OOC stuff goes here.
Basic ideas: Imardin Mystery Game. Players start at level 3. Group knows each other. Starting as an unknown mystery group.
Character Creation Rules
System: 4e
Level 3
Stats: 25pt buy.
Race: Any published, refluffed as human, elven, orc, or dwarven.
Class: Any published.
Feats: Free expertise feat.
Themes: Allowed.
Background: +2 to a skill or add a language.
Equipment: One mundane free weapon and armor of choice, 500 Gold to start. Basic items are free.
Skills: View skill system below for information on how skills will be set up.
Rituals: Component costs for all rituals are reduced to ¼ their normal values to encourage ritual use. Also, Raise Dead will not be allowed in this game – dead is dead, though we hope that doesn’t have to be an issue.
Inherent Bonuses: Yes
Languages: We will not be using the standard 4e languages, but rather the languages given in the setting.
Languages- [SHOW]
- Common - Common is a lingua franca in this world. Most people know at least some of the common tongue, and many speak it fluently, but it is not the primary language of any nation. People who only know Common are typically sailors, or other people who have spent most of their life traveling rather than in one place.
Tulrissian – The national language of Tulrisse, a primarily human agricultural-based kingdom.
Serran – The primary language spoken by the many small kingdoms of an expansive arid region known as the Serran Desert, which consist mostly of humans and orcs.
Imardanian – The national language of the Imardin Thalassocracy. It is a very diverse nation, but humans still make up the majority. This will be the common for this game.
Forellian – The native language of the people who inhabit the Forellian Archipelago, a cluster of islands consisting of many city-states located in the Forelle Sea. Primarily human.
Kurnish – The language of the orc tribes of Kurnhuelde, a region primarily consisting of snowy hills on the Kurn Peninsula.
Dwarven – The common language of the many dwarf kingdoms that occupy the mountains that run down the center of Voreld.
Elven – A catch-all term in Voreld for any of the many distinct dialects spoken by the elf natives of Quellam, a continent to the east.
Kawani - The language spoken by the Kawani people, who were recently conquered by Imardin in the nation's first major conquest. While there is no longer a nation to represent the people who speak it, there are still many around. They survive either as refugees in Mai'okon and its surrounding islands, or by holding out in the inland of D'armon, desparately trying to resist the encroachement of the new Imardanian settlers.
Gleiosian - A language spoken primarily on Gleios and the surrounding smaller islands it influences.
Brennisian - A language that originated on the Isle of Brennis, but spread after the small nation conquered a large region of the archipelago. It has since become much less prevalent than it once was.
Ghian - A language originating on Ghia, and spreading with its culture to the smaller nearby islands.
Chathran - A language spoken primarily on Chathra and Cianthum
Okani - A language spoken by the people of Mai'okon and the surrounding small islands under its influence.
Vishan - An odd language that evolved from from both Ghian and Chathran, spoken on the islands of Visha
Skill System- [SHOW]
- For this game, which will be skill focused, we're house-ruling the game. Rather than use the base 4e system, I am tweaking the skills in order to better work with what we have in mind.
Rather than use the same "Each class gets a certain skillset", we will instead give a total of seven trained skills, no restriction on what class can get which skill.
The history skill will be separated into four different sets.
Local History - INT- [SHOW]
- Local history will pertain to knowledge of the area the player is currently in. It is less information about the government, unless you are asking about local mayors and governors, and more about knowledge of battles, knowledge of attacks from creatures, persons of importance pertaining to an area, and local relations with nearby areas, as well as myths and legends.
World History - INT- [SHOW]
- World History covers knowledge of political history between countries, what wars happened where, what the trade is like between these regions, what their cultural exchanges have been like, notable actions from one country to another, and alliances in regions.
Geography - INT- [SHOW]
- Geography not only covers the obvious, locations of regions and cities, but it also covers landscapes and conditions in a region. For instance, Serran is a mostly desert region with hot temperatures and little water, and knowing what the landscape is like would aid one in travel and survival. Knowing the general landscape of, say, the islands of Forelle allows one to better prepare oneself for chilled winds, ice in the waters, and steep, mountainous regions, along with knowing how the region affects a body.
Crafts
Smithing - Wisdom- [SHOW]
- Smithing will cover the knowledge of the makeup of weapons and armor, besides simply allowing one to make certain items as the martial practices section does. It covers the makeup of certain metals, knowledge of boiling temperatures for metals, meaning what temperatures they melt at, what temperatures they become most brittle, where the weak points of certain metallic objects lie due to the material, and what materials can do what. There might be some small overlap between this and alchemy.
Engineering - Wisdom- [SHOW]
- Engineering involves more than simple machines, but also the application of one's knowledge of weights, countermeasures, balances, and various other mechanical and scientific components to create a building, a mechanical contraption like a trap, and the perfect location for such an object. It is the application of physics to create or destroy, and as such, would aid one well in trying to open difficult containers, aid in breaking down a door, or simply moving a heavy object.
