Character Creation Idea

Yesterday I talked about Adventures Dark and Deep from the Greyhawk Grognard. Today I'm mostly going to talk about a new way I might try to make characters that I am going to play test using ADD.

After showing Thaylie the books and layout she was almost as excited about them as I am (although I think she is a little more excited about "The Secret of Fire". Which does sound pretty cool especially for the price. I might write about that game but maybe after I play it. Although I was amazed by its testimonials from people including Monte Cook and Gail Gygax.)

So Far with ADD I have gone through most of the Player's Manual and making a character was fun and I actually am new to some of these classes so I am finding them kinda interesting. I don't exactly know what it means that some are sub-classes but I think its basicly just that they are related but harder to get into such as a paladin compared to a cavalier.

Also it was great being able to discuss my opinions and such on the play-testing forums. I think I managed to help out a little and also got what I wanted sorted out, lol.

So anyway here is my idea I might try out on my players for making some characters: (This idea basically has nothing to do with ADD except that I'm going to try it for an ADD game.)

1. Each player is going to choose how old their soul is without knowing what that is going to effect but it will determine their base race. Their options are:

• Ancient (Elf)
• Very Old (Gnome)
• Old (Dwarf)
• Mature (Half-Elf)
• Young (Halfling)
• Very Young (Human)
• New (Half-Orc)

These are based off of the maximum age of each race.

Once I know what their base race is I am going to pose them each two questions which will determine their starting alignment and then I will give them the sub race that best matches. I will most likely ask the questions in a much more dramatic and less predictable way.

The basis of the questions are:

1. You see a light do you move towards it (lawful, look around(neutral) or run back(chaotic).
2. You realize you are being born into the world, do you choose a family that will give you comfort (good), discipline(neutral) or do you not care (evil)

So once I have their base race and alignment I am going to use this list I made to determine their actual race.

• Gray Dwarf = Evil or Lawful Evil
• Hill Dwarf = Neutral or Good
• Mountain Dwarf = Lawful
• Human = Any
• Drow = Chaotic Evil
• High-Elf = Lawful
• Wild Elf = Chaotic
• Wood Elf = Good
• Gray Elf = Neutral
• Half Elf = Any
• Deep Gnome = Good
• Gnome = Neutral
• Hairfoot Halfling = Chaotic
• Stout Halfling = Lawful
• Tallfellow = Good
• Half Orc = Chaotic

2.  To figure out their stats I am going to start with all 1d6 randomly and then based on my campaign settings solar system ask them what was visible in the sky when they were born. I am then going to roll another set of 1d6's and assign the highest ones to the corresponding stats of what they choose. They will able to choose any configuration of the following being in the sky at the time of birth.

• Yellow Sun (STR)
• Blue Moon (Int)
• Green Moon (Wis)
• White Moon (Dex)
• Red Sun (Con)
• A special event like an eclipse (Cha)

3. Then I am either going to DM them through their childhood or ask more questions to simulate what they might have done in their youth. I intend to bend it too match their race and such. Depending on what they choose or do during their childhood I will assign the final group of 1d6's.

It will basically work like this I will role 6d6 and then put them in a situation. if they choose to respond in a way that corresponds to strength then the highest d6 will go to str but no other situations will have a strength way out. eventualy each d6 will be assigned.

First I'm starting with birth order

•  Middle Child (Str)
• Youngest (Int)
• Second Born (Wis)
• Orphan (Dex)
• Only Child (Con)
• First Born (Cha)

As they are growing up their family as a whole runs into troubles do you

• Do as your asked too (Str)
• Help when you are able too (Int)
• Watch how other families are getting by (wis)
• Ask your family questions about their problems (Dex)
• Run Away (Con)
• Try to fix all the problems (Cha)

Your favorite class while being educated

• Dropped out to Get a Job (Str)
• All of Them (Int)
• Alchemy or Herbalism (Wis)
• Never Went to school (Dex)
• Weapons or Fighting Training (Con)
• The Easy Classes (Cha)

How did you handle Bullies

• Join Them (Str)
• Fight Them (Int)
• Ignore Them (Wis)
• Trick Them (Dex)
• Tell on Them (Con)
• Bully Them (Cha)

What do you want too be

• Mercenary (Str)
• Scholar (Int)
• Sage (Wis)
• Rich (Dex)
• Knight (Con)
• Good Person (Cha)

The Final d6 gets assigned to whatevers left.

So by this point they should have stats similar too 3d6 randomly and they were assigned based on hopefully fun choices and also know their race. I wil then let them choose their class by offering opportunities to go get training in them.They also should have a good idea of who they are and what they have been through, especially if I do Role Play all of this.

And then to top it all of I will probably have these questions come up once the campaign is actualy under way. I did not come up with these next questions but I forget where they came from.

• Who are you?
• What do you want?
• Why are you here?
• Where are you going?
• What do you want?
• What have you left behind?

Looking back at all this I wonder if it will appear to be a complete mess to someone reading it, but I am going to see how it goes, what kind of stats and characters come out of it and what the players think.