Session 0: Character Creation

[Rusty Tincanne]

Rand learned about the ceremonies, structures, how to move through (without disturbing the dead), preparations to make for being in them and the myriad mysteries of crypts while living in he Orders' sanctuary.


Human Nature Questions
All Humans, please answer the following questions:

Do you sit by the hearth at night drinking and boasting of your great deeds, or do you spend those chill nights quietly preparing for the dark times to come?
Rand knows that the Forces of Darkness never rest, so it makes little sense to waste one's breath bragging of past deeds. Instead, he readies himself to help where he can in that struggle.

When the elves and dwarves voice their concerns, do you demand to be heard as an equal or do you bow your head and listen to the wisdom of your elders?
The older races have battled Darkness longer than Men have walked the world. It is common sense they should have insight he does not.

Would you flee from the hordes of goblins, beasts and monsters that prey on civilization or will you plunge into their midst, questing for treasure?
Treasures other than gold lie in wait, but treasures all the same. No beast will cow Rand's resolve to honor the Forces of Light.

[C. Steven Ross]

It seems as though Rand the Cleric and Garen the Theif are kindred spirits!

Rand the Cleric, your starting Nature is 3/3, your Natire descriptors are boasting, demanding, and running, and you may choose to trade the Stoic trait for Brave, Foolhardy, Loner, Thoughtful, or Defender.

[Rusty Tincanne]

No change in my trait.

What's next? And how far along are we with character creation, roughly speaking? (I haven't had too much time to look through the rulebook you posted yet.)

[thesniperknight1]

Thanks, I understand Nature a lot better now but how do I gain nature? and how do I advance in it?

I think we are about halfway or more, judging from the things we filled so far in the character sheet

[C. Steven Ross]

Yes, we are pretty far along with CharGen, only things left are Circles, Equipment (which often takes a long time from players strategizing), Beliefs Instincts Goals, and a few odds and ends like your character's age.

Nature is advanced just like skills; make a number of passed tests equal to your rating and a number of failed tests equal to one less than your rating, and you advance! You generally get taxed on your Nature while doing that, so recovering taxed Nature becomes an issue. The two ways to do that (that I remember off the top of my head) are leaving Town and paying your bills and delivering the Prologue without having any conditions. BUt we will get to those things MUCH later.

Circles & Relationships

Everyone please answer the following, keeping in mind that you can only start with three of the four relationships (friend, parents, mentor, enemy):

Do you have a friend who enjoys your occasional visits; or are you a loner, tough and cool?
If you have a friend, +1 Circles. Write your friend’s name on your character sheet. Choose a profession from your home town’s skill list for your friend.
If you are a loner, tough and cool, your Circles starts at 1, and you have an enemy. How did your enemy destroy your life and set you on this path? Write down the name of your nemesis or mortal enemy on your sheet, skip the rest of the Circles and Relationships questions, and gain the Loner trait.

Do you have parents you can stomach talking to or are you an orphan?
If you have parents, +1 Circles. Note your family name or parents’ names on your character sheet. Choose a trade for your parents from your home town’s skill list.
If you’re an orphan, you have a keepsake from your parents that is worn around your neck or on one hand. Describe its sentimental value. It is worth 1D of treasure. Put it in your inventory, it takes 1 space.

Did you have a mentor or did you make your own way in this rough life?
If you have a mentor, +1 Circles. Note your mentor’s name on your character sheet. Your mentor’s trade is the same as the specialty you chose for your character, and can teach you things in that skill when you visit. Note this next to his name, like so: Froz the Cook.
If you made your own way in life, you start with a pouch of coins worth 2D of treasure. It takes one space in your inventory.

Have you made an enemy in your life or have your dubious deeds managed to escape notice?
If you have made an enemy, +1 Circles. Note your enemy’s name on your character sheet. Choose a class and stock for your enemy (or let the GM decide).
For example: Bargle the Magician.
The benefit for not having an enemy is not having an enemy.

[thesniperknight1]

I have a question, Garen's sister is a big part of his background since the reason he became a thief is only to shelter her. Do I put her instead of parents since she is family or under friends and are we limited to one friend?

[C. Steven Ross]

I would think she's more under the Friend category, but you could have her represent Parents if you prefer. The game mechanics difference is inconsequential.

[thesniperknight1]

Garen has three friends who he grew up with and used to go thieving in a group. They grew to trust each other as much as possible in this treacherous world.

His parents died but his big sister is the closest thing to a stable home where he can be at least close to a real family. His sister took their parents's death hard leaving her bound to the small room they lodge in, given to them by a far relative. He considers her the world and would gladly give his life if it would save her.

He doesn't have a mentor, he had to survive on his own and learn from trial and error and he gets by with a little help from his friends at times. His mistakes might have made him suffer from being thrown to jail to being beaten by shop keepers but he is better for it.

He has an enemy, although his enemy knows nothing about him. Kronos the Assassin, he was hired to murder his parents for their money. Garen spent a lot of time and effort to track him down but he ended up only learning his name, he still waits patiently for the day where he takes his revenge.

please tell me if there is anything wrong

[C. Steven Ross]

Looks good! Just put some cash in your pocket (1 slot, worth 2D) for not having a mentor.

[thesniperknight1]

2D? do I roll something or just write 2D coins?

[Rusty Tincanne]

Do you have a friend who enjoys your occasional visits; or are you a loner, tough and cool?
Drake Stripelm (armorer), son of Festwith Stripelm, a traveling tinker and tradesman. Their usual circuit runs from Markarth > Dragon's Bridge > Rorickstead and points between. They travel by wagon with a few other traveling craftsmen.

