Character Creation

Create characters at 1st level, following the rules in the D&D 5th ed. PHB. I am allowing character options from other Wizards of the Coast products, but no 3rd-party supplements. Custom lineages (from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything) are allowed.

This game takes place in my own homebrew setting, the Lake Province, which is part of the Rezic Empire on the world of Cratha. The culture and imagery of the Province are inspired by the Roman empire and Chinese empires. If you want to play something that's specific to another campaign setting, check with me and we can re-flavor it for this world.

Don't worry about covering all of the "classic four" party roles. If something is missing, I'll offer a couple options for hirelings who can cover the missing role.

Want to play a divine caster? Take a look at the "Faith in the Empire" section. Faith and divine magic are quite different from most D&D settings. Feel free to make up your family or household patron and choose character options that make sense for them.

There are three kinds of player-characters I don't allow at my games: helpless characters, extremists and antagonists. (Leave the obstacles to me. That's my job.)


---LEGACY INFORMATION FROM FIRST CAMPAIGN BELOW---

Basics of character creation
Generate your attributes using Pathfinder planned generation (25 points).

Starting cash is 1/4 of the maximum starting wealth you could roll for your class. Characters in this downtrodden region are quite poor to start.

As you purchase your starting gear, keep in mind that mundane, expendable supplies like arrows and trail rations are paid for out of your weekly living expenses. See House Rules.

Also in the House Rules document, take a look at the section on skills as you build your character. Some of them have expanded uses in this campaign.

Any official Pathfinder core or supplement book is an acceptable source for character options. I may allow feats from 3.5 ed D&D on a case-by-case basis. I don't allow 3rd party materials, with the exception of Drawbacks.

You may select up to 2 traits for free with character creation. I will use these to help define how the rest of the world sees your character. You can select any from any official Pathfinder source. There are a few additional traits peppered throughout the setting information here on World Anvil. Check the entries for your home village and any organizations you might be associated with.

You may select up to 2 drawbacks at character creation. Each drawback you select earns you a bonus feat of your choice. See the Drawbacks list for options.

Backstories are very important. They tie a character into the world and give them motivations to go adventuring. They also influence their attitudes toward different groups in a setting where morality can be complex and not everyone is a clear-cut "good guy" or "bad guy."

Characters may be from the Lake Province or not, but the game may be more interesting if the character has ties to the locals. If the character isn't local, feel free to make up the land they're from and we'll add it to the Cratha setting info. (We can work together on it if you like.)

At the end of character creation, once you and I have discussed your character and your backstory and we have made any last tweaks, I will assign you one additional bonus feat of my choice. It'll be based on your backstory, so you'll want to have one.


Advice from the GM: Don't just fill a party role. Create a hero.
Think about the kinds of adventures you want to have in this game, and build the kind of character who goes on those adventures.

Don't worry about having character roles left unfilled (not having a healer or a warrior in the party, for example). If you feel you need a party role covered, you can hire an NPC to do it. See Hired Muscle.

Advice from the GM: Be able to do more than one thing.
It's okay to specialize, but make sure you aren't pigeonholing yourself. An adventurer faces many kinds of challenges. Ask yourself these questions: What does my character usually do in a fight? What does my character do in a fight when my regular thing doesn't work? What does my character do in a negotiation? How does my character deal with treacherous terrain?

The "Pilot Episode" house rule
Each new character's first session of play is considered their "pilot episode." After that first session but before the second, you may make any changes to your character you see fit.

After you character's Pilot Episode, major changes can only be made through retraining. Gold piece costs to retrain are waived for this campaign.

New Characters after Campaign Start
Initially, new characters will be level 1 and will follow the same creation rules as above.

As the campaign progresses, starting characters' levels will increase to keep new characters from being hopelessly outmatched. New characters above 1st level will have 1/4 the value in the Wealth By Level table in starting gold and items, and 1-3 GM-issued magic items comparable to what the rest of the party has.

You may have two active characters at a time, if you wish. This can be handy if one needs to spend a lot of downtime retraining or crafting. They don't share XP and should maintain separate inventories.

Feel free to ask questions
Can't figure out how to make a character build work? Can't figure out how to tie something into your backstory? Need a rules clarification?
I'm open to any and all questions.