Personality and Backstory

And now, you are born anew under the protecting light of Aerdos. He offered you blade and shield, but did you accept?

All men and women are born under the same sun and stars, but even those in the same village aren't the same people. What makes you different? To decide how to start your character, you must being with the basics. Where are you from, what's your family like, why do they live here, and how do they make ends meet?
You can choose to come up with something yourself or roll on these charts for inspiration.

D20	Great Beginnings
1	A simple farming peasent, two loving parents, a brother or sister, and maybe a pet dog.
2	Child of a humble merchant who lost his spouse many years ago. It's tough, but you make ends meet helping out your family.
3	You follow in the footsteps of your father, a great artisan of a particular trade. It's his constant drive that inspires you to the same goals.
4	You don't know you're real mother/father. They left before you could remember them and it's had quite the impact on you. Trust is something hard to be earned.
5	Mother was a whore and father was a drunk. They're only worth forgetting and moving on from. But you can't help but notice you might become like them.
6	You grew up with so many brother's and sisters a life of adventurer was the only way to make a name for yourself becides the, "Fifth child."
7	You're not just the child of some common man, your father is a noble lord and quite powerful. But it seems he's a Lord before a Father.
8	Being born of a powerful family gives you much influence in the world, at least that's what you believe you deserve.
9	Honor and duty. These are the teaches your family has brought down to you. But do you really believe in all that?
10	You were born with chains on your hands and feet so you may serve someone more powerful than you. You'll never forget their name, or what they did to you.
11	You carry a family heirloom passed down from generation to generation. You must bare this holy/unholy for one day, you'll pass it down to your own child.
12	All you have left of your father is the family sword after your town was raided by bandits.
13	To prove your worthiness to your noble house, you've been sent on a dangerous quest. Should you seek their approval or simply abandon your quest. Or perhaps you were too afraid to go on such a journey.
14	You weren't born in a village or hail from some great city. You're from the wildlands. Your mother and father were hunters, not cobblers.
15	Monsters in the night. They came with teeth like daggers and eyes that can pierce your soul. They destoryed your entire village, leaving only ash behind.
16	You are of noble blood, but only on one side of your family. Maybe you need to remind people you're just as good as the rest of them.
17	You grew up in a secluded village with strong ties to the chruch and community. The outside world is a foriegn and dangerous place. Only something really dramatic would make you ever want to leave.
18	Tired of getting smacked around by your drunk dad, you ran away from home to escape your old life.
19	You were born in a small community of demonic worshipers.
20	You are touched, marked by the God(s). You are destined for greatness. Don't let it get to your head.

This is only a simple introduction for your family. You can also start by asking yourself more specific details. What's the nationality of your family, how many sibilings do you have, what specific faith (if you have one) do you follow, etc. There's many additional, more specific details you can add here in any order that suits you.
The trade/job of your father, mother, brother, sister, or even you is very important in creating a fully fleshed out character. Everyone has a job from a simple flax farmer to a noble lord of diamond mines.

D12	Profession
1	Farmer
2	Smith
3	Merchant
4	Alchemist
5	Priest
6	Mercenary
7	Stable Master
8	Sailor
9	Tailor
10	Carpenter
11	Butcher
12	Noble

Farmer

The earth can provide many gifts to anyone devoted enough. Not just for growing wheat and rice but farmers would also produce flax and cotton used to make clothes. Grapes could make wine and a wealthly enough land owner could produce plenty of sheep for wool as well as mutton.

Smith

Can be anything from a blacksmith, armorer, to a silversmith. A smith could make anything from nails, arrowheads, horseshoes, locks, and even swords and armor for a talented enough one.

Merchant

Master's of buying and selling goods to make a profit off their wares. They could sell anything from rope and torches to potions and magic artifacts losts to the ages only to be found once again by a band of adventurer's and sold to a merchant. Some may specialize in selling certain items while others branch out into various trades.

Alchemists

While most alchemists make their ends meet by selling simple hermbal remedies for bone fever and infected wounds those who delve more into magic are able to produce and create powerful potions and poisons used in the most mundane to the most extreme circumstances. Many alchemists are known to be directed employed by lords and ladies for their fine talents.

Priests

Keepers of the faith and speakers of the God(s). The most prominent being Aerdos, The Battle King and master of all. But there are other faiths such as the Crimson Courtesan, the Lady of Love and Passion. There are followers of the Immortal Imperion, the Great Father. There is the pantheon of the Arcanis, followers of the mad god, and even those who worship elven dieties, or those who follow the guidance of the earth and spirits. But one thing is true, all other faiths are wrong.

Mercenary

A man of the blade and bow. There life is that of blood money. However not all mercenaries are simply ruthless thugs. Even a Noble knight serves a man for housing and safety. Or a soldier, fighting for a free meal and a fat coin purse. Even then, soldiers can be recruits or honored warriors.

Stable Master

A horse is a great beast to tend to, and a valuable one at that. Many rich men would seek a stable master to tend to their horses and keep them in good health.

Sailor

The open sea is a life many desire. Many sailing jobs include simple fishermen to crew men on a noble vessel or explorer's ship to sail past the known world. Perhaps this Sailor seeks to cross the Old Sea, or perhaps they are another fool. Many have gone lost at that sea. You may have learned a sea shanty or two from the dangers of the Old Sea.

Tailor

Every town needs a Tailor. Especially when winter rolls around. When shirts get ripped and shoes ware down it's the tailor's job to make new clothes for the village and if skilled enough, make garments for a powerful person for a pretty penny.

Carpenter

The real master of civilization is the builder of it. The Carpenter is the one who truely makes a city. And perhaps a skilled enough carpenter will even be employed within the capital city of Rothen.

Butcher

When the people get hungry, everyone needs a butcher. They're great with a cleaver and know how to make a great meal. You know how to kill, gut, stuff, and cook a chicken in just two hours, then add some spicies and there's dinner.

Noble

Simply being noble doesn't make you a lord. Knights and squires are still royal folks in the eyes of the peasant. But to really be a noblemen is to own land and titles with your own people to look after. This could be anywhere from ruling from a Motte and Bailey, to a castle keep or even your own Palace with more servents than you can count.

Personality

The way we talk and the things we talk about. Are you elegant in your speech, or could you care less? Are you a quite man or could you talk and talk for hours? Roll on this chart here two to three times, skipping repeats to find that perfect personality for you. The first trait you roll should be the most dominant while your others should be more passive.

D20	Personality
1	Friendly, nothing like being buddy buddy with everyone you meet.
2	Calm, you keep you're cool well and can be well behaved.
3	Stubborn, there's no other way than your way. You gotta convince everyone that you're right somehow.
4	Crass, no time for manerisms or trying to be polite all the time.
5	Polite, Despite your opinions or beliefs, it's in your best interest to be well mannered.
6	Quite, You're not one for much talk and generally keep to yourself.
7	Rude, You don't care about trying to be nice to others.
8	Direct, you're straight and to the point, nothing more.
9	Talkative, doesn't matter what it's about, you could talk and talk for hours.
10	Elegant, it's all about using the right words and making them beautiful.
11	Sensative, all that ugly behavior and poor manners really gets to me.
12	Prideful, I honor myself on my great acomplishments/family/legacy etc.
13	Modest, I'm not one to boast my own ego. I'll let my actions speak for me.
14	Brave, I'm not afraid to back down to a fight or for what I believe in.
15	Cowardly, I'm no fighter. I'd rather run away or at least get what I want without confrontation.
16	Open Minded, I'm open to new ideas and ways of life.
17	Closed Minded, I'm comfortable with my old habbits and I'm not a fan of new things.
18	Humble, I know my place in the world isn't that big and I should be looking to serve and help out others.
19	Vain, I should get myself a mirror cause there's nothing better to look at.
20	Agreeable, you're good at working with others and putting yourself on the sameside.

Personality Quirks

D20	Quirk
1	I'm always chewing on something, staw, jerky, tobacco, etc.
2	I run coins threw my fingers constantly. (Whether I good at it or not is up for debate)
3	I speak slowly as I decided the perfect words to use for every situation.
4	I'm always fiddling with things I shouldn't be.
5	I'm slow to understand metaphors.
6	I understand metaphors, but I hate them.
7	Whenever I'm interested in something, (whether or not sexually) I often lick my lips.
8	I have a terribly dark sense of humor.
9	I can't commit myself to anything for too long.
10	I remember strange and odd facts about things people have no interest in.
11	My mouth often moves faster than I can think.
12	I have a favorite color and it's obvious.
13	I stare, a lot.
14	I'm constantly quoting from books and wisemen I learned from.
15	I stutter a lot when I'm nervous or afraid.
16	I might be overcompesating for something.
17	I'm a compulsive liar, even about the simplest of things.
18	Likes to smell strangers.
19	I'm calm all the time, but the simplest thing can make me want to strangle someone.
20	There is absoluetly nothing quirky about me, I am perfectly normal (to the extreme).

Values

What's important to you? You can roll or pick a few to your liking and decide which of the values are the strongest and which are weaker. See what there's to offer when you overlap them as well. Someone who believes in self preservation but serving his family as well may make interesting choses and have plenty of internal struggle.

1D12	Values
1	Honor, to be loyal, trustable, and just.
2	Family, protect and serve your father and mother.
3	Religion, The gods know best and it is my duty to pray for guidance.
4	Nation, I believe in my King and Queen and my Lords and Ladies.
5	Wellbeing, I believe in the good of everyone, friends and strangers.
6	People, It's the people who make the world, not rulers.
7	Independence, We cannot abide by power hungry tyrant.
8	Knowledge, If there is any truth in life it's knowledge.
9	Survival, There's nothing worth fighting for like yourself.
10	Pyschopath, I only believe in myself, there is nothing else.
11	Hedonism, I'm only gonna do what feels good.
12	Nihilism, There is nothing to believe in.

How much ambition do you have for your values? Are you willing to die for what you believe in, or would five gold pieces change your mind?

1D6	Ambition Level
1	It won't take much for me to quit believe in this.
2	What I fight for isn't great, but it's better than nothing.
3	I don't want to stop believing, but with enough effort, I might have to.
4	I'm fairly devoted to my cause, it would take a lot to convince me otherwise.
5	I don't see myself changing at all.
6	My will is unbreaking. My vows are for life.