Learn to Play: Characters
Objective - get a PC for each player
Characters
The GM may give the players completely designed characters with character sheets, or give the players guidelines for creating their own PC's by filling out the Character Sheet.
Before Mike and Jenni can play, they need their characters (PCs.) The Port Thundertail adventure module provides guidelines for the players to create their own PCs.
Character Points
RPGs have rules for creating interesting characters with limited power and equipment. The rules may give characters limited points or generate their stats and abilities with random die rolls.
The GM decides to allow players to create PCs with 25 character points (CP), and outfit their characters with up to 20 CP of equipment. (This should leave plenty of room for character development without the PCs becoming too powerful for the adventure to be challenging.) The 25 CP limit includes the characters' templates, abilities, and other features that are not equipment.
Templates
Templates define different types of characters. They may represent different races or different backgrounds.
Mike and Jenni can create their characters with any of these templates:
- Kobold (a small agile species)
- Titan (a huge spiky-armored herbivore)
- Minotaur (a large horned predator)
Each template is an intelligent species from the Xanadu Empire on Peleg. The GM warns Mike and Jenni that characters who aren't Kobolds in this adventure will not be able to communicate with most of the characters without developing their communication or sign language ability. Because Mike and Jenni are new to this adventure, they decide to play Kobolds.
Occupations
Occupations give characters a place in the game setting. This helps players understand what his character's every-day life is like. Occupations are also a source of wealth and advancement for characters.
Mike and Jenni's PCs are new to the Port Thundertail adventure, so they must have one of these occupations:
- Guard Trainee (beginning Guard)
- Vigilante (beginning Vigilante)
- Apprentice (beginning Shopkeeper)
Each of these occupations has two more levels of advancement that can be achieved if the adventure goes on for long enough, and if the characters are successful enough.
Mike and Jenni both want to play "good guys," but also want to see action, so they both choose the occupation of "guard trainee." At this point the GM notices that he has two NPC kobold guards who fit well within the CP guidelines for this adventure, and who already seem to match what Mike and Jenni want to play. To get the players playing as soon as possible, the GM offers the players the opportunity to play these NPCs as their personal PCs. (The alternative is to have Mike and Jenni generate their own characters. See the character generation rules and example in Mano a Mano to learn how to do this.)
Tai Shin and Lay Kung are Kobold Guard Trainees. Tai Shin has more experience with Sign Language, while Lay Kung is larger than Tai Shin and has some basic detection ability. Jenni wants to play the larger Lay Kung, so Mike decides to play Tai Shin.
Abilities
Abilities describe which actions characters do well, and which they do poorly. Abilities may also have a level or bonus describing how powerful, effective or advanced the character's ability is.
Mike and Jenni notice that their characters have similar abilities. Both characters use Acrobatics for their main athletic ability (from which the character's hit points are derived.) Both are trained in long weapons and have a little experience with Sign Language. Tai Shin also has some minimal detection ability.
Equipment
Characters may start with some equipment, acquire other equipment during their adventures or even create it themselves. Once the character is using a piece of equipment it should be listed on his character sheet. The character sheet can also list the character's bonuses with that weapon as he uses it.
Jenni and Mike notice that from the Equipment sections of their characters character sheets that both characters are much more dangerous in hand to hand combat with their spears than without. Neither Guard Trainee is trained in Natural Weapons, and the spears they wield give them clear advantages with reach and sharpness bonuses.
Character Development
Sometimes PCs mature and develop during the game. These changes may affect the PC's Character Sheet. Character Development is often the result of a series of successful adventures. In more realistic RPGs, Character Development may require intense, long-term training.
As Mike and Jenni's characters do well in the adventure, the GM will slowly award them with an occasional experience points or occupation promotion. The primary way these characters become more advanced is through training, and their main limitation to training is funding (having money for food so that they can continue to train at the Guard Hall.) As a general rule, the GM awards 1 experience point for taking a day off to train (or 2 experience points if the characters are paying extra money to study under a specific master,) and awards one character point for every 100 experience points.