Ruins of Myrian: How to Make a Character

Ruins of Myrian: How to Make a Character

Choose a race (Human, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling) and class (Fighting-man, Magic-user, Cleric, Thief).

The four races:

Humans can be any class and have no level cap.Language: Common

Elves must be either Fighting-men or Magic-users. Each elf may switch between these classes once per day during meditation (or instantly at a permanent loss of 1 Constitution), but EXP is applied only to one class at a time. Elves get +1 max HP for every completed level in the class they’re not currently using and may always use the better of the two saving throws and max HP’s they have achieved. Elves also get +2 against magic and greatly enhanced ability to detect secret doors. They have a level cap of 7 as Fighting-men and 9 as Magic-Users. Languages: Common, Elven

Dwarves must be Fighting-men. They have +4 against magic, +1 against death and poison, and -4 AC against giants. Dwarves have a slightly better chance of detecting most traps and a greatly enhanced chance of detecting stonework traps. They have special knowledge of gems, metallic contraptions, and underground environments. Each dwarf character, upon creation, has a 1/3 chance of possessing permanent darkvision (can see 30’ in the dark). Dwarves have a level cap of 10 as Fighting-men. Languages: Common, Dwarven

Halflings may be Fighting-men or Thieves. They have the same saving throw and AC bonuses as dwarves. Halflings are the smallest race and may fit through tight places where others cannot. Halfling thieves receive a +1 bonus to all Thieving rolls. They also receive +1 to hit on any ranged weapon, and they may throw fist-sized stones for +2 to hit with 1D3 damage. Halflings are generally well-liked and receive a +1 reaction bonus when interacting with noble races. They have a level cap of 5 as Fighting-men and 9 as Thieves. Language: Common

The four classes:

Fighting-men get 1D6+1 HP per level, the best ‘to hit’ rolls of any class, and +1 against death and poison. They may use any itemexcept where special arcane or divine knowledge is required, as in using a magic scroll.Main perk: Fighting-men tend to survive and connect their blows; they always deal double damage on a natural ‘to hit’ of 20; and for every three levels completed, they receive anadditional attack per round.Disadvantage: They have the worst base saving throws.

Magic-users get 1D6-1 HP per level, good saving throws, and +2 against magic. Main perk: They can cast arcane spells (a small # per day, depending on level). Disadvantages: They may only wear robes, may not carry a shield, may use only small weapons, and have poor ‘to hit’ rolls.

Clerics get 1D6 HP per level, the best saving throws, good ‘to hit’ rolls, and +2 against poison and paralysis. Main perks: They can attempt to turn undead once per encounter,can cast divine spells (a small # per day, depending on level), may wear any armor and use most weapons and magic items (so they are good in melee), may receive a permanent bonus from their chosen patron deities, and might occasionally receive special support from their patron deities. Disadvantages: They may only use blunt weapons. Note: A cleric must be Lawful or Chaotic in order to cast spells or turn undead.

Thieves get 1D6-1 HP per level, good saving throws, and +2 against death and poison. Main perk: They may backstab for +4 to hit and double damage if attacking undetected from behind; they may also use Thieving skills at will (Pick Pockets, Move Silently, Open Locks, Remove/Disarm Traps, Hide in Shadows, Climb Walls, Hear Noise, Read Languages, Read Magic). Disadvantages: They can’t use large weapons, may only wear Leather Armor, may not use a shield, and have poor ‘to hit’ rolls.

After choosing your class and race, roll 3D6. Sum the total number of pipsshown by the dice. Do this six times.Each time, record the sum in one of the blanks below. (You may not reroll: you must record the first six sums of 3D6 you cast.)

____, ____, ____, ____, ____, ____

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Strength concerns damage dealt, accuracy, and ability to perform certain feats (e.g., lifting heavy doors).

Dexterity concerns accuracy, evasion, and ability to perform certain feats (e.g., outrunning an opponent or evading a trap door after triggered); a thief must add her dexterity bonus or penalty to any Thieving roll.

Constitution concerns HP bonus/penalty per level, chance to survive adversity, and odds of being successfully resurrected.

Intelligence concerns perception, arcane and zoological knowledge, languages spoken, and hints received during puzzles; a magic-user may also learn one or two extra first-level spells if she has an intelligence bonus; characters with a -1 to intelligence cannot read or write; in addition, those with a -2 to intelligence are slow of speech and understanding.

Wisdom concerns discernment and feats of will (e.g., psychic struggles); a cleric may learn one or two extra first-level spells if he has a wisdom bonus; characters with a -2 to wisdom may sometimes behave foolishly, apart from their player’s control.

Charisma concerns the reaction rolls of monsters and NPC’s, as well as the number of special mercenaries that may be hired.

Assign each of the six sums you recorded to one of your six basic stats on your character sheet. Any stat above 14 gets a +1 bonus, or a +2 if it’s an 18. Likewise, any stat below 8 gets a -1 penalty, or a -2 if it’s a 3. (Stats higher than 18 or lower then 3 receive further bonuses/penalties, but these are rarely possible.)Record the bonus or penalty beside the relevant stat.

After generating your basic stats, roll a D6. If you are a Fighting-man, add 1 to the result. If you are a Magic-user or Thief, subtract 1 from the result. If you have bonus or penalty to your Constitution, add or subtract this value to the result as well. If you end up with a value of 3 or higher after this whole process, record that number as your max HP. Otherwise, reroll the D6 and recalculate, repeating this whole process until you get a final value of at least 3. That value is your max HP.

As your class allows, you may (i) use a one-handed weapon and a shield for a bonus to AC, (ii) use a two-handed weapon for a bonus to damage, or (iii) use two one-handed weapons for a bonus to accuracy. Ask the GM any questions about specific items.

Each GP (‘gold piece’) is worth 10 SP (‘silver pieces’), which is 10 CP (‘copper pieces’). You may buy a fraction of an item for a fraction of the price --- for instance, 10 iron slingstones for ½ GP, rather than the usual 20 for 1 GP.

Your character probably needs at least the following: a backpack, rations for at least a day, one waterskin (half a day’s supply), and a weapon. Armor is critically important for those who can wear it.

Be aware that you may only carry 300 lbs (and even that at only half movement speed). You need a way to carry whatever you buy (hence, backpacks or sacks).

Roll 3D6 and multiply by the result by 10. This is your starting gold (GP). You should spend some or all of this immediately on items from the catalogue.

Be aware of which armors and weapons your character may use, depending on his class (see above). Small is good: the smaller your Armor Class (AC), the harder you are to hit. Base AC is 9. Equipped Leather Armor subtracts 2 from this value, Ring Armor subtracts 3, Chain Armor subtracts 4, and Plate Mail subtracts 6. You may only equip one armor. An equipped Shield (small or large) subtracts an additional 1 from AC. Lastly, if you have a bonus or penalty to Dex, subtract or add this value to your AC (viz., a bonus to Dex makes your AC smaller and therefore better, while a penalty to Dex makes your AC it bigger and therefore worse). Record the final value on your character sheet.

Record the items you buy and debit the gold spent. Write ‘e’ next to any items currently equipped (e.g., weapons, shield, armor). Any other item that is ‘ready to hand’ (e.g., the top item in your pack, if your pack is open, or a potion or dagger tied to your belt) may be written in the ‘ready to hand’ column. The remainder should recorded in third column.

If you are a cleric, decide which deity you serve and record this. (See page 3 for deities.)

If you have any first-level spell slots, choose your spell(s) and record them. (Consult the DM for spells.)

Your starting thac0 (‘to hit armor class 0’) should be recorded as 19, unless you have a Dex modifier.

Lastly, you may record any inventions you desire with respect to your character’s backstory, personality, and appearance (but these must be cleared with the DM). You may also sketch a portrait of your character if desired. Please only work on this either before you arrive or else after filling out the remainder of the character page!

Deities:

Clerics may choose onedeity that does not differ from their own alignment by more than one pip.(However, any cleric, regardless of alignment, may attempt to serve Shadow.) Any other character may adopt a deity after interacting with one of that deity’s clerics.This requires convincing roleplaying and a roll of 6 on a D6 (subject to the cleric’s Cha modifier).

All lawful or chaotic deities except Alein --- who ignores alignment --- are more likely to aid characters of their own alignment than those of opposite alignment.Neutral deities ignore alignment.All deities are more likely to aid their own servants than to aid their non-servants, as they feel they have a special duty to them or else a vested interest.

The Greater Deities:

Vale (L) --- God of Rule. Leader of the Greater Lawful Deities, their general-in-chief in the Rout of Charn. He will rarely send aid to mortals, but if he does appear, his aid is powerful indeed. His clerics receive a +1 reaction roll when interacting with anyone who worships a lawful deity.

Vraccas (L) --- God of Valor/Combat/Courage/Righteous-Vengeance/Recklessness. After refusing to retreat in the Rout of Charn, he dealt a grievous blow to Charn himself and so single-handedly turned the battle. May send aid to worshipers who perform feats of courage.

Alein (L) --- Goddess of Nature/Compassion/Healing/Hope. Best beloved of deities. Healed both Vraccas and Charn after the Rout. She is the only lawful deity whom Charn does not wholly hate. Her clerics heal an extra 1 HP per die roll on Cure spells. May send aid to worshipers who restore the broken or who heal the injured or diseased, regardless of their alignment.

Lucra (L) --- Goddess of Wealth/Abundance/Art/Magic. She cast illusions during the Rout of Charn toconfuse the chaotic deities and she smote some with Fractal Rays. Her clerics may store one 1st Lvl arcane spell in a staff. May send aid to those who solve difficult puzzles, perform wonderments of magic, produce or defend great works of beauty, provide abundant possessions to others, or amass great wealth for themselves.

Lon (L) --- God of Wisdom/Philosophy/Virtue/Farseeing. Lon remained in hiding during most of the Rout, but at the crucial moment he encouraged Vraccas to surge forward. Lon also cast the final spell (Divine Neutralize Chaos) to weaken Charn in his struggle with Vraccas. Each of Lon’s clerics may store an extra Lvl 1 divine spell in a staff. May send aid to those who prevail in feats of wisdom or who make the moral choice in morally complex situations.

Whisper (N) --- God of Wind, husband of Shadow. He was present at the Rout, but his role and actions there are unclear, even to the other gods (except Lon, who keeps his peace). Each of Whisper’s clerics receive a -1 to their AC as long as they worship him. May send aid to worshipers who succeed in exceptional acts of stealth, evasion, or thievery.

Shadow (?) --- Goddess of Secrecy, wife of Whisper. Her actions and dispositions are mostly unknown, even to Lon. It is conjectured that she supports Whisper . . . or perhaps even that Whisper performs his actions in service to her.

Charn (C) --- ‘Unweaver’, the God of Turmoil. After being injured in his infancy, Charn has devoted his existence to unmaking the Ordered World ruled by the Greater Lawful Deities. He will rarely send aid to mortals, but if he does appear, he will seek to smite targets at random. His clerics receive a +1 reaction roll when interacting with anyone who worships a chaotic deity.

Nova (C) --- Goddess of Pride. She gives allegiance to none, but she allied with Charn during the Rout. Her clerics are immune to Charm and other like effects. She may aid those who cause great suffering to those she deems her enemies.

Leviathan (C) --- Serpent of Time. By chaotically varying the rates at which time flowed among the Greater Lawful Deities during the Rout of Charn, he confused their array and nearly enabled the forces of Charn to triumph. Leviathan’s clerics may restore their spent spells after just four hours of rest, rather than the usual eight hours. May aid those who confuse great schemes.

Lan (C) --- ‘The Child God’, ‘Lady of Pain’. Lan was once human but, as a child, she was fooled by Charn into becoming a divinity at the price of eternal confusion and pain. Lan will usually attack anyone approaches her, god or mortal, but the other chaotic deities are frequently able to maneuver her for their own purposes. Her clerics receive +2 to all Charm-type spells. She may aid those who seek to defend children.