(Or does he need to be from Markarth and have one of those skills?)

Do you have parents you can stomach talking to or are you an orphan?
Rand's parents - poor peasants that eked out a living by farming in the mountains - bartered him off to the religious bastion in exchange for a mule and a few coins. They were set upon by an pack of wolves a few years later - his entire family was killed. He wears a simple copper band, set with several small onyx stones on his left wrist. The band belonged to his great grandfather. Rand is unsure how his ancestor came by the bracelet, but it is all he has left of his family so he holds it dear.

Did you have a mentor or did you make your own way in this rough life?
Purslane the Healer. Resides in the bastion and tends to the ill in Markarth, as well as the clerics with whom she lives.

Have you made an enemy in your life or have your dubious deeds managed to escape notice?
One night while in town, Rand heard shouting and crashing in an alleyway. He found several urchins being beaten by a feral-looking man. Garth Durmstrong, a local thief and rake, was known for preying on the weak, was attempting to take the few coins and bits of food the boys had gleaned from the pockets and stalls of the local gentry. All the same, Rand stepped in to defend the boys. Garth has neither forgotten, nor forgiven the cleric.


I believe that is Circles +3.

And I made my mentor a healer because that is my specialty. Was that necessary? (I will keep it that way either way.)

[C. Steven Ross]

Rand, your Friend does need a skill, but I can be loose about where they come from since he travels. I'm thinking either Armorer (to tinker) or Haggler (to trade).

Garen, just write 2D for now. Resources and loot are super abstract and you roll to see how you well you can barter and pay for goods based on your Resources, then throw in dice from selling treasure to help your roll. Like most of Torchbearer, it's abstract where traditional D&D is granual, and nitty gritty where most games hand wave it away.

[thesniperknight1]

Alright, got it. My Circles is 4 now right?

[C. Steven Ross]

Yes, both you guys know a few people, so you have Circles 4 and are decent at meeting people in Town.

[drpete]

Sorry for the delay...

I have a friend, Malibast, who is an alchemist friend of his from home. They studied together at the College, and still enjoy each other's company. Malibast, however, being a human, has grown older while Tilcar has not, so they have very different priorities.

Tilcar's parents, Tilligan and Incarnadine, are Lore Masters at Winterhold. They are disappointed that their son hasn't settled down with a real job.

His mentor, Ulrich the Scavenger, taught him how to live in the wild, and the value of all the little things that regular people barely notice.

Tilcar doesn't have an enemy, that he knows of.

[C. Steven Ross]

No worries on the posting frequency, you guys are all doing fine by me! I really dig that Tandir's parents are so disappointed in him, it speaks to the aesthetic of the game.

Next, choose some miscellaneous details.

Raiment
What distinctive item of clothing does your character wear? (This has no mechanical effect.)

Age
Choose an age for your character from the appropriate stock. (This has no mechanical effect, but you do age as the campaign progresses.)
Elf: 60-101
Human: 14-21

Choose Alignment
The Realm of Skyrim exists in a perpetual war— sometimes hot and sometimes cold—between the authoritarian Imperial forces and the savage, native Nords. Whether they recognize it or not, heroes tend to become proxies in this war. The greatest champions declare their allegiance and fight for the advancement of their cause. Decide whether your character is aligned with one side or another in this war, or remains unaffiliated.

Imperial represents the forces of progress, order and civilization.
Nordic represents the forces of freedom, entropy and savagery.
Unaffiliated is for those who think having shelter, food and family is more important than ideals and ideologies.

Starting Out
If this is your first outing together, assume that you all know each other casually. You’ve joined together with the purpose of making a better life—by finding loot.

Fresh
Your sheet should already have marked down the Fresh condition! It’s the last time you’ll feel this good for a long while. Savor it.

[thesniperknight1]

About alignment, are the two sides the same as in the game? With the Imperial robbing the poor and doing shady things, and the Nordic being big racists who treat every other race unjustly?

[C. Steven Ross]

Yeah, similar. Everyone's kind of an asshole.

[thesniperknight1]

Then I say let them fight it out asshole vs asshole. And we kill whoever survives, I personally killed Ulfric in the game and if he exists here too I would do the same

[Rusty Tincanne]

I edited my earlier post and my character sheet to indicate my friend is an armorer.


Raiment
What distinctive item of clothing does your character wear?
A muted orange, hooded tabard with a green insignia of a celtic knot (for lack of a better idea or knowledge of this world...)

Age
Choose an age for your character from the appropriate stock. (This has no mechanical effect, but you do age as the campaign progresses.)
Let's go with 17.

Choose Alignment
The Realm of Skyrim exists in a perpetual war— sometimes hot and sometimes cold—between the authoritarian Imperial forces and the savage, native Nords. Whether they recognize it or not, heroes tend to become proxies in this war. The greatest champions declare their allegiance and fight for the advancement of their cause. Decide whether your character is aligned with one side or another in this war, or remains unaffiliated.

Imperial represents the forces of progress, order and civilization.
Nordic represents the forces of freedom, entropy and savagery.
Unaffiliated is for those who think having shelter, food and family is more important than ideals and ideologies.

I don't know anything about Skyrim or their war. My cleric believes in order, but I am always hesitant to take parts in someone else's war. Is it possible for a cleric to remain neutral, but still struggle towards progress? (Let's face it, I chose a cleric because we had a paladin in the group! I am committed to playing him, but don't want to be associated with anyone that can be described the way sniperknight described the imperial forces.)