Character Creation Information

Point-Buy Variant

• Assume that all ability scores start at 10.
• Variant Racial ASI's: Place racial bonuses to whatever stats you choose, but not the same one for each bonus. (ex. +1/+2 = you can place a 1 in one attribute and 2 in a different attribute)
• Place 14 points on a one-for-one basis throughout your ability scores, but you can not exceed a maximum Ability score of 17 during character creation.
• You may drop one ability score by 2 points to gain an additional point in the previous step.

Intelligence Is Not a Dump Stat

Characters may spend their Int modifiers (ie. Int 18 = 4 points) on more proficiencies listed below.: (Note: You can not stack proficiencies.) By spending 3 points you may gain one expertise. The flip side of that if you have a negative intelligence modifier you lose proficiencies.

• Skill Proficiency
• Language
• Tool Proficiency

New Available Skills

• Science
• Mechanics

Starting Feat

You may choose one of the following feats to start with:

Alert	Artificer Initiate	Charger	Dual Wielder	Dungeon Delver	Healer
Mage Slayer	Magic Initiate	Martial Adept	Mobile	Mounted Combatant	Poisoner
Savage Attacker	Sentinel	Shield Master	Skilled	Tough

Character Wealth

Instead of tracking treasure, a character has a Wealth score, that works like an ability score. Wealth represents a character's total purchasing power. It doesn't just reflect the coin in their purse or jewelry worn but also a character's less tangible wealth, such as land, favours, patronage, or even reputation. A character with a high Wealth score might be physically wealthy, bejeweled, and laden with platinum pieces, or they might be esteemed and well-connected allowing them to quickly leverage loans or exchange debts.
At character creation, a player character begins with the gear recommended by their class and background and has a Wealth Score of 5. Unlike regular ability scores, it is not purchased through points or rolled. In other ways, it functions like the other six ability scores. As with other ability scores, a character's Wealth can't normally exceed 20, but it can be reduced to 0 denoting no money or possessions of value.
A character can maintain their current Wealth Score by spending one downtime day practicing a profession. Doing so also allows a character to sustain a lifestyle determined by their current wealth, as shown by the Minimum Wealth Score per Lifestyle table. The character can choose to live below their means and choose any lifestyle for which they meet the minimum Wealth score.

Minimum Wealth Score per Lifestyle

Using Wealth

Wealth Checks. Wealth checks are used when a character would spend money beyond that needed to maintain their lifestyle. If the check succeeds, the character has managed to accomplish the activity without negatively affecting their finances. Failure means the item is either not available or the character has less money than they thought. Alternatively, it might reflect poor bartering, loss at an auction, or a failure to sell goods at an adequate price. If a Wealth check fails by 4 or less, the character can choose to either fail to gain what they were spending the money on or reduce their Wealth score by 1 but achieve what they were attempting. If the check fails by 5 or more they reduce their Wealth score by 1 and fail at whatever they were spending money to accomplish. For extravagant purchases, I might rule that success reduces the character's Wealth score by 1 and failure reduces the score by 1d4+1.
Examples of situations I might call for a Wealth check:

• Purchasing equipment
• A night of carousing or celebrating
• Hiring a spellcaster
• Booking passage on a ship
• High stakes gambling
• Paying a hireling
• Bribing a guard

A character can use the Help action to assist another character in making a Wealth check. However, if the check is a failure, both characters suffer the penalty for failure. Similarly, a party can pool its resources for large purchases - such as purchasing a keep or sailing ship - in which case total all the ability score modifiers before one character makes the roll. Such large purchases reduce each character's wealth by 1d4 on success and 2d4 on failure.
Wealth Saving Throws. I might ask for a Wealth saving throw to see how a character responds to sudden expenses or weathers financial complications. Failing a Wealth saving throw reduces a character's Wealth ability score by 1, and failing by 5 or more reduces it by 1d4. Example situations that may call for a saving throw:

• Repairing or replacing damaged gear
• Taxes owed to a ruler
• Fines for damage caused or crimes
• A failed investment
• A family member asking for a loan

Setting DCs. As this is an abstract system, there are no set DCs for purchasing items. Determine the DC for Wealth checks based on how likely it seems a character should be able to purchase such an item, or how much of a financial impact a purchase would be. An adventure living a comfortable life might be able to purchase a new longsword every few months, but a daily purchase would be harder to sustain, while an aristocratic noble could regularly afford new armaments.
Non-Player Characters. Monsters and NPCs typically have a Wealth score equal to their Challenge Rating. The Wealth of creatures that value treasure reflects the valuables in their possession, either gold, gems, or trade goods. Some monsters might not carry treasure but still have a Wealth score, reflected in the value of their remains, such as hide, fur, poison, claws, or other salvaged parts. However, you might decide to make a creature's Wealth higher or lower based on its reputation or value. Legendary creatures such as dragons might have a higher Wealth score because of the value of their scales, fangs, and even blood. Hoards are not factored into a creature's Wealth and managed separately.
Maintaining Wealth. A character has to work to maintain their lifestyle and current wealth. If at the end of a week, if a character has neither increased their wealth nor spent any downtime days either practicing a profession or managing their finances, they must succeed on a Wealth saving throw or reduce their Wealth score by 1. The DC of this saving throw is based on either the lower of the character's Wealth score or their lifestyle, as shown in the table below.

