Character Creation

This page will ideally run you through creating a character in the world of Alaion. It will predominantly focus on RP and Fluff details to help you get attuned to the setting but there will also be some advice on character creation on the sheet as well as help levelling up when the time comes.

To help you create your character you should fill in this Questionnaire, whilst it is not necessary to give complex answer to all of the questions it would be rather beneficial. (It is suggested that you rename the character sheet once it has been copied, including your characters name in the title may be useful.)

Race
One of the main deciding factors when it comes to your character's backstory, including the class, profession and relation to the world is the character's Race. This plays a large part in where the character may have been born, how they were treated in their birthplace and what sort of work they may have gone into.

The best way to decide this is by simply reading through each of the different race pages on the wiki, as whilst you may have an understanding of the race in Pathfinder it does not mean that they will be identical in the world of Alaion.

If there is a class you wish to play from Pathfinder but it is not listed below contact the DM and ask if it can be fit into the story somehow, many different unusual races, as well as race and class combinations, can be achieved through in-game lore means.

Class
The second most important feature of a character in terms of playstyle and interaction with the world is the class, this is a difficult thing to list down here as there are a considerable amount of possibilities but if it is on the PFSRD (Usually Core or Base Classes or one of their Archetypes/Alternate Classes) then it can normally be fit into the game world.

It is, however, useful to keep in mind the character's backstory and race when deciding the class as these things are usually intrinsically linked.

Backstory
When considering a character's backstory there are many things to take into mind, we will run over the usual ones here but this is in no way a comprehensive guide and if you decide upon an alternate route please do consult the GM before doing all of the work, most ideas can be accommodated somehow.

Family
The Family is a good place to start as your parents will help mould a lot of who your character is as a person, initially the race of your parents will be instrumental in the race of your character (although for this you may wish to choose a race and then work back).

From here things become more subjective such as how well you may know your parents and how well you get along with them; you may share a profession with them or perhaps you chose a profession that breaks family tradition for some reason.

Most of all, however, will be how they are the ones who began your life, they are instrumental to the next category, the circumstances of your birth.

Birth
Your birth itself may be an important factor in your character's personality and backstory, for one the idea that both parents may not be present and the included female mortality rate in medieval times makes for some rather grim character starts.

The next and possibly most important thing surrounding one's birth would be the birthplace itself. This dictates not only the location you would have started life in but also how you would have been treated, what social class you would have been and what professions you may have been more likely to learn.

To decide upon where you are more likely to have been born please read through your races wiki page, alternate options to the norm are also possible and could add an extra layer of depth to why your family moved there for your birth.

Home
Your current home is less important on the growth of your character as a person but tells a lot about your character currently as it once again dictates how your character is likely to be treated and what social standing they will be.

It could also be a deciding factor on what profession they have, how much they earn doing it and what style of clothing they may wear depending on how much they fit into their surroundings.

It can also dictate what groups and organisations they may have been exposed to as well as what religions they are aware of and can prescribe to.

The final point I will make here is to think about how and why your character ended up in their current residence.

Using the Alaion (World) page should help with each of these decisions.

Social Standing
Much of what you figure out for Family, Birthplace and Home will go towards your social standing.

You need to keep in mind, due to your position in the world, what race you are and where you are located as well as your family legacy what social class you may be.

This will dictate how much money you have, what clothing you wear, the quality of your weapons and other items and what knowledge you may know. As a street urchin is likely to know a lot about the underbelly of a city and maybe have connections to less than reputable sources but will have very little sway and less knowledge about the higher classes than someone of noble birth would.

Professions
All of the above also ties into your profession, what job do you do to earn money? This is generally informed fairly heavily by your social class, any organisations you may be a part of and more than anything your class.

A ranger, for instance, may be a hunter, a fighter may have worked in the arena or may have gotten his strength from being a blacksmith, or combat knowledge from spending time as a guard or in their chosen countries military.

Appearance
If you have completed the above sections this section should be a lot easier to complete.

Race
The look of the race will determine a lot of what your physical appearance is. Check the specific races page for variance of hair and eye colours as well as skin tone and body builds such as height, weight and muscle mass.

Features
There are certain parts of physical appearance such as scars, burns or certain builds (including muscle mass and weight) that may be informed by your lifestyle. Jobs in more combat oriented sectors, for instance, are more likely to resort in scars and a better physique whereas work as a bartender or a cushier higher class lifestyle will lead to a less defined, maybe fatter figure.

Clothing
Your clothing is the final and most subjective part of your character and is the best place to demonstrate their personality in a non-verbal way.

A lot of clothing in terms of material and cut depends on your standing, the higher your character's social standing the better quality clothing you are likely to wear and the better materials it will be made of.

The actual clothing itself will also depend heavily on profession and class. What sort of profession does your character have and what sort of clothing or armour is needed to fulfil the needs of their class. A warrior, for instance, will have more armour than a rogue.

Another thing to keep in mind is any organisations your character may be a part of. Paladin's, for instance, tend to be part of a religious order and therefore their armour will reflect that in quality and iconography.

Do keep in mind however that very few people will wear the same clothing through their entire life so unless you wear some form of uniform a few slight clothing changes may add to the depth of the character.

Stats
A quick guide on how the Character sheet works:

Other
Anything else not covered by the other sections:

Levelling
A quick levelling checklist:

Hit Die

Base Attack Bonus increases

Fortitude / Reflex / Will Save increases

Level Specific gains (eg. Rangers gaining favoured terrain at level 3)

Spells per day (increases to the number of spells known OR additional effects due to caster levels)

Feats gained (new feat earned at 4 level increments : level 4, level 8, level 12, etc.)

Ability Score increases every 4th level (two points are to be distributed between Strength, Dexterity, Wisdom, etc.)

Skill Ranks (ranks in a skill may not exceed the total level of the character)