Character Creation

[BackworldTraveller]

For discussion of same

The current date will start at Freeze Day, Disorder Week, Sea Season in the year 1616 ST. (Marked on the calendar thus...)

Please build a character you are happy with (per chapter II page 8-15) and run through pre-adventure development (per Appendix H) if you wish.
I'll take your word on the character's rolls - I want something you'd like to play not something you'll come to hate!

As a starting question: Where are you from? It will be somewhere in or about the Zola Fel. Choices are (in order of my preference but that isn't a rule):-

• Pavis/Sartarite Farmers of Pavis County
• Praxian Nomads
  • Pick an tribe
  • n.b. Bison and Impala folk are currently persona non grata with the Lunars
• Sun-County Farmers
• Grantland Lunars

Whatever it is, please both pick the same background!

Would each please create a topic "<Character name> (<Person>)" as you develop your character - items in that thread can then be edited as questions are resolved.

[ffilz]

I've started my thread with attribute rolls and background roll.

What origin do we want to do?

I'd be interested in running an Orlanthi (which would be Sartarite farmer) or a Storm Bull (Praxian Nomad), though if we wanted to do Sun County a Yelmalian would work also.

[BackworldTraveller]

I've started my thread with attribute rolls and background roll.

What origin do we want to do?

I'd be interested in running an Orlanthi (which would be Sartarite farmer) or a Storm Bull (Praxian Nomad), though if we wanted to do Sun County a Yelmalian would work also.

Orlanthi is good by me. Praxian Nomad Townsman is a bit of an oxymoron.
Your INT will give you Speak Sartarite at 75% (POWx5). It will also give you Speak Stormspeech at 7% (1/10th of your Sartarite).

If you are an ex-Mercenary, then you probably served in Govoran's Men (Treat as Light Infantry but with 30% Ride skill). That's Orlanthi Run. (Based in building O-25 (Geo's) in Pavis Oldtown). Alternatively Marollo's Escort Service (Light Cavalry). (Based in D-61 in Pavis Downtown). {Orlanthi are persona non grata in Lunar and Sun-Dome regiments}
If you are an Apprentice, then you'd have been in the Pavis County Militia for your village - and I'd be curious which trade you went for.

There is a basic character outline block here...If you could add that to the first post in your character write-up thread (use that post for the character sheet as the dice roller sheet is pretty useless for Runequest), that would be good. Pick a Gender and Handedness. Leave "Residence" blank for the moment. Ethnicity is Sartarite and Social Class is Townsman. There is also a hit-point matrix you can use in that thread. Copy over and Fill as appropriate

[kwll]

A few preliminary rolls for my character:

Name: Jargian



Attack: +10%
Parry: +5%
Defense: +10%
Hit Points: 10
Damage: -
Perception: +10%
Stealth: +0%
Manipulation: +10%
Knowledge: +10%
Oratory: +10%



Townsman



A sartarit orlanthi is OK with me.

[ffilz]

A few preliminary rolls for my character:

Name: Jargian



Attack: +10%
Parry: +5%
Defense: +10%
Hit Points: 10
Damage: -
Perception: +10%
Stealth: +0%
Manipulation: +10%
Knowledge: +10%
Oratory: +10%



Townsman



A sartarit orlanthi is OK with me.

Great, then that is how I will proceed with my character, probably this evening.

[BackworldTraveller]

OK - So the next interesting bit is what path do you take using appendix H?
You could take an Apprenticeship/Militia path or a Mercenary path...You don't both have to go the same way.
Your choices will affect how I finish off describing the Rockwater Hamlet's inhabitants!

[ffilz]

OK - So the next interesting bit is what path do you take using appendix H?
You could take an Apprenticeship/Militia path or a Mercenary path...You don't both have to go the same way.
Your choices will affect how I finish off describing the Rockwater Hamlet's inhabitants!

Will have to look it over, I'm pretty sure I'll try the mercenary path, but with my stats it's close to a 50-50 as to get in... I'm not familiar with RQ2's previous experience, I know it's a bit more involved than RQ1's but along the same lines.

[kwll]

As per previous experience:

- Increase in characteristics

No increase.

- Militia training

900L spent in one-handed spear training from 20 to 35%

Experience rolls


+5% in one-handed spear skill



+5% in medium shield skill

Weapon skills: One-handed spear 35%, Medium shield 20%

Appendix H mentions that an additional weapon should be added to militia armament. Can I choose a missile weapon?

As for apprenticeship, I was thinking about a thieves guild, given Jargian's scores in INT and POW. Is that acceptable?

[BackworldTraveller]

Frank

As a Sartarite, your character can go for either a Horse (making you really unpopular with the local nomads) or a riding beast (interweaving your fate with one of the Praxian tribes). Riding options include (for political reasons and because you have taken sword as your main weapon) Bison, Bolo Lizard or Ostrich.

