The following is a list of the steps to take when making a new character; each step is then explained in detail.  You can click on the blue links below to go straight to a section.

• Roll for Character Ability Scores
• Choose a character class
• Adjust ability scores
• Roll for hit points
• Roll for starting money
• Buy Equipment
• Determine other numbers and rolls
• Choose character alignment
• Select name, personality, and background (skills)
• Determine character height and weight
• Earn experience

This message was last edited by the GM at 11:59, Fri 15 Dec 2023.

Each character has six abilities: Strength (STR), Intelligence (INT), Wisdom (WIS), Dexterity (DEX), Constitution (CON), and Charisma (CHA). The first step in creating a character is to determine these six scores.

These six scores will affect a character's possible profession. Each character class has minimum scores in a certain category called the Prime Requisite -- for example, Fighters must have a Strength of at least 9, as Strength is their prime requìsite.  The prime requisite for each class is listed with that class later.

Roll the dice for random generation of scores.

You will roll 4d6 on the dice roller, discarding the lowest roll to obtain a score.  Do this seven times and keep the best six scores.

Explanations of Attributes (as used in this game):

STR  "Strength" is a measure of muscle power and the ability to use that power. Any character with a Strength score of 13 or above should consider one of the following four classes: fighter, dwarf, elf, or halfling. Strength is the prime requisite for the classes of fighter and dwarf, and one of the two prime requisites for the classes of elf and halfling.

INT  "Intelligence" is the ability to learn and remember knowledge, and the ability to solve problems. Characters with an intelligence score of 13 or better should consider the classes of magic-user or elf. Intelligence is the prime requisite for magic-users, and one of the prime requisites for elves.


WIS  "Wisdom" refers to inspiration, intuition, common sense, and shrewdness. Wisdom aids in solving problems when Intelligence is not enough. A character with a Wisdom score of 13 or greater should consider the class of cleric, since Wisdom is the prime requisite of that class.

DEX  "Dexterity" is a measure of speed and agility. A character with a high Dexterity score is "good with their hands" and has a good sense of balance. A character with a Dexterity score of 13 or greater should consider the classes of thief and halfling. Dexterity is the prime requisite of thieves and one of the prime requisites of halflings.

CON  "Constitution" is a combination of health and endurance (the ability to hold up under pressure). It directly influences every class, possibly changing the number of hit points a character has. Constitution is never a prime requisite.

CHA   "Charisma" is a combination of appearance, personal charm, and leadership ability. It helps the DM decide exactly how a monster will react to a player character. It also affects the number of retainers a character can hire and the morale of these hirelings. Charisma is never a prime requisite.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:59, Fri 01 Mar.

Types of Character Classes

Most characters will be humans. In most D&D game campaigns, humans are the most wide spread of all intelligent beings. Any new character can belong to one of the human classes (cleric, fighter, magic-user, thief), regardless of his ability scores.

Demi-human characters (dwarf, elf, and especially halfling) will be less common: these races are somewhat reclusive and mysterious. They are known as "demi-humans" because they are so similar to humans. Each demi-human character class has specific ability requirements. If a newly created character doesn't have high enough scores in some specific abilities, he can't belong to the demi-human classes.


Multi-class Characters

Only Dwarves and Elves may multi-class.  A multi-class character, like single classes, will have an XP score.  Each class of the multi-class will have a target XP value to level.  Once the XP score crosses the XP value for that class, the class levels.  CON bonuses are assigned to classes in any combination.  For example, if a dwarf has a CON bonus of +3, he may assign +1 to Dwarf, and +2 to Cleric, or he may assign +3 to Dwarf only.

Dwarves and Elves may multi-class as thieves or clerics. Dwarves do not multi-class as magic users, as it is not in their nature and Elves are already capable of casting magic.

Multi-classed character restrictions follow the more restrictive class. Therefore, a dwarf/thief is restricted to certain armor and weapons as defined by the thief class, etc.  Multi-classed characters follow the saving throw table for their heritage (ie Dwarf or Elf).

The Hin (halflings) are not eligible to multi-class in this game.

Cleric
A Cleric is a character who has dedicated his life to a great and worthy cause. Often, this cause is the cleric's alignment. A Lawful cleric, for example, would be dedicated to spreading law and order throughout the campaign world. The cleric wields magic, and he can use almost as many weapons and armor types as a fighter. The cleric's prime requisite is his Wisdom.

Home Brew Rule
In my game, clerics can cast spells at first level. Essentially, move the spell progression chart up one level, eliminating the line of zero spells at first level.  Also, a dwarf or elf may become a cleric, but it is then a multi-classed character.

RESTRICTIONS: They may wear any armor and may use shields. Clerics are forbidden by their religious codes from using edged weapons, such as swords and arrows. A cleric may only use a weapon without an edge, such as a mace or sling.

