Character Creation Information
Point-Buy Variant
- Assume that all ability scores start at 10.
- Variant Racial ASI's: Place racial bonuses to whatever stats you choose, but not the same one for each bonus. (ex. +1/+2 = you can place a 1 in one attribute and 2 in a different attribute)
- Place 14 points on a one-for-one basis throughout your ability scores, but you can not exceed a maximum Ability score of 17 during character creation.
- You may drop one ability score by 2 points to gain an additional point in the previous step.
Intelligence Is Not a Dump Stat
Characters may spend their Int modifiers (ie. Int 18 = 4 points) on more proficiencies listed below.: (Note: You can not stack proficiencies.) By spending 3 points you may gain one expertise. The flip side of that if you have a negative intelligence modifier you lose proficiencies.- Skill Proficiency
- Language
- Tool Proficiency
New Available Skills
- Science
- Mechanics
Starting Feat
You may choose one of the following feats to start with:Alert | Artificer Initiate | Charger | Dual Wielder | Dungeon Delver | Healer |
Mage Slayer | Magic Initiate | Martial Adept | Mobile | Mounted Combatant | Poisoner |
Savage Attacker | Sentinel | Shield Master | Skilled | Tough |
Character Wealth
Instead of tracking treasure, a character has a Wealth score, that works like an ability score. Wealth represents a character's total purchasing power. It doesn't just reflect the coin in their purse or jewelry worn but also a character's less tangible wealth, such as land, favours, patronage, or even reputation. A character with a high Wealth score might be physically wealthy, bejeweled, and laden with platinum pieces, or they might be esteemed and well-connected allowing them to quickly leverage loans or exchange debts. At character creation, a player character begins with the gear recommended by their class and background and has a Wealth Score of 5. Unlike regular ability scores, it is not purchased through points or rolled. In other ways, it functions like the other six ability scores. As with other ability scores, a character's Wealth can't normally exceed 20, but it can be reduced to 0 denoting no money or possessions of value. A character can maintain their current Wealth Score by spending one downtime day practicing a profession. Doing so also allows a character to sustain a lifestyle determined by their current wealth, as shown by the Minimum Wealth Score per Lifestyle table. The character can choose to live below their means and choose any lifestyle for which they meet the minimum Wealth score.Minimum Wealth Score per Lifestyle
Using Wealth
Wealth Checks. Wealth checks are used when a character would spend money beyond that needed to maintain their lifestyle. If the check succeeds, the character has managed to accomplish the activity without negatively affecting their finances. Failure means the item is either not available or the character has less money than they thought. Alternatively, it might reflect poor bartering, loss at an auction, or a failure to sell goods at an adequate price. If a Wealth check fails by 4 or less, the character can choose to either fail to gain what they were spending the money on or reduce their Wealth score by 1 but achieve what they were attempting. If the check fails by 5 or more they reduce their Wealth score by 1 and fail at whatever they were spending money to accomplish. For extravagant purchases, I might rule that success reduces the character's Wealth score by 1 and failure reduces the score by 1d4+1. Examples of situations I might call for a Wealth check:- Purchasing equipment
- A night of carousing or celebrating
- Hiring a spellcaster
- Booking passage on a ship
- High stakes gambling
- Paying a hireling
- Bribing a guard
- Repairing or replacing damaged gear
- Taxes owed to a ruler
- Fines for damage caused or crimes
- A failed investment
- A family member asking for a loan
Gaining Wealth
Characters cannot improve their Wealth score through normal ability score increases. Instead, you raise or lower their Wealth score based on their accomplishments in an adventure.- Quest Reward. You can choose to raise a character's Wealth score by 1 or 2 for completing a quest, such as a royal reward or a paid bounty. Generally, a creature can only increase a character's Wealth score if that creature has a Wealth score higher than the character's.