As a caravan escort for 5 years, please make 5 experience checks for having picked up local languages as you have wandered about and been sworn at by various people. Each success gets you the usual +5%. Each individual check should be made against only one of the following, but each check could pick a different one if you like:

• Aldryami
• Boatspeech
• Darktongue
• New Pelorian (a.k.a. Lunar)
• Old Pavic
• Praxian
• TradeSpeech

Can you please pick a name for your character, an image (if you can) and update the first block to indicate the appropriate Gender, that your Social Class is Townsman. For Residence, either you can list yourself as of no fixed abode (i.e. Travelling About) or you can list the Captain's Hall, Rockwater Steading.

You 900L from loot can be taken as equipment, further training or spell training. You may choose to be an initiate of Orlanth (no need to roll) - if so, this money is reduced by 90L (tithe) but the rest can be spent on training/magic at Cult Initiate rates (Cults of Prax, p82).

[kwll]

OK, based on GM suggestion, I will go for a hunter (forester) apprenticeship.

- Skills:
Camouflage 40%
Hiding in Cover 40%
Moving Quietly 40%
Climbing 45%
Trap Set/Disarm 40 %
Tracking 45%
Jumping 30%
Speak (Sartarite) 85%
Speak (Stormspeech) 8%

- Weapons (in addition to the militia weapons):
Throwing Axe 20%

[BackworldTraveller]

OK, based on GM suggestion, I will go for a hunter (forester) apprenticeship.

- Skills:
Camouflage 40%
Hiding in Cover 40%
Moving Quietly 40%
Climbing 45%
Trap Set/Disarm 40 %
Tracking 45%
Jumping 30%
Speak (Sartarite) 85%
Speak (Stormspeech) 8%

- Weapons (in addition to the militia weapons):
Throwing Axe 20%

As a hunter, you may have your working dog/shadow cat (pick one). Whether or not you go down this route, gain Animal Lore at 30% plus knowledge bonus.

As a hunter, you have successfully moved about the area and interacted with the other inhabitants. Please try 3 experience checks for having picked up local languages as you have wandered about and been sworn at by various people. Each success gets you the usual +5%. Each individual check should be made against only one of the following, but each check could pick a different one if you like:
Aldryami (max 1 try)
Boatspeech (max 1 try)
New Pelorian (a.k.a. Lunar)
Praxian
TradeSpeech (max 1 try)

If you wish to follow a hunter-god, then Ordalya will take you as a lay member. If you do, they will have taught you the Peaceful Cut skill. This will allow you some 80 experience rolls during your apprenticeship but no actual training! They will also have taught you the one-point spirit magic spell Command (Deer).

As a hunter, you have real prospects and status in your community. Have you married? Your residence is, in either case, the Hunter's house in Rockwater.

As to available spells the temples will lend you 1700L for purchasing more of those.

But, as a hunter with 5 years of experience, you will have (non-standard, GM ruling) gained 1500L for spells chosen from:

• Healing
• Ignite
• Mobility
• Repair
• Silence
• Speeddart
• Xenohealing

[kwll]

OK, thanks for the additional information.

Jargian has definitely not married.

Against which scores do I need to make the experience rolls in language skills and Peaceful Cut?

[BackworldTraveller]

Experience roll = 100% - current skill (inc bonus) +(3%*(INT-12))
Note the chance of success on a roll goes down as you get better!
Experience Rolls (based on 15 INT)

Current Skill	Roll Equal to or under
0%	109%
5%	104%
10%	99%
15%	94%
20%	89%
25%	84%
30%	79%
35%	74%
40%	69%
45%	64%
50%	59%
55%	54%
60%	49%
65%	44%
70%	39%
75%	34%
80%	29%
85%	24%
90%	19%
95%	14%
100%	9%
104%+	5%

Note: Speak Stormspeech is an implied skill because you know Sartarite...Roll as if you have 5% not 7%/8% and your 1st increase takes you to 10% not 12%/13%.
I've also added this under Admin Notes and Rules Clarifications

[ffilz]

OK, will try to update later today.

[BackworldTraveller]

I've added images for runes for Orlanth (Motion, Air, Air, Mastery) and Odayla (Harmony, Death or Air, Harmony, Death or Air, Beast - All depends which version of Runequest you look at)

Anyway, the runes are present if you want to use them.

[ffilz]

Frank

As a Sartarite, your character can go for either a Horse (making you really unpopular with the local nomads) or a riding beast (interweaving your fate with one of the Praxian tribes). Riding options include (for political reasons and because you have taken sword as your main weapon) Bison, Bolo Lizard or Ostrich.