SPECIAL ABILITIES: Clerics are very helpful with undead monsters (such as skeletons, zombies, and ghouls) are encountered. When a cleric encounters an undead monster, the cleric may attempt to "Turn" the monster instead of fighting it. If a cleric Turns an undead monster, the monster will not touch the cleric, and will flee from the area if it can.

Fighters
A Fighter is a character whose main skill is his prowess at arms. A fighter can be a heavily armored knight or a lightly armored swashbuckler, but it's his extraordinary skill in combat that makes him special. In the game, a fighter's prime requisite is his Strength.

RESTRICTIONS: None

SPECIAL ABILITIES: Though they have no special abilities like special sight or bonuses, fighters are very powerful characters. Their greater endurance (more hit points), strong armor, many weapons, and great strength make them a necessary part of every adventure.

Magic-users
A Magic-User is a character who wields magic. He has little or nothing in the way of fighting ability, and in the early part of his career he has little in the way of magical ability either. But as he gains in experience, he becomes a powerful character and can wield powerful magical spells. The magic-user's prime requisite is his Intelligence.

RESTRICTIONS: They may not wear armor nor use shields and may only choose between these weapons; dagger, staff, blowgun, dart, flaming oil, holy water, net, thrown rock, sling, or whip.

SPECIAL ABILITIES: Magic-users use powerful spells.

Thieves
A Thief is a character who has spying abilities. Whether he actually makes his living  stealing from other people, he has many skills appropriate to that livelihood. He can move stealthily, climb sheer surfaces, pick locks, and so forth. He has combat abilities better than a magic-user's, but he's not a strong combatant. The thief's prime requisite is his Dexterity.

RESTRICTIONS: Leather armor only.  No shields.

SPECIAL ABILITIES: When striking unnoticed from behind, a thief gains a bonus of +4 on "to hit" rolls and inflicts twice the normal amount of damage. They train in thief skills including; learning how to pick pockets, move silently, climb steep surfaces, hide in shadows, open locks (with a set of lockpicks or burglar's tools), remove small traps (such as poisoned needles), and how to hear noises better than other humans.

---

Home Brew Rule
Druids and Mystics are not player characters in this game at this time.  They may be NPCs the characters might interact with in the story.

---

Dwarves
A Dwarf is a sturdy, squat demihuman. He resembles the fighter in many details, but has many special abilities and special restrictions that set him apart from human fighters. The dwarfs prime requisite is his Strength.

Home Brewed Rule
Dwarves in this game, may also become a cleric.

RESTRICTIONS: The may use any type of weapon of normal or small size, but may not use long bows nor two-handed swords. A dwarf character must have a minimum Constitution score of 9.

SPECIAL ABILITIES: Dwarves are very hardy creatures and have better saving throws than most other character classes. Dwarves often live underground, and have dark-vision which allows them to see 20 yards in the dark. They are expert miners and are able to find slanting passages, traps, shifting walls, and new construction one-third of the time when looking for them. All dwarves speak Common, Dwarvish, plus the languages of gnomes, kobolds, and goblins.

Elves
An Elf is a lean, nimble demihuman. He is a very capable combination of the fighter and magic-user classes. He's not quite as tough as a human fighter, nor will he ever achieve the great magical ability of a human magic-user, but he does have most of the abilities of both classes. He has other special abilities and restrictions that set him apart from the human classes. The elf has two prime requisites: Strength and Intelligence, and the Intelligence score must be 9 or more.

Home Brewed Rule
An elf in this game, may also become a cleric.

RESTRICTIONS: A character must have an Intelligence of 9 or greater to be an elf.

SPECIAL ABILITIES: Elves have dark-vision identical to that of the dwarves in function to 20 yards. All elves can find secret and hidden doors better than other characters.  The detection is never automatic. Elves have a natural immunity to ghoul paralysis.

Halflings (Hin)
A Halfling is a small demihuman. He has many abilities similar to a fighter, but he is also noted for his ability as a woodsman. He's not as tough as a fighter, and he has special abilities and restrictions that set him apart from the fighter class. The halfling has two prime requisites: Strength and Dexterity.

RESTRICTIONS: Only small or medium sized weapons.  Halflings must have a minimum score of 9 in both Dexterity and Constitution.

SPECIAL ABILITIES: Halflings have better saving throws than most other character classes. They are very accurate with all missile weapons and gain a bonus of +1, in addition to Dexterity adjustments, on their "to hit" rolls when using them. Due to their small size and skills at dodging, halflings have a bonus of -2 on their Armor Class when being attacked by creatures larger than man-sized. Outdoors, halflings are difficult to spot, having the ability to seemingly vanish into woods or underbrush. Halflings have only a 10% chance of being detected in this type of cover, and even in dungeons there is a one-third chance that a halfling will not be seen in normal light if the character finds some cover (such as heavy shadows), and remains absolutely quiet and still.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:04, Sun 05 May.

