point-buy method as described the 3rd edition DM's Guide.
• Each attribute starts out with a score of 8.
• You have 28 points, which are used to buy ability scores as follows. Racial Scores adjustments are added AFTER all points are used.

Classes

Please see the Character Classes and Prestige Classes pages for more information on class customization and availability.

Permutations

With 17 races and 11 available base character classes, at the campaign starting level of third, there were 22,627 possible race/class permutations.

This doesn't include variant classes, different gods, specializations, domains, or tribal differences! Including all of that, incorporating 122 possible base classes, variants, specializations and domain choices, 23 possible races including tribal variants, the total possible choices for a first level character are a respectable 2806!

At third level it's jumped to a staggering 41,764,504 possibilities (depending on path).

This number doesn't include prestige classes, feats or spell choices. There are 59 available prestige classes, a couple hundred feats available, and several hundred spells. Potential choices and available paths at that point jump into the billions or trillions. By mid-high levels, the available possible paths for your character to take are best noted using scientific notation.

If you can't find something to suit your fancy at that point... run your own damn campaign.

Feats

Please see the Feats page for more information on feat availability and new feats.

Skills

Please see the Skills page for more information on skill availability and new skills.

Backstory Creation Guidelines

As an aid to PCs creating character backgrounds, and also for my own use, I offer the following quick method for generating characters. To create a character's background, write four sentences.

1. The first sentence is the anecdote.
   • This is any one story, fact or memory from your character's past.
     • "I grew up in Rivendell, for a time."
     • "I dumped a cargo of smuggled goods when I was about to be boarded."
     • "There's a 24-hour period in my memories that I can't account for."
2. The second sentence is the quirk.
   • This is any one fact, mannerism or detail about the character's present.
     • “I'm always investing in dodgy businesses in an attempt to make a quick buck.”
     • “I'm constantly whining about how hopeless the situation is.”
     • “I wander the forests as a crazy old hermit.”
3. The third sentence is the goal.
   • This is something that the character wishes to achieve in the future (preferably not something that can be achieved too quickly).
     • "I want to become a paladin."
     • "I want to wake everyone up, to free them from the tyranny of the machine."
     • "I want to discharge the life-debt I owe."
4. The fourth sentence is the mystery.
   • This can either be some fact about the character that he doesn't want others to know, or it could be something that the character does not know, but wants to (in which case, it should be something distinct from the goal, or else it's just repetition).
     • "I killed my best friend in a drunken rage."
     • "I want to learn the identity of my human father."
     • "I woke one day with a strange tattoo on my arm, and want to know what it is and what it means."

Gear

This campaign uses loosely "Early-Renaissance"-level, mostly realistic technology. Contact me with questions about specific items, if they are particularly important to your character concept.

Magical Gear

In keeping with the goal of streamlining the nature and management of this campaign, you will have the ability to choose your own magical gear.

The Quick Item Selection spreadsheet will be our guide in this process.

At the top right is a chart, with each row representing a character level and each column a gear distribution. You may use either the PC Standard or PC Power columns.

Find your level and distribution, and the cell on the intersection tells you what charts you can look on to choose your gear. Each letter indicates one choice on that chart; letters separated by a hyphen (G-J, for example) mean you get one item from each of the tables from those tables. X2 means you can have two items from that table.

Don't see something you like? Take the gold option and "buy" it. Most wondrous items and specific armor and weapons will have to be obtained this way. You may also trade down one item for one selection in each of the two next lower levels.

At the beginning of the campaign, we are going to be third level, so you may have either one item from table A, one item from table B, and two items from table C, OR one item from table A and one from table D.

Initial items may be a mix of arcane and divine items.

Going forward, at each experience level, you will get a "promotion" and therefore be eligible for new and upgraded gear. Note that, barring special circumstances, this is the only time you will get to change gear; this is especially applicable to consumable magic items... So, if you burn through all your scrolls, you will not get more until the next level!

Notes

There is some acknowledged room for abuse in the area of consumable magic items. Please don't make this a problem for me.

Mundane Gear

As Wardens of the Tower, mundane gear is basically free to you. Any non-magical item, from any equipment list except Alchemical Items, costing up to 100gp, is free for you. Take what you like. This includes mundane armor and weapons. Horses will be provided by the tower if needed for a mission.

If you want something that is more than 100 gp, or something off the Alchemical Items list, buy it according to the magical items rules, above. The same rule applies to personal mounts, Firearms, and repeating crossbows.

Level Advancement

It is assumed that part of the job of the Wardens is to increase the resources of the Tower. Therefore, you will be expected to turn in magical gear that you find on your adventures. You will, however, continue to advance on the Quick Item Selection chart, upgrading your gear, trading stuff in or getting new items. If you see an item on an adventure you particularly want, we'll give it a chart equivalent and you can fit it into your equipment list that way.

Note that there may occasionally be restrictions on the availability of certain new items, simply due to the Tower's resources in producing items.

The Tower will also pay you a level-based, cash stipend, based on your Rank within the Imperium. You may use this to purchase incidentals on your missions, furnishings for your quarters, real estate, livestock, wine, women, songs, whatever you like. If you use it to purchase gear, please track that gear separately from your normal Tower-issued equipment.

Do note that the Tower is not in the business of selling magic items, so if you want something magical, you'll need to find an alternate source.

Further, please note that there's no words in Draconic, the official language of the Tower, for "expense report". So if your mission requires you to bribe an official or pay for lodging, it's on you.

Additional Information

More info on equipment can be found on the Weapons page.