Heal will be seperated into two skill sets, Medicine and Post-Mortis.
Medicine - Wisdom- [SHOW]
- Medicine will be used as the basic heal check, diagnosing living wounds, injuries, and the treatment of such. It will also cover the application of medicines, though this does not mean one knows how to make said medicines.
Post Mortis - Wisdom- [SHOW]
- Post-Mortis will handle the diagnosis of wounds after death, as after death rigor mortis sets in and makes it an entirely different ball game in terms of medical fields. This includes injuries taken before death, and generally handles identifying the cause of death, trauma to the body after death, and the preservation of the body after death.
Animal Ken will divide Nature into two sections.
Animal Ken - Charisma- [SHOW]
- Animal Ken will handle the treatment of animals, their biology, and their behavior. This is necessary for calming enraged animals, handling dangerous animals without harming oneself or others, and identifying reasons and motivations for animal attacks.
Nature - Same as before- [SHOW]
- Nature handles the same as it did before, but it also handles knowing what plants are beneficial or harmful to oneself, as well as the basest applications of them. This does not mean one knows how to make a simple potion from a few berries, that would require alchemical knowledge.
Alchemy - Intelligence- [SHOW]
- Alchemy will now have an actual knowledge based skill, involving knowledge of what exactly occurs in a chemical reaction. You can brew potions without knowing how it works, you're going off a recipe after all, it's like cooking. But knowing the actual science behind it is something else entirely, and this will help with knowing what ingredients were swapped, what ingredients alone are deadly, what was missing, and general chemical knowledge. This does also covers poisons.
Language - Wisdom- [SHOW]
- Language is also a skill now, due to suggestions that I agree with. Language will have a few functions. Foremost of the list, the ability to gain new languages per skill point use. Every 5 skill points spent in the skill will net you a new language from the list. The other function will be with translating texts. This is beyond simply reading aloud, but rather has to do with transcribing one text to another, so a book in a foreign language being offered as evidence would require a translation check using your language skill. Also, detecting forgeries will fall under Language, as one would recognize errors in the language used from one person to another.
For each level you have, you will gain 8 Skill points to spend across the entire skill set. These will show your training and studying in various different sets. Each Skill Point spent increases the modifier by one, on top of the five points that a trained skill gives, and on top of the ability modifiers for each of the skills. However, each skill will only have a maximum of two times your current level for the number of skill points you can apply.
Attribute/Skill List- [SHOW]
- Local History = Intelligence
World History = Intelligence
Geography = Intelligence
Smithing = Wisdom
Engineering = Wisdom
Medicine = Intelligence
Post Mortem = Wisdom
Animal Ken = Charisma
Alchemy = Intelligence
Language = Wisdom
Setting
5E Y85 - It has been four years since the conquering of D'armon. The locals are now under Imardin control, with Imardin guards patrolling the streets, their navy coming and going, patrolling the waters around their recent prize. But all is not content and simple under the new rulership. Conflicting ideas of religion, cultural differences and a sense of being higher from the Imardin people that immigrated to the Island have caused a large number of conflicts. Murder is a common symptom of these differences, though open rebellion has not been seen yet.
In Chèronte, a group of people decide, whether for profit, prestige, or honor, that something must be done if D'armon is to find any sense of stability. Pooling their assets together, they decide to open up their own private investigation firm, offering their services to anyone in need of their help, whether the guard, nobles, or civilians willing to pay.
Upon their first day of opening shop, there comes a knock on the door, and a woman walks in. Their first case stands before them, and with it, intrigue, mystery, and risk. All dangling at the end of a rope.
Shamelessly stolen from here.
Step 1: Write 5 background and concept elements that you feel are important to your image of the character. These can be a concept overview, a list of important life events, a physical description, a personality profile...whatever you need to get an image in your mind. 5 is just a minimum...more elements are encouraged but not required. Don't feel pressured or at a loss due to unfamliarity with the Ganoltir campaign world! I'm more than happy to provide elements and more to assist in the process.
Example- [SHOW]
- 1) Birth - Karth was born as the offspring of Queen Gwarta of Bridged City and one of her many guards. During her pregnancy it was assumed she would be giving birth to another of her husband's children, but when the child turned out to be a half-elf this was quickly proven to be false. The king consort, enraged by the discovery, demanded his wife reveal who the father was. Not wishing for controversy, she quickly revealed who the information and Karth and his father were banished and sent away in secret. The royal family told the public that the pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage and held a grand funeral for the supposed deceased prince. Meanwhile, Karth's father travelled with his newborn son to the city of Mithril to start a new life.
