Darren: Character Creation

[GM Craig]

You are Northman from Thelamark, a region southwest of Oslo and part of the Kingdom of Ostland. You are 15 years old.

Your father was a tribal chieftain, but maybe he died when you were young? There is no hereditary rights in Norse society - every man and woman holds their place on the strength of their own accomplishments, not those of their forefathers. You may well have gone from being a third son of a powerful man to working as a thrall (peasant) for some other powerful man.

So, next steps:

The Northmen of Thelamark are either Christian (due to the influence of Frankish monks) or Ordinic of the Cult of Freya. The king of Ostland is Christian, and has commanded his Karls to convert as well, so in your kingdom only the lower classes still worship Freya. So, you need to make a choice - Christian or Ordinic/Freya for religion.

You have 60 points to distribute among your attributes as you see fit (follow the standard rules for this).
Stats are:
SIZe
STRength
DEXterioty
CONnstitution
APPearance

Darren starts at age 15, unless he chooses to take additional experience. Details to follow.

Apply your cultural modifiers afterwards as follows:
Northman: +3 SIZ, -3 DEX, +3 STR

Next up some skills:

Awareness: 5
Boating: 10
Chiurgury: 0
Compose: 2
Courtesy: 5
Dancing: 2
Faerie Lore: 2
First Aid: 2
Flirting: 2
Folk Lore: 2
Gaming: 3
Hawking: 1
Heraldry: 0
Hunting: 4
Industry: 0
Intrigue: 2
Orate: 4
Play (Harp): 0
Read (Runes): 0
Recognize: 4
Religion: 2
Romance: 2
Singing: 3
Stewardship: 2
Swimming: 5
Tourney: 0

Battle: 3
Horsemanship: 2
Great Axe: 5
Sword: 3
Grapple: 3
Dagger: 1
Axe: 2
Spear: 3

You get 30 points to distribute among your skills as you see fit, with the following limitations: You may only put points into skills with at least a rank of 1; No skill may be increased past 15 through these points.

Base Passions:
Loyalty (Lord): 15
Love (Family): 15
Hospitality: 15
Loyalty (Tribe): 2d6+6
Honor: 15 + 1d6+1d3
Hate (Saxons): roll 3d6

Starting traits:
Arbitrary +2
Cruel +1
Honest +2
Energetic +1
Valorous +1d3+1

You have 6 points to adjust traits as you see fit, but no trait can go beyond 19 through this. Remember, these are directed traits, so Chaste is balanced by Lustful. As one goes up, the other must go down so that the sum of both is always 20.

You may, at this point, decide to age yourself, getting more experience. This process involves choices: You increment your age by one year, and then do one of the following:
A. Distribute 1d6 skill points among your skills. No skill with a zero starting can be adjusted in this way, and no skill may be increased past 15 in this way.
B. Add one to any trait or passion up to a maximum of 19 for traits and 20 for passions -OR- Add one point to a skill which is already at or over 15.
C. Raise one attribute by 1. Note that there are maximums by culture, and SIZ cannot be increased past age 21.

Things I need from you:

1. Family Characteristic: Roll 1d20
2. Choose Religion: Odinic/Freya or Christian
3. Apply any previous experience (if desired).
4. Roll for Starting Glory: Roll 6d6
5. Roll 1d20 for Family Characteristic - this is a trait your family is known for.
6. Luck: Roll 1d20 for Luck If you get a 20, re-roll twice (but only on the first 20)
7. Roll 1d20 for Additional Belongings If you get a 20, roll twice more (recursively).

You need to have some sort of profession. The Land of Giants has requirements for professions on page 48-49. You need to be able to do one of those things to make your way in the world. Thrall is an option, but the rules state that if you only qualify for Thrall, age yourself or scrap the character and start over. You have choice here, so if you want to follow in your father's footsteps, work towards Tribal Chieftain. If your ambitions are simpler, pick Hall-Thane, Warrior or Hunter. You could even go Scop (bard) like Michelle is headed if you want, but you need some sort of professional status to begin with.

Note that this is only relevant among the Northmen, and sets the tone for your background. Among the knights of the Cymru, you'll be judged not by your background, but by their standards. So, you'll need at least one good combat skill. Typical knights have Sword and Spear or Sword and Lance at 15, so use that as a guide.

Note that your traits give certain rewards, based on external criteria, and that criteria depend on the religion you choose, so if you let me know that I can tell you what you need to qualify for the religion bonus.

If you have any questions, let me know here.

[Arne]

If it's okay, I'd like to have my father still alive.  No problems here with standings being based on merit; Arne realizes that by going to another land he'd be just another sell-sword.  To him, that just means that he's going to work that much harder.  He doesn't expect that he's going to be treated preferentially just because he's a chieftain's son.

Religion.  Despite the fact that the King of Ostland is Christian, Arne refuses to convert from paganism.  The Norse gods were around long before this upstart religion, and he's not about to forsake them.  And Arne's of the mind that people should let men worship whatever god - or gods - they want to.  So, Freya for Arne.

SIZ:  10 (+3 mod.) = 13
STR:  11 (+3 mod.) = 14
DEX:  15 (-3 mod.) = 12
CON:  13
APP:  11

Skill pt. allocation (30 pts. and an extra 6 pts. for age increase):

Courtesy:  5(+1) = 6
First aid:  2 (+4) = 6
Dancing:  2 (+10) = 12  (family characteristic bonus)
Battle:  3 (+2) = 5
Horseman:  2 (+3) = 5
Great axe:  5 (+10) = 15
Sword:  3 (+12) = 15
Dagger:  1 (+4) = 5

Loyalty (tribe) roll:  12
Honor roll:  24
Hate (Saxons) roll:  9


Traits (rolled +2 for Valorous):

Energetic:  11
Honest:  12
Arbitrary:  12
Cruel:  11
Proud:  12
Valorous:  16

Age: I'd like Arne to be a year older, and take 1d6 extra skill points (roll:  6).  See skills above.

Family characteristic roll:  9   NOTE:  Do I roll this twice?  I see that it's # 1 and # 5
Religion:  Odinic/Freya
Apply any previous experience:  1 year older than normal starting age
Starting glory roll:  19 + 250 = 269
Luck roll:  15
Additional belongings roll:  16

Profession:  Warrior

[Arne]

Quick question:  What's considered a decent skill for a starting character for a given weapon?

[GM Craig]

Your not really going to be viable for combat under 10. Expect most knights to have 15. Bandits and common soldiers will be somewhere between 10 and 15.

[Arne]

Wow.  Ummm, okay, time for me to re-tweak the skills.

[GM Craig]

Religion.  Despite the fact that the King of Ostland is Christian, Arne refuses to convert from paganism.  The Norse gods were around long before this upstart religion, and he's not about to forsake them.  And Arne's of the mind that people should let men worship whatever god - or gods - they want to.  So, Freya for Arne.

Here's your religion bonus:

For Freya: If your traits for Lustful, Energetic, Generous, Honest and Proud are 16 or better, then you get +2 to your natural healing rate.

As an aside, that's not possible for a starting character, but something you can work towards.

[Arne]

Regarding starting glory:  Is that the same thing as Northman Inherited Glory (p. 56)?

[GM Craig]

Yeah, I used the wrong line. 6d6+250

[Arne]

Ah!  Okay, I'll just go back to my post and modify it.

[GM Craig]

Luck: You have a Greataxe blessed by Freya. It grants +1 to your effective skill when used. It can break as any normal greataxe would.

You have an extra Rouncy (a type of horse).

As the son of the Tribal Chief, you get the following:

2 rouncies;
Norman chainmail armor (10 points)
2 spears
shield
sword, any one other weapon
dagger
clothing worth 1 Librum.

[GM Craig]

Army: This represents potential resources you may call on. Most of these folks have positions elsewhere, and their own responsibilities, so they are not at your beacon call. However, if the matter were serious enough, you could convince them to come.

Old Warriors: 1d6-5
Middle-aged Warriors: 1d6-2
Young Warriors: 1d6+ 1
Other Kinsmen: 3d6+5
Thralls: 5d20

Depending on your background, they may have even come with you to Britain.

[GM Craig]

With Appearance 11, you get one distinguishing feature. Pick something. You are free to pick, but can roll if you need. The specifics below are suggestions for inspiration.

Result Feature Detail
1 Hair (very long, curly, red, crew cut, blond, excessively hairy, huge beard, prematurely gray, glossy, balding, a particular cut, etc.)

2 Body (slouched, barrel-chested, hunchback, fi nehaired, tall, thin, broad-shouldered, high-shouldered, very muscular, burly, squat, smooth skin, etc.)

3 Facial Expression (bright-eyed, proud, sneering, haughty, nice smile, hidden by beard, straight teeth, dour, cheerful, squint, piercing glance, etc.)

4 Speech (lisp, stutter, charming accent, basso, sharp, nasal, shrill, squeaky, musical, loud, soft, strong,
thick accent, etc.)

5 Facial Feature (patrician nose, scarred, darkly tanned, black eyes, bushy eyebrows, deep-set eyes, high
cheekbones, red and weather-beaten skin, braided beard, big ears, long mustache, small nose, facial blemishes, birthmark, etc.)

6 Limbs (short legs, bulging biceps, one arm longer than the other, rough hands, long nails, hairy arms and
hands, bow-legged, fl abby, big feet, long fi ngers, etc.)

At App 11, you get a positive trait, but you can pick something negative if you want.

[GM Craig]

Family Characteristic: Your family is known to be very light on their feet, and excellent dancers. You get +10 Dancing.

[GM Craig]

Family:
Eldest Child: Male, 20, married
Next Child: Male, 18, married
Next Child: You, 16
Next Child: Female, 14
Next Child: Female, 13

[Arne]

With Appearance 11, you get one distinguishing feature. Pick something. You are free to pick, but can roll if you need. The specifics below are suggestions for inspiration.

Result Feature Detail
1 Hair (very long, curly, red, crew cut, blond, excessively hairy, huge beard, prematurely gray, glossy, balding, a particular cut, etc.)

2 Body (slouched, barrel-chested, hunchback, fi nehaired, tall, thin, broad-shouldered, high-shouldered, very muscular, burly, squat, smooth skin, etc.)

3 Facial Expression (bright-eyed, proud, sneering, haughty, nice smile, hidden by beard, straight teeth, dour, cheerful, squint, piercing glance, etc.)

4 Speech (lisp, stutter, charming accent, basso, sharp, nasal, shrill, squeaky, musical, loud, soft, strong,
thick accent, etc.)

5 Facial Feature (patrician nose, scarred, darkly tanned, black eyes, bushy eyebrows, deep-set eyes, high
cheekbones, red and weather-beaten skin, braided beard, big ears, long mustache, small nose, facial blemishes, birthmark, etc.)

6 Limbs (short legs, bulging biceps, one arm longer than the other, rough hands, long nails, hairy arms and
hands, bow-legged, fl abby, big feet, long fi ngers, etc.)

At App 11, you get a positive trait, but you can pick something negative if you want.

Appearance feature:  Piercing glance