Step-by-Step Character Creation Worksheet

Transcription

1 Step-by-Step Character Creation Worksheet This document is designed to replace Appendix I of the HackMaster Player's Handbook 4th Edition. It is designed to guide players through the process of creating and equipping characters for a HackMaster Campaign. Player Character Generation Okay, the moment to gird up your loins has arrived. It's time to create your character. To create your HackMaster character, simply follow the steps in sequential order and refer to the appropriate chapters/appendices as instructed. Most GMs require characters to be created under the watchful eye of a sanctioned/accredited GM, although the honor system is acceptable if the GM deems the player(s) trustworthy. Be sure to check with your GM on his policy before rolling up your character. If you encounter terms you don't understand, check the glossary in the back of the PHB or reread the appropriate section/chapter. Everything should be fully explained. If it isn't, then it's probably something you're not ready to embrace, in which case you should consult your GM for guidance. Once you've worked through this list and your GM has signed off on your character, you're ready to jump into the fray. Step 1: Proper mindset Creating a character shouldn't be taken lightly. Not only can it be time-intensive (Your first character could take over an hour to complete), but there are a lot of critical decisions to be made throughout the process. If you're not in the proper frame of mind, you're going to make mistakes. I recommend sitting in a quiet place for ten to fifteen minutes to clear your mind. Take the phone off the hook, put the cat outside do whatever it takes to shake off the worries of the day so you can think clearly. Some meditate, others do yoga and special breathing techniques, while some listen to soothing music or watch the final few scenes of Excalibur. You'll need to find your own personal method to get into your zone. If your GM has insisted on observing while you create your character you should accept the fact that it is his right (and responsibility) to do so. Just tell him you need to step out of the room to gather your thoughts. He should fully understand. Step 2: Proper setting It's also important that you have a proper setting that is conducive to the process. Make sure you have a sharpened pencil, an eraser, a calculator, several sheets of scrap paper and a pencil sharpener. You should also have some extra character sheets on hand just in case you need them (downloadable PDF fill-in HackMaster character sheets are available from A cold tasty beverage of your preference is a good idea as well. Other important aspects of the setting to consider include adequate lighting, comfortable seating and a good flat surface free of obstructions on which you can roll your dice. Most importantly you need to make sure you're dice are game-ready. You should never use virgin dice to roll up a character. See Appendix L of the PHB for procedures on how to properly fine tune and ready your dice for play. Step 3: Roll ability scores (PHB Chapter 1) Your character needs scores for Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma and Comeliness. The base ability scores are determined by rolling 3 six-sided dice. For each ability, a player also needs to roll a d100 for fractional abilities. These fractional ability scores represent how close a character is to attaining the next integer ability score. (You'll raise fractional ability scores as you go up levels. You can also raise them in later steps with building points). Record these rolls in the first two columns of the table below. If you don't like the results you rolled you can try to 1 adjust them to suit your needs. Consult the attached table for class ability requirements. You can adjust Ability Scores by burning off two points from one ability and adding one point to another (however, comeliness may not be adjusted up or down). You can also deduct points from your Ability Scores to generate building points (BPs) at this stage (you'll use these later to purchase skills, talents, proficiencies or to get additional starting money Record in table in Step 5). See Chapter 1 of the PHB for the exact procedure and rules for doing this. Record the adjusted results in the Step 3 columns below. STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA COM Roll % Step 3 % Step 4 % Step 8 Step 4: Choose a race (PHB Chapter 2) It's now time to choose what race your character will be. Your options will be somewhat dictated by the Ability Scores you rolled. Each race has its own maximum or minimum limitations on certain abilities. Consult the Racial Minima/Maxima table at the end of this document for a list of racial ability score requirements. Then adjust the character's scores as indicated on the table for the race you've chosen. Record the adjusted scores in the Step 4 columns above. Race STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA COM BP Aardvarkian Darkman Dwarf High Elf Sylvan Elf Grey Elf Grunge Elf Dark Elf Gnome Gnome Titan Gnomeling Half-elf Halfling Thug Halfling Half-Orc Half-Ogre Human 10 Pixie Fairy %