Home Brewed Rule
You can trade two points from an ability score you don't want to raise your prime requisite by one point. You can perform this trade as many times as you want. You cannot lower your Constitution, or Charisma. You can only raise your character's prime requisite score.

Example: An elf has Intelligence and Strength scores of 12 and a Wisdom of 13. His player wants him to be both stronger and smarter. He drops the Wisdom score by 2, to 11, so 1 point can be added to Strength. Then he drops the Wisdom again, to 9, and adds 1 to Intelligence. The results are Intelligence and Strength scores of 13 and an adjusted Wisdom of 9.

A cleric with Strength and Wisdom of 15 drops the Strength by 6 (to 9) and raises the Wisdom by 3 (to 18).

Roll for Hit Points

Your character's hit point score represents his ability to survive injury. The higher his hit point score, the more damage he can sustain before dying. Characters who survive  long enough to gain a good deal of experience typically gain more and more hit points; therefore, an experienced character lasts longer in a fight or other dangerous situations than does an inexperienced   character.

A character's profession (his character class) dramatically affects the number of hit points he receives. Fighters and dwarves receive a lot of hit points. Magic-users receive only a few. The other classes receive a medium amount.

Home Brewed Rule
Select the "reroll ones" option when rolling for HD gain.  If you click on the blue link for rolling HD on your character sheet, the dice roller page comes up with pre-filled selections.  Just click roll the dice.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:47, Sun 05 May.

Roll for Starting Money

You will need to go shopping for equipment, but first you must find out how much money you have. Roll 3d6 (three six-sided dice), and multiply the total by 10. (For example, if you roll 12, the total is 120.) This is the number of gold pieces (gp) that you start with. Write that on your character sheet.

Buy Equipment

Now that you have your money, you can spend it on the equipment you need to go adventuring. A list below is provided for you to buy your equipment from. There are restrictions on what items your character is allowed to have, especially on armor and weapons. Before you go shopping, be sure you have read the full description of your character class. For example, a magic-user cannot wear any armor at all and can only use a few types of weapons. It would be a waste of money for a character of this class to buy a sword or shield; instead, his money can be saved or spent on oil, torches, and other items. Thieves, however, must buy thieves' tools to use their Open Locks ability.

Be careful when shopping! You may forget to buy rope, for example, and suddenly find a need for it during an adventure—and if you didn't buy it, you don't have it. Ask the other players and your DM for advice on what to buy—and what not to buy. Remember that money can be saved for buying expensive equipment later.

