Character Background Generator

The Character Background Generator is a series of random rolls designed to outline a new player character's basic characteristics and idiosyncracies resulting from cultural heritage, race, age, ability stats and chance events happening during the individual in the time prior to joining the game. The Generator concentrates on social relationships and skills that originate with the game world and do not, therefore, come within the player's sphere of control. A chararacter's background provides insight into who the individual is, defining his or her culture — but it's important to remember that no one chooses what culture into which we'll be born. Therefore, the Generator rolls this background randomly.

Introduction

Backgrounds should be deep and complex. When a character joins the campaign, it's assumed that character is a mature adult, perhaps young, perhaps old, depending upon their class and race. Training has taken place in the use of weapons, magic and other skills. The Generator imagines that this training began some 5 to 10 years before the character becomes 1st level. During to this training, the character has been a young adult, with a teenager's drives, outlooks and willingness to test the boundaries that culture sets. Before then, the character was a child, and before that an infant. Each of these periods provide a rich opportunity to define what makes a character's background ... mostly in ways that don't exist to serve what the player wishes to do right now when approaching the game.

This is important. It's not the character that bends it's will to the player. That's not how games work. It's the player who must accept the circumstances of the character, and then show an ability to PLAY that character effectively. Too often, the opposite is promoted — and even treated as the point of the game. This makes no sense.

The Generator has been divised to provide basic characteristics and idiosyncracies for any character, as life might provide. The Generator itself consists of many tables, intended to define the character's appearance, origin, skill-set, social relevance, health and so on. Some of these results may come as very good news to the player, giving wonderful benefits to be used freely without restraint. Other results won't be so wonderful. That is how the game works. Players cannot always have their way. This is not a bad thing.

Each part of the generator is based upon a new character's rolled ability statistics, the player's choice of biological sex and race, and that is all. From very little information, a tremendous range of details and ideas are brought into existence. As you read through the Generator, you'll see how this is done.

Application to Games

How these results are applied are left to the imagination of the Game Master. While this system very definitely arises from the sensibilities provided by a singular well-known role-playing game, the practicality and extent of the information provided can undoubtedly be applied to a host of other games, as well as the creation of characters by fiction authors. There are eleven character classes that are addressed in the Generator, and seven character races. No effort is made to explain what these classes or races are. They might be exchanged for any other race, as desired.

In addition, certain tenets have been accepted, such as limitations to a given race's choice of class, which may mystify some players. This is not explained. Additionally, it's taken for granted that every race included enjoys a similar lifespan, so that a 70-year-old elf is exactly comparable with a 70-year-old human. This provides the best possible understanding where results between characters are compared.

Because the backgrounds are frankly random, when a character is rolled, everyone round the table has reason to lean forward and eagerly discover what's been generated. If a player rolls a terrific result, it's truly an act of luck and virtuously fair. The player can be justly proud of the fact that no other player can simply "make up" the same result for their own character. Every participant understands that this character came by these traits honestly – by a die roll, and not from ego or wish fulfillment.

If it happens that a player doesn't like his or her character's background ... well, it's acknowledged that the player can always lie to folks in the game world. He or she may not really be a prince, or wealthy, or a close personal friend of the most powerful mage in the world ... but the player can still invent lies that create a better "back story" than the truth – that the character's merely a bumpkin from Podunkville. Such shenanigans are completely permitted, though they won't change the facts ... those facts known to the DM and the party. This is for the best.

Experience shows that when players lose to power to control their destiny, the process both fascinates and delights. Players are often as excited about bad outcomes as good, as these outcomes define what a character is.

Gender

With the exception of childbearing, which may be relevant in a character's generation, and the height and weight of a character, no distinction is made throughout the system between female and male persons. What one person can do, another person can do.

Despite what the Medieval-Renaissance culture might have believed, no position is taken on what roles or status that one character can achieve as compared ot another. Each can be just as bad, just as good, just as powerful, just as weak, as the next person, regardless of biological sex or gender.

Ability Stats

No rules are contained herein regarding how ability stats work, or what game actions they serve. They are used here strictly as a number that's applied to aspects having nothing to do with any known role-playing game. These numbers have tremendous significance in providing the Generator's results. Each stat is compared with a rolled die to explain the character's traits and history – with differences of a single digit providing significantly different results.

Therefore, assigning a low score to a stat (however that's done) increases the probability that something very bad might result. With the Generator in place, players ought to be careful thinking of any ability as a "dump stat." Further, results have been tempered to ensure having a low intelligence, wisdom or charisma could have seriously dire consequences.

Conversely, while a high stat might offer an opposite, beneficial result, there's no promise that any roll made upon any stat won't be very ordinary. Every roll has both good and bad possibilities ... it's only that "good" and "bad" move along a spectrum according to the character's ability stat numbers.

The placement of each stat is like playing a lottery, with the best players understanding there are always some "wins" and some "losses" in the process. The end reward is a depth of characterisation and personality far beyond what a player can simply invent. Don't be surprised when players eagerly reach for the dice to learn what their characters are about to become, forsaking the tedium of traditional character-creation policies.

The DM's Sphere of Influence

Wherever possible, the Generator's purpose is to bind the hands of the Dungeon Master as much as the players. The DM should never control the result of any die, and should be prepared to adapt to whatever results occur. With the results occurring outside the DM's meddling, both good and bad results are also a function of the game itself ... a game originally founded on taking risks and playing the odds, as best players can.

Yes, occasionally this might require the DM to bend his or her campaign setting – particularly as the DM can bestow equipment, buildings, land, titles, supporting soldiers ... and even the status of nobility or royalty. These things can be had even if the character is only 1st level. It's an assumption of the Generator that the character is 1st, freshly released from training and now ready to take on the world for the first time. Thus the descriptions herein explains how these benefits are managed, what unusual circumstances arise around the character's past and all the shiny new things a character might gain. In the bargain, a player may also find the character is saddled with unexpected responsibilities as well, owed to those denizens of the setting who now depend on the character's actions.

It's true that no generator can faithfully provide every detail in a given circumstance ... and players will seek to twist every situation in a manner that suits them personally. It should always be remembered, however, that the setting is the DM's sole responsibility. It's not in the power of the players to invent persons, circumstances or benefits within the game world, simply because it satisfies their imagination. The details surrounding the character's background is still subject to the DM's concept of setting.

Therefore, while it's fine for players to invent the particulars of some crime they've committed, or why they're deeply liked by their families or even the whole village, remind them that they're allowed to describe their own feelings and actions – and not those of other persons! The DM, and the DM alone, determines the setting. Whenever possible, this should be done as empathically and supportively as possible, but it's the DM's right to put a hard line between what the player's want and what the players actually have.

Secondary Skills

In places throughout the Generator, there are useful faculties and talents that occur as skills the characters have learned on account of their background. These skills are not designed to grant bonuses to character rolls, but to state clearly things the character is able to do, or make, or things the character definitely knows. These skills describe unquestionably dependable aspects of the character, which the player can rely upon when making choices in the game. Thus, a character that's able o manage a team of horses, cook good food, construct a barrel from scratch, read & write, contact members of a specific guild, navigate a cave and so on, need not make any roll to see if they can make or know these things. It's a fact that they can.

In nearly every case, the character's class has nothing to do with these skills. In fact, they exist because the character's parent, or "progenitor," was a teamster, a cook, a cooper, a scribe, a political advisor or a tomb robber. The character learns these skills as a child or young adult, helping mother and father to farm, manage animals, work with stone, shelve books in a library, search for mushrooms, work a forge, perform services in a gypsy camp, bake bread, bind books, work backstage in a theatre or whatever, depending on what upbringing the character had before becoming a paladin, a druid, an assassin or a bard.

Additional Remarks

I've created numerous, progressive iterations of the character Generator since 2004, as a compliment to character creation. Over time, the system has grown and evolved, producing more and more possible outcomes and unlikely additions. Where possible, the generator makes the attempt to be all-inclusive, especially with regards to things like skin tone, eye colour and hair ... as these outer expressions of a character matter a great deal to players.

Naturally, these characteristics are based on Earth-models ... however, an inventive DM could easily expand the tables to suit his or her campaign. There’s no reason to think this is the last incarnation of my background Generator. This iteration is merely an expression of how far my ideas have expanded thus far, entirely from my imagination.

Physical Characteristics

Before discussing other aspects of the character's background, it's necessary to generate the individual's physical characteristics. These define the appearance of the character: his or her general shape, hair, eye colour and so on. The creation of these depends somewhat on charisma, but not entirely. A high charisma doesn't guarantee that a character will look pretty or handsome; nor is it impossible for a character of average charisma to possess characteristics associated with beauty.

In either case, the results in no way raises or lowers a character's charisma! Beauty, as with all things, must be interpreted within other aspects of the character's presence and personality.

Although a limited collection of traditional races are provided, individual DMs should be able to create their own tables for any race that's desired, based on the templates provided.

Height & Weight

All must start somewhere, so we might as well learn how tall the character stands and how much he or she weighs.

Weight describes the character's mass in imperial pound units. Metric is not used because it's a late 18th-century creation ... and therefore anachronistic to the context of a Medieval or Renaissance fantasy realm. Yes, other anachronistic things are embraced by the Generator, but it's believed that understanding the unpleasantnesxs of using imperial units can act to help player's understand the mindset of people in the game setting. Imagine what it must have been like for people long ago, who had no choice in how to measure things. Additional weight, if it exists, may be lost according to rules associated with kicking an addiction, but the weight loss will have no special effect upon the character’s strength or constitution [at this time, as rules for this do not exist].

Height is measured in feet and inches. This describes the distance between the ball of the foot to the top of the character's head, when the individual is standing erect. This is a factor in the character's reach, as well as the character's ability to employ certain weapons. The practical length of a pike, for instance, is three times the character's height. A pole-arm, spear or javelin can be up to 1½ times a person's height. Most other weapons cannot be longer than a character is tall.

Height Determination Table

roll 4d6	Dwarf		Elf		Gnome		Half-elf		Halfling		Half-orc		Human
	f.	m.	f.	m.	f.	m.	f.	m.	f.	m.	f.	m.	f.	m.
4	3 ft. 3 in.	3 ft. 5 in.	3 ft. 10 in.	4 ft. 3 in.	2 ft. 9 in.	3 ft.	4 ft. 5 in.	4 ft. 9 in.	2 ft. 4 in.	2 ft. 7 in.	4 ft. 5 in.	4 ft. 9 in.	4 ft. 9 in.	5 ft.
5	3 ft. 4 in.	3 ft. 6 in.	3 ft. 11 in.	4 ft. 4 in.	2 ft. 10 in.	3 ft. 1 in.	4 ft. 6 in.	4 ft. 9 in.	2 ft. 5 in.	2 ft. 7 in.	4 ft. 6 in.	4 ft. 10 in.	4 ft. 10 in.	5 ft. 1 in.
6	3 ft. 5 in.	3 ft. 7 in.	4 ft.	4 ft. 5 in.	2 ft. 11 in.	3 ft. 1 in.	4 ft. 6 in.	4 ft. 10 in.	2 ft. 5 in.	2 ft. 8 in.	4 ft. 7 in.	4 ft. 11 in.	4 ft. 10 in.	5 ft. 2 in.
7	3 ft. 5 in.	3 ft. 7 in.	4 ft. 1 in.	4 ft. 6 in.	2 ft. 11 in.	3 ft. 2 in.	4 ft. 7 in.	4 ft. 10 in.	2 ft. 6 in.	2 ft. 8 in.	4 ft. 8 in.	5 ft.	4 ft. 11 in.	5 ft. 3 in.
8	3 ft. 6 in.	3 ft. 8 in.	4 ft. 1 in.	4 ft. 7 in.	3 ft.	3 ft. 2 in.	4 ft. 8 in.	4 ft. 11 in.	2 ft. 6 in.	2 ft. 9 in.	4 ft. 9 in.	5 ft. 1 in.	5 ft.	5 ft. 4 in.
9	3 ft. 7 in.	3 ft. 9 in.	4 ft. 2 in.	4 ft. 8 in.	3 ft.	3 ft. 3 in.	4 ft. 9 in.	5 ft.	2 ft. 7 in.	2 ft. 9 in.	4 ft. 10 in.	5 ft. 2 in.	5 ft. 1 in.	5 ft. 5 in.
10	3 ft. 7 in.	3 ft. 9 in.	4 ft. 3 in.	4 ft. 9 in.	3 ft. 1 in.	3 ft. 4 in.	4 ft. 9 in.	5 ft. 1 in.	2 ft. 7 in.	2 ft. 10 in.	4 ft. 10 in.	5 ft. 3 in.	5 ft. 2 in.	5 ft. 6 in.
11	3 ft. 8 in.	3 ft. 10 in.	4 ft. 4 in.	4 ft. 9 in.	3 ft. 1 in.	3 ft. 4 in.	4 ft. 10 in.	5 ft. 2 in.	2 ft. 8 in.	2 ft. 10 in.	4 ft. 11 in.	5 ft. 4 in.	5 ft. 3 in.	5 ft. 7 in.
12	3 ft. 9 in.	3 ft. 11 in.	4 ft. 4 in.	4 ft. 10 in.	3 ft. 2 in.	3 ft. 5 in.	4 ft. 11 in.	5 ft. 3 in.	2 ft. 8 in.	2 ft. 11 in.	5 ft.	5 ft. 5 in.	5 ft. 4 in.	5 ft. 8 in.
13	3 ft. 9 in.	3 ft. 11 in.	4 ft. 5 in.	4 ft. 11 in.	3 ft. 2 in.	3 ft. 5 in.	5 ft.	5 ft. 4 in.	2 ft. 9 in.	2 ft. 11 in.	5 ft. 1 in.	5 ft. 7 in.	5 ft. 5 in.	5 ft. 9 in.
14	3 ft. 10 in.	4 ft.	4 ft. 6 in.	5 ft.	3 ft. 3 in.	3 ft. 6 in.	5 ft. 1 in.	5 ft. 5 in.	2 ft. 9 in.	3 ft.	5 ft. 2 in.	5 ft. 8 in.	5 ft. 6 in.	5 ft. 10 in.
15	3 ft. 11 in.	4 ft. 1 in.	4 ft. 7 in.	5 ft. 1 in.	3 ft. 4 in.	3 ft. 7 in.	5 ft. 1 in.	5 ft. 6 in.	2 ft. 9 in.	3 ft. 1 in.	5 ft. 3 in.	5 ft. 9 in.	5 ft. 7 in.	5 ft. 11 in.
16	3 ft. 11 in.	4 ft. 1 in.	4 ft. 8 in.	5 ft. 2 in.	3 ft. 4 in.	3 ft. 7 in.	5 ft. 2 in.	5 ft. 6 in.	2 ft. 10 in.	3 ft. 1 in.	5 ft. 4 in.	5 ft. 10 in.	5 ft. 8 in.	6 ft.
17	4 ft.	4 ft. 2 in.	4 ft. 8 in.	5 ft. 3 in.	3 ft. 5 in.	3 ft. 8 in.	5 ft. 3 in.	5 ft. 7 in.	2 ft. 10 in.	3 ft. 2 in.	5 ft. 5 in.	5 ft. 11 in.	5 ft. 9 in.	6 ft. 1 in.
18	4 ft. 1 in.	4 ft. 3 in.	4 ft. 9 in.	5 ft. 3 in.	3 ft. 5 in.	3 ft. 8 in.	5 ft. 4 in.	5 ft. 8 in.	2 ft. 11 in.	3 ft. 2 in.	5 ft. 6 in.	6 ft.	5 ft. 10 in.	6 ft. 2 in.
19	4 ft. 1 in.	4 ft. 3 in.	4 ft. 10 in.	5 ft. 4 in.	3 ft. 6 in.	3 ft. 9 in.	5 ft. 4 in.	5 ft. 9 in.	2 ft. 11 in.	3 ft. 3 in.	5 ft. 6 in.	6 ft. 1 in.	5 ft. 11 in.	6 ft. 3 in.
20	4 ft. 2 in.	4 ft. 4 in.	4 ft. 11 in.	5 ft. 5 in.	3 ft. 6 in.	3 ft. 10 in.	5 ft. 5 in.	5 ft. 10 in.	3 ft.	3 ft. 3 in.	5 ft. 7 in.	6 ft. 2 in.	6 ft.	6 ft. 4 in.
21	4 ft. 3 in.	4 ft. 5 in.	4 ft. 11 in.	5 ft. 6 in.	3 ft. 7 in.	3 ft. 10 in.	5 ft. 6 in.	5 ft. 11 in.	3 ft.	3 ft. 4 in.	5 ft. 8 in.	6 ft. 3 in.	6 ft. 1 in.	6 ft. 5 in.
22	4 ft. 3 in.	4 ft. 5 in.	5 ft.	5 ft. 7 in.	3 ft. 7 in.	3 ft. 11 in.	5 ft. 7 in.	6 ft.	3 ft. 1 in.	3 ft. 4 in.	5 ft. 9 in.	6 ft. 4 in.	6 ft. 2 in.	6 ft. 6 in.
23	4 ft. 4 in.	4 ft. 6 in.	5 ft. 1 in.	5 ft. 8 in.	3 ft. 8 in.	3 ft. 11 in.	5 ft. 8 in.	6 ft.	3 ft. 1 in.	3 ft. 5 in.	5 ft. 10 in.	6 ft. 5 in.	6 ft. 2 in.	6 ft. 7 in.
24	4 ft. 5 in.	4 ft. 7 in.	5 ft. 2 in.	5 ft. 9 in.	3 ft. 9 in.	4 ft.	5 ft. 9 in.	6 ft. 1 in.	3 ft. 2 in.	3 ft. 6 in.	5 ft. 11 in.	6 ft. 6 in.	6 ft. 3 in.	6 ft. 8 in.

Weight Determination Table

roll 4d6	Dwarf		Elf		Gnome		Half-elf		Halfling		Half-orc		Human
	f.	m.	f.	m.	f.	m.	f.	m.	f.	m.	f.	m.	f.	m.
4	99	124	66	83	62	66	83	107	41	50	107	124	116	144
5	102	127	68	85	64	68	85	110	42	51	111	128	118	148
6	105	131	70	87	65	70	87	113	44	52	114	133	122	153
7	107	134	72	90	67	72	90	116	45	54	118	137	125	157
8	110	138	74	92	69	74	92	120	46	55	123	142	129	161
9	113	142	75	94	71	75	94	123	47	57	127	147	132	165
10	116	145	77	97	73	77	97	126	48	58	131	153	136	169
11	119	149	79	99	74	79	99	129	50	60	135	158	139	174
12	122	153	81	102	76	81	102	132	51	61	139	163	143	178
13	125	157	84	104	78	84	104	136	52	63	144	168	146	183
14	128	160	86	107	80	86	107	139	53	64	148	172	150	187
15	133	166	89	111	83	89	111	144	55	66	154	179	155	194
16	137	172	92	114	86	92	114	149	57	69	160	186	160	200
17	142	177	95	118	89	95	118	154	59	71	166	166	166	207
18	147	183	98	122	92	98	122	159	61	73	172	199	171	214
19	151	189	101	126	95	101	126	164	63	76	178	206	177	221
20	156	195	104	130	98	104	130	169	65	78	184	214	182	228
21	161	201	107	134	101	107	134	174	67	80	190	221	188	235
22	166	207	111	138	104	111	138	180	69	83	197	228	194	242
23	171	214	114	142	107	114	142	185	71	85	203	236	199	249
24	176	220	117	147	110	117	147	191	73	88	210	243	205	257

The heights and weights obtained from these tables are subject to alteration by other rolls produced elsewhere in the Generator. Thus, the above should be viewed as base numbers only. Weight has a higher likelihood of being altered than does height, due to addiction, gluttony, the qualities of being robust ... or if the character has wasted away due to a hard life. Otherwise, if not altered, the numbers describe the character in the peak of condition.

During play, participants tend to skip over height and weight in their imaginations. While understandable, as getting past our self-perception and those of the other players can be a stretch, the DM should counsel the players towards truly embracing the character's real semblance. Artworks can help, if any player has that talent, as can repeating the character's gender and size as often as possible, until it's clear everyone around the table – including the DM – has a firm image of how the party looks to others.

Age

Age is an important detail that helps players envision their alter-egos. After all, we have a at least some idea of what older persons are like, compared to their younger selves. That said, players shouldn't indulge in stereotypes! Not all older characters are automatically grumpy or wise, just as many young people are not revolutionary or gullible. To create a whole personality, age is an important facet, but it's not the whole person.

Starting Age for Character Classes by Race

Class	Dwarf	Elf	Gnome	Half-elf	Halfling	Half-orc	Human
Assassin	27+1d4	14+2d4	20+1d4	16+2d4	na	37+1d6	20+1d4
Bard	na	na	na	33+1d4	na	na	25+1d4
Cleric	57+2d4	38+1d8	48+1d10	28+1d6	na	30+1d6	20+1d4
Druid	na	na	na	30+1d6	36+1d8	na	22+1d4
Fighter	16+1d4	15+1d4	15+1d4	18+1d4	17+1d4	25+1d6	14+1d4
Illusionist	na	na	21+2d6	na	na	na	29+2d8
Mage	na	22+2d4	na	23+2d6	na	na	24+2d8
Monk	na	na	na	na	na	na	23+1d4
Paladin	na	na	na	na	na	na	19+1d4
Ranger	na	18+1d4	na	21+1d4	na	na	17+1d4
Thief	25+1d4	12+2d4	18+1d4	14+2d4	29+1d6	35+1d6	18+1d4

The number produced by the Age Generation Table indicates how old the individual is upon entering the campaign as a 1st level character. Like with height and weight, this number can be altered by other results in the Generator. The space of years gives time for the character to learn since being born. Children gather knowledge and skills from family members or from a mentor (if the character lacked a traditional family) as they age – for example, learning how to sail from the age of six or how to ride a horse at five. With regards to more sagacious skills, such as architecture or politics, the character began his or her education in this things at a later time – but still within the passing years indicated. Whatever skills have been gained, its always assumed these were gained prior to the character entering the campaign.

Some classes, particularly spellcasters whose training demands the learning of a magical language, the time needed is more than classes like fighter or mage. To calculate how many years are needed for a given character to achieve their "higher education," assume that he or she began studying between the ages of 9 and 11 ... when they were young, impressionable and quicker to learn than adults. It can be seen at once that even a fighter needs 5-9 years of hard training.

In cases where a particular race tends to take excessively longer than others to learn the same class, we should assume that character lived a life practicing their secondary skill before initiating their education as a cleric, druid or whatever.

Lifespan

In a departure from traditional assumptions about non-human ages, I've chosen to present every character rade within the same familiar lifespan associated with humans. With regards to maturity, a 60-year-old elf has the same relative maturity as a similarly aged human. This may take away some mystique from non-human races, but it makes it easier for the player to relate to the character, which is more important. Those who feel this is wrong may devise numbers that suit their campaign's needs.

Age Calculation

To calculate age, the first number is a base to which is added a number generated by dice: 2d4, as an example, being two 4-sided dice. Thus, a half-elven mage's age, shown as 23+2d6, is 23 plus two 6-sided dice.

Multi-classed characters begin with the highest base number of all the classes the character has. This total is increased by the collective random dice of all possessed classes. For example, a halfling fighter/thief begins with a base age of 29 years. This is increased by one 4-sided die for the fighter side and one 6-sided die for a thief, resulting in an age between 31 and 39.

Where "n/a" appears on the table, this indicates the class is not available to that race.

Other results occurring through the Generator may extend this number or shorten it. It might be that the character has spent time in jail, or was interrupted in his or her studies by a family tragedy. It's also possible that the character's abilities as a student has shortened the time needed to acquire his or her class skills. Or those studies may be lengthened because the character was lazy or irresponsible. The number generated here, therefore, is only a base number.

Race/Class Limitations

There are no starting ages for dwarven bards, half-elven illusionist or elven paladins because I have a personal belief that not every character race should be allowed to be every character class. This may disappoint some. It's always possible to create numbers to fill in these gaps as desired for one's personal campaign.

Non-player Character Ages

Recall that the numbers on the age generation table are meant for new characters that have only just achieved 1st level status. Thus non-player characters, who've presumedly been fighters, clerics, mages and so on for some time before meeting the players, are certain to be older. A general guideline of 1d4 years can be added per level of the NPC, indicating how much time they took to pass each level mark.

For example, a 5th level fighter would have spent 4d4 years earning the levels they've acquired since their education. This is added to the generated age above, so that an average fighter of that experience would be 14+5d4 years of age. Naturally, this proposed guideline can be ignored, since it's possible to earn those four levels in less than a year or two, while at the same time a 5th level fighter could easily be 70+ years old.

Cultural Backgrounds

A character's visual appearance depends on his or her origin. There are 17 human cultures covered by the Generator's scope, and 7 non-human races, which are treated as each having one ethnicity in appearance. Much simplification has gone towards creating this few groups – but practicality requires that there can only be so many templates. A strong structure is provided by the Generator, however, so that if any individual wishes to expand a race, or the number of races, there's license to do so.

Alphabetically, these ethnic backgrounds include the Amerindian, comprising those peoples who crossed into North and South America some 15,000 years ago. East & South African counts the Congo jungles, as well as the savanna and veldt stretching from Somalia to the Cape of Good Hope. This includes the Kalahari Desert, Madagascar and the Islands of the Indian Ocean.

East Asia takes in the regions of China, Korea and Japan, including parts to the north and west that were historically touched by the Han Dynasty more than two thousand years ago. Germanic peoples dominate central Europe, whose ancestors account for many tribes beyond the Saxons and Goths. Himalayan lands count the high elevation sub-cultures reaching from the Tien Shan to Bhutan, including Tibet. The Indian Subcontinent includes the triangular plateau of Pakistan and India below the Himalayas, including the valleys of the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra.

Mediterranean groups include many with Latin and Hellenistic roots, from Portugal to Greece. North African encompasses the southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea from Morocco to Egypt, reaching to the oases of the Sahara. Persian describes those cultures dwelling in Iran, Afghanistan and adjacent parts, whose ancestors invaded the Fertile Crescent millennia ago. Polynesian peoples occupy the islands of the Pacific, including Australia.

Scandinavian are peoples dwelling in Denmark and various lands north of the Baltic and North Seas, including Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Norway. Slavic takes in many peoples dwelling in Eastern Europe and Russia. Southeast Asia embraces the East Indies and the Philippines and the mainland peninsula south of China and east of Assam.

Sub-Saharan African includes regions south of the Sahara Desert – Gambia, Ghana and Sudan, consisting of savanna and jungle reaching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Nile. Turkic accounts for a wide range of cultures who came from Ural-Altaic origins, whose tribes migrated from the steppes of high-central Asia and into Anatolia and parts of the Middle East. Western European includes tribes from Britain and France, the genetics of which were influenced by tribes like the Franks, Saxons, Danes, Vandals and Visigoths.

Parts of the world that have experienced invasions and occupations by foreign groups, such as Europe and the Middle East, tend to have greater variation in their genetic make-up ... while other parts, like Polynesia and East Asia, have remained distinctly homogenous in appearance. This accounts for the multiplicity of results among some humans as opposed to others.

The content that follows has tried to be accurate and fair in the presentation of human traits, with strong emphasis on how these people would have looked in a pre-17th century world, before the widespread use of ships and other forms of rapid travel. Some license has been taken along these lines with non-human races, whose tables appear among those of human cultures.

Players are encouraged to roll randomly to learn what results they obtain, recognising once again that we don't choose the background we're born into – something that includes our skin tone, hair and eye colour.

Skin Tone

As the player's desire for individuality and unusualness is at a premium, an effort has been made to create varying tables for skin tone, hair and eye colour which are as detailed as possible. Tables have also been added for dwarves, elves, gnomes and so on. It helps that we have more examples for human appearance from cultures around the world, than we do for fanciful races that exist only in fiction.

For some, skin tone is a volatile subject. Some DMs will shy away from dictating a character's skin tones for unspoken reasons – and therefore would prefer the players to choose their own, not speaking of the matter in any capacity. However, because the Generator's ambition is to remove such choices from both the DM and the players, I don't believe this is an appropriate method.

Moreover, as with gender, I see no reason why any distinction should be made between the members of one culture vs. another. To hell with human history; all members of every ethnic background deserve to be treated equally by the game, with "colour" having no more relevance than it's role in describing which part of the globe a person might come from.

Intensity of Tone

To reduce misunderstandings, the best approach is to use those labels provided by the cosmetics industry, as shown in the right-hand image. That industry has a vested interest in providing correct shades of make-up for persons of every background. An internet search of these tones, accompanied by the word "cosmetics," provides multiple visual examples of these same tones and words used to describe them.

There are 24 distinct tones represented. The darkest are ebony, sepia, earth and molasses. These are tones associated with sub-Saharan, eastern and southern Africa, although sepia tones can also be found in North Africa and Polynesia. Softer brown pigments include chocolate, cocoa, mocha and mahogany, colours we associate with tropical and sub-tropical regions around the globe.

Mid-tones include almond, caramel, cinnamon, bronze, olive and honey, which are so common as to exist in all but the most northern climates. Where the sun's presence reduces human pigmentation, somewhat lighter skin tones occur, including sienna, tan, beige and caucasian, with a fair colour acting as a borderline between brownness and pale. The lightest human skin colours remaining are soft beige, cream, ivory, Nordic and alabaster.

These tones apply to most non-human races, with the exception of half-orcs, who add two additional unnatural tones: dark honey and greenish walnut.

Amerindian Origin
Skin Tone		Hair Colour		Hair Texture		Eye Colour
1.	beige	4 to 7	iron grey	1.	stick-straight	4 to 21	walnut brown
2.	honey	8 to 26	sooty black	2.	straight with slight wave	22 to 29	whiskey brown
3.	olive	27 to 33	jet black	–		30 to 34	topaz brown
–		34 to 38	raven black	–		35 to 36	amber
–		–		–		37 to 38	golden brown
Dwarvish Origin
Skin Tone		Hair Colour		Hair Texture		Eye Colour
1.	bronze	4 to 7	ash grey	1.	spiral curls	4 to 7	moss green	30	emerald green
2.	olive	8 to 26	ash brown	2.	s-waves	8 to 14	coal black	31	jet black
3.	sepia	27 to 30	copper red	–		15 to 20	graphite	32	obsidian
–		31 to 33	ginger	–		21	pewter	33 to 34	topaz brown
–		34 to 35	bronze	–		22 to 24	cloud grey	35	amber
–		36 to 38	flaming red	–		25 to 27	ebony black	36	charcoal grey
–		–		–		28 to 29	slate grey	37	golden brown
–		–		–		38	silver grey
East & South African Origin
Skin Tone		Hair Colour		Hair Texture		Eye Colour
1.	almond	4 to 6	iron grey	1.	kinked	4 to 11	walnut brown
2.	bronze	8 to 17	flat black	2.	tightly coiled	12 to 17	chocolate brown
3.	caramel	18 to 26	salt & pepper grey	3.	tight corkscrews	18 to 20	faded blue
4.	chocolate	27 to 29	jet black	–		21 to 22	graphite
5.	cocoa	30 to 33	tawny	–		23 to 25	chestnut brown
6.	earth	34 to 38	raven black	–		26 to 29	whiskey brown
7.	ebony	–		–		30 to 34	russet brown
8.	mahogany	–		–		35 to 38	champagne brown
9.	mocha	–		–		–
10.	molasses	–		–		–
11.	sepia	–		–		–
East Asian Origin
Skin Tone		Hair Colour		Hair Texture		Eye Colour
1.	caucasian	4 to 7	iron grey	1.	stick-straight	4 to 14	walnut brown
2.	honey	8 to 12	flat black	–		15 to 21	chocolate brown
3.	olive	13 to 26	flat black	–		22 to 25	chestnut brown
4.	sienna	27 to 33	flat black	–		26 to 29	whiskey brown
5.	soft beige	34 to 38	flat black	–		30 to 32	russet brown
–		–		–		33 to 34	topaz brown
–		–		–		35 to 36	amber
–		–		–		37 to 38	golden brown
Elvish Origin
Skin Tone		Hair Colour		Hair Texture		Eye Colour
1.	ivory	4 to 7	sooty black	1.	stick-straight	4 to 11	china blue	32	ice blue
2.	nordic	8 to 26	russet brown	2.	straight with slight wave	12 to 14	cornflower blue	33	sapphire blue
–		27 to 33	wheaten	–		15 to 21	sky blue	34	amethyst
–		34 to 35	flat white	–		22 to 24	sea green	35	aquamarine
–		36 to 37	platinum blonde	–		25 to 27	steel blue	36	indigo
–		38	silver grey	–		28 to 29	crystal blue	37	ultramarine
–		–		–		30	electric blue	38	violet
–		–		–		31	emerald green
Germanic Origin
Skin Tone		Hair Colour		Hair Texture		Eye Colour
1.	caucasian	4	ash grey	1.	ringlets	4 to 5	walnut brown	25	crystal blue
2.	cream	5	iron grey	2.	spiral curls	6 to 8	faded blue	26	electric blue
3.	fair	6 to 7	steel grey	3.	stick-straight	9	china blue	27	emerald green
4.	nordic	8 to 11	ash brown	4.	straight with body wave	10 to 11	cornflower blue	28	forest green
5.	sienna	12 to 14	salt & pepper grey	5.	s-waves	12	hazel	29	honey brown
6.	soft beige	15 to 17	sandy brown	–		13 to 14	jade green	30	ice blue
7.	tan	18 to 20	sooty black	–		15 to 16	sky blue	31	russet brown
–		21 to 23	strawberry blonde	–		17	chestnut brown	32	sapphire blue
–		24 to 26	russet brown	–		18	cloud grey	33	amber
–		27 to 28	ash blonde	–		19	sea green	34	aquamarine
–		29 to 30	auburn	–		20	steel blue	35	champagne brown
–		31 to 32	chestnut brown	–		21	whiskey brown	36	grass green
–		33	jet black	–		22	baby blue	37	indigo
–		34 to 36	flaxen	–		23	cat's eye green	38	bottle green
–		37 to 38	platinum blonde	–		24	chartreuse
Gnomish Origin
Skin Tone		Hair Colour		Hair Texture		Eye Colour
1.	bronze	4 to 7	ash grey	1.	straight with slight wave	4 to 7	seaweed green	32	russet brown
2.	olive	8 to 26	tawny	2.	s-waves	8 to 11	hazel	33	tawny brown
3.	tan	27 to 30	ginger	–		12 to 14	moss green	34	bottle green
–		31 to 33	jet black	–		15 to 17	pine green	35	grass green
–		34 to 35	bronze	–		15 to 17	walnut green	36	midnight black
–		36 to 38	flaming red	–		15 to 17	fern green	37	ultramarine
–		–		–		22 to 30	forest green	38	ultraviolet
–		–		–		31	cat's eye green
Half-elven Origin
Skin Tone		Hair Colour		Hair Texture		Eye Colour
1.	alabaster	4 to 7	ginger	1.	stick-straight	4 to 10	faded blue	31	emerald green
2.	cream	8 to 26	russet brown	–		11 to 14	cornflower blue	32	ice blue
3.	soft beige	27 to 30	jet black	–		15 to 20	sky blue	33 to 34	sapphire blue
–		31 to 33	wheaten	–		21	china blue	35	aquamarine
–		34 to 35	flat white	–		22 to 24	china blue	36 to 37	indigo
–		36 to 38	platinum blonde	–		25 to 29	steel blue	38	violet
–		–		–		30	baby blue
Halfling
Skin Tone		Hair Colour		Hair Texture		Eye Colour
1.	bronze	4 to 7	salt & pepper grey	1.	spiral curls	4 to 7	umber brown	30 to 31	chartreuse
2.	honey	8 to 17	ash brown	2.	s-waves	8 to 14	chocolate brown	32 to 34	honey brown
–		18 to 26	tawny	–		15 to 20	walnut brown	35	champagne brown
–		27 to 33	ginger	–		21	gingerbread brown	36 to 37	golden brown
–		34 to 38	flaming red	–		22 to 24	chestnut brown	38	silver grey
–		–		–		25 to 29	cinnamon brown
Half-orcish Origin
Skin Tone		Hair Colour		Hair Texture		Eye Colour
1.	bronze	4 to 26	sooty black	1.	kinked	4 to 7	turquoise
2.	dark honey	27 to 33	jet black	2.	tight corkscrews	8 to 21	hazel
3.	green walnut	34 to 38	bluish black	3.	tightly coiled	22 to 29	pink with green flecks
–		–		–		30 to 34	pink with grey flecks
–		–		–		35 to 38	pale pink

Cultural Traits Tables

These tables are organised according to the ethnic background of each character origin. Each allows the player to roll skin tone, hair features and eye colour. As regards skin tone, there is an equal chance of each type occuring; the same is true of hair texture. Hair and eye colour, on the other hand, are rolled. The result is calculated by adding a d20 to the character's charisma, separately for each roll to be made.

For example, the dwarf Annabeth is rolling for her hair colour. Her charisma equals 12. Adding a d20, the worst result Annabeth can manage is a 13, which would make her hair ash brown. If she rolled a 19 or 20, her hair would be ginger. Instead, she rolls a 16, making her hair copper red.

Hair

Varieties of hair colour and vitality are more varied than skin tone. In addition, the Generator takes the character's physical beauty and charisma into account, along with regional factors. Richer hair colours are recognised as more attractive than drab alternatives, so that less charismatic characters tend toward early greying ... while beautiful people are often blessed with unusual huges like platinum blonde or bluish black. Still, some ethnic groups have little variation, as these groups are strongly dominated by a single type. With the uncertainty of all things, not all charismatic characters have "great hair" ... though more likely, nothing is certain.

List of Hair Colours

Below is a complete list of the Generator's hair colours that appear on the table, with a description for each, aiding players to understand what the words mean:

• ash blonde: blonde hair with dark roots and a hint of grey.
• ash brown: brunette hair blended with cool grey tones, sometimes called "mushroom brown."
• ash grey: found at the darker end of the grey spectrum, with a smoky hue.
• auburn: reddish-brown, ranging from medium-red to burgundy.
• bluish black: thick black hair with distinctive blue highlights, occurring as a natural "balayage."
• bronze: brunette hair with notes of gold, appearing especially vibrant.
• chestnut brown: deep brown with reddish hues.
• copper red: dark, rich ginger hair blended with brunette.
• flaming red: shocking bright red hair, with crimson and orange highlights.
• flat black: black hair without gloss or sheen, appearing dull in sunlight.
• flat white: giving an eerily matte appearance, with a nonetheless velvety lustre.
• flaxen: pale yellow-grey hair, the colour of straw.
• ginger: burnt orange colour blended with pale reddish-brown.
• golden blonde: warm, rich yellowy colour
• honey blonde: blend of blonde hair with a sheen of light brown.
• honey brown: warm brown colour with honey-toned highlights.
• iron grey: dark, dull grey hair.
• jet black: intense black hair with a dramatic blue and purple undertone.
• platinum blonde: whitish blonde hair with an luscious metallic gloss.
• raven black: lustrous shimmering black hair with softened tones.
• russet brown: hard, reddish-brown hair blended with grey undertones.
• salt & pepper grey: mixture of black and grey colouring, with inconsistent traces of white hair.
• sandy brown: soft light brown hair, lacking shine.
• silver grey: shiny grey hair mingled with white strands.
• sooty black: dusky, dull-coloured black hair, with hints of depth.
• sooty grey: uniform, matte grey colour lacking sheen.
• steel grey: distinctive bluish-grey hair with a hard lustre.
• strawberry blonde: reddish blonde hair with an orange hue.
• tawny: pale brown hair with tan highlights and varying sheen.
• wheaten: soft brown-blonde hair with light brown highlights.

Hair Texture

In addition to colour, hair possesses many varieties of feel, appearance and thickness, evident in how curly hair is, it's volume and it's consistency. Like colour, hair types are distinctive in different parts of the world – and so again, ethnic background is useful in determining a character's personal look.

In much of the world, hair tends towards certain singular types. Asian hair, for example, is nearly always straight, growing perpendicularly from the scalp. African varieties tend to be very tightly coiled and dense, while highly resistant to management with comb, as it grows in an angle-like helix shape. This is commonly called "kinky." The management of one's hair is paart of the character's experience – for though a player can't choose the character's hair texture, it is possible to decide how hair is worn. How the character fixes or manipulates his or her hair is as important as the hair itself.

Those living in temperate climates, with wavy or curly hair, often choose to grow their hair out long as protection against the elements. To manage a thick volume, hair is bound with cords and thongs; braided elaborately for comfort and convenience; or shaved, leaving a bald scalp. In northerly climates, extensive beards are grown to give even more protection in sub-zero weather. Players may want to experiment with the hair on the character's scalp and many varieties of facial hair. Details like this can add verve, creating a need to carry around a mirror or other tools to address his or her coiffure.

Further, the character's constitution affects the healthiness and vitality of an individual's hair. This is addressed further down, below the list of character ethnic origins.

Eye Colour

Like hair, certain eye colours possess an unparalleled attractiveness, and so the character's charisma affects a luminosity and richness of colour in the character's eyes. Also, the presence of non-human races gives the opportunity for eye colours that don't exist in humans ... providing interesting opportunities in determining this physical characteristic. In general, fantastic colours are considered more appealing than brown eyes — though it can be recognised that there are many shades of brown, some of which are considered more attractive than others.

There are other matters having to do with a character's eyes and hair that have yet to be addressed, namely the possibility of a character being an albino, or possessing heterochromia. These things are dealt with below.

Once again, the character needs to roll a d20 and add his or her charisma. This is then compared against the varying races and regions that have been used thus far for skin tone and hair colour. In addition, to give an impression of different eye colours, a description of each is included to aid characters in understanding what the words mean:

• Amber: clear, luminous golden colour, both warm and seductive
• Amethyst: very pale, clear, true-violet colour with no hint of blue
• Amethyst blue: like amethyst, but with sky-blue striations
• Aquamarine: clear, piercing blue-green with a yellow hue
• Baby blue: very light to very pale greenish or purplish blue
• Bottle green: deep vivid green, luminous, with grey flecks or rays
• Cat's eye green: pale green with yellow undertones surrounding the iris
• Champagne brown: pale orange to greyish yellow, sparkling and light-catching
• Charcoal grey: very dark grey, almost black
• Chartreuse: a brilliant greenish yellow, backlit with a deep yellowish hue
• Chestnut brown: greyish brown with a soft medium reddish hue and orangish rays
• China blue: strikingly pure dark indigo with a luminous quality
• Chocolate brown: medium true-brown, with elements of red and grey; sexy and decadent
• Cinnamon brown: distinctive reddish eyes with warm brown undertone
• Cloud grey: softly luminous pale grey with whitish tones and striations
• Coal black: pure black eyes with a vague shininess or gleam
• Cornflower blue: muted medium-blue with flecks of light blue and white
• Crystal blue: extremely pale with white rays, clear and luminous
• Ebony black: flat black eyes with a soft and subdued beauty

• Electric blue: pale to medium bright blue; bright, energetic and striking
• Emerald green: very dark, clear green with a gleaming radiance
• Faded blue: dull pale blue with a homespun quality
• Fern green: cool, flat green colour lacking in other colours
• Forest green: soft, medium green with few flecks of brown, without a brown hue
• Gingerbread brown: medium brown with a strong yellow hue and rays
• Golden brown: medium warm brown with golden rays and gold circling around the iris
• Graphite: medium true-grey, flat and dull but distinctively unusual
• Grass green: medium true-green with equal ratio of blue and yellow rays
• Hazel: strong greenish-brown with glints of many colours, with blue or yellow rays
• Honey brown: pale brown with soft, light golden colour with a warm character
• Ice blue: extremely pale blue eyes, nearly white, hard and unsettling
• Indigo: warm, exotic dark blue that absorb light rather than reflect it
• Jade green: pale greenish-white with soapy luminosity, occasionally with exotic black flecks
• Jet black: a luxurious glossy black colour notorious for reflecting images
• Midnight black: blue-black with an indigo underlay and flecks of white
• Moss green: cool mid-tone greyish green with grey-blue undertones
• Obsidian: hard, flinty black with elements of unsettling transparency
• Pale pink: whitish-pink with yellow-grey flecks
• Pewter: rich saturated dark grey with a hint of soft blue undertone
• Pine green: deep, dark green colour with a slight black hue
• Pink with green flecks: sickly-looking pink-orange hue with flinty dark green flecks
• Pink w/grey flecks: deep pink color with grey flecks and striations
• Russet brown: shimmering, glossy reddish-brown with deep blue undertones
• Sapphire blue: deep, luminous medium-blue with a rich, luminous colour
• Sea green: clear blue-green colour with darker outer blue rim
• Seaweed green: flat dark green mixed with yellow and brown hues
• Silver grey: Bright and shining glossy grey with metallic rays, very luminous
• Sky blue: clear, light blue lacking highlights or balancing hues
• Slate grey: medium grey with hints of blue with stony coolness and a matte appearance
• Steel blue: hard iron grey-blue with light grey highlights, somewhat flat in colour
• Steel green: hard iron grey-green with flecks of grey-white colour
• Tawny brown: light brown to brownish orange, with yellow gold striations
• Topaz brown: pale, clear gold colour that reflects and appears glowing or luminous
• Turquoise: pale, milky blue-green colour with white hue and undertones
• Ultramarine: vivid strong blue mixed with dense, dark violet; very luminous and beautiful
• Umber brown: dark purplish-red colour mixed with deep brown, with violet ring around iris
• Violet: light purplish colour, somewhat dull, with white and yellow flecks
• Walnut brown: medium dull dark-brown, with lighter brown ring around the iris
• Whiskey brown: watery, warm brown with a light orange hue and a reflective quality

Albinism

The chance of a character being an "albino" should be higher than the chance of a real person having this condition (between 1 in 3000 to 1 in 20000, depending on region). Albinism inspires a unique characteristic for a player to consider when having their character approach the game world. I suggest that the chances of the first albino occurring in the campaign should be 1 in 100; and the chance of a second like character being 1 in 400. Such characters possess a flat white hair colour and deep red eyes. They may also be partially or wholly blind, in which case they have adjusted somewhat to that condition; or the DM may rule that the character's condition has been cured and that only the appearance of albinism remains.

In either case, the presence of albinism supercedes the generation of hair and eye colour, and so this roll should be made first. Of course, some DMs may prefer greater odds against the condition, or the suspension of the condition in their campaign.

Heterochromia

This is the variation of colour between the character's two eyes. Less than 1% of the world's population possesses eyes of two different colours, so we may fairly institute a 1 in 100 chance of this occurring, without the odds against increasing. Simply roll twice on the tables given for the character, indicating the left eye and the right eye.

Body Type & Overall Appearance

While the main determination of the character's general semblance and quality of being pleasing or sexually alluring is determined primarily by the character's charisma, a potential exists for the character's appearance to also be affected by wisdom. Unwise characters may have experienced critical accidents through foolhardiness that resulted in the loss of a hand or limb, or even an eye. However, those effects by wisdom are dealt with elsewhere. Imagine, then, that the tables for physical appearance and features describe what the character would look like without such mishaps having occurred.

[further details to be added at a later time]

Origin

The character's origin addresses the circumstances of the character's birth and other matters relating to upbringing, family, early training in secondary skills and the character's starting wealth. Prior to that moment when the player first enters the game, all time that has passed and all things that have happened are out of the player's control. These things are determined randomly, influenced by the choices made in allocating their ability scores ... for this allocation may allow or disallow the occurrence of a wide range of chance events and possibilities.

Family

As we know from our own experience, no person chooses the family or social status into which he or she is born. We may wish to be born rich, or a member of the nobility, but the fact is that our fate is out of our hands. Some are lucky; some are not. A part of learning what the character is, or what opportunities exist to be had, we must first learn what family the character has. The attribute that determines this is strength, which dictates the overall survival and number of the character's living relations.

By extension, we may assume that if the character has living grandparents or parents, most likely there exists a corresponding extended family, dwelling around the area of the character's birthplace. If, on the other hand, it turns out the character was made an orphan in their youth — perhaps without any family relations at all — then the lack of family might be a motivating factor in the way the character sees the game world.

Family Table

We begin by creating an adjusted strength number, rolling a d20 and adding it to the character's strength. This produces a number between 4 and 38, as explained in the determination of hair. By consulting the table, we can learn the extent of the character's living family. Throughout the table, additional details need to be rolled here or on the subtable below. Where it describes the character as "raised by," it should be understood that the named parents are still alive when the character enters the campaign.

If there are parents, the first sibling is born into a family when the mother is between the age of 14 and 20. Count the father's age as [3d4-4] added to the mother's age. Additional children are born 1 to 3 years after the first (the time difference accounting for children who may have been lost between living siblings).

d20 + Str.	Upbringing
4 to 7	Left on the doorstep of a cottage as a foundling; and thereafter adopted and given an education
8	Born a slave and kept until freed, began working as an apprentice at the age of [6-9].
9 to 10	Lost family at age [6-9], finding support from a mentor acting as a surrogate parent [+1 age for elf thieves]
11 to 12	Lost family after beginning class-level training at age [10-14] [+2 age for elf thieves]; continued education with the help of mentor and institution; [see Institution subtable]
13 to 14	Raised by [mother/father]'s [sister/brother] after [1-12] years of age; [see Sibling subtable for this entry and all entries downtable]
15 to 17	Raised by [mother/father]'s [sister/brother] after [1-12] years of age
18	Raised by an elder [sister/brother] after [3-12] years of age; sibling is [2-8] years older than the character
19	Lost family at age [6-9], finding support from a mentor acting as a surrogate parent [+1 age for elf thieves]
20	Raised by both of [mother/father]'s parents after [2d4+5] years of age
21	Raised by single [mother/father]
22 to 23	Raised by both parents
24 to 25	Raised by both parents and [1-2] grandparents, elder either to [mother/father]
26 to 27	Raised by both parents and 3 grandparents
28 to 38	Raised by both parents and all four grandparents

This should give the approximate age of the character's parents. If the placement of the character in the order of birth cannot be reconciled, then assume elder brothers and sisters are twins or triplets. Mentors will be [5d6+20] years older than the character.

From extrapolating the age of the parents and siblings, a character may take the time, if wished, to calculate their wider family tree by rolling the strength of each family member, rolling their own background on the family table — obviously discounting any results that can't fit with known details. At present, a true depiction would require another table for maladies and early deaths, which I don't intend to create at this time; but the reader could make up one of their own.

Sibling Subtable

A character's relationships with his or her siblings are discussed under Choices and Relationships. It shouldn't be assumed that characters have a positive relationship to any member of their family. With the table below, we're only concerned with the number of siblings, along with other odd matters. The same adjusted strength roll should be used for the sibling table as it was for the main family table.

Thus, if the character's adjusted strength was 13, indicating that "he" was raised by an "aunt," then the same 13 result would be used to determine the character's number of siblings.

Due to the circumstances of their birth, character with an adjusted strength of 4 to 12 have no known siblings.

Once the sex of each sibling has been determined, the character can be placed in the order of birth by simply rolling a random number of siblings who are either younger or older than the character. For example, if the character were one of 8 children, a d8 could be used to indicate if the character where the 1st or the 5th born, or whatever.

This particular fact can matter greatly where it comes to possibility of inheriting a rich parent's fortune, and is particularly crucial if the character turns out to be born a member of a region's nobility or of a kingdom's royal family.

d20 + Str.	Number of Siblings	Special
13 to 14	[roll d20] none (1-14), one (15-19) or two (20)	—
15	[roll d20] none (1-9), one (10-17), two (18-19) or three (20)	—
16 to 18	0-3 (d4-1)	—
19	0	—
20 to 23	1-4	—
24 to 27	2-4	—
28 to 30	0-5 (d6-1)	character had a fraternal twin that died [roll d20] at birth (1-7), at the age of [1-3] (8-17) or at the age of [4-14] (18-20)
31	1-6	character has a living fraternal twin
32	2-7	character has a living identical twin
33 to 34	2-8	roll character had an identical twin that died [roll d20] at birth (1-9), at the age of [1-3] (10-17) or at the age of [4-14] (18-20)
35 to 36	4-10	—
37 to 38	6-15 (3d4+3)	—

Should it happen that the character has a fraternal or an identical twin, the DM may give the player the option of running both. In the case of fraternal twins, roll 2d8 for each of the original character's stats, subtracting 5, producing an adjustment between -3 and +3. For each of these rolls, there's a 10 in 16 chance that the adjusted stat for the twin would be the same or within 1 point of the originally rolled character. The chance is 15 in 16 that it'll be within 2 points. With identical twins, the twin's stats are exactly the same.

The table doesn't include the possibility of triplets or quadruplets, but the DM may allow a 1 in 100 chance of triplet fraternal twins — with an equal chance of quadruplets and quintuplets, following each roll of 1 in 100 (thus, quintuplets would occur with three rolls of double-zero) once the twin result shows. The chance of triplet identical twins might be rated at 1 in 400. The reason the chances are so low is that in a medieval or post-medieval setting, like as not all of three or more twins would be unlikely to survive the birth, or the mother either.

Institution Subtable

It should be noticed that character's with high strengths, like clerics, fighters, monks, paladins and rangers, are far more likely to have large families than are bards, illusionists or mages. This is intentional. Strength and bravery ask for a strong support network, encouragement and a belief in working together, the sort of thing that large families encourage. On the other hand, the unlikeliness of illusionists and mages suggest that many who come to profession come to it by chance, as self-reliant, even resentful persons isolated by their circumstances — for example, by being made an orphan.

Still, a line has been inserted into the Family Table to ensure there is at least some chance for every character to become an orphan. Some would certainly miss the possibility if this were entirely denied.

The sort of upbringing an individual is given has no influence at all on their ability as a class character. But it does suggest a view of the world; a history that can be played, for the player to find in his or herself when approaching the game.

Instititutions, foster parents and mentors are determined by the character's class. Normally, an individual starts training as a bard, cleric, druid and so on at the age of 8 to 10. A foundling or a young character forced to fend for themselves — who has clearly made something of themself, since we're looking back — relies upon whatever culture is willing to support them. Assassins thus come from cultures very different than an illusionist or a paladin.

Class	Institution [d20]
assassin	barracks (1-3), beggar's guild (4-16), shipboard (17-19), whorehouse (20)
bard	bard's college (1-14), guildhouse (15-16), performing troupe (17-20)
cleric	church/temple (1-14), monastery (15-20)
druid	manor farm
fighter	baggage train (1), barracks (2-13), manor farm (14-16), shipboard (17-20)
illusionist	guildhouse (1-9), library (10-20)
mage	guildhouse (1-14), library (15-20)
monk	monastery
paladin	barracks (1-12), manor farm (13-19), monastery (20)
ranger	manor farm (1-9), shipboard (10-20)
thief	beggar's guild (1-12), guildhouse (13), shipboard (14-18), whorehouse (19-20)

Applicable discriptions for the different institutions are below. Remember that although a character may have spent time aboard ship or in a varying type of guild, this doesn't necessarily mean they learned how to swim or create an article of some sort; to learn precisely what sort of secondary knowledge the character accumulated in their youth, see Progenitors.

• Baggage camp: the character spent their childhood following military camps through campaigns, helping to cook, launder clothes, make liquor, nurse soldiers, carry baggage and otherwise act as a servant to soldiers. Like as not, he or she began their training as a fighter while still on the move, as taught by the soldiers present, not actually being sent to a proper school to gain traditional fighting skills until the age of 13.

• Bard's college: these are dramatic places of learning, often no more than a single sprawling structure, where the character was able to watch and listen to bards discuss and perform their arts. Much of the character's youth would have involved servant and cleaning duties, though as a bard they would have learned to read & write at an age of six or seven — as all bards have this ability. Practical, serious training would have started at the age of 10.

• Barracks: these are long buildings used to house soldiers and labourers. Characters would have spent much time cleaning weapons, sharpening them, sewing arming gowns and flags, cleaning and attending livestock or acting as servants to the soldiers. Practical training for fighters and paladins would have started and been completed in rooms attached to the main barracks; assassins from a barracks have started this training until their mid-teens, before abandoning the traditional path to gain knowledge from tutors and masters in less savoury activities.

• Beggar's guild: starting under the tutelage of a "kidsman," an organiser of begging and thieving children as depicted by Fagan, both assassins and thieves would have been stealing from the age of 6 or even earlier. Assassins, having shown a talent and interest in intimidation and confrontation, would have taken the skills learned as a child and maneuvered themselves into a proper barracks school to master fighting. Thieves, on the other hand, are likely to have reached the full skills of their class without any formal training at all, having started so young.

• Church/Temple: being taken in and given a place to sleep as an act of charity, the character would have spent their childhood cleaning the pews, carrying hymnals and other books, gardening, tending to animals kept to help support the clergy and carrying candles, flags and podiums during festivals. After the character is given a place during services and shows his or her piety, the decision is made to send the character to a formal seminary on a stipend.

• Guildhouse: represents different possible organisations for different classes, but in all cases the characters would spend time acting as servants and participating in the backbreaking work of feeding and housing a large number of workers. This means much laundering, kitchen duties and carrying much wood and water. Bards are familiar with guilds related to ceramic, tailoring, woodworking guilds and other artisan examples. Illusionists spend their time in bookbinding, print houses, scribners and university-supportive guilds. In addition to these for the illusionist, a mage can include guilds dedicated towards alchemy, medicine and other sciences. The guild for a thief is assuredly a thief's guild. Each of these guilds would be responsible, through collections and donations, for the character receiving a formal education in their class.

• Library: the duties for children in these places are primarily cleaning, collecting and copying. As illusionist and mages, they would have learned to read & write at the age of 8 to 9, when they were old enough to be trusted to spend endless hours writing copies as a scholar droned on and on. Characters of this type would also have some experience with many possible educations; as "farmers" or "explorers," they may never have stood in a field or been aboard a ship. Formal education begins when the character is paid for their ability to write, a task they perform all through their training.

• Manor farm: the character becomes a part of a squire or minor noble's household, working in a wide variety of possible tasks and places: in the stables, attending the reeve or hayward, farming, processing staples into foodstuffs, working as a servant in the house and like the guilds above, many hours of carrying wood and water. Future druids and rangers find themselves acting as a servant to the gameskeeper and manor shepherds, learning about the woods and animals. Paladins impress the manor owners so much that their way is to a formal education is paid, whereas fighters and others must beg, borrow or steal the money from the various overseers and friends they've made.

• Monastery: the culture here is not so different from that of a manor, with opportunities to learn about farming, animals and the making of various foodstuffs ... but the religious expectation encouraged the character to become a cleric or a monk — remaining to complete their training in the same institution they attended as young children. Paladins growing up in a monastery remain affected by what they saw and the rituals they took part in, but by the age of 10 or 11 they head out, with a stipend, to get formal training in fighting.

• Performing troupe: a fun and exciting life for a young future bard, full of helping to move and walk long distances beside wagons on their way to the next town ... but also opportunities to act on stage, walk through strange places shouting out the arrival of the troupe to outsiders, handling money and watching the players and performers hone their craft. Many heartbreaking moments also, as a performer in a troupe can lose heart. Such bards use what skills they can find in these places to audition their way into a college or guild to receive their formal training.

• Shipboard: life aboard ship includes many dangerous, unique ideas for the character to discover as a child, but it's hard, repetitive work also. Decks must be scrubbed white, while learning to walk out on a mast or spar in a storm is also part of the character's education. More than one lost friend, fellow child or adult alike, is remembered though they are long gone. Shipboard also allows for long periods ashore, where a fellow seaman may take time to teach an assassin, fighter, ranger or thief a wide variety of secondary abilities. Formal training is usually made possible by a long voyage at sea, where years of income are accumulated and paid out in a single day. +1-4 pts. sailing knowledge.

• Whorehouse: the most lurid of places where the assassin or thief character might spend their childhood. Suffice to say that the duties may be of a kind that the character would never speak of, be they man or woman. Certainly bathing the artists, cleaning, acting as servants and perpetually cleaning after the worst sort of visitors would make for unpleasant memories. More likely as not, the character stole what they needed to get out and be long gone from such a place — though they could never admit it.

Progenitors

Every levelled character is entitled to one Progenitor, the individual responsible for raising them from a child and enabling their training as a character class.

Ability Stat Background Links

Character's Personal History