2 Step 5: Record racial abilities and talents (PHB Chapter 2) Go to Chapter 2 of the PHB and find the description for the race you've chosen. Consult the At a Glance listings and record the character's special racial abilities. It's also a good idea to read through the descriptions for any additional racial abilities which were not listed. Write these skills in the Special Abilities section of your character sheet. Record the racial BP bonus below: Ability Score BPs (Step 3) Racial BPs (Step 5) Parent BPs (Step 6) Rerolls (Steps 6, 8, 10) Quirk/Flaw BPs (Step 8) School BPs (Step 10) Ability Score BPs (Step 9) Class BPs (Step 11) Honor BPs (Step 13) STP BPs Spent (Step 14) BPs Spent for gp (Step 15) Step 6: Character priors and particulars (PHB Chapter 4) Go to Chapter 4 of the PHB and roll up your background in the following order: Table 4A: Character Starting Age (roll according to race) Table 4D: Determine Character Handedness Table 4E: Determine Character Height and Weight (select character sex) Table 4F: Roll for Character Social Class and Rank Table 4G: Roll for Circumstances of Birth Table 4H: If Table 4G indicated and Illegitimate Birth determine the nature of the illegitimacy. Determine Status of Parents (d100) Table 4I: Determine Quality of Parents Table 4J: Determine Family Heritage Table 4K: Determine Number and Characteristics of Siblings Table 4L: Determine Order of Birth (if necessary based on result of Table 4K) Note that you are allowed to burn a building point and reroll if you don't like the results of a die roll on any table in Chapter 4, Chapter 6, or on the Class Book schooling tables. It is very common for players to reroll their social class (Table 4F) and Quality of Parents (Table 4I), as social class affects what classes are available and schooling and Loving Parents provide a 5 BP bonus each. Write the results of these rolls on your character sheet. Step 7: Consider a class or classes It is not absolutely necessary to choose a class or classes at this point. When rolling for quirks and flaws in Step 8, adjusting ability scores in Step 9, or going to school in Step 10, it may be to your advantage to have already selected a class. Your selection is not written in stone at this point, but if, for example, you roll on the Combatant's Guide quirks and flaws tables, you must select a class from that book. The same applies if your character goes through the schooling from one of the class books. It is not necessary to meet all of the ability score requirements for a class at this time, as you will have an opportunity in Step 9 to use building points to increase abilities. Step 8: Earning BPs with additional quirks and flaws (PHB Chapter 6, Class Books) Now you have an opportunity to earn more building points by voluntarily taking on quirks and flaws. You may wish to get a rough estimate of your BP needs by estimating how much you want to raise your ability scores and reviewing the skills, talents, and proficiencies that may be appropriate for the character. You have two options: 8a Cherry Picking: You may pick up to two minor quirks and flaws from Chapter 6 of the PHB or from the applicable section of one of the class books and gain 2 BPs for each one you choose. You can also pick one major quirk or flaw to gain an additional 4 BPs. Using this method can earn you a maximum of 8 additional BPs. If you take a quirk or flaw from a class book, you must choose a class from that book. 8b Rolling Randomly for Quirks/Flaws: With this method you must declare how many rolls you are going to make on the quirk and flaw tables in Chapter 6 of the PHB or in the class books. You can roll a maximum of nine times. You can divide these rolls among the PHB and the class books. For example, if you wanted to play a fighter/thief with three rolls on the quirk/flaw tables, you could decide to take: one roll on the Table 6A from the Griftmaster's Guide, one roll from the Combatant's Guide, and one roll from the PHB, two rolls from one book and one from another, or all three rolls from one book. If you take a quirk or flaw from a class book, you must choose a class from that book. Once you have chosen or rolled for all of your quirks and flaws, record them on your character sheet and total the number of building points you have earned. Also, don't forget to adjust any abilities that may have been affected by a quirk or flaw. Record these changes on the table in Step 3 above. Remember that you may burn a building point to reroll during this step, but you cannot use