Armor	Cost(gp)	Weight(cn)	Notes
Banded	45	350	AC4
Bronze Plate	50	450	AC4
Chain	75	300	AC5
Gauntlets, leather	1	20
Gauntlets, chain mail	3	25
Gauntlets, plate mail	4	35
Gauntlets, plate, full	7	25
Helmet, great	7	100
Helmet, small	5	45
Leather	3	150	AC8
Padded	2	100	AC8
Plate, mail	200	450	AC3
Plate, field	300	550	AC2
Plate, full	500	650	AC1
Ring	15	250	AC7
Scale	23	400	AC6
Shield, buckler	3	30
Shield, large	7	100
Shield, small	5	50
Shield, small wooden	1	30
Splinted	40	400	AC4
Studded	8	200	AC7
Weapon	Cost(gp)	Weight(cn)	Notes
Arrow, barbed, single	.1	2
Arrow, broad-head, single	.1	2
Arrow, blunt-head, single	.1	2
Arrow, corded, single (120′ cord)	3	25
Arrow, flaming, single	3	4
Arrow, frog crotch	.1	2
Arrow, grappling, single (120′ cord)	5	30
Arrow, humming bulb	.2	2
Arrow, normal, single	.1	2
Arrow, normal, dozen	1	24
Arrow, silver, single	.1	2
Arrow, spiral, single	1	2
Arrow, wooden, single	.01	2
Axe, battle	3	75	d8
Axe, hand or throwing	1	50	d6
Blackjack	.2	50	d2
Blowgun	10	20
Blowgun	.01	.1
Boku-toh (wooden sword)	1	30
Bow, long	30	100
Bow, short	8	50
Caltrop	.2	4
Crossbow, hand	150	20
Crossbow, heavy	10	80
Crossbow, light	6	50
Dagger, normal	1	15	d4
Dart, throwing	.05	5	d3
Fang	1	30
Flail	2	150
Garrot	.1	1
Halberd	5	175
Hammer	1	50
Harpoon	3	55
Javelin	.1	20
Knife & scabbard	1	10
Lance	8	200
Lasso	.05	20
Mace	2	50	1d6
Man Catcher	13	80
Morning Star	3	125
Pike	2	80
Polearm	2	80
Quarrel, hand, single	5	1
Quarrel, heavy, score	1	60
Quarrel, light, score	1	40
Sap	1	10
Scimitar & scabbard	8	50
Sickle	1	20
Sling	.15	2
Sling Bullets, score	.1	40
Spear	1	60
Spiked Buckler	5	35
Staff	.01	50
Sword, bastard & scabbard	13	115
Sword, long & scabbard	8	70
Sword, short & scabbard	4	40
Sword, 2-handed & scabbard	15	270
Trident	2	50
Whip, rawhide	2	35
Miscellaneous Equipment	Cost(gp)	Weight(cn)	Notes
Backpack, leather	1	20
Bag, leather	.08	5
Barrel, wooden 50 gal	.5	200	Capacity 1500cn
Bedroll	1	80
Bell	2	1
Bird cage	2	4
Blanket	.05	30
Book, blank, 100 pages, papyrus	80	200
Book, blank, 100 pages, parchment	110	200
Book, blank, 100 pages, vellum	200	200
Bottle or flask	.3	10
Box, iron, large	7.5	750
Box, iron, small	4	350
Bracers, leather	.8	15
Bracers, metal	.5	30
Bucket	.3	40
Candle, tallow	.01	5
Candle, wax	.01	5
Candle snuffer	.06	15
Cane, walking	2.5	60
Case, bone, map or scroll	2.5	50
Case, leather, map or scroll	7.5	25
Cask	.05	10 or 100
Chain, iron, 1′, light	.5	50
Chalk, stick of (per stick)	.01	2
Chest, wooden, large	1.6	500
Chest, wooden, small	.8	250
Chisel	.5	30
Coal, 10 lb. bag of	5	100
Cologne/perfume, 1 oz	.5	10
Comb	.1	5
Cord, 10′	.1	2
Crampons	20	30
Crowbar	.6	60
Dice/knucklebones, normal pair	.2	5
Fire-starting bow	.8	5
Fishhook	.01	.1
Fishing net (per square foot)	1	10
Flint and steel	.5	3
Glass bottle	5	30
Glue, 2 oz. pot of	.05	10
Grapnel	3.5	75
Grindstone	.05	40
Hacksaw	1	20
Hairbrush	.07	5
Hammock	1	20
Hourglass	12.5	5
Ink, 2 oz. pot of	.5	10
Jar, glass	2.5	40
Jug, clay	.15	50
Keg, wooden 5 gal.	.15	250
Ladder, 12′	.05	200
Lamp, oil (8 hours)	1	10
Lantern, beacon (2 hours)	20	500
Lantern, bullseye (6 hours)	6	30
Lantern, hooded (6 hours)	3.5	20
Lantern, waterproof (6 hours)	25	30
Lard, pint of	.05	20
Magnifying glass	50	10
Manacles, pair of, & key	2.5	20
Mirror, large, metal	5	100
Mirror, small, silver	10	20
Oil, flask of	.5	25
Paddle	.3	35
Padlock & key	2.5	8
Padlock w/poison reservoir & key	6	8
Pail	.07	10
Paint, 1 gallon of	1	100
Paint brush, fine	.5	10
Paint brush, large	.7	40
Paint brush, medium	.5	20
Papyrus, 1 sheet	1	1
Parchment, 1 sheet	2	1
Pen, quill	.08	2
Pick axe, mining	3	50
Pick, tooth, 5 score of	.01	1
Pipe, smoking	.01	5
Pipeweed/tobacco, 8 oz.pouch of	.5	5
Pliers	.5	25
Pole, 10′	.03	100
Pot, iron cooking	.03	50
Pouch, belt, large	.5	20	200 capacity
Pouch, belt, small	.3	5	50 capacity
Pulley	12.5	5
Purse	.01	2
Quilt	.2	100
Quiver, 1 score arrows cap	.12	40
Quiver, 1 score bolts cap	.1	35
