Character Creation
Genesis

To play a role-playing game you need to create a character, and the first step to creating a character - even before we start worrying about rules - is to dream up a character concept. Here, I will take you through the steps of character generation - the foundations upon which the systems and mechanics will be built.

Character Concept

What kind of character do you want to play? Warrior or wizard? Coward or hero? Weedy or mighty? There are no real rules or restrictions beyond guidelines as to what is sensible, and even those you can flagrantly violate if you come up with a decent (or amusing) reason. Here are a few suggestions to give you an idea.

The Heroic Warrior

You wield a sword and smite evil in all its guises. Lots of weapon skills. A very simple concept, recommended for beginners.

The Timid Scout

You sneak around and try and avoid trouble. Your woodland skills are useful, but you prefer to run and hide rather than fight.

The Treacherous Thief

You have a variety of skills, but generally concentrate on being mysterious and having everything your own way. You may have a spot of magic, and some sneaky fighting skills.

The Eccentric Mage

You are not entirely all-there. You see threats where there aren't any, and friends where there are threats. You can cast magic if someone can keep your brain in one place for long enough.

The Compassionate Healer

You may be a priest or a medic, but you want only to help by keeping your friends safe. All adventuring parties like to have a healer.

You can (and are encouraged to) combine and mix these ideas. You may like the concept of an eccentric hero (Don Quixote) or a treacherous healer (Dr.Crippen), or a timid mage (Rincewind). It is also entirely possible to combine professions to get, for example, a treacherous warrior-mage or a heroic bandit-priest. Of course, you might want to play something entirely different. Once you get the hang of what skills are available you can start inventing entirely new professions.

Ultimately, you are looking for a concise and descriptive answer to the question "What kind of character do you want to play".

Character Race

One of the fun things about fantasy role-playing is that you get to play one of a number of non-human races. Each race has its own stereotypes and characteristics, its own society and tendencies. Some races are better suited to certain concepts, but unusual combinations can work well.

[link to "Races" page]

Human

The standard race. If in doubt, you should be a human.

Elves

An artistic, magical race. Slimmer and more agile than humans, but less prone to violence. Tend to be mages.

Half-Elves

A cross breed of human and elf. They share characteristics of both races, and tend to be screwed-up as a result.

Drow

Black skinned, white haired, thoroughly amoral bunch of subterranean elves. Still not trusted by the residents of Keese, and actively hated by many of the other races.

Dwarves

Short, strong and sturdy. Dwarves live in underground cities, and make excellent craftsmen and excellent fighters. Tend to be stubborn.

Half-Orcs

Cross between human and orc, half-orcs are greatly misunderstood. They are strong and ugly, but not nearly as violent as they are thought to be.

Half-Ogres

A hybrid race, half-ogres are very big and very strong, but very dim. They are incapable of doing anything more complicated than thuggery.

Remember again there are no set rules. If you particularly want to play a super-intelligent half-ogre, or a sensitive and caring drow, then you can. Just check with a ref first and reassure him that you know what you're doing.

Religion

In the world of SLuRP the gods are undeniably real, and thus religion is a major part of many peoples' lives. You are under no obligation to be religious, but it may give your character a little more depth. Even if you're not actively religious, you may be sympathetic towards one faith, or simply share its views.

[Link to the SLuRP gods page]

Hagol the Allfather

The father of all the SLuRP gods represents order and nobility. Followed by aristocrats and the politically correct.

Elna the Earth-Mother

Elna represents growth and fertility, and cares for the welfare of her followers. Worshipped by farmers, peasants and healers.

Knort, god of the Sea

The husband of Elna looks after sailors and fisherman, and all explorers of unknown lands. Worshipped by anyone who depends on the sea for livelihood or survival.

Lomara the Wise

Daughter of Elna, Lomara protects travellers and the home, and represents wisdom and learning. Followed by mystics, prophets and many mages and academics.

Kalar the Trickster

Brother and rival to Lomara, Kalar promotes deception, cunning and a certain amount of madness. Followed by thieves, jesters and certain members of the acting profession.

Yorcas, god of War

Yorcas protects all those who battle with honour, and encourages all forms of armed conflict. Worshipped by soldiers, mercenaries, and anyone who is about to die on the battlefield.

There is also The Beast Kylax, god of rampant destruction and total insanity, and Necros god of Oblivion and the Dead. However, as both these gods promote the destruction of the world, player-characters are banned from following their religions.

Additionally there are countless minor gods whose followers may number only a few dozen. These may be local gods, spirits of geographic features (a lake, a cave, a great tree), or very specific aspects of the major gods (the gods of fishing, of boat-building, and of the southern wind are all aspects of Knort, but may be worshipped in different ways under different names).

Characteristics

You now have a basic concept, a race, and possibly a religion. Now it's time to flesh out your character. Ask yourself some questions as your character.

Are you violent? Truthful? Trustworthy? Clever? Cunning?

Do you respect others beliefs? Are you arrogant? Meek? Loud? Sociable? Shy?

Do you drink? Smoke? Take drugs? Partake in perverted sex?

Do you have a code of honour? Would you die for a cause? Would you die for a friend?

Would you lie to protect yourself? Or to trick a foe? Or betray a friend?

Ideally, you should have a good answer for any question I might ask you. Once you have a decent idea of your character, this is actually relatively easy.

Character Quircks

Any decent role-player will know that a good character is defined by what he is bad at. Any fool can invent a character who is good at everything, but it is far more interesting to play a character with quircks, flaws and foibles (great word, no idea what it means).

These flaws must be role-played even if they will get your character into trouble, otherwise there's no point.

Perhaps you have a physical handicap. Perhaps you have a dept of vengeance against someone or something. Perhaps you are allergic to wolf fur. Maybe you have a passion for Terry's Chocolate Orange. It doesn't matter, and you don't have to have a flaw if you don't want to, but it does add depth to your character.

Character Background

To round out your character, try and make up a short life-story. Where were you born, what were your parents like, when (and why) did you come to Keese. The longer and more detailed it is, the better. You should include any details (if and when appropriate) of how you came to follow your religion, how you aquired your character quircks, when and why you left your racial home. You should try and give an account of how you became the character you are.

For a particularly good or detailed character background, you may (but don't quote me on this) be rewarded with a special ep. or some other token of appreciation of your efforts.

The Character Background will end with you arriving at Keese and entering into a career as an adventurer. Cunningly enough, that leads neatly to the next section.