Character Creation

Your character is your connection to the world of Mithrym. Through their eyes you get to experience the journeys, encounters and adventures of the game world. During character creation, give some thought to what sort of person they are and to what their upbringing and experiences might be like. Are they kind? Are they well educated? Did they have a comfortable childhood or were they perhaps always having to move around? Do they have a family and, if so, do they get on with them? All of these sorts of things help to build an idea of the part you will be playing.

With that in mind, it is time to grab a character sheet and start rolling some dice and noting down some choices and numbers. Fill out each section of the sheet as you go.

There are a few things you will need to choose for your character to fully flesh them out and to then be able to play as them in a game …

Classes and Sub-Classes

Classes are the professions of Mithrym. These define the sort of training, education and experience your character has. Sub-classes are then a specialism within that background. So, for example, you may want to pick Wizard as your character’s class. If so, you could then choose to play as a Mage.

Each Class and Sub-Class brings with it bonuses and abilities that are unique to that background. Have a read of the Classes and Sub-Classes pages and note down your choice as well as your character’s bonuses and abilities for Level 1.

All characters start at Level 1, however as the game progresses you will have a chance to increase your character’s level and, by doing so, gain extra skills, bonuses and abilities.

Rolling Abilities

The next thing to do is to start rolling some dice. In particular, some six-sided dice! Roll 4d6 and discard the lowest of the 4 numbers. Add the remaining 3 numbers together and then note down this total.

e.g. you may roll a 4, 2, 6 and 3

In this case you would discard the 2, then add together the 4, 6 and 3 to get 13.

Do this five more times so that you have six of these values in total. These are your characters Core Ability Scores.

The Core Abilities are:

• Strength … how physically strong they are
• Dexterity … how steady and flexible they are
• Constitution … how healthy and resilient they are
• Intelligence … how clever and good at learning they are
• Wisdom … how much common sense they have
• Charisma … how friendly and likable they are

Assign your six numbers to these in whichever order you wish (giving some thought to the sort of person you imagine them to be).

For each of these scores you also then note down a Modifier. Use the table below to note down the modifier for each of your character’s Core Abilities …

Picking Skills

Now that you have an idea for the sort of abilities your character has, for their profession and background, and for their natural aptitude, it is time to think about what skills they have.

There are nine skills available for your character to have practiced and grown proficient in over time. For a new character, you have 20 points that can be divided however you like between these nine. You do not need to pick all of them however do bear in mind that if your character does not have any points at all in a skill then it is not something they can attempt to do during an adventure. It is generally advisable to spread the points over a few different skills however you can stick them all in just one or two if you think that it would make sense for them.

The skills are:

• Academia … this covers the reading and studying of text books and histories. It includes everything from magic and science to history and religion.
• Brawn … this covers strenuous physical activity, lifting heavy objects, climbing high peaks and running long distances.
• Deduction … this covers everything from problem solving to investigation and following clues and trails.
• Finesse … dancing, juggling, acrobatics, sleight of hand, everything that requires a flick of the wrist or a nimble movement.
• Healing … this includes first aid, the preparation of remedies and the application of treatment for injury or illness.
• Intuition … this includes an insightfulness and a perception and awareness of the world around and the people in it.
• Nature … this covers everything from handling animals and hunting prey to following tracks and surviving in the wilderness and wastes.
• Persuasion … this includes convincing other people, deceiving them or, if it comes to it, straight up intimidation and manipulation.
• Stealth … this covers everything from hiding to moving quietly and avoiding being seen.

For each of the skills you select your character to have points in, give some thought to how they came by that knowledge and practice. Did they perhaps learn stealth and intuition as a young thief in training? Or maybe they gained their skill in Academia as a Sorcerer studying books on magic and lore!

Money and Equipment

By now your character should really be taking shape. The next thing to do is to go shopping! Your character gets 1d20 x10 Gold Pieces to start with. These are coins that can be spent in Mithrym on things like weapons, armour, equipment and potions.

Have a read of the Money page to get a proper understanding of how much the different coins are worth.

Next, have a look at the Equipment pages and choose what your character buys with their money. It is generally best to make sure to include a weapon and, if possible, some form of armour or a shield.