Razor	.5	5
Rope, 50′ hemp	.05	75	500 lbs
Rope, 50′ silk	12.5	50	500 lbs
Sack, large	.08	20	600cn cap.
Sack, small	.05	5	200cn cap.
Satchel, small	.15	10	300cn cap.
Satchel, large	.3	30	800cn cap.
Saw, one man	1	30
Saw, two man	6	200
Scabbard, sword, bastard	1.5	15
Scabbard, sword, long	1	10
Scabbard, sword, short	.5	5
Scabbard, sword, 2-handed	2	20
Sheath, dagger or knife	.6	5
Skin, water/wine	.15	5	small, 1 quart
Soap, 8 oz. bar of	.02	5
Spade/shovel	2	60
Spike, iron, large	.01	10
Spyglass	100	20
String, 50′	.01	10
Sundial	4	500
Tent, good: large	100	1000
Tent, good: medium	60	800
Tent, good: small	37.5	600
Thieves’ picks & tools	15	50
Tinder Box with flint and steel	1	15
Torch, normal	.03	25
Vellum, 1 sheet	4	1
Vial, ceramic	.5	25
Vial, crystal	4.5	30
Vial, metal	2.5	40
Wallet	.5	5
Candle clock	1	100
Wax, candle, lb	.5	10
Wax, sealing, lb	1	10
Whetstone	.5	5
Whistle	.5	5
Wig	1	5
Religious Items	Cost(gp)	Weight(cn)	Notes
Beads, Prayer	.5	5
Incense, stick	.5	1
Symbol, Holy, iron	1	30
Symbol, Holy, silver	25	20
Symbol, Holy, wooden	.07	10
Water, Holy, vial	12.5	35
Herbs	Cost(gp)	Weight(cn)	Notes
Belladona, sprig	.04	5
Garlic, bud	.05	1
Wolvesbane, sprig	.1	5
Hirelings, Daily Cost of	Cost(gp)
Alchemist	5
Animal Trainer	1.5
Armorer	2.5
Bearer/Porter	.01
Blacksmith	1.5
Boatwright	.1
Bowyer/Fletcher	.5
Carpenter	.03
Engineer-Architect	2.5
Engineer-Artillerist	3.5
Engineer-Sapper/Miner	3.5
Jeweler-Gemcutter	2.5
Leather Worker	.02
Limner	.5
Linkboy	.01
Mason	.04
Mercenary	.2
Mercenary Lieutenant	4
Mercenary Sapper/Miner	.1
Pack Handler	.02
Scribe	.5
Ship crew / Sailors	.05
Ship Captain	7.5
Steward/Castellan	15
Tailor	.02
Teamster	.05
Valet/Lackey	.03
Weapon Maker	2.5
Weaver	.02
Provisions	Cost(gp)	Weight(cn)	Notes
Ale, pint of	.01
Ale, dark, pint of	.05
Ale, pitcher of	.1		10 pints
Ale, keg of	8	1440	72 pints
Beer, heavy, pint of	.1
Beer, light, pint of	.04
Beer, pitcher of	.5
Brandy, pint of	.1
Bread, loaf of	.01	25
Cider, pint of	.08
Flour, 10 lb. bag of	.6	100
Food, merchant’s meal	.1
Food, rich meal	.5
Grain, horse meal, 1 day	.01	50
Grog, pint of	.03
Juice, apple, pint of	.08
Juice, grape, pint of	.08
Juice, orange, pint of	.09
Juice, tomato, pint of	.07
Mead, pint of	.05
Milk, cow, pint of	.02
Milk, goat, pint of	.01
Rations, iron, 10 days	2.5	75
Rations, standard, 10 days	1.5	200
Rum, pint of	.05
Tea, pint of	.03
Water, spring, pint of	.03
Wine, good, pint of	.1
Wine, watered, pint of	.06
Room and Board	Cost(gp)	Weight(cn)	Notes
Night, common room	.1
Night, double room	.2
Night, private room	.5
Services, daily cost of	Cost(gp)
Armor repair	6
Guide, city	.5
Horse grooming	.3
Laundry	.01
Messenger	1
Night guard	7.5
Stable	1
Storage closet	.5
Weapon repair	4.5
Tack & Harness	Cost(gp)	Weight(cn)	Notes
Barding, chain	150	3000
Barding, leather	50	1000
Barding, plate	250	5000
Barding, scale	100	2000
Barding, splint	200	4000
Bit & Bridle	.15	20
Harness	.12	100
Saddle	5	350
Saddle Bags, large	2	150
Saddle Bags, small	1.5	100
Saddle Blanket	.03	40
Livestock	Cost(gp)	Weight(cn)	Notes
Ape	75	3500
Boar	5	1000
Bull	10	10000
Calf	2.5	500
Camel	7.5	9000
Cat	.5	100
Chicken	.01	100
Cow	5	7500
Dog, guard	10	800
Dog, hunting	10	650
Dog, lap	2.5	500
Dog, sled	5	800
Dog, war	15	950
Donkey	4	8000
Dove	.3	20
Elephant, labor	100	100000
Elephant, war	150	120000
Falcon, trained	350	80
Goat	.5	600
Hawk, large	65	400
Hawk, small	15	70
Horse, draft	18	8000
Horse, heavy war	250	13000
Horse, light war	120	7000
Horse, medium war	180	9000
Horse, riding	20	6000
Hunting cat	5000	1750
Lama	15	6500
Mule	10	7000
Ox	8	10000
Pigeon	.01	15
Piglet	.5	100
Pig	1.5	3000
Pony, riding	12	4000
Pony, war	21	4500
Sheep	1	500
Songbird	.01	10
Musical Instruments	Cost(gp)	Weight(cn)	Notes
Bandore	8	100
Chime	1	2
Drum	2	200
Fife	2.5	100
Flute	8	50
Gong	2.5	5
Harp	25	250
Horn	3	75
Lute	12.5	150
Lyre	13.5	100
Mandolin	14	150
Pipes	1	50
Rebec & bow	15	150