BPs earned during this step for rerolls. Step 9: Record final ability scores and relevant data (PHB Chapter 1) Now that you've chosen your race and made any necessary adjustments to your ability scores for quirks and flaws you have the opportunity to adjust your fractional Ability Scores by spending as many building points as you want on them. One BP can increase a fractional Ability Score by 25. Any fractional Ability Score that is increased beyond 100 by this method allows the main Ability Score (those that were determined using 3d6) to be increased to the next highest integer. Once you have spent as many BPs as you want for this, record your final Ability Scores on your character sheet. Once that's done consult tables 1(A) through 1(G) and record the various bonuses and penalties the character receives for having particularly high or low scores. There should be a specific box for each bonus/penalty on your character sheet. Step 10: Finalize your class selection and Record your class(es) abilities and bonuses (PHB Chapter 3, Class Books) Consult the At a Glance listings in the racial descriptions section of Chapter 2 of the PHB and the class descriptions in the class books and finalize your class selection. The class(es) you select must be available for the race you chose in Step 4, the character must meet the minimum (or maximum) Ability Score requirements for the class, and, if applicable, the class must be from the class book(s) from which 2

3 quirks/flaws were selected/rolled or where the character attended school. Consult the description for the class you've chosen, and record any abilities and bonuses derived from that profession. For example, if your character is a thief, record his base thieving skills. Add your BP bonus for the class you've chosen to your current BP total. You can also choose a package from the appropriate class book during this step. Note that multiclass characters cannot take packages. Multiclass characters only add the largest BP bonus of their classes. Step 11: Go to school (Class Books Optional) If you know the class or set of classes from which you intend to choose, you may wish to go through the school section of the appropriate class book (Your GM may require this, so ask). If your character will be a multiclass character, you can put your character through all of the applicable schools (Again, your GM may require multiclass characters to go through all of the schools). Use a sheet of scratch paper to keep track of the stages of schooling, as this can get complicated. Record any bonuses or penalties received as a result of schooling on your character sheet. Step 12: Finish Background (PHB Chapter 4) At this time, you can determine how long it took your character to make it though school and/or training for his chosen class and what money he has left over. In Chapter 4 of the PHB roll on the following tables: Table 4B: Modify Character Starting Age (roll according to race) Table 4C: Determine Aging Effects if any (by racial type) Table 4M: Determine Starting Money (incorporating any modifiers from school) Record this information on your character sheet. Step 13: Calculating your starting Honor (PHB Chapter 1) Add the seven ability scores on your character sheet and divide that sum by seven (round down any fractions). Adjust the result by any modifiers for your Charisma, class, background, school, quirks, or flaws. This is your starting Honor. Record the result on your character sheet. Check Table 1H to see if any adjustments to your current BP total are required. Determine your Honor die by looking up your Honor on Table 5C. For multiclass characters, use the values for a Level 2 character, since for Honor purposes multiclass characters are treated as their highest level plus half of the total of their other levels, rounded up. Step 14: Purchase beginning skills, proficiencies, and talents (PHB Chapter 7 and Appendices F through I, Class Books) Now you can spend your building points on any skills, proficiencies or talents, subject to any race/class restrictions and skill progression (prerequisite) requirements. Each skill you purchase allows you one roll of the mastery die and one roll of your Honor die for that skill, which can be added to your base skill mastery for that skill (based on Ability Scores). You cannot buy a progression skill until you have at least a 50% in the prerequisite skill(s) for that skill. Note that you must spend the BP cost to gain weapon proficiencies. They are not automatic. It is possible to get free or reduced cost skills, proficiencies and talents in school or as a part of your chosen class. Certain class book skills, talents, and proficiencies are not restricted to members of those classes; see HackJournal 9 for information on these. Keep in mind that talents can only be obtained during character creation, while