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. For example, the player isn't given the choice of deciding whether or not his or her parents are alive, whom he was raised by, what generational skills he or she was taught, into what social class the character was born, what others who have known the character for years think, how much money he or she has with which to start the game and so on.

It's standard in many games to allow the player to invent an entirely fictional "background" that serves their personal needs; this system sets out, instead, to create a completely RANDOM background, over which neither the character nor the DM has control. Players may, after the fact, choose to lie about their background; they may make up a background that suits them; but they cannot change the actual fact of what their background was, a fact that's known to the other players and the DM as a matter of game play.

The generator includes a considerable number of both elaborate and simple tables that strives to offer so many possibilities that the generation of two identical characters would be next to impossible. Normally, these tables are incorporated into an excel file for random generation, but for the wiki I have chosen to include all results as a series of open tables for readers to examine.

Physical Characteristics

Height & Weight

Initially, the character's physical creation requires the character's height and weight. For this, height is measured in feet and inches, while weight is measured in lbs. These represent the character in the peak of condition, unless indicated otherwise elsewhere in the generator. Base height depends upon the character's race and birth sex. Base weight depends on the character's race and birth sex, and also upon results indicating gluttony, agility and lack of balance.

Height Rolls

roll 4d6	FEMALE HEIGHT							MALE HEIGHT
	dwarf	elf	gnome	half-elf	halfling	half-orc	human	dwarf	elf	gnome	half-elf	halfling	half-orc	human
4	3 ft. 3 in.	3 ft. 10 in.	2 ft. 9 in.	4 ft. 5 in.	2 ft. 4 in.	4 ft. 5 in.	4 ft. 9 in.	3 ft. 5 in.	4 ft. 3 in.	3 ft.	4 ft. 9 in.	2 ft. 7 in.	4 ft. 9 in.	5 ft.
5	3 ft. 4 in.	3 ft. 11 in.	2 ft. 10 in.	4 ft. 6 in.	2 ft. 5 in.	4 ft. 6 in.	4 ft. 10 in.	3 ft. 6 in.	4 ft. 4 in.	3 ft. 1 in.	4 ft. 10 in.	2 ft. 7 in.	4 ft. 10 in.	5 ft. 1 in.
6	3 ft. 5 in.	4 ft.	2 ft. 11 in.	4 ft. 7 in.	2 ft. 5 in.	4 ft. 7 in.	4 ft. 10 in.	3 ft. 7 in.	4 ft. 5 in.	3 ft. 1 in.	4 ft. 10 in.	2 ft. 8 in.	4 ft. 10 in.	5 ft. 2 in.
7	3 ft. 5 in.	4 ft. 1 in.	2 ft. 11 in.	4 ft. 8 in.	2 ft. 6 in.	4 ft. 8 in.	4 ft. 11 in.	3 ft. 7 in.	4 ft. 6 in.	3 ft. 2 in.	4 ft. 11 in.	2 ft. 8 in.	4 ft. 11 in.	5 ft. 3 in.
8	3 ft. 6 in.	4 ft. 1 in.	3 ft.	4 ft. 9 in.	2 ft. 6 in.	4 ft. 9 in.	5 ft.	3 ft. 8 in.	4 ft. 7 in.	3 ft. 2 in.	5 ft.	2 ft. 9 in.	5 ft.	5 ft. 4 in.
9	3 ft. 7 in.	4 ft. 2 in.	3 ft.	4 ft. 10 in.	2 ft. 7 in.	4 ft. 10 in.	5 ft. 1 in.	3 ft. 9 in.	4 ft. 8 in.	3 ft. 3 in.	5 ft. 1 in.	2 ft. 9 in.	5 ft. 1 in.	5 ft. 5 in.
10	3 ft. 7 in.	4 ft. 3 in.	3 ft. 1 in.	4 ft. 10 in.	2 ft. 7 in.	4 ft. 10 in.	5 ft. 2 in.	3 ft. 9 in.	4 ft. 9 in.	3 ft. 4 in.	5 ft. 2 in.	2 ft. 10 in.	5 ft. 2 in.	5 ft. 6 in.
11	3 ft. 8 in.	4 ft. 4 in.	3 ft. 1 in.	4 ft. 11 in.	2 ft. 8 in.	4 ft. 11 in.	5 ft. 3 in.	3 ft. 10 in.	4 ft. 9 in.	3 ft. 4 in.	5 ft. 3 in.	2 ft. 10 in.	5 ft. 3 in.	5 ft. 7 in.
12	3 ft. 9 in.	4 ft. 4 in.	3 ft. 2 in.	5 ft.	2 ft. 8 in.	5 ft.	5 ft. 4 in.	3 ft. 11 in.	4 ft. 10 in.	3 ft. 5 in.	5 ft. 4 in.	2 ft. 11 in.	5 ft. 4 in.	5 ft. 8 in.
13	3 ft. 9 in.	4 ft. 5 in.	3 ft. 2 in.	5 ft. 1 in.	2 ft. 9 in.	5 ft. 1 in.	5 ft. 5 in.	3 ft. 11 in.	4 ft. 11 in.	3 ft. 5 in.	5 ft. 5 in.	2 ft. 11 in.	5 ft. 5 in.	5 ft. 9 in.
14	3 ft. 10 in.	4 ft. 6 in.	3 ft. 3 in.	5 ft. 2 in.	2 ft. 9 in.	5 ft. 2 in.	5 ft. 6 in.	4 ft.	5 ft.	3 ft. 6 in.	5 ft. 6 in.	3 ft.	5 ft. 6 in.	5 ft. 10 in.
15	3 ft. 11 in.	4 ft. 7 in.	3 ft. 4 in.	5 ft. 3 in.	2 ft. 9 in.	5 ft. 3 in.	5 ft. 7 in.	4 ft. 1 in.	5 ft. 1 in.	3 ft. 7 in.	5 ft. 7 in.	3 ft. 1 in.	5 ft. 7 in.	5 ft. 11 in.
16	3 ft. 11 in.	4 ft. 8 in.	3 ft. 4 in.	5 ft. 4 in.	2 ft. 10 in.	5 ft. 4 in.	5 ft. 8 in.	4 ft. 1 in.	5 ft. 2 in.	3 ft. 7 in.	5 ft. 8 in.	3 ft. 1 in.	5 ft. 8 in.	6 ft.
17	4 ft.	4 ft. 8 in.	3 ft. 5 in.	5 ft. 5 in.	2 ft. 10 in.	5 ft. 5 in.	5 ft. 9 in.	4 ft. 2 in.	5 ft. 3 in.	3 ft. 8 in.	5 ft. 9 in.	3 ft. 2 in.	5 ft. 9 in.	6 ft. 1 in.
18	4 ft. 1 in.	4 ft. 9 in.	3 ft. 5 in.	5 ft. 6 in.	2 ft. 11 in.	5 ft. 6 in.	5 ft. 10 in.	4 ft. 3 in.	5 ft. 3 in.	3 ft. 8 in.	5 ft. 10 in.	3 ft. 2 in.	5 ft. 10 in.	6 ft. 2 in.
19	4 ft. 1 in.	4 ft. 10 in.	3 ft. 6 in.	5 ft. 6 in.	2 ft. 11 in.	5 ft. 6 in.	5 ft. 11 in.	4 ft. 3 in.	5 ft. 4 in.	3 ft. 9 in.	5 ft. 11 in.	3 ft. 3 in.	5 ft. 11 in.	6 ft. 3 in.
20	4 ft. 2 in.	4 ft. 11 in.	3 ft. 6 in.	5 ft. 7 in.	3 ft.	5 ft. 7 in.	6 ft.	4 ft. 4 in.	5 ft. 5 in.	3 ft. 10 in.	6 ft.	3 ft. 3 in.	6 ft.	6 ft. 4 in.
21	4 ft. 3 in.	4 ft. 11 in.	3 ft. 7 in.	5 ft. 8 in.	3 ft.	5 ft. 8 in.	6 ft. 1 in.	4 ft. 5 in.	5 ft. 6 in.	3 ft. 10 in.	6 ft. 1 in.	3 ft. 4 in.	6 ft. 1 in.	6 ft. 5 in.
22	4 ft. 3 in.	5 ft.	3 ft. 7 in.	5 ft. 9 in.	3 ft. 1 in.	5 ft. 9 in.	6 ft. 2 in.	4 ft. 5 in.	5 ft. 7 in.	3 ft. 11 in.	6 ft. 2 in.	3 ft. 4 in.	6 ft. 2 in.	6 ft. 6 in.
23	4 ft. 4 in.	5 ft. 1 in.	3 ft. 8 in.	5 ft. 10 in.	3 ft. 1 in.	5 ft. 10 in.	6 ft. 2 in.	4 ft. 6 in.	5 ft. 8 in.	3 ft. 11 in.	6 ft. 2 in.	3 ft. 5 in.	6 ft. 3 in.	6 ft. 7 in.
24	4 ft. 5 in.	5 ft. 2 in.	3 ft. 9 in.	5 ft. 11 in.	3 ft. 2 in.	5 ft. 11 in.	6 ft. 3 in.	4 ft. 7 in.	5 ft. 9 in.	4 ft.	6 ft. 3 in.	3 ft. 5 in.	6 ft. 3 in.	6 ft. 8 in.