Adventuring and gaining treasure can also sustain a character's finances. Defeating and looting creatures with a Wealth score that is within 4 points of theirs maintain a character's wealth. Creatures with a Wealth that lower than the characters by 5 or more do not maintain their wealth.

Gaining Wealth

Characters cannot improve their Wealth score through normal ability score increases. Instead, you raise or lower their Wealth score based on their accomplishments in an adventure.

• Quest Reward. You can choose to raise a character's Wealth score by 1 or 2 for completing a quest, such as a royal reward or a paid bounty. Generally, a creature can only increase a character's Wealth score if that creature has a Wealth score higher than the character's.
• Selling Magic Items. Selling an uncommon item raises a character's Wealth score by 1 to a maximum of 10, selling a rare item raises it by 2 to a maximum of 15, and selling a very rare item raises it by 4. Legendary and Artifact items can not be bought/sold by regular means.
• Treasure. A character that defeats a creature with a Wealth score higher than theirs increases their own Wealth score by 1.
• Treasure Hoards. Looting a treasure hoard from a creature with a Wealth score equal to or higher than the characters increases their wealth by +1d4.

Business Ownership (WIP)

If a character/party owns a business they may use the income from the business to supplement their current wealth status. The benefit will vary based on the success of the business. Once per week the character/party will make a commerce roll to determine the current status of their business. The state of the business determines the modifier that is added to any Wealth roll made by the character/party.

Rolling for HP

When rolling for hit points beyond the first level (full HP at 1st). Every level after you must roll for HP, you may re-roll any 1’s you roll, one time.

Miscellaneous Rules

Standard Encumbrance Rules - Your carrying capacity is your Strength score multiplied by 15. This is the weight (in pounds) that you can carry, which is high enough that most characters don't usually have to worry about it.
Milestone Leveling - You will level based on events in session.

Character Backstory Creation

• Backstory, Backstory, Backstory - This is a brand new world, your backstories will help shape this world. Be creative, detailed, and extensive. If you have questions about the world that aren't covered, consult the Dungeon Master.
• Party Bonds & Relationships - During character creation you and at least one other player must make a bond, joining those characters together in some way. You may have multiple bonds with multiple characters. For examples you can look at this first page of the following chart: Bond Ideas I prefer this as I don’t like backstabbing in my games, animosity, or adversarial parties. If a player can’t decide I will randomly create one for them.
• I Heard A Rumor...: During character creation, you need to come up with rumors about your character. You need to develop two good, two bad, and one false rumor about your character. These rumors should be based on your backstories and relationships. These rumors are then randomly shuffled and handed out to the other players within the party.
• I Know A Guy.. Rule - When facing a difficult problem the player character can declare, “I know a guy…” and invent a helpful NPC which the PC’s can visit for aid in their current situation. The PC must work with the DM to provide a quick summary of their history and relationship. Fewer details are better to leave room for creative play. When the PC tries to interact with the NPC, the player who created the NPC makes a Charisma check to see how the NPC reacts. A PC may use this ability a number of times equal to their Intelligence or Charisma modifier (minimum once). Examples: Parents, teacher, captain of the guard, etc. These will be developed along with your backstory before the main sessions begin.

Character Backstory Creation Questions

These are questions to answer while developing your backstory. Fit as much detail as you can into your story from the answer you give yourself to these questions. Sprinkle in a little history and drama and write a beautiful short story.

Questions

• Where was the character born? Where did they grow up?
• Who are the character’s parents and what are their occupations? Are the parents still alive? If so, where are they and what are they doing?
• What was the character doing before they became an adventurer?
• Why did the character leave their previous life and become an adventurer?
• What did the character leave behind? What do they miss? What do they not miss?
• How did the character learn the skills and abilities of their adventuring class?
• What does the character want? What is the character willing to do to achieve these goals? What is the character not willing to do?
• What is the character’s greatest strength and greatest weakness?
• What is the one temptation that would cause the character to “fall from grace”?

Plotting

Plot Holes

Introducing a few holes or unknowns in your backstory gives the DM some wiggle room to creatively fill in the gaps. This will allow them to anchor your character in the world, tie the characters together in interesting ways or introduce connections to NPCs that can hook directly into your backstory. This is great for ‘verisimilitude’ - making the world feel more like a real place and driving the narrative forward. Here are some questions that will get you thinking about interesting gaps in your backstory.

• Did you lose something of great importance?
• Did something mysterious or unexplainable happen to you, or have you heard about something like this happening to someone else?
• Do you know of any suspicious activity, but are unsure exactly what was going on?
• What parts of your backstory are you unsure of?

Abilities

Expressing Yourself

How do your powers work? For example, you can describe anything cool or unique to the way you cast spells, or the way that you move when you make your attacks.
For the warlocks, what does your Eldritch Blast look like? For the Wizards, what hand movements do you make when you cast Fireball? Barbarians, what do you look like when you Rage? Bards, does your Bardic Inspiration have a different tune for each party member? Is your inspiration more verbal, like a motivational speaker, or do you dance or use some other art form to cast your spells?
Be as creative as you like! Explore how you could use the material components of your spells. Define your monk fighting style, druidic rite or battle cry.