skills and proficiencies can be purchased later. Record these in the appropriate areas of your character sheet. Step 15: Cash in any remaining BPs for money Each BP you have remaining can be cashed in for 25 gp. Any BPs not converted are lost. Step 16: Choose an Alignment (PHB Chapter 5) Abide by class restrictions when choosing your alignment. Record this on your character sheet. Some GMs have restrictions on what alignments they allow for characters, so it is a good idea to consult with your GM. Step 17: Record Saving Throws (PHB Chapter 12) See Table 12G, adding or subtracting any bonuses or penalties due to race/class/talents. Step 18: Roll Hit Points (PHB Chapter 3, Class Books) Roll the appropriate hit die for your character, as indicated on the class progression table you've chosen. Modify this for any race/talent modifiers and add or subtract any bonus/penalty due to Constitution. For multiclass characters, hit points are determined by rolling the hit points for each class, adding the results, dividing by the number of classes, rounding down, and adding the kicker and constitution bonus. Step 19: Record base movement (PHB Chapter 16) Find the character's base movement rate on Table 16A and record it. Also record the encumbrance categories from Table 9Y as well as modified movement rates and combat abilities. Step 20: Name your character Give your character an appropriate name and record it on your character sheet. Step 21: Equip your character Check with your GM and determine if you're allowed to equip your character out-of-game (choosing what you want from the equipment lists in Chapter 9 of the PHB, the class books, or the Goods & Gear book, rolling for availability, and making your purchases). Some GMs require beginning characters to make all of their purchases in the game, roleplaying their actions with the merchants. Determine your character's armor class rating for any armor worn, modifying this by the defensive adjustment based on Dexterity or any race/class/talent modifiers. Record the weight, size, damage, rate of fire, type, speed factor, and range information for each weapon. Record the weights and locations for all equipment carried by the character and determine the character's initial encumbrance. Step 22: Have Game Master review character and certify Obtain your GM's approval and get his signature. Be sure to make him a copy of your character before the first game session. Well, that's it. You now have a character ready for battle. Now be off with you and good gaming! This document was based on Appendix J of the HackMaster Player's Handbook, 4 th Edition, Copyright 2001 Kenzer and Company. All rights reserved. This document was created by Topher Kersting (topher@kersting.com) on August 6, Copyright Kenzer and Company. All rights reserved. 3

4 Racial Minima and Maxima Aardvarkian Darkman Dwarf Elf Gnome Gnome Titan Gnomeling Half-Elf Halfling Half-Orc Half-Ogre Human Pixie-Fairy M F M F M F M F M F M F M F M F M F M F M F M F M F STR Min Max DEX Min Max CON Min Max INT Min Max WIS Min Max CHA Min Max COM Min Max

5 Class Minima, Maxima and Building Points Fighters STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA COM BP Thieves STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA COM BP Barbarian <17 7 Thief 9 12 Berzerker Assassin Bounty Hunter Bard Cavalier Acrobat Dark Knight Brigand Fighter 9 10 Charlatan Gladiator Infiltrator Holy Knight Minstrel Knight Errant Ninja Monk Pirate (Rogue) Paladin Yakuza Pirate Ranger Clerics STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA COM BP Samurai Cleric 9 10 Soldier Druid Swashbuckler Chosen One Shaman 9 10 Magic-Users STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA COM BP Zealots STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA COM BP Magic-User 9 9 LG Benyar Battle Mage LG Kazaar-Freem Abjurer LG Luvia Transmuter LG Sumar-Fareen Conjurer LG Zeus Diviner LN The Feeble Gawd Enchanter LN Marlog 15 4 Illusionist LN Shang-Ti Invoker LN Shona Necromancer LN Skraad DS Abjurer LN Thrain 13 7 DS Transmuter LE Druaga DS Conjurer LE Francor'Dieus DS Diviner LE Gruumsh DS Enchanter LE Loviatar DS Illusionist LE Set DS Invoker NG Deneir DS Necromancer NG Enlil Anti-Mage NG Kishijoten 14 4 Guardian NG Lathander Constructor NG Nudor Metamorpher N Aknar Transporter N Camaxtli Conjurer N Hokalas Power Speaker N Ikka Pataang (Druid) Summoner N Oghma Detective NE Alu Seer NE Grawdyng Itemist NE P'Rakeke Puppeteer NE Pyremius 5 Hypnotist NE Tobadzistini Shadow Weaver CG Bast Demolitionist CG Markovia Icer CG Navinger Pyrotechnician CG Nephthys Sniper CG Thor Animator CG Zelaur 12 6 Exterminator CN Draper 15 8 Elementalist CN Mangrus Blood Mage 16 9 <9 12 CN Odin Painted Mage CN Pangrus 15 5 Wild Mage CN Par'Kryus 5 Realm Channeler (Fire) CE Arnuya CE Gronfyr CE Kuchooloo 9 5 CE Yiders CE Yi'gor