As a caravan escort for 5 years, please make 5 experience checks for having picked up local languages as you have wandered about and been sworn at by various people. Each success gets you the usual +5%. Each individual check should be made against only one of the following, but each check could pick a different one if you like:

• Aldryami
• Boatspeech
• Darktongue
• New Pelorian (a.k.a. Lunar)
• Old Pavic
• Praxian
• TradeSpeech

Can you please pick a name for your character, an image (if you can) and update the first block to indicate the appropriate Gender, that your Social Class is Townsman. For Residence, either you can list yourself as of no fixed abode (i.e. Travelling About) or you can list the Captain's Hall, Rockwater Steading.

You 900L from loot can be taken as equipment, further training or spell training. You may choose to be an initiate of Orlanth (no need to roll) - if so, this money is reduced by 90L (tithe) but the rest can be spent on training/magic at Cult Initiate rates (Cults of Prax, p82).

What is my base in Praxian? For mount, I'll go with Ostrich. It will take me a bit to spend my money. I will be an initiate so only 810 L to spend (but will get some half-price training). Are we using the price lists from RQ2 or from Pavis boxed set?

Also, still wondering does the cuirboili come with leather underneath or do I need to purchase that? (cheap if I do...)

I assume I get the townsman starting equipment.

[BackworldTraveller]

Base language skill is 0%! + Knowledge Bonus.

I'll dice the Ostrich up shortly. As Jargian is an Odalya's hunter, I'll also dice up an appropriate shadowcat. (Raised from a kit and now 4 years old).
Your animals will need appropriate names!

You each get the Townsman's starting equipment.

Jargian also has access to (but doesn't own) the Hunt-Master's hunting equipment (less any that the Hunt-Master has taken with him for hunting). He does own a set of apprentice-made animal traps, snares, etc.
The Master Hunter has a spare hunting (short) bow and 20 arrows - 5 of which are small-animal bunts, 1 is a fish-catching head with attached string and the remainder are hunting arrows. This is available to borrow if needed.

Hard leather armour (3 point) can have soft leather (1-2 point) underneath - and probably should if you are intending to face anything dangerous.

[kwll]

OK, that does make sense (that should teach me to look closer at the rules before asking questions...). That also means that my weapon skill improvement rolls earlier should give me bonuses: +10% for medium shield, +5% for spear.

- Skills

Thus weapon skills are: Medium shield 30%, One-handed spear 40%, Hand axe 20%

I also spent the equivalent of 3 years experience, not 5, in my computations. I choose to specialize in tracking and camouflage for the remaining 2 years. Here is the final breakdown:
Animal Lore 40%
Camouflage 65%
Hiding in Cover 40%
Moving Quietly 40%
Climbing 45%
Trap Set/Disarm 40 %
Tracking 75%
Jumping 30%

I used the dice roller to perform 80 improvement rolls on Peaceful cut, and ended up north of 100%. Is this what you intended?

- Languages:

Speak (Sartarite) 85%
Speak (Stormspeech) 8%

Speak (Adryami) 15%

Speak (Praxian) 15%

Speak (Tradespeech) 15%

- Spells

3000L spent on:

Healing 2
Silence
Xenohealing 1
Protection 1

- Gear

Tunic
Belt knife
Breeches
Fire making gear
Boots
Underwear (loin cloth)
Warm cloak
Hat
Flasks
Torches
Lamps
Rope
Tools (mallets / spikes / etc.)
Traps / snares

Medium shield
One-handed spear
Hand axe

- Master hunter gear

Short bow
20 arrows

Remaining money after apprenticeship:

65 x 14 = 910L

Do I need to spend this money to buy armor / more gear?

[BackworldTraveller]

Prax Game Family Structure.jpg (11.5 KiB) Viewed 486 times

Above is the family structure for the two characters...Unless either of you object.
The two older siblings died of the strangles in 1598. Nalara got married in the week prior to the start of the adventure and will be departing for her new family shortly. Harmast died as a result of the Battle of Moonbroth. Karran is now housekeeper at the Captain's Hall in Rockwater.

Over 100% on 80 rolls doesn't seem unlikely. But then again, the skill is one any hunter uses very, very regularly for 5 years - You'd expect them to be good at it!

As Jargian have spent 3000L on additional spells, he will be in hoc to the temples for 1500L. Specifically, Jargian owes that to the temple of Challana Arroy in Pavis. n.b. That is the equivalent of 15 weeks (nearly two seasons) work!

[kwll]

OK, are you saying that I should keep my cash for temple refund? I was hoping to be able to buy some pieces of armor with it, if I don't get one from past experience.

I'm OK with the background. The name of Jargian's shadow cat is 'Arniz'.