It's worth not spending everything before you start though, as your character may need some money during their first game for things like food and somewhere to sleep or to hire a horse.

Special Equipment

As well as equipment bought with your starting money, there are also some special items that you should note down depending on which class and sub-class your character is.

• If you are playing a Soldier then your character also gets an army-issued Fire Staff and 4 Cartridges for it. Your character also has an army uniform for the country they are from.
• If you are playing a Warden then your character also gets a watch-issued Fire Wand and 6 Cartridges for it. Your character also has a watch uniform for the region / city they are from.

For more information about Fire Staves and Fire Wands, have a read of the Magical Ranged Weapons page.

• If you are playing a Mage then your character also gets a Channel. This item is used to cast spells without inadvertently causing trouble or damage to other people / items. If lost or stolen, you may still cast spells however there will be repercussions the same as if a Sorcerer had cast it.
• If you are playing an Artisan then your character also gets a Thingamajig. This is their graduation project that they would have built and set a spell into when they learnt magic. It can look like anything but remains the same the whole time you are playing.

For more information about Channels and Thingamajigs, have a read of the Wizards page.

Magic Spells

All Wizards and Clerics can perform acts of magic although there is a crucial difference between the two. When the Crafters first came to Mithrym, they taught their loyal followers how to manipulate the underlying magic of the world and they called these people Clerics. Other humans watched this though and began devising ways to craft their own magic spells, these people were called Wizards.

• Simple Spells … every Cleric and wizard learns to cast a set of simple spells which they have memorised and know well enough to perform without preparation. Have a read of the Magic pages to see how many of these your character gets to know at level 1 then choose from the list available.
• Advanced Spells … Mages and Sorcerers (sub-classes of wizards) are advanced practitioners of their art and may also cast more complex spells. To do this, each one has a spellbook containing various levels of magic spell which they may cast a set number of per day. Mages and Sorcerers that worship Immu as their crafter also gain an extra set of spells (known as "the Necromancer's Spellbook'"). You do not need to pick any of these spells however have a read of the Magic pages to understand better how to use them in a game.
• Divine Rituals … Healers and Priests (sub-classes of clerics) are able to perform ritual magic. This magic is also learnt through continued practice and involves an ongoing devotional act to their Crafter. As such, these spells take longer and there are a set number that the cleric knows how to perform. There is no limit on how many times these rituals may be performed however, although continuing to do so without a rest may tire them out. Have a read of the Magic pages to learn more and to choose your character's Rituals.

Armour Class and Hit Points

Almost there! There are just a few more things to work out before your character is really ready to go.

First of all there is your character’s Armour Class. This number shows how easy or hard it is to attack them based on what they are wearing. All characters have a basic Armour Class of 10. For wearing clothes that goes up to 11 and then every piece of armour they wear and if they hold up a shield this number increases.

For example, a character may be wearing clothes and plate armour and carrying a shield. Their armour class is therefore 10 + 1 (clothes) + 5 (plate armour), totalling 16. Their shield would also give a +2 bonus, so any time they are carrying it with them their Armour Class would go all the way to 18.

Make a note of this number on your character sheet.

Next, there is your character’s Hit Points. This number represents how easy it is to knock your character unconscious and – if it comes to it – to kill them!

Each Class has its own Hit Dice …

For a new character, roll 1 Hit Dice and note down the number as their maximum Hit Points.

Alignment (Picking a Crafter)

One more piece of your character’s backstory now, where are they from and to which deity do they prey?

There are seven Crafters (deities) in total to choose from and you can read more about them in the Lore pages however here is a quick run down …

Do note that the worship of Immu is illegal throughout Mithrym however it does grant access to Necromancy and it may even open doors for your character if they can identify other cult members in positions of power that could help them. It is not advisable to openly worship Immu in Mithrym though so you may wish to choose another Crafter that they pretend to worship (however your character will not gain any of the Class or Sub-Class benefits related to that Crafter).

Choosing a Name

There’s one more thing to choose for your character now … a name! This can be anything you like. Just remember that you will be hearing it and likely saying it a lot during the game so try and pick something you like.

And that’s it! You are now ready to play!

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