Armor class, attack rolls, and saving throws are numbers which you'll calculate from the character's other attributes or find on provided tables which are important to the way the character performs in combat.

Record your armor class, sometimes abbreviated as AC, is a number indicating how tough it is to hit your character. With the armor class, unlike most numbers in the D&D game, a low number is good for a character, and a high number is bad. Your armor class is a combination of the type of armor you are wearing, plus any adjustments due to Dexterity. First, find your armor type on the Armor Type and Armor Class Table.

Once you know your armor class as provided by your armor type, you can determine adjustments to your armor class from your Dexterity. Find your Dexterity score on the Bonuses and Penalties For Ability Scores table. For every +1 on the table, subtract 1 from your armor class. For every —1, add 1 to your armor class.

Record your THACO: The abbreviation THACO stands for "To Hit Armor Class 0." There's nothing mysterious about it: It's just the number your character needs to roll to hit an armor class of 0. To use THACO, you have to do some adding and subtracting during combat. You subtract your modified attack roll (the number rolled on a 20-sided die plus any bonuses) from your THACO, and the result is the armor class your character hits. When in combat, this should be copied from the dice roller page and pasted into an Out of Character line of your post for the active GM scene.

For example, Ruggin is a 3rd level dwarf, and he's fighting a hobgoblin clad in chain mail (AC5). Ruggin's THACO is 19, and he rolls a 16; Ruggin successfully hits his opponent's armor class (19-16=3) since he hit an AC3 (two better than AC5).

Record Adjustments for Ability Scores.  You've already seen, on several occasions, that high abilities give your character special bonuses, while low ones give the character special penalties. Below are the character's abilities and notes on what sorts of adjustments high and low abilities will bring him.


This message was last edited by the GM at 00:24, Tue 16 Jan.

An alignment is a code of behavior or way of life which guides the actions and thoughts of characters and monsters. There are three alignments in the D&D® game: Law, Chaos, and Neutrality.

Players may choose the alignments they feel will best fit their characters. A player does not have to tell other players what alignment he or she has picked, but must tell the Dungeon Master. Most Lawful characters will reveal their alignments if asked.

When picking alignments, the characters should know that Chaotic cannot be trusted, even by other Chaotic. A Chaotic character does not work well with other PCs. Alignments give characters guidelines, to live by. They are not absolute rules: characters will try to follow their alignment guidelines, but may not always be successful. To better understand the philosophies behind them, let's define the three alignments.

Law (or Lawful)
Law is the belief that everything should follow an order, and that obeying rules is the natural way of life. Lawful creatures will try to tell the truth, obey laws that are fair, keep promises, and care for all living things.

If a choice must be made between the benefit of a group or an individual, a Lawful character will usually choose the group. Sometimes individual freedoms must be given up for the good of the group. Lawful characters and monsters often act in predictable ways. Lawful behavior is usually the same as "good" behavior.

Chaos (or Chaotic)
Chaos is the opposite of Law. It is the belief that life is random and that chance and luck rule the world. Laws are made to be broken, as long as a person can get away with it. It is not important to keep promises, and lying and telling the truth are both useful.

To a Chaotic creature, the individual is the most important of all things. Selfishness is the normal way of Life, and the group is not important. Chaotic often act on sudden desires and whims. They have strong belief in the power of luck. They cannot always be trusted. Chaotic behavior is usually the same as behavior that could be called "evil." Each individual player must decide if his Chaotic character is closer to a mean, selfish "evil" personality or merely a happy-go-lucky, unpredictable personality.

Neutrality (or Neutral)
Neutrality is the belief that the world is a balance between Law and Chaos. It is important that neither side get too much power and upset this balance. The individual is important, but so is the group; the two sides must work together.

A Neutral character is most interested in personal survival. Such characters believe in their own wits and abilities rather than luck. They tend to return the treatment they receive from others. Neutral characters will join a party if they think it is in their own best interest, but will not be overly helpful unless there is some sort of profit in it. Neutral behavior may be considered "good" or "evil" (or neither).
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:25, Tue 16 Jan.

You may have been thinking about this all during the character-creation process, but now it's time to give your character his name, personality, and background; the traits which make him a real character.

Name
You should give your character a name appropriate to the world in which he'll be adventuring. Choose a name carefully. It should represent the character in some way, or at least be a name you like. You might find yourself playing this character for years, and if you give him a silly or inappropriate name, you might regret it later. The GM will change the name of your game name once you have this selection made.  Notify the GM when you have selected a name for the character in a private message.

Personality
Alignment isn't all there is to a character's personality. You should think about your character, about his mannerisms, the way he speaks, the way he dresses, how he spends money, what sort of people he likes, how he likes to spend his non-adventuring time, and so on. The more attention you invest in imagining your character, with all his traits, virtues, and vices, the more interesting and "real" you will make him. Sure, it's useful for your character to be the mightiest warrior in the world . . . but none of the other player characters will care whether he lives or dies unless he has a personality. Nor will he be remembered.

Background
At some point, you'll need to decide on your character's background: where and when he was born, how he was reared, who his family is, who his friends were, and what he did up until the time he enters play. A background is important because it can give you pre-adventuring skills that may come up as being useful some time down the road in the story. While not entirely required to play the game, it is useful for character development and a tool the GM can use to build a backstory, a story arc, etc.

The player can choose any height and weight for his character which the GM agrees is appropriate. The Character Height and Weight Table will give you an idea what height and weight ranges are average for character races. For use with later encumbrance rules, all character weights are given in coin-weights: one coin equals one-tenth of a pound, so a character weighing 2,000 en actually weighs 200 Ibs.


This message was lightly edited by the GM at 18:55, Sat 11 Nov 2023.

Earn Experience

As characters go through a lot of adventures, they gradually get better and better at what they do. Everyone learns to fight better (especially fighters). Everyone learns to withstand damage better (more hit points and better saving throws), and so forth. This is all accomplished through the use of experience points and experience levels.

As the story progresses, your character will receive experience point awards.  These are doled out and a certain amount for certain things.

Being an online play by post game, Tales of Adventurers is a little different to a table top game in many ways. First, it's much, much slower -- a lot slower since we have a post  of 3-5 times per week. Second, it requires a lot more dedication and effort from its players over the long term. In that light, that effort is rewarded with experience points for their characters to give that sense of accomplishment and progression in the course of real time.


This message was last edited by the GM at 15:57, Sat 27 Jan.

Thieves in this game will not follow the skills increase chart given in the D&D Rules Cyclopedia. To give players more control over what they are good at, new thief characters will receive 30 pts to be distributed on the following table. These points will be gained on every new level to be distributed as the player sees fit. No more than ten points can be allotted to a score per level.


An additional 15 points may be distributed (GMs option) to first level skills that are described in a detailed character background history.

Additionally, DEX scores of 13-15 will receive 1 point, 16-17 gets 2 points, and a score of 18 gets 3 additional points to distribute (eg, 33 points per level with an 18 Dex)
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:57, Sun 05 May.

Starting characters begin the game with a number of weapon choices in which they have Basic skill.  Fighters start the game with four choices, Demi-human characters start with three, and all others start with two choices.  No character can train to expert level until third level.

Note: All weapon choices must be made at first level. Slots cannot be saved for later.

Weapon Choices by Experience Level Table

Level	Fighters	Demi-humans	All Others
1	4	3	2
3	5	4	3
6	6	5	4
9	7	6	5
11	8	7	6
15	9	8	7
19	10	9	7
23	11	10	8
27	12	10	8
30	13	11	9
33	14	11	9
36	15	12	10

This message was last edited by the GM at 12:29, Fri 19 Jan.

All first level characters start with four slots.  Characters with an INT score of 13-15 get an additional slot; if INT is 16-17 they get two slots additional; and if INT is 18, they get three additional slots at first level. Characters gain an additional skill point every level that is divisible by three.

Choose from the following list.  The skill will be listed on the character sheet.

STRENGTH	INTELLIGENCE	DEXTERITY	WISDOM	CONSTITUTION	CHARISMA
Blacksmithing	Agriculture	Blind Fighting	Animal Handling	Endurance	Disguise
Carpentry	Anc. History	Bowyer or Fletcher	Animal Training	Running	Etiquette
Jumping	Anc. Language	Charioteering	Artistic Ability		Gaming
Mountaineering	Animal Lore	Cheating (chaotic)	Direction Sense		Singing
Muscle	Appraising	Cobbling	Fire Starting		Local History
Stonemasonry	Armorer	Dancing	Fishing
Swimming	Artillery	Escape	Healing
Wrestling	Astrology	Forgery	Hunting
	Brewing	Gem Cutting	Mining
	Cooking	Juggling	Religion
	Engineering	Musical Instrument	Riding, Airborne
	Heraldry	Pottery	Riding, Landbased
	Herbalis	Quick Draw	Tracking
	Leatherwork	Rope Use	Weather Sensing
	Lip Reading	Seamanship
	Modern Lang.	Seamstress/Tailor
	Navigation	Set Snares
	Read/Write	Tightrope Walking
	Science (type)	Tumbling
	Spell craft
	Survival (terrain)
	Ventriloquism
	Vet Healing
	Weaving

SKILL DESCRIPTIONS AND EXPLANATIONS
Agriculture	Basics of farming.
Ancient History	Learned of legends, lore, and history of some ancient time and place.
Anc. Language	Can know an ancient language of given type.
Animal Handling	Calm an excited pack animal or beast of burden.  Otherwise 20% chance.
Animal Training	Choose a type of animal. Obeys simple commands.
Animal Lore	Interpret animal behaviour, imitate calls and cries, +2 tracking, +2 hunting, +2 trapping
Appraising	Estimate values of antiques, art, jewelry, gems, or other crafted items.
Armorer	Can makes many types of armor given the facilities and resources. Can repair.
Artistic Ability	Choose type.  Can create in type.
Artillery	Can command the crew in the use of artillery (catapult or trebuchet, etc.)
Astrology	+1 to navigation if stars available.  Insight to future limited to thirty days.
Blacksmithing	Making of most tools, and implements from iron.  Cannot make armor/weapons.
Blind fighting	Skill at fighting in the dark.  -2 instead of -4 to attacks.
Bowyer/Fletcher	Can make bows and arrows
Brewing	Ales, beers, and other strong drinks.
Carpentry	Woodworking jobs.  Unusual or highly complex items created require a check
Charioteering	Self-explained
Cheating (chaotic)	Winning at a type of game by deception or misdirection.
Cobbling	Footwear repair
Cooking	An accomplished cook. check required for only a magnificent feast.
Dancing	Self-explained
Direction Sense	Concentrate 1d6 rounds, determine direction.  Less chance to get lost in woods.
Disguise	Self-explained.  -7 to check if disguising as another race or sex.
Endurance	Takes twice as long to become exhausted with physical exertions.
Escape	Ability to get loose from bondage.
Engineering	Can prepare plans, oversee construction of small to grand things.
Etiquette	Basic understanding of proper forms of behaviour of court or similar construct.
Fire Starting	Tinderbox not required.  Adverse conditions, make a skill check w/penalties.
Fishing	hook/line, spear, or net.  WIS score minus rolled score is number of fish caught.  Net scores three times the amount.
Forgery	Self-explained
Gaming	Knows most commonly played games of chance and skill.
Gem Cutting	1d10 stones per day.  Requires tools.  Refine uncut gemstones.
Healing	First aid and doctoring knowledge. 1d3 restorative to recent wounds once. Increased healing rate to 2 hp per day under the care of a healer.
Heraldry	Identify crests and symbols of Glastrea
Herbalism	Identify plants and fungus, and prepare nonmagical potions, poultices, balms, salves, ointments, infusions, and plasters for pseudo-medical purposes.
Hunting	Stalk and bring down game in wilderness settings.
Juggling	Self-explained.
Jumping	Can attempt exceptional leaps vertical or horizontal. Can attempt pole vault.
Leatherworking	Self-explained.
Lip Reading	Self-explained.
Local History	History of a region or small province. Tell stories of local flare.
Mining	Determine site (1 week).  Supervise operations.
Mountaineering	Given the gear, can climb steep slopes, cliffs, leges, etc.
Muscle	Experienced with heavy lifting techniques.  +2 to STR open doors roll.
Musical Instrument	Self-explained.  Select type.
Navigation	At sea, reduces the chance of getting lost by 20%.  Navigate by stars on land.
Pottery	Work clay into vessels.  Requires wheel, kiln, supply of clay, and glaze.
Read/Write	Can read/write one language he can speak.
Religion	Knows the common beliefs/cults of their homeland and the major faiths of neighboring regions.
Riding, Airborne	Choose type. See description in AD&D2E
Riding, Landbased	Choose type. See description in AD&D2E
Rope Use	Knowledge of knots. -6 to skill roll to escape bonds.  -2 if Escape is also known.
Running	Can move at twice normal movement rate for a day.  Have to rest 8 hrs after.
Science	Choose a type.
Seamanship	Qualified to work as crew.  Does not convey navigation.
Seamstress/Tailor	Self-explained.
Set Snares	Self-explained.
Singing	Self-explained.
Spell-craft	Determine spell being cast.  1/2 chance of check to recognize magical construct
Stonemasonry	Self-explained.
Survival	Choose type environment in which the character knows survival techniques.
Swimming	Allows a character to swim.
Tightrope Walking	Attempt to fight (-5) or walk on ropes or beams.
Tumbling	Acrobatics.
Ventriloquism	Character can deceive an audience a voice spoke from elsewhere
Veterinary Healing	Like that of healing, but for animals and monsters.
Weather sense	Can make intelligent guesses about upcoming weather conditions.
Weaving	Can create garments, tapestries, and draperies from wool or cotton.  Requires the use of a loom.
Wrestling	Success adds a +1 to the WR rating when wrestling.