2) Early Life - Karth's father settled in the Harbor City section of Mithril and began taking whatever odd jobs he could find. As Karth got older he would sometimes help, but he usually caused more harm than good and was sent away. It was these times that he first began following the other boys around town, participating in various acts of thievery and creating bonds of friendship.
3) Later Life - As he got older, Karth began to grow bored with petty thievery. After all, it was his destiny to become king of Bridged City and he wasn't going to do that by pickpocketing the various merchants who came to Harbor City. He wanted more, but he didn't exactly know how to get it. Lucky for him his old friend Faust was an ambitious one, and when he stole a ship from the harbor he invited Karth and the other thieves who grew up together to join as his crew. Karth saw this as an opportunity, not only to relieve his boredom but also to gain more riches than he'd ever be able to scrounge alone.
4) The Magnificent Manslayer - As is custom among the Conspicuous Oils, Karth has a nickname that he goes by. When thinking up the names with the others he initially came up with such ideas as "Karth the Glorious", "The Radiant Ruffian", and "The Most Gorgeous Pirate Known to Man." These were all quickly shot down by the others, who said the point of the nicknames were to strike fear. Faust suggested he go by "The Manslayer" since he was always a ruthless fighter when the need arose, and reluctantly Karth accepted. However, it quickly came to everyone's attention that he was reffering to himself as "Karth the Magnificent" outside of their presence. They tried to get him to follow the captain's suggestion, only to be told that "the title simply does not express my greatness as well as it should." After some discussion they finally all came to a compromise, and Karth's nickname was officially made to be "The Magnificent Manslayer."
5) Appearance - Karth is somewhat tall, standing 6'3", with a fairly slender build. He has long, silver hair due to his elven heritage and he is very protective of it - many men have scars (or worse) to show as a result of touching Karth's hair. His manner of dress is never very fancy as he has always been of the lower class, but whatever the clothing he always wears it in a way that gives off an air of nobility. Even while at sea he makes a point to look his best, and can often be found tending to his precious hair. On his belt hangs a mirror that, while useful for some raids, spends most of its time reflecting Karth's face back at him.
6) Personality Traits - As a narcissist Karth tends to be very confident in his abilites, and his self-esteem is never low. He goes into every battle without fear, completely assured of his victory from the start. He is always looking to make friends with new people (no one should miss the opportunity to gaze upon his gorgeous face, after all), though this is often made difficult due to the arrogance that often manifests in social situations due to his narcissism. He is extremely loyal to the few people he truly respects, and despite his overconfidence he is still a formidable opponent on the battlefield, so to some it might be worth earning that respect.
Step 2: List at least two goals for the character. At least one of these goals should be one that the character has, while another should be one that you, as a player, want to see developed over the course of the game.
Example- [SHOW]
- 1) Karth ultimately desires to become the king of Bridged City. He feels he was wrongly banished, and that as retribution he deserves to gain the throne in place of his half-sister Hannatha.
2) I'd like Karth to get a chance to return to Bridged City so that I can develop that part of his story. He need not actually ever gain the throne as he wants, but I'd at least like to have him come to terms with royalty who are against him in some way, and perhaps meet his mother for the first time.
Step 3: List at least two secrets about your character. One is a secret the character knows, one is a secret that involves him but that he is not actually aware of yet. This will help me in creating plots that center around your character. I may also be creating a third secret which you as a player will not be aware of, so expect the unexpected.
Example- [SHOW]
- 1) Karth is actually the son of Queen Gwatra of Bridged City, making him royalty in the city-state. He ultimately plans to use this to become king and rule the city-state as he feels he deserves.
2) Karth was made a divine champion of Enkili without his knowledge, and most of his success and combat skill is a result of this. Enkili chose him for his personality, and as such the divine powers he possesses are triggered by him acting in line with his natural narcissism. Acting against this can sometimes have negative effects.
Step 4: Describe at least three people that are tied to the character. Two of them are friendly to the character, one is hostile. If you like, you can include an enemy of yours here as well, so I have an instant NPC nemesis to throw at you.
Example- [SHOW]
- 1) Karth's father is his only real family, and he cares deeply about his only son. He is the one who filled Karth's head with the idea of becoming king, and thus is directly responsible for Karth's narcissism.
2) Captain Faust is an old friend and Karth has a great deal of respect for the quirky man. He is one of the few people Karth views as an equal.
3) Queen Gwatra, Karth's mother, has a somewhat neutral opinion of him. As her own child she cannot hate him, but she was not sad when he was banished from Bridge City with his father. She wants to avoid a succession dispute just as much as the other royals who know of his existence, but would be torn somewhat if that were ever to happen.
4) The king consort of Bridged City was furious when he learned that Karth was not his son, and when he found out he immediately had the boy and his father banished from the city. He loved his wife enough to forgive her for her affair, but he hates Karth and his father and would likely go to any means to keep them from returning or gaining any sort of prominince in Bridged City.