- Selling Magic Items. Selling an uncommon item raises a character's Wealth score by 1 to a maximum of 10, selling a rare item raises it by 2 to a maximum of 15, and selling a very rare item raises it by 4. Legendary and Artifact items can not be bought/sold by regular means.
- Treasure. A character that defeats a creature with a Wealth score higher than theirs increases their own Wealth score by 1.
- Treasure Hoards. Looting a treasure hoard from a creature with a Wealth score equal to or higher than the characters increases their wealth by +1d4.
Business Ownership (WIP)
If a character/party owns a business they may use the income from the business to supplement their current wealth status. The benefit will vary based on the success of the business. Once per week the character/party will make a commerce roll to determine the current status of their business. The state of the business determines the modifier that is added to any Wealth roll made by the character/party.Rolling for HP
When rolling for hit points beyond the first level (full HP at 1st). Every level after you must roll for HP, you may re-roll any 1’s you roll, one time.Miscellaneous Rules
Standard Encumbrance Rules - Your carrying capacity is your Strength score multiplied by 15. This is the weight (in pounds) that you can carry, which is high enough that most characters don't usually have to worry about it.Milestone Leveling - You will level based on events in session.
Character Backstory Creation
- Backstory, Backstory, Backstory - This is a brand new world, your backstories will help shape this world. Be creative, detailed, and extensive. If you have questions about the world that aren't covered, consult the Dungeon Master.
- Party Bonds & Relationships - During character creation you and at least one other player must make a bond, joining those characters together in some way. You may have multiple bonds with multiple characters. For examples you can look at this first page of the following chart: Bond Ideas I prefer this as I don’t like backstabbing in my games, animosity, or adversarial parties. If a player can’t decide I will randomly create one for them.
- I Heard A Rumor...: During character creation, you need to come up with rumors about your character. You need to develop two good, two bad, and one false rumor about your character. These rumors should be based on your backstories and relationships. These rumors are then randomly shuffled and handed out to the other players within the party.
- I Know A Guy.. Rule - When facing a difficult problem the player character can declare, “I know a guy…” and invent a helpful NPC which the PC’s can visit for aid in their current situation. The PC must work with the DM to provide a quick summary of their history and relationship. Fewer details are better to leave room for creative play. When the PC tries to interact with the NPC, the player who created the NPC makes a Charisma check to see how the NPC reacts. A PC may use this ability a number of times equal to their Intelligence or Charisma modifier (minimum once). Examples: Parents, teacher, captain of the guard, etc. These will be developed along with your backstory before the main sessions begin.
Character Backstory Creation Questions
These are questions to answer while developing your backstory. Fit as much detail as you can into your story from the answer you give yourself to these questions. Sprinkle in a little history and drama and write a beautiful short story.
Questions
- Where was the character born? Where did they grow up?
- Who are the character’s parents and what are their occupations? Are the parents still alive? If so, where are they and what are they doing?
- What was the character doing before they became an adventurer?
- Why did the character leave their previous life and become an adventurer?
- What did the character leave behind? What do they miss? What do they not miss?
- How did the character learn the skills and abilities of their adventuring class?
- What does the character want? What is the character willing to do to achieve these goals? What is the character not willing to do?
- What is the character’s greatest strength and greatest weakness?
- What is the one temptation that would cause the character to “fall from grace”?
Plotting
Plot Holes
Introducing a few holes or unknowns in your backstory gives the DM some wiggle room to creatively fill in the gaps. This will allow them to anchor your character in the world, tie the characters together in interesting ways or introduce connections to NPCs that can hook directly into your backstory. This is great for ‘verisimilitude’ - making the world feel more like a real place and driving the narrative forward. Here are some questions that will get you thinking about interesting gaps in your backstory.- Did you lose something of great importance?
- Did something mysterious or unexplainable happen to you, or have you heard about something like this happening to someone else?
- Do you know of any suspicious activity, but are unsure exactly what was going on?
- What parts of your backstory are you unsure of?
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