Weight Rolls

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

Age

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

Next comes the calculation of age according to class and race. My game doesn't recognize the extended lifespans given to non-human characters in AD&D, so my character races are adjusted to fit the traditional human lifespan. This translates to some characters being unusually old (dwarf and gnome clerics) or atypically young (elven assassins and thieves). My feeling is the disparity reflects some races resistance against training individuals until they've reached a certain age — or that youth indicates how much faster some races master a character class compared to others.

Multi-classed characters begin with the highest base number of all classes possessed; the total modifiers for all classes is added. For example, a half-elven fighter/mage would have a base age of "23," adding "2d6 + 1d4" to that base. This makes the multi-classed half-elven's age an average of 32-33.

Further Age Details

The character's age as determined at this point describes the time needed to complete his or her training; however, there are other things that can happen to the character that arise from other tables in the generator. For example, the character might have spent time in jail, or might have lost time due to a family tragedy or due to laziness. So this is only tentatively the character's final age.

Counting backwards, we determine the character's year of birth. If the year is 1650 and the character is 32 years old, then he or she was born in 1618. We determine the exact date of the year by rolling randomly against every day of the calendar, taking note whether the birth year was a leap year.

Skin Tone

Though the player may wish otherwise, the character is not permitted to decide the colour of their skin, hair, eyes, or even the vitality of these things. Because a strong sentiment for individuality is preferable, the tables for skin-tone, hair and eye colour are extensive. I've adopted a premise that demi-human races possess a greater homogeneity that human races — if only because we possess much more knowledge of individual humans living in different parts of the world than we have for dwarves, elves, gnomes, halflings or half-orcs.

The image shown was found years ago on a cosmetic website for the purpose of explaining which foundation was best to wear with which colours. I don't know the source any more, but there are many similar images that can be found for this purpose, such as this one.

For some, skin tone is a touchy subject. It's fair to say that most would rather let the players choose their skin tone rather than assign it randomly. However, in keeping with the argument that the colour of one's skin is NOT something we get to choose about our coming into being, I don't believe it's appropriate for characters to have this as an option.

Moreover, I believe that by embracing every kind of skin tone in our characters is mature and appropriate. I would immediately boot any player who raised a conflict about their elf's colouring, or that their fighter or thief happened to originate in North Africa or the Middle East, and therefore had a sienna or sepia skin tone. My game world respects and appreciates persons of all races — though some villains in the game world do not — and as a DM I don't carry on vendettas against persons of any background or appearance.

It could be argued that my choices for non-human races deserve evaluation — but it should be understood that the choice, or belief in the "right" possibilities, is a personal matter. Any DM could easily adjust the table to their liking. A player might suggest my adding a choice prior to their generating a character. But there cannot be a definite right or wrong list with regards to a fictional ideal: not even one that is strictly respectful towards Tolkein's work. I don't run a version of Middle Earth. I run my own world, with its own rules, substantively influenced by details I can find in the real world.

I have many tables for the distribution of skin tone — one for each demi-human race and one for different ethnic parts of the world. The number of options means to reflect the stability of the culture and the variability of tribal movements dating back tens of thousands of years.

Roll	Demi-humans
	Dwarf	Elf	Gnome	Half-elf	Halfling	Half-orc
1	bronze	ivory	bronze	alabaster	bronze	bronze
2	olive	nordic	olive	cream	honey	dark honey
3	sepia	–	tan	soft beige	–	greenish walnut

Demi-humans

Elves in my game world live in the north, so most half-elves to as well, though there is more mixing of races with human stock. Dwarves, gnomes and halflings dwell in mid-to-high temperate climates; some dwarves and gnomes spend most of their lives underground; halflings do not. Half-orcs come from the Asian steppelands. My world's history explains that all these races originated in ways very different from humans, primarily from off-world and arriving through planar gates tens of thousands of years ago. For much of their history they occupied lands devoid of human culture until only 7,000 years ago ... so that their genetic heritage is abnormally stable compared to humans. That is why so few choices for skin tone are given.

"Dark honey" and "greenish walnut" are not shown on the foundation chart, and reflect my conception for what colours a half-orc would possess, coming as they do from a humanoid race not of the earth and related to ogres and haruchai.

To determine the character's skin tone, we choose the column and roll against it. For example, an elven character rolls 1-2 to determine tone; a "1" indicates the character has ivory skin; a "2" indicates nordic.

Roll	African humans			Asian humans					Proto-asian humans
	Sub-saharan Africa	East & South Africa	North Africa	East Asia	Himalayan	India Sub- continent	Southeast Asia	Turkestan	Polynesian	Amerindian
1	chocolate	almond	almond	caucasian	almond	almond	honey	beige	earth	beige
2	earth	bronze	bronze	honey	bronze	beige	olive	bronze	ebony	honey
3	ebony	caramel	caramel	olive	sepia	caramel	sienna	honey	molasses	olive
4	mocha	chocolate	honey	sienna	–	chocolate	–	olive	sepia	–
5	molasses	cocoa	olive	soft beige	–	cocoa	–	sepia	–	–
6	sepia	earth	sepia	–	–	sienna	–	–	–	–
7	–	ebony	tan	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
8	–	mahogany	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
9	–	mocha	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
10	–	molasses	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
11	–	sepia	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–

African & Asian Humans

Sub-sahara includes regions south of the Sahara Desert, the Gambia, Ghana and Sudan, reaching from the Atlantic to the Nile — lands of savanna and jungle. East and South Africa includes the Congo jungles and the savanna vegetations reaching from Somalia to the Cape of Good Hope, including the Kalahari, Madagascar and islands in the Indian Ocean. North Africa includes lands between the south coast of the Mediterranean well into the Sahara oases, Berbers, Libyans and Egyptians.

East Asia describes Japan and China, including those parts to the north and west touched by the Han Dynasty. Himalayan lands include Tibet, the Takla Makan and the sweeping ranges from the Tian Shan to Bhutan. The India Subcontinent counts the lowlands lands from Assam and the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta reaching west to the Indus, and south to the tip of India. Southeast asia includes the East Indies and the Philippines, but not the Pacific or Australian continent. Turkestan includes the high country west of the Himalayas and north of Persia, between the Tien Shan and the Caspian/Aral seas and south of the Siberian forest.

Polynesian peoples occupy the islands of the Pacific and include Australia. Amerindians include all the humans who came to the Americas some fifteen thousand years ago.

The plethora of possibilities in East and South Asia reflects the origin of the human race, for research into skin tone indicates that at the source there are the greatest number of unique and individual persons ... all of them with pigmentation that reflects an Equatorial environment. In comparison, the Himalayas represent the least interactive genetic pool on the list, so naturally it produces the most homogeneous colours.

The Middle and Near East regions appear on the next table, with European humans.

Roll	European humans					Middle East humans
	West Europe	Scandinavia	Germanic	Slavic Lands	Mediterranean	Turkic	Persian
1	alabaster	alabaster	caucasian	alabaster	almond	beige	beige
2	cream	fair	cream	cream	beige	bronze	caucasian
3	nordic	ivory	fair	fair	fair	honey	fair
4	soft beige	nordic	nordic	ivory	honey	olive	honey
5	–	soft beige	sienna	nordic	olive	sienna	–
6	–	–	soft beige	soft beige	tan	tan	–
7	–	–	tan	–	–	–	–

Europe & the Middle East

West Europe include Britain and France, whose genetics are influenced by many tribes, including the Franks, Saxons, Danes, Vandals and Visigoths. Scandinavia include Denmark and the lands above the North and Baltic seas. Germanic includes the greatly mixed peoples north of the Alps. Slavic Lands are a mixture of westward moving tribes and the Rus peoples from the north, from the Carpathians to the Urals. Mediterranean humans include those on the north side of the Mediterranean Sea, from Greece to Spain.

The Middle East represents a complex heritage; both "Turkic" and "Persian" peoples represent groups created by the mixture of Semetic peoples from the south mixed with incoming tribes from Turkestan. Thus, although people of the Arabian Peninsula are distinctly not Turkic, their genetic heritage includes much Turkish-and-north-Asian heritage. The same can be said for the peoples of Afghanistan and Iran with respect to the Persians. Both headings aren't meant to describe the many, many social groups within the lands between the Aegean and the Himalayas, but rather to describe genetic traits related to those areas.

Hair

Determining the colour and vitality of a character's hair is much more complex than skin tone, as besides regional factors there are real matters of the character's physical beauty and charisma to consider. Certain hair colours and characteristics are recognised as more attractive than others ... and so the generator must take this into account. In keeping with the uncertainty of all things, not every charismatic character has "great hair" — rather, we want a system that favours it, rather than dictates.

Additionally, the generator defines a difference of even 1 point of charisma with regards to the likelihood of a vivacious, luscious head of hair. And so the character's specific charisma, whether it's 8, 9 or 10, matters! Finally, with regards to hair, some randomness is also a factor. Together, these conditions offer a considerable variation of appearance based on the character's real ability stats.

The method requires two d20 rolls. The first roll subtracts charisma to produce a number between 17 and -17, determining the character's hair "colour." The second roll subtracts charisma to determine the hair's "condition." These numbers are called "adjusted charisma."

For example, if a character's charisma were 3 and the die roll produced a "20", the result would be 17 (20-17=3) — the maximum possible result and therefore the worst result. This same character might get a result anywhere from 17 to -2 ... but could not get a better result than -2.

At the same time, a different character with a charisma of 17 would, rolling a natural "20," get a result of 3, whereas if they rolled a "1," the result would be -17. There are many cases throughout the generator where the character's ability stats are calculated in this way.

This may seem like a lot of effort to make just to determine a character's hair, but I feel these details provide depth and feel to the overall character generation.

To determine the kind of hair a character has, both the color and the hair's condition must be calculated by first rolling two d20 and minusing the character's charisma from each, then comparing the first to the Hair Colour table and the second to the Hair Condition table.

Adj. Charisma	Demi-humans
	Dwarf	Elf	Gnome	Half-elf	Halfling	Half-orc
+17 to +14	ash grey	sooty black	ash grey	ginger	salt & pepper grey	sooty black
+13 to +4	ash brown	russet brown	tawny	russet brown	ash brown
+3 to -5					tawny
-6 to -9	copper red	wheaten	ginger	jet black	ginger	jet black
-10 to -12	ginger		jet black	wheaten
-13 to -14	bronze	flat white	bronze	flat white	flaming red	bluish black
-15 to -16	flaming red	platinum blonde	flaming red	platinum blonde
-17		silver grey

Ethnic regions conform to those described under skin tone.

Hair Colour

The lower colours at the bottom, where the adjusted charisma is in the negatives, are considered most attractive to members of that race. When determining the individual character's colour where more than one option exists, the options are wholly determined randomly.

For example, Lillith has a charisma of 16 and rolls a "2" on a d20, giving her an adjusted charisma of -14. This puts her result between "-13 to -17," where it gives three possible colours: flat white, platinum blonde and silver grey. Lillith simply rolls a d3 to determine which.

Overall, the emphasis for aesthetic is to suggest rich colours are more attractive than drab, so that less charismatic characters tend towards early greying while beautiful people are blessed with unusual hues like "flaming red" or "bluish black." With some peoples, such as half-orcs, the overall distribution is very narrow, even when the adjusted charisma roll improves.

Adj. Charisma	African humans			Asian humans					Proto-asian humans
	Sub-saharan Africa	East & South Africa	North Africa	East Asia	Himalayan	India Sub-continent	Southeast Asia	Turkestan	Polynesian	Amerindian
+17 to +14	iron grey	iron grey	iron grey	iron grey	ash grey	iron grey	iron grey	steel grey	iron grey	iron grey
+13 to +9	flat black	flat black	ash brown	flat black	flat black	flat black	flat black	russet brown	flat black	sooty black
+8 to +4			russet brown		salt & pepper grey			salt & pepper grey
+3 to -1	salt & pepper grey	salt & pepper grey	sandy brown	salt & pepper grey	silver grey			sandy brown
-2 to -5			sooty black		sooty black			sooty black
-6	jet black	jet black	chestnut brown	jet black	jet black	jet black	jet black	chestnut brown	jet black	jet black
-7 to -8								honey blonde
-9 to -10	tawny	tawny	jet black					jet black
-11 to -12								tawny
-13 to -15	raven black	raven black	raven black	raven black	golden blonde	raven black	raven black	bronze	raven black	raven black
-16 to -17					raven black			raven black

With many human races, hair colour is nearly always uniformly black — although the lustre improves attractiveness.

What follows is a description of each type for aiding characters in understanding what the words mean:

• ash blonde: blonde with dark roots and a hint of grey
• ash brown: brunette hair blended with cool grey tones; sometimes called "mushroom brown"

Adj. Charisma	European humans					Middle East humans
	West Europe	Scandinavia	Germanic	Slavic Lands	Mediterranean	Turkic	Persian
+17	ash grey	ash grey	ash grey	steel grey	steel grey	iron grey	iron grey
+16	iron grey	sooty grey	iron grey
+15 to +14	steel grey		steel grey
+13 to +10	ash brown	ash brown	ash brown	ash brown	ash brown	sooty black	sooty black
+9 to +7	salt & pepper grey		salt & pepper grey	salt & pepper grey	sandy brown
+6 to +4		sandy brown	sandy brown	sandy brown
+3 to +1	sandy brown	wheaten	sooty black		sooty	russet brown	russet brown
0 to -2	strawberry blonde	russet brown	strawberry blonde	sooty black
-3 to -5	russet brown	ash blonde	russet brown	russet brown	russet brown
-6	ash blonde	auburn	ash blonde	auburn	auburn	chestnut brown	chestnut brown
-7		chestnut brown		chestnut brown	chestnut brown
-8 to -9	auburn	ginger	auburn	jet black	honey blonde
-10 to -11	chestnut brown	tawny	chestnut brown		tawny	jet black	jet black
-12	jet black	flaxen	jet black	tawny
-13	flaming red	bronze	flaxen	raven black	flaxen	raven black	raven black
-14	flaxen	copper red
-15	platinum blonde	flaming red
-16	raven black	platinum blonde	platinum blonde		raven black
-17		raven black

• ash grey: 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 blue highlights, called "balayage"
• bronze: brunette hair with notes of gold that look vibrant
• chestnut brown: deep brown with reddish hues
• copper red: dark, rich ginger hair blended with brunette
• flaming red: shocking bright red with crimson and orange highlights
• flat black: black hair without gloss or sheen, dull
• flat white: eerily matte appearance with a velvety lustre
• flaxen: pale yellow-grey, the colour of straw
• ginger: burnt orange 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 highlights
• iron grey: dark, dull grey colour
• jet black: intense black with a dramatic blue and purple undertone
• platinum blonde: whitish blonde hair with an luscious metallic gloss
• raven black: lustrous shimmering black with a softened tone
• russet brown: hard reddish-brown blended with grey undertones
• salt & pepper grey: mixture of black & grey with traces of white
• sandy brown: soft light brown hair lacking shine
• silver grey: shiny grey hair mingled with white strands
• sooty black: dusky, dull-coloured black with hints of depth
• sooty grey: uniform, flat grey colour lacking sheen
• steel grey: distinctive bluish grey with a hard lustre
• strawberry blonde: reddish blonde hair with an orange hue
• tawny: pale brown with tan highlights and varying sheen
• wheaten: soft brown-blonde hair with light brown highlights

On the whole, players tend to forget or ignore their assigned hair colour, inserting a "latent image" that corresponds to an impression of what they think their character ought to look like. And usually it won't matter, because such players tend not to identify visually with their characters at all. However, for players who are interested in exploring a unique appearance, who may even draw an image of the character for themselves, the random generation provides a baseline from which to design.

Hair Type

Roll	Demi-humans						African humans		Asian humans
	Dwarf	Elf	Gnome	Half-elf	Halfling	Half-orc	Sub-saharan, East & South Africa	North Africa	East & Southeast Asia	Himalayan	India Sub-continent	Turkestan
1	spiral curls	stick-straight	s-waves	stick-straight	spiral curls	kinked	kinked	kinked	stick-straight	straight w/slight wave	stick-straight	stick-straight
2	s-waves	straight w/slight wave	straight w/slight wave	—	s-waves	tightly coiled	tightly coiled	spiral curls	—	—	straight w/slight wave	straight w/slight wave
3	—	straight w/body wave	—	—	—	tight corkscrews	tight corkscrews	s-waves	—	—	—	s-waves
4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	tightly coiled	—	—	—	—

Roll	Proto-asian humans		European humans					Middle East humans
	Polynesian	Amerindian	West Europe	Scandinavia	Germanic	Slavic Lands	Mediterranean	Turkic	Persian
1	tight corkscrews	stick-straight	spiral curls	stick-straight	ringlets	ringlets	spiral curls	spiral curls	spiral curls
2	—	straight w/slight wave	straight w/slight wave	straight w/slight wave	spiral curls	spiral curls	spiral curls	straight w/body wave	stick-straight
3	—	—	s-waves	straight w/body wave	stick-straight	straight w/slight wave	s-waves	s-waves	straight w/body wave
4	—	—	—	—	straight w/body wave	s-waves	tightly coiled	tightly coiled	s-waves
5	—	—	—	—	s-waves	—	—	—	tightly coiled

Hair exists in a variety of textures, which exhibit themselves as curl pattern, volume and consistency. Like colour, hair type is distinctive in different parts of the world, so this too becomes something that's added to the character's physical description. In many parts of the world, hair tends towards a singular type — Asian hair, for example, is nearly always straight, growing perpendicularly from the scalp. It also tends to grow faster than other types of hair.

The management of hair is part of the character's experience — for though a character cannot choose the type of hair they have, they can decide how it's worn. Persons living in temperate climates, with wavy or curly hair, often choose to grow their hair out long as protection against the elements. To manage this volume, hair is bound with cords or threads, or braided elaborately for comfort and convenience. Further north, extensive beards are worn as well, as a beard helps keep the face warm in sub-polar weather.

Characters that are male may wish to experiment with the facial appearance of beards, creating a goatee or mustache. These details can add verve to the character, and creates the need to carry a mirror so the appearance can be maintained. In warmer climates, characters may wish to shave their heads. In the case of African hair, which is characterised by tight curls and kinks, shaving the head or clipping hair close to the skull is often preferable — though growing out a single long braid, either large or small, occurs as a sign of manhood and breeding in many cultures.

How a character fixes or manipulates their hair is as important as the colour and type of hair itself. However, a player may not have the opportunity to enjoy long, flowing tresses, as charisma also dictates the health and vitality of hair — and for characters who prefer to use charisma as a dump stat, they may find their hair is not all they hoped.

Adj. Charisma	Hair's vitality & health	Adj. Charisma	Hair's vitality & health
+17 to +16	thin, shedding hair with a scalp chronically infected by a persistent fungus	0	somewhat dry, can be let alone
+15	thin, shedding hair with patches of baldness throughout	-1 to -2	healthy but coarse to the touch
+14 to +13	thin, showing mid-to-high frontal baldness	-3 to -4	healthy with a light natural bouyancy
+13	mid-to-high frontal baldness	-5	produces a natural rumpled, pleasant appearance
+12	substantial bald spot above the forehead	-6 to -7	thick and full
+11	some receding, with a recognisable bald patch at the back	-8 to -9	full and downy to the touch
+10	fairly sparse hair all over, with a slight bald patch at the back	-10	visibly silken in appearance, with sheen
+9	hair wispy and thin, but healthy	-11 to -12	glossy in light and lush
+8	thin with a tendency towards being chronic greasiness that never quite washes away	-13 to -14	sumptuous and positively glowing
+7 to +6	chronically greasy, requiring frequent washing	-15 to -16	excessively luxuriant and exciting to the touch
+5 to +3	frequently oily, though easily washed out	-17	superabundant in volume and exciting to touch
+2 to +1	chronically dry, needing treatment

Hair Condition & Health

It may seem an absurdity of grittiness to have a player's character be concerned with the relative bounce and fullness of their hair — and to be completely honest, players tend to ignore the information anyway, because they don't wish to acknowledge that their 7 charisma character is prematurely balding or has hair that's stringy and infected. Nonetheless, experience demonstrates that rolling for this detail, and others, causes the player to think about his or her character in ways they would never have imagined. This promotes a tactile, informative depth to the character creation process — so that even if the player fails to recognise the importance of "this" detail, the greater impact of so many details, of such variety and of more or less significance, builds a climate of concern and interest in the character's identity.

To calculate the health of the character's hair, we use the 2nd charisma adjustment roll asked for above. Once again, we roll a d20 and subtract the character's charisma, producing a number between 17 and -17. The result is then checked on a single table that affects all peoples and all races in the same manner. With higher numbers, the individual's hair is scraggly and thin, suggestive of poor health, something that would be evident to anyone being met.

Lower numbers describe fullness and buoyancy, the sort of hair that attracts attention immediately. A good player can make use of either of these characteristics to establish a greater feel for the persona being played.

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 subtract 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 warm gold colour, 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-yellow 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

Adj. Charisma	Demi-humans
	Dwarf	Elf	Gnome	Half-elf	Halfling	Half-orc
+17 to +14	moss green	china blue	seaweed green	faded blue	umber brown	turquoise
+13 to +10	coal black	china blue	hazel	cornflower blue	chocolate brown	hazel
+9 to +7		cornflower blue	moss green	faded blue
+6 to +4	graphite	sky blue	pine green	sky blue	walnut brown
+3 to +1			walnut brown
0	pewter	china blue	fern green	china blue	gingerbread brown	hazel
-1 to -3	cloud grey	sea green	forest green	fern green	chestnut brown	pink w/green flecks
-4 to -6	ebony black	steel blue		steel blue	cinnamon brown
-7 to -8	slate grey	crystal blue
-9	emerald green	electric blue	cat's eye green	baby blue	chartreuse	pink w/grey flecks
-10	jet black	emerald green	forest green	emerald green
-11	obsidian	ice blue	russet brown	ice blue	honey brown
-12	topaz brown	sapphire blue	tawny brown	sapphire blue
-13		amethyst	bottle green
-14	amber	aquamarine	grass green	aquamarine	champagne brown	pale pink
-15	charcoal grey	indigo	midnight black	indigo	golden brown
-16	golden brown	ultramarine	ultramarine
-17	silver grey	violet	ultraviolet	violet	silver grey

Adj. Charisma	African humans			Asian humans					Proto-asian humans
	Sub-saharan Africa	East & South Africa	North Africa	East Asia	Himalayan	India Sub-continent	Southeast Asia	Turkestan	Polynesian	Amerindian
+17 to +14	walnut brown	walnut brown	walnut brown	walnut brown	walnut brown	walnut brown	walnut brown	walnut brown	walnut brown	walnut brown
+13 to +10			chocolate brown
+9 to +7									chocolate brown
+6 to +4	chocolate brown	chocolate brown	china blue	chocolate brown
+3 to +1		faded blue	jade green			chocolate brown
0		graphite
-1 to -2	chestnut brown	chestnut brown	chestnut brown	chestnut brown	whiskey brown	chestnut brown	chestnut brown	whiskey brown	chestnut brown	whiskey brown
-3 to -4			whiskey brown
-5 to -6	whiskey brown	whiskey brown	cloud grey	whiskey brown		whiskey brown	whiskey brown		whiskey brown
-7 to -8			slate grey
-9	russet brown	russet brown	baby blue	russet brown	crystal blue	honey brown	russet brown	topaz brown	russet brown	topaz brown
-10					honey brown	russet brown
-11			crystal blue		ice blue	ice blue
-12				topaz brown	tawny brown	tawny brown	topaz brown
-13			russet brown		topaz brown	topaz brown
-14	champagne brown	champagne brown	amber	amber	amber	amber	amber	amber	amber	amber
-15			amethyst blue		amethyst blue	champagne brown
-16			charcoal grey	golden brown	champagne brown	golden brown	golden brown	golden brown		golden brown
-17			silver grey		golden brown

Adj. Charisma	European humans					Middle East humans
	West Europe	Scandinavia	Germanic	Slavic Lands	Mediterranean	Turkic	Persian
+17 to +16	walnut brown	walnut brown	walnut brown	walnut brown	walnut brown	walnut brown	walnut brown
+15			faded blue
+14		faded blue
+13						chocolate brown	chocolate brown
+12			china blue
+11		china blue	cornflower blue
+10				hazel
+9			hazel
+8		cornflower blue	jade green			hazel	hazel
+7					hazel
+6	hazel		sky blue
+5		jade green
+4			chestnut brown
+3			cloud grey				chestnut brown
+2		sky blue	sea green
+1			steel blue
0		baby blue	whiskey brown				whiskey brown
-1	whiskey brown	cat's eye green	baby blue	whiskey brown	whiskey brown	chestnut brown
-2		chartreuse	cat's eye green				cat's eye green
-3		crystal blue	chartreuse				chartreuse
-4	cloud grey	electric blue	crystal blue			whiskey brown	electric blue
-5		emerald green	electric blue		cat's eye green		emerald green
-6		forest green	emerald green		chartreuse		forest green
-7	steel blue	tawny brown	forest green		emerald green		honey brown
-8		ice blue	honey brown		forest green	cat's eye green	russet brown
-9	honey brown	russet brown	ice blue	honey brown	honey brown	chartreuse	sapphire blue
-10		sapphire blue	russet brown		sapphire blue	emerald green	topaz brown
-11	tawny brown	amber	sapphire blue	tawny brown	tawny brown	forest green	amber
-12		champagne brown	amber		amber	russet brown	amethyst blue
-13		charcoal grey	aquamarine		aquamarine	topaz brown	bottle green
-14	amber	grass green	champagne brown	amber	champagne brown	amber	champagne brown
-15		indigo	grass green		grass green	golden brown	golden brown
-16	champagne brown	bottle green	indigo	champagne brown	indigo	grass green	grass green
-17		silver grey	bottle green		bottle green	bottle green	indigo

• 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 subtracting the character's strength. This produces a number between 17 and -17, 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).

Adj. Strength	Upbringing
+17 to +14	Left on the doorstep of a cottage as a foundling; and thereafter adopted and given an education
+13	Born a slave and kept until freed, began working as an apprentice at the age of [6-9].
+12 to +11	Lost family at age [6-9], finding support from a mentor acting as a surrogate parent [+1 age for elf thieves]
+10 to +9	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]
+8 to +7	Raised by [mother/father]'s [sister/brother] after [1-12] years of age; [see Sibling subtable for this entry and all entries downtable]
+6 to +4	Raised by [mother/father]'s [sister/brother] after [1-12] years of age
+3	Raised by an elder [sister/brother] after [3-12] years of age; sibling is [2-8] years older than the character
+2	Lost family at age [6-9], finding support from a mentor acting as a surrogate parent [+1 age for elf thieves]
+1	Raised by both of [mother/father]'s parents after [2d4+5] years of age
0	Raised by single [mother/father]
-1 to -2	Raised by both parents
-3 to -6	Raised by both parents and [1-2] grandparents, elder either to [mother/father]
-7 to -12	Raised by both parents and 3 grandparents
-13 to -17	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 +8, indicating that "he" was raised by an "aunt," then the same +8 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 +17 to +9 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.

Adj. Strength	Number of Siblings	Special
+8 to +7	[roll d20] none (1-14), one (15-19) or two (20)	—
+6	[roll d20] none (1-9), one (10-17), two (18-19) or three (20)	—
+5 to +3	0-3 (d4-1)	—
+2	0	—
+1 to -2	1-4	—
-3 to -6	2-4	—
-7 to -9	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)
-10	1-6	character has a living fraternal twin
-11	2-7	character has a living identical twin
-12 to -13	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)
-14 to -15	4-10	—
-16 to -17	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.

• 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

Progenitor is a blanket term for the strongest person in the character's early life, who instigated or acted as the antecedent to the character's eventual career as a class-levelled person. Most often, this is the character's father and mother, but it might be an uncle or a mentor, depending on the generated family above. This person's profession was experienced and lightly transferred to the character prior to advanced training as a fighter, mage, thief or whatever — and that profession forms the character's "secondary skill," or in terms of knowledge, a "sage ability."

In most cases, the happenstance of this relationship is simple. Yet the determination of the character's progenitor also defines their starting capital, the social status of their birth and the possibility of other peculiar benefits and opportunities.

Progenitor Sources

So far, 112 progenitors have been added to the character's generation. Like character classes, these are divided into six "source", each rated according to their "primary attribute" — strength, intelligence, wisdom, constitution, dexterity or charisma. Usually, a character gets only one progenitor; but there are exceptions that occur (dealt with on other tables).

To determine the character's secondary skills, we must first subtract 10 points from each of the character's ability stats. If the character has less than 1 point in any of these, then secondary skills from that source are unavailable. The remaining points are added together and used for weighting the roll to determine from which source the character's progenitor comes.

For example, Paul rolls his ability stats, ending with an 18 str, 12 int, 10 wis, 14 con, 8 dex and 13 chr. Subtracting 10 from each and discarding wisdom and dexterity, Paul ends with 8 str, 2 int, 4 con and 3 chr; a total of 17. He rolls a random number from 1 to 17: str (1-8); int (9-10); con (11-14) and chr (15-17). Paul gets a "17." The source for his secondary skill is found on the charisma table.

As will be seen, characters with insufficient strength have no chance to be a gladiator or guardsmen; those without enough intelligence cannot be a surgeon or a scribe; and those without enough charisma have no chance at all to be a military leader or royalty. That's simply how the cards fall; not everyone can be everything. Most of the time, we end up being a farmer, a potter, a rat catcher or a teamster. The best the character can do is choose where to put his or her ability stats and hope for the best kind of luck.

Once we know the source, we can roll on that table. Each table is organised for a d100 roll, with the commonest progenitors at the top and the rarest (and with the most status) at the top. So a high roll on any of these tables is sure to produce good results. Feel free to jump ahead if you know what table you want:

• Strength
• Intelligence
• Wisdom
• Constitution
• Dexterity
• Charisma

Skills & Knowledge Points

In all cases below, the skills gained from the progenitor are additional to those gained by the character due to his or her class — but the points for these skills are not added to the player's total that would be gained from a normal distribution of sage studies and abilities.

For example, if the character was a mage who chose alchemy as their study, AND also happened to have an alchemist as a progenitor, then the 10 points of knowledge gained from his or her progenitor would not be added to the knowledge the mage gained by choosing alchemy as a study. In addition, if the character as heir to an alchemist gains 0-3 pts. of knowledge per level in alchemy, while the character as a mage class were to gain 1-12 pts. in that study, these numbers are NOT added together; only the 1-12 increase would count. In all cases, the character uses the greatest amount of points, or the greatest speed at gaining points, but the knowledge itself is in no way combined.

Strength Source

There are but 10 professions associated with the strength stat — these include possibilities that demand enormous stoicism and spirit of character, the sort of grit that provides a character with courage in the face of adversity. Naturally, these are good professions for a fighter to have.

Roll (d100)	Profession & Benefits	Starting Capital (g.p.)
01-21	Farmer: farming; +1 to strength checks when outdoors	6d10
22-39	Fisherfolk: fishing; swimming	7d10
40-57	Sailor: sailing; +2 to dexterity checks when shipboard	7d12
58-74	Teamster: teamstering; start with cart, no animals	9d12
75-85	Guard: stand guard; +1 damage when pummelling or grappling	5d6 x5
86-92	Mercenary: hereditary weapon I; bonus proficiency in any weapon regardless of class	7d6 x5
93-96	Outrider: handle horse well; start with light warhorse; check height	8d6 x5
97-98	Bounty Hunter: tracker; strengthened arm; bonus proficiency in fired or hurled missile weapon	9d6 x5
99	Master-at-Arms: hereditary weapon II; bonus two proficiencies in any weapon regardless of class	10d6 x5
00	Gladiator: shield as a weapon; +1 damage in all melee attacks regardless of strength	6d6 x10

All sage abilities have 10 pts. of knowledge, except for the master-at-arms hereditary weapon II, which has 30. Each increases at d4-1 (0-3) per level, unless superseded by the character's class. These abilities/studies are possessed regardless of class. Further notes on the strength source table are as follows:

• Farmer: character has spent at least two seasons farming; knows yearly cycle, knows planting time, can manage an ox & plow and may reliably choose good land to grow his or her own food. If the character has living parents, presume the existence of a "family farm," one which the character may have future rights to, if he or she is the eldest living sibling.

• Fisherfolk: character can manage a boat on still water or near shore fairly well, but has no sailing or river skills. Has angling skill with rod & line, knows best places to cast for fish. Cannot fish with a net. Can clean and cook fish with passable efficiency.

• Sailor: character has spent at least a year at sea and is capable of acting as a crew for any sort of ship. This says only that the character is an able-bodied sailor and nothing more. Can manage a single-person sailboat. Has basic swimming skill.

• Teamster: can master a wagon or cart over most kinds of terrain, whether pulled by donkey, mule, horse or oxen, in teams of two or four; six-handed teams require 30 points of knowledge. Has skill in loading and unloading, recognise health issues with draft animals and can clean hooves, can't shoe animals. Has local knowledge of shippers, places to buy loads and warehouse overseers.

• Guard: the "on guard" sage ability ensures that when the character is actively taking a watch that he or she can only be surprised on a 1 in 6. Gains +1 bonus damage when not using weapons; knows the ins and outs, and habits, of guards managing large facilities, towns or cities. Has local knowledge of guards in nearest city, has friends there.

• Mercenary: character has participated in at least one campaign lasting two seasons, six or seven months, as a combatant; this should be somewhere that a war has taken place in the last 6 to 10 years. This gives a fair knowledge of travel routes to and from that part of the world, along knowing that culture. Character has killed a person in combat. The character knows where to hire mercenaries and what to expect from them, but gives no special knowledge with regards to managing such persons.

• Outrider: an "outrider" is a cavalry scout or dispatch rider, and so the character will have months of experience acting and training in this duty. "Horse Handling I" enables the character to direct the horse and ride at various gaits. The horse that starts with the character will have been in his or her possession for 6-18 months; roll random for pedigree, with a minimum average and no result less than 10 (reroll lowest rolls until average is achieved). If the character is shorter than 4 ft. 6 inches tall, treat result as "mercenary."

• Bounty Hunter: the character has only participated in the bringing in of outlaws for pay; he or she has never actually hunted a bounty acting as hunt leader. The "bonus proficiency" gained by the character must be a missile weapon (hurled or fired) and may be any weapon of this type, regardless of the character's class. Strengthened arm improves missile ranges; tracking is the scouting sage ability. The character has a legal right to collect prisoners and bounties and knows where and how to go about being assigned this duty.

• Master-at-arms: this title describes the character's progenitor, the master instructor at the character's training school, who took a personal interest in the character. This is how the character gains a better hereditary weapon and bonus two weapon proficiencies, because of the time spent training with the progenitor. 100 g.p. of the character's starting capital was given as a personal gift by the character's progenitor (thus 100 g.p. is the minimum sum that can be gotten).

• Gladiator: the character's progenitor was a career gladiator, but the character has participated in 5-20 bouts personally, being personally responsible for the deaths of 2-5 persons. A standing request exists asking the character to participate in additional bouts, at a price of 2 g.p. per appearance, with an 8 g.p. bonus for winning. Since bouts can end when one of the participants is unconscious, not all combats are fought to the death. The character personally knows 1-3 ex-gladiators willing to hire out as mercenaries.

Intelligence Source

There are 15 professions associated with the intelligence stat — these include possibilities that demand complex thinking, memory, problem solving and application of design. Occasionally, such pursuits lead characters into the strangest of places.

Roll (d100)	Profession & Benefits	Starting Capital (g.p.)
01-09	Trapper: set snares; tan leather and furs	3d10
10	Hermit: foraging; +2 constitution checks when outdoors	1d10
11-35	Scribe: read & write; add 5 pts. to character's chosen study, 1 pt. to all other studies	6d10
36-47	Carpenter: carpentry; attack wooden defenses; start with 15 ft. square one-story wooden house	8d10
48-59	Mason: masonry; attack stone defenses; start with 10 ft. square one-story stone house	8d10
60-65	Gamekeeper: hunting; pathfinding I	8d10
66-70	Boathandler: steershand; +2 to dexterity checks when shipboard