Step 5: Describe three memories, mannerisms, or quirks that your character has. They don't have to be elaborate, but they should provide some context and flavor.
Example- [SHOW]
- 1) Karth is very much a narcissist, and can sometimes be quite arrogant due to his self-absorption. Ironically, these personality traits are the direct cause of his successes in life, as well as his skills in combat, due to them triggering his divinely-granted abilities.
2) He has a very fuzzy memory of the palace interior from the time he was born. Occasionally it is the setting of his dreams, where he is revered by the citizens of Bridge City as a great leader.
3) He absolutely hates for anyone to touch his hair unless they are a very close friend, and even then he is not completely comfortable with it. Touching Karth's hair is one of the few ways to anger him (and the quickest), and has occasionally resulted in the injury or death of the unfortante offender.
Background - Family/Class/Previous or Other Profession/Institutions
Who raised you and how did they shape your life? What social class do you belong to, and how did that change your opportunities and your outlook? What did you do for a living, before joining the investigation team? What social institutions (religions, governments, civil society, businesses) are you a part of or interact with? Do you have a spouse? Children? Did you at one time?
I add this last bit because I like to tie characters into the world around them. Often, people go for very individual or personal stories - long-lost love, bad guy killed my parents, mysterious birth, etc. But I find that this can make characters somewhat disconnected from the world around them, and the world becomes rather too much of a two-dimensional backdrop. Both in reality, you'd expect people to be profoundly shaped by their society and the institutions around them.
Example- [SHOW]
- Family - Karth's only real family is his father, and older elven man who was once a guard at the Queen's palace in Bridged City. While he is related by blood to the Bridged City royalty, most of them are unaware of his existence. The ones who do know of him want him kept a secret, so as not to cause a succession dispute.
Class - On his mother's side he is a member of the Bridged City royalty, on his father's side he is a common peasant. He was raised by his father in Mithril as a simple commoner, but his royal blood cannot be denied.
Profession - Karth is a pirate and he is good at it. He has been First Mate of the Quina Vjeta for a long time under Captain Faust, and not without reason. He was one of the few to survive the fateful encounter with the guarded merchant ship, and one of the even fewer to survive who was also a companion of Faust in his youth.
Institutions - he is a member of Faust's Crew, the Conspicuous Oils.
Drives - Primary/Secondary/Tertiary
Here's where I like to get a bit more personality than backstory, because an overly historical concept only really gives you a good grounding in what your character did, what happened to them, rather than what they'll do in the future. So I generally try to ask what motivates a character at any given moment: Revenge? Wealth? Fame? Personal Excellence? Curiosity? Survival? Instinct? Reason? Power? Emotions? Loyalty? Etc.
Example- [SHOW]
- Primary - Karth's feeling of entitelement towards the throne of Bridged City is his primary motivating factor. He deserves to rule the city as he sees it, and he will do everything in his power to obtain the position he views as rightfully his.
Secondary - His years as a pirate have also fostered in him a desire for wealth. He has incorporated this lesser desire into his ultimate goal of becoming King of Bridged city by deciding that he will not yet return to the city-state until he has first amassed considerable wealth. This amassing of wealth will surely make it easier for him to obtain the influence he needs gain the throne, but he also wants it for the luxury as well.
Tertiary - Karth is always looking to make new friends, having grown up with very few. His personality tends to hinder him in his pursuit for companions, so one could say it is a never-ending search for those patient and accepting enough to handle his presence on a regular basis.
Goals - Short-Term/Medium-Term/Long-Term
Similar to your Step 2, I think that goals give a character a higher order of drive, and can make for a nice character arc that gives level progression some meaning beyond mechanics. In addition, as you point out, it can also be a good hook for DMs.
Example- [SHOW]
- Short Term - Meet and befriend the new crewmembers. More friends are always nice.
Medium Term - Continue earning coin with Faust, until Karth as enough to return to Bridged City in style and live there comfortably.
Long Term - Win the hearts of the people of Bridged City and take over as monach instead of his half-sister Hannatha.
Ten-Minute Background Response Format- [SHOW]
Background and Concept Elements- [SHOW]
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Goals- [SHOW]
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2)
Secrets- [SHOW]
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People Tied to Character- [SHOW]
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Memories, Mannerisms, and Quirks- [SHOW]
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Background - Family/Class/Profession/Institutions- [SHOW]
- Family:
Class:
Profession:
Institutions:
Drives - Primary/Secondary/Tertiary- [SHOW]
- Primary:
Secondary:
Tertiary:
Goals - Short-Term/Medium-Term/Long-Term- [SHOW]
- Short-Term:
Medium-Term:
Long-Term:
