Character Creation

Character Creation

This section covers the process of creating a player character for Basic Roleplaying. The procedure for creating a non-player character is less involved.

The Character Sheet

Each player needs a character sheet, or can just write everything on a blank sheet of paper. The character sheet includes the following sections:

Identity. The character’s basic information: aspects that don’t have any game effects but help detail who the character is.

Characteristics & Rolls. These values describe qualities of the character such as how strong and smart and fast and attractive they are, etc. Rolls are based off characteristics and are percentage values rolled to see if the character succeeds or fails at a task.

Hit Points. A value measuring how much damage a player character can take before they die. Bigger and/or healthier characters have more hit points (HP) while smaller and/or frailer characters have fewer.

Skills. These are the abilities the character has some innate knowledge, training, or education in. Each is expressed as a percentage chance, rolled to see if the character succeeds.

Weapons. These are weapons or attacks the character uses, along with descriptions of how they do damage to other characters.

Armor. Any armor worn by the character, which may reduce any damage they take from an attack.

Equipment. Other items the character may carry that may be of use.

Identity

This is the area where the character’s basic information is fleshed out, the aspects of existence with little (if any) game effect. These are roleplaying aspects: the things that define the character as a character, not simply as a list of characteristics and skills. The player can fill out this information now in full, or partially, and skip to characteristic and skill generation, or can hold off until they know more about the character’s game system aspects. Identity includes:

Name. A suitable name for the character.

Race. These basic rules cover “Human,” but other races are certainly more than possible.

Gender. Write “Female” or “Male” or whatever other gender works in a particular setting; there are no game system differences between genders.

Handedness. Is the character right- or left-handed? Pick one; there are no game system differences.

Height and Weight. Choose these using the Size (SIZ) characteristic as a guideline. These don’t have to be specific numbers, and could be as vague as “Tall,” “Average,” or “Heavy.”

Description. A brief physical description of the character, and might include coloration (hair, eyes, skin), attitude, mode of dress, etc.

Age. Pick an age appropriate to the character, keeping characteristics in mind.

Distinctive Features. Using the Appearance (APP) characteristic as a guide, does the character have any notable features? This can be an impressive scar, a broken nose, an exotic hairstyle, or an unusual mode of dress. The higher or lower the APP, the more distinctive features.

Profession. The character’s career or the occupation they are most identified with, or how they make their living. See Professions and Professional Skills, below.

Characteristics

Characters are rated in a variety of ways. The most basic are their characteristics: innate abilities such as how smart, tough, or charismatic a character is. They are not learned abilities but can sometimes be increased through training and successful use. Normal humans have characteristics ranging from 3 (abysmally low) to 18 (a pinnacle of human potential), averaging at 10 or 11.

Strength (STR). How strong the character is, and how effectively they can exert muscle to accomplish a strenuous physical feat. Roll 3D6.

Constitution (CON). How tough and resilient the character is. It aids in resisting diseases, and determines how much injury a character can suffer before dying. Roll 3D6.

Size (SIZ). How large the character is, a general guide to physical mass rather than raw height. Roll 2D6+6.

Intelligence (INT). How smart the character is: reasoning power, intellectual acuity, problem-solving ability, and intuition. Roll 2D6+6.

Power (POW). An almost intangible measure of force of will, personal dynamism, and spiritual energy. A high-POW character is a beacon of energy, lucky, and forceful in presence; a low one is often ignored or missed, and frequently unlucky. Roll 3D6.

Dexterity (DEX). Hand-to-eye coordination, physical speed, and overall agility. DEX determines how quickly a character may act in combat and provides the basis for the Dodge skill. Roll 3D6.

Appearance (APP). Charisma, grace, and beauty/handsomeness, and how appealing the character is to others. Roll 3D6. (In some versions of these rules, APP is instead Charisma, or CHA.)

If the characteristics aren’t exactly as desired, the player can move up to 3 points from one characteristic to another. There is no requirement to move the whole 3 points, or any points at all.

The player should examine the set of characteristics and think about what the numbers represent: strong and clumsy, small and fast, average, a thinker rather than a physical sort. If the numbers just don’t match the type of character desired, the player should ask the gamemaster if it’s all right to start over and roll up a new set of characteristics, so long as all of the players have the same opportunity and are happy with their results.

Characteristic Rolls

Many capabilities of a character are measured in skills. There are times, however, when a simpler roll is needed to determine if a character is successful at an activity based on a characteristic. If there is an opposing value, use the resistance table (see System). If there is no obviously opposing value, use a characteristic roll: a characteristic multiplied by 5, expressed as a percentage chance. For example, a STR 10 would give an Effort roll of 10×5=50, or 50%.

Effort Roll (STR×5). Forceful manipulation of an object or environmental aspect. Trying to complete a hundred pushups requires an Effort roll.

Stamina Roll (CON×5). Prolonged physical exertion and tests of fortitude. Avoiding the common cold or trying to drink an entire bottle of salad dressing requires a Stamina roll.

Idea Roll (INT×5). A flash of inspiration, or determining if the character “knows” something the player knows, or figuring out something the player hasn’t. Spotting the pattern in a series of crime scenes pinned on a map of the city requires an Idea roll.

Luck Roll (POW×5). Whether fate gives the character a break, or a situation where random chance may be a deciding factor. Determining the winner of a coin toss or draw of the short straw requires a Luck roll.

Agility Roll (DEX×5). Natural hand/eye coordination, such as running on a slippery surface or catching a dropped item before it hits the ground. Catching something thrown at a character with a “Think fast!” warning requires an Agility roll.

