Birth - Creating Characters

or, Soldiers, Scholars and Reprobates

Death Before Dishonor!    Basic Rules      Birth - Creating Characters

The most important thing a player must know about his character is his initial Social Level. This depends on the parents to whom he is born, their wealth and their titles (if any). The Birth Tables provide all the family background necessary to play the game.

Generate a character's Strength, Constitution and Endurance. Then roll one die each for the Class, Sibling Rank and Father's Position on Birth Tables A, B and C respectively.

Birth Table A: Class

Die roll	Class	Roll on:
1	Commoner	Tables B and C
2	Commoner	Tables B and C
3	Gentleman	Tables B and C
4	Gentleman	Tables B and C
5	Nobleman	Tables B, C and D
6	Nobleman	Tables B, C and D

Birth Table B: Sibling Rank

Die roll	Sibling Rank
1	First son1
2	Second son
3	Second son
4	Second son
5	Bastard2
6	Bastard2

¹ Increase Initial Funds and Allowance by 10% and Initial Social Level by 1. Then roll one die again. On a roll of 1, you are an orphan: you do not get an Allowance and receive the Inheritance instead of Initial Funds; if noble, you receive your Father's Title and increase your Initial Social Level by another 3.

² Decrease Initial Funds and Allowance by 10% and subtract 1 from Initial Social Level.

The result of the Father's Position Table (C) will give each character's initial fortune and allowance (if any) as modified by the Sibling Rank Table (B).

Birth Table C: Father's Position

Die roll	Class	Initial Funds	Allowance	Inheritance
	Commoner
1	Peasant	10	0	0
2	Peasant	10	0	0
3	Small Merchant	25	5	100
4	Merchant	150	20	750
5	Wealthy Merchant	250	50	1500
6	Very Wealthy Merchant	500	100	4000
	Gentleman
1	Impoverished	40	0	100
2	Impoverished	40	0	100
3	Well-to-do	250	50	1500
4	Well-to-do	250	50	1500
5	Wealthy	500	100	4000
6	Very Wealthy	750	125	5000
	Nobleman
1	Impoverished	40	0	100
2	Impoverished	40	0	100
3	Well-to-do	250	50	1500
4	Wealthy	500	100	4000
5	Very Wealthy	750	125	5000
6	Very Wealthy	750	125	5000

Finally, determine his Military Ability (MA).

Birth Table D: Father's Title (if Noble)

Die roll	Class
1	Knight
2	Baron
3	Marquis
4	Earl
5	Viscount
6	Count

After doing all this, all players compare their results to the Initial Social Level Table, making sure to implement any applicable modifiers.

Initial Social Level

Son of:	Social Level
Peasant	2
Merchant	3
Gentleman	4
Very Wealthy Gentleman	5
Knight	6
Baron	7
Marquis	8
Earl	9
Viscount	10
Count	11

All of the above data should be recorded (you can use copies of the sample character sheet provided at the end of these rules or use index cards or just pen and paper) and, if desired, the character may be given a name.

EXAMPLE: The Bergerac family is blessed with a son. A five is rolled on Birth Table A, a 1 on Birth Table B: we discover that the character is the first son of a nobleman.
Rolling again as instructed in the notes to table B, we find he is not yet an orphan.
Rolling a three on the nobles section of Table C shows that the character's father is well-to-do, and the character has an initial fortune of (250 + 10%) 275 Crowns (coming of age money, so to speak). In addition he will receive a monthly allowance of (50 + 10%) 55 Crowns.
A four rolled on Table D shows that the senior Bergerac is an Earl. The character, Rodney Bergerac, has an initial Social Level of 9, plus one for being a first son, or 10 total.

Editor's Note: The Soldiers, Scholars, and Reprobates rules supercede parts of this section under the advanced Death Before Dishonor rules; namely, all characters' fathers are assumed to be alive at the beginning of play.

Basic Rules

Introduction
Birth - Creating Characters
Time Sequence
Status Points & Social Level

• Social Register

Support
Clubs

• Clubs of Paris

Female Companionship

• Mistresses

Loans
Dueling
Influence
Military Ability
Regiments

• Regiments of France

Campaign
Volunteers
Campaign Outcome
Appointments

• Government & Appointments

Titles
Disgrace
Investment

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Advanced Rules

Introduction