Starting a Character

Players are represented in the game by a "character". You have a great deal of control over what kind of character you want to play using the instructions here at the material in the Erebus Player’s Handbook. If you are unfamiliar with the standard D&D characters, read through the instructions first to get a feel for what kind of character you might want to play. While you may create more than one character, you will usually only play one during a game session. Most players concentrate on a particular character to advance them, but sometimes it's useful to have secondary characters, too.

Race, Abilities, and Spells

Play will be conducted under the AD&D2 Rules System as modified and documented in the Erebus Player’s Handbook (EPH). We will not be using Swanson Abilities, experience point modifiers due to primary abilities, or brevet ranks in this campaign setting. It is strongly recommended that you print a copy of the handbook and put it in a binder for use during game play. All characters will start at level 1.

To start a character:

• 1. Select a race to play (see Character Race Options, below)

  2. Select a class (see Character Class Options, below)

  3. Roll abilities per Pg. 6 of the EPH.

  4. Choose name, sex, and age (see EHP pg. 7)

  5. Select abilities (see Character Race Options for restrictions)

  6. Select spells, if mage, priest, or bard.

  7. See Character Race Options for equipment and money, below.

  8. Write up background and goals (see below)

Write these all up and send to markjnorton@gmail.com for review. The GM (Mark Norton) may make changes to your character sheet to better reflect the game and starting conditions. Changes will be returned to you. Once the character is set up, a MapTool character sheet will be created for you. This is the official character sheet. You may have other copies and off-line notes, but the MapTool character will be considered the character definition for play purposes.

Character Race Options

As a player in the Altamek Campaign setting, you have three options for characters:

• • Human Peasant

  • Human Townsman

  • Non-human

Human Peasants

Human peasants are the sons and daughters of farmers, fishermen, woodsmen, hunters, etc. Such characters will be very limited in initial resources, but will have access to survival skills such as Animal Lore, Naturalist, Bow, Fire Building, Herbalism, Naturalist, Running, Swimming, and Survival. Peasants are illiterate (except for mages). Peasant fighters may take one weapon skill. They start with a set of clothing and 5 gp.

Peasant Clothing: tunic and loose pants if male, long dress if female. Sandals.

Peasant Weapon Choices: staff, wooden club, sling and stones.

Peasant Mage: Mage robes, pair of good shoes, spell book with a single spell (Sleep), small bottle of ink, 4 quills.

Human Townsman

Human townsmen are the sons and daughters of merchants, traders, craftsmen, ship captains, etc. Such characters will have more initial resources but will not have access to survival skills. Instead, skills may be drawn from the crafts (blacksmith, carpenter, goldsmith, etc.), Appraising, Business Sense, Artistic Abilities, Etiquette, Literacy, Languages, Navigation, Seamanship, and similar. Townsmen may choose one weapon skill such as Dagger or Sword. Townsmen start with a set of clothing, one weapon, and 30 gp.

Townsman Clothing: linen shirt, pants, leather belt if male, long linen dress and apron if female. Simple shoes.

Townsman Weapon Choices: short sword, knife, halberd, war hammer.

Townsman Mage: Mage robes, good pair of boots, spell book with two spells (choose from 1st level), ink, 4 quills, dagger, materials pouch.

Non-Human

Non-humans are limited (initially) to Elves, Half-Elves, Dwarves, and Gnomes. Players are warned that non-humans are not trusted in the human towns and villages and may be more difficult to play. Non-humans must meet the requirements established by the Erebus Player’s Handbook and start with the skills defined there. They have no restrictions on subsequent skill choices, except has defined in the EHP.

Starting Gear

• • Elves start with clothing, a bow and 10 arrows, and (1d6)x10 gp.

  • Half-Elves start with clothing, a dagger, and (1d6-1)x10 gp (note that this may mean no gold).

  • Dwarves start with clothing, helmet, shield, axe, and (1d6+2)x10 gp.

  • Gnomes start with clothing, leather armor, leather helmet, a dagger, and (1d6)x10 gp.

When creating a character, the player has the option of using up to three skill points on Simple Skills. These mundane skills and proficiencies can go a long way towards survival. Some of them will enable the character to find jobs that require skills.

Character Class Options

Characters are restricted to the following classes by race:

* Permission of DM is required before creating the character. See also Special Character Classes.

Clerics (Priest/Priestess)

If you decide to play a cleric character, you must declare a religion. The following religions may be chosen if your character is human or half-human:

• • Naturalism - nature worship, likely as a druid. Easy to play, general acceptance.

  • Ur-Principle - more of a philosophy, but grants priest spells. Moderate difficulty, access to learning is rare.

  • Nolarism - polytheistic pantheon of gods/goddesses from the land of Mernia. Moderate difficulty, limited acceptance.

  • Omiism - monotheistic, christian-like. Difficult, no local acceptance.

Non-human clerics must declare the religion associated with their race: elvish gods or naturalist druid, dwarven gods, gnomish gods.

Peasant Mages

Human peasants may choose to be a student of Wizard Alabaster. If so, they start the game with the ability to read/write/speak Magic, have a basic knowledge of spell casting, and have a spell book with a single spell in it (Sleep). They will have the Literacy skill for no skill points.

Alternatively, human peasants may elect to be a Sorcerer using one of natural magic user kits such as hedge witch, peasant wizard, savage wizard, and similar. Sorcerers do not have spell books nor do they memorize their spells. Spells are an innate ability and may not be changed. Sorcerers are generally illiterate. Sorcerers do have an advantage in the number of times per day they can cast a spell. Sorcerers may choose their first spell. Subsequent spell selection will be negotiated with the DM based on MU kit, background, goals, etc.

Town Mages

Human townsmen may choose to be either a generalist mage or a mage specialist. Towns mage generalists typically are students of:

• • Mason Kroner - Allegory

  • Wanda Snyder - Allegory

  • Jon Brunner - Londam

  • Brian Covey - Londam

Townsman mage specialists are the students of:

• • Jeff Luoma - Londam, Conjuring

  • Albert Geekly - Allegory, Invoker

  • Lisa Manning - Allegory, Divination

  • Xermenades - Alteration

  • Brent Shadowspinner - Illusions

  • Stephanie Yager - Enchanter

  • Anthony Pyrotica* - Invoker/Evocation

Gnomes may not be generalist mages - only a mage specialist. This is related to gnomish culture (magic is not encouraged, but accepted if a specialty). All of the magic specialties are open to gnomes, except necromancy.

Dwarf characters may not be mages. While some dwarvish mages exist in Nolaria, they are usually not adventurers.

Half-elves may not be mage specialists. They lack access to the teachers needed to guide them in the early stages of learning.

Elves may not be thieves - their honor prevents them from such activities.

Townsmen, Dwarves, and Gnomes may not be Rangers. These people are from cities or organized social structures and do not have the contact with nature needed to develop ranger abilities.

* Anthony Pyrotica runs an underground school of magic. He is an enemy of the rulers in Allegory, since his is a powerful form of magic. He has some connections with the rebels.

Backgrounds and Goals

Players are encouraged to sketch out a background for their character. This should include character traits, strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes, cultural aspects, etc. The DM will review these and make changes to better fit the campaign. He will also respond to questions of the form, “What is a appropriate for a (race/class) to have as (culture, religion, skill, etc.). For townsmen, the nearest town/city is Allegory. Elves will likely be of the Lithiel Tribe, Dwarves of the Iskander Clan, and Gnomes of the Glittergold families. Half-elves are generally loners or out casts.

Players may also define a few high level goals they’d like to accomplish with their character. For example, a cleric might want to build a following, a mage might want to learn a specialty such as alchemy, a fighter might want to establish his own stronghold, etc.

See also Story Start Notes for more details on character backgrounds, initial goals, etc.