Charisma Roll (APP×5). Raw charisma: relying on good looks and personal charm to gain attention or sway others. Trying to catch the attention of a bouncer to be let into an exclusive club requires a Charisma roll.

Derived Characteristics

These are derived from other aspects of the characteristics or may be modified by other aspects, such as race.

Move (MOV). How far the character can move in a combat round. All humans have a MOV of 10. Generally each point of MOV equals one meter of movement; if running, three meters per point.

Hit Points. Equal to the character’s CON+SIZ, divided by two (rounding fractions up). These are subtracted as the character takes damage. When a character reaches 1 or 2 hit points, they fall unconscious. When a round of combat ends and a character is at 0 hit points, the character is dead.

Power Points. Equal to POW, spent to use magic or other powers. When a character reaches 0 power points, they fall unconscious. All power points regenerate after one full day that includes a night’s rest.

Damage Bonus. Bigger, stronger characters do more damage when hitting their foes with melee weapons. Add STR+SIZ and consult the following table.

Skills

See skills.json for the full list of 56 skills with base chances and descriptions.

Skills are rated as a skill chance: the percentage chance a character attempting the skill has of succeeding, between 0% (no chance whatsoever) and 100% or more (meaning, except in the case of a fumbled roll, it always succeeds). The base chance of using that skill is noted in parentheses after the skill name in the source, so if the skill number is higher than 00%, the character always has at least a 1 in 100 chance of using the skill successfully. Succeeding at a skill with a 01% rating generally means a lucky guess. If the skill is at 00%, it simply can’t be attempted with any hope of success.

Any skill points a character has in a skill are added to the base skill chance. Skill base chances may be adjusted by the gamemaster based on the setting.

A character with below 05% in a skill is a hapless novice. Someone with 06–25% is a neophyte. Skill of 26–50% represents an amateur level of proficiency. Skill in the 51–75% range indicates a competent professional. Experts have skills in the 76–90% range, and 91% or higher indicates mastery of a skill. Skills above 100% indicate some degree of secret knowledge or competence not accessible to others.

Skill ratings can also be considered as basic competency. A skill rating of 25% does not mean that someone using the skill in daily activities fails three quarters of the time; it means that under stressful situations (like adventuring, combat, etc.) the character succeeds only a quarter of the time. Most mundane activities, such as driving to work, don’t require a skill roll so long as they’re within the reasonable range of competence, but making a high-speed turn through a busy intersection while firing a pistol out the window almost definitely requires a roll.

Many skills have specialties, as noted in parentheses with each skill name. Specialties are specific sub-skills that define the skill. For example, a character may have Knowledge (Law) 70%. This does not mean they know all Knowledge skills at 70%, but instead knows Law at that percentage. All other skill specialties, unless skill points are spent on them, are at the base percentage chance.

If desired, the gamemaster should modify the skill list to make it more appropriate to any given setting: eliminate skills, rename them, or introduce new skills. For example, a medieval fantasy setting probably won’t utilize Energy Weapon, Heavy Machine, Psychotherapy, or Technical Skill. Beginning skill levels can also be adjusted for a specific campaign or setting.

Professions and Professional Skills

See professions.json for the 12 sample professions and their skill lists.

In Basic Roleplaying, a profession is a collection of skills appropriate to a character in that role. Each player character receives 300 skill points to allocate among these skills, as the player sees fit. There are no restrictions about what skills the character can learn in play through experience or additional training, and there is no minimum number of skill points that can be allocated to a professional skill. These skill points are added to the skill’s base chance.

As an alternative to the established professions, the gamemaster may allow a player to create a new profession for their character. To do so, pick a suitable title for the profession and ten appropriate skills to spend 300 professional skill points on.

Personal Skills

Not everyone is entirely their profession, and a character shouldn’t be so narrowly defined. Multiply the INT characteristic by 10 and distribute those points across any skills desired, including skills from the character’s profession. These represent skills and training picked up elsewhere, either prior to their current profession or through personal interests. It could also represent a natural affinity for the skill.

The gamemaster may ask players not to raise any skill higher than 75% (unless the skill’s base is higher than 75%), and that any personal skills selected at this time make sense for the character to have.

Equipment

Now that the character is almost finished, they still need some gear. This can include weapons, armor, or other important paraphernalia used in their profession. Each starting player character has in their immediate possession:

A set of clothing appropriate to the character’s profession and the setting. An amount of pocket money, enough to last a little while without hardship (the higher the Status skill, the more money). A personal heirloom, keepsake, or some trinket of little relative value. Any trade tools or transportable equipment suitable to the character’s profession, if appropriate. Any weapon the character has a skill of 50% or higher in, if appropriate. Other items as appropriate based on the Status skill, setting, and subject to the gamemaster’s approval.

This can be modified by the gamemaster based on circumstances: characters participating in a commando raid may be fully laden with weapons and tactical gear, while suburban civilians waking up to a zombie apocalypse may be limited to what they reasonably have on hand.

Final Touches

Any major aspects of characterization or background should be decided at this point. The gamemaster may wish to learn more about the character’s background for use in a campaign: origin, family, education, religion, past actions, or goals. Generally, the more a player knows about the character, the more “real” they become in play, though this is not always necessary. It’s just as bad to create too much background as it is to create too little.

Each player should create as much background as feels comfortable. A one-shot scenario probably doesn’t need a lot of character background, but for a longer campaign, the gamemaster and other players may have a hard time imagining the character if enough information hasn’t been provided.

The gamemaster always has the right to veto anything that’s objectionable or does not fit into the desired setting or tone.