Difference between revisions of "Character Creation"

Revision as of 17:43, 1 February 2008

Online Character Creation Instructions (3.5) Last Update 1st February 2008

Basic Instructions

1. Decide on a concept for your character. This includes designating your class, race, etc. Send this to your DM for approval. (You should have received his email address with your welcome message. He should also have contacted you. Also you should have received our current address list with your batch of information.) Your DM will approve, disapprove, or begin a discussion with you concerning your concept until you come to an agreement we can both be happy with.

2. Use the standard method (roll 4d6 six times, ignoring the lowest dice, totaling the other three, and assigning them to an ability score) from the PHB3 to roll your ability scores. Once the Woldian Webmaster sends you your ID and password, go to the Loot & Booty Board. Enter that board, log on and make a post saying that you are rolling your ability scores. Say hi to everyone while you're doing this. ;) The dice buttons are pretty self explanatory.

3. Next, send your DM an email noting these things: a) the arrangement of your ability scores and b) any changes you wish to make to your character concept. Your DM will look at these things and send you an email in response.

4. You may then flesh out your character, using D&D 3.5 Rules, following the example form below as precisely as possible, as it applies to your character. You can buy PHB 3.5 stuff on your own. Your DM can approve it on your sheet, but do list the costs on your character sheet at least the first time so that your DM does not have to look up your PHB3.5 supplies and do the math. It is evil to make people do math. For any magic items you wish to buy at the start from the DMG3.5, you must shop on the Catacombs Message Board.

5. Once your sheet is ready you'll need to upload it onto GoogleDocs and email your DM with the document URL. Your DM may ask for some changes, when she or he scrutinizes the character, but that can come after you begin to play.

Detailed Instructions

• Classes: There are a number of Woldian character classes available in addition to the standard PHB classes. These are available for play subject to your DMs approval. There are also a great many Woldian Prestige Classes for higher level play. Note that most DMG Prestige Classes are available for play, with a few exceptions and mofifications.

• Races: Surface Drow and the Taur (centaur, minotaur, liontaur (wemic) races have been approved in addition to the standard PH races. These are available only on a case by case basis and must be approved by both the Campaign DM (Jerry), and your game DM. We do not use subraces, except as a role-playing device. All members of a race receive abilities etc. as described in the PHB. Full details of Woldian races can be found here.

• Level: All characters, including monster races, begin at 1st level unless the DM states otherwise. (There are special "House Rules" for monster classes so that they are not more powerful than the other races.)

• Weapons: The following weapons do not exist for use in the Wold: kama, katana, nunchaku, sai, shuriken, and siangham. Monks in the Wold are proficient with the following weapons: club, crossbow (light or heavy), dagger, handaxe, javelin, kukri, quarterstaff, sickle, and sling. Monks may use the following weapons when making melee flurry of blows attacks (not ranged attacks): dagger, handaxe, kukri, quarterstaff, yand sickle.

• Money: 1st level characters receive maximum starting money. Characters beyond that are given a starting amount of gold from the Game DM.

• Hero Points: All characters begin with 1 Hero Point. See the Combat Guidelines for more details on Hero Points.

• Hit Points: 1st level characters receive maximum hit points. When rolling for levels after the first, you may re-roll all 1's. Hero points may be used to re-roll hit points, but only at the time of the initial achieving of the level, not weeks later. See the Combat Guidelines for more details on Hero Points.

• Unique to the Wold: All characters must be original to The Wold. They cannot have been used at some other time or in some other campaign.

• Spirituality: Priests must worship one or more Woldian Gods. Only the Gods of Wold are available for worship without permission. If you want to worship one of the Gods of Testing or an Immortal Power you must have special permission from the Campaign DM.

• Alignment: All characters must be good in alignment unless special permission is granted by the Campaign DM (Jerry.)

• Background': Please consult the Woldipedia for other rules and campaign information that can affect your character once it is in play. It is up to you to take advantage of what is there.

• Hit point advancement: As your character advances, please list his or her "hit points trail": i.e. the number of hit points rolled at each level. Otherwise your character will lose the maximum possible if hit by level draining creatures or devices.

• Starting characters whether 1st level or higher, must use only the 3.5 Players Handbook and Woldian resources. Alternate sources for characters may NOT be used with Woldian characters. After your character is created, you may visit the Black Genie Center Message Board and work with fellow players to develop original material for your character and others.

Example Character Sheet

Here is an example 3.5 Edition Character Sheet. When you detail your character, please follow this sheet as closely as possible. No character sheet is perfect. Neither is this one, but it is formed correctly enough for your kindly DMs to follow. It is helpful for all sheets to be of the same format when you deal with 70+ players as we do. Please note if you do wish to include a character sketch it must not be a copywrited image.

At the bottom of your sheet make sure you note details of your character's appearance, personaility and history. Here are some guidelines on how to complete these sections.

• Appearance

This section is the key to how other players will see your character, so please try to make it as complete as possible. Essential things to include here are features, build, skin color, clothing, armor, weapons, key equipment, and overall appearance. You might want to include how your character moves ("clumsy as an ox", or "She moves with a grace and elegance that belies her 22 stone frame"), if they have any distinguishing features (scars, tattoos, body piercings, missing limbs etc), and anything else you think will help other players conjure an instant mental image of your character. Please complete this section in prose rather than points. An example of how it might read can be found on the sample page (link below).

• Personality

Here you need to cover such intangibles as Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma, but try to do so in a manner that doesn't simply read "He is clever, not very wise, and of average charisma". How does your character relate to others? Are they reserved, chatty, an optimist, pessimist, a practical joker, a dour servant of a grumpy God or a drooling village idiot? What are their beliefs? Their motto? Do they have a particular creed they live by? Does they have pastimes and interests outside of adventuring? What motivates them, makes them angry, or sad, or happy?

• History

Your character's back story. Detail how they were brought up, key events in their early lives, significant figures (family, friends, foes), how they came to join with their current party, and if applicable a brief summary of their adventures so far with the party. Some will want to really flesh this section out. You can write in the third person, the 1st person, as a tale told by a wandering bard: be informative, but have fun if you wish! Try to write something that you will be happy to leave as your character's back story for the foreseeable future.

These are the mandatory sections. You can also add optional sections, for example to give details of an animal companion, or a description of an alias for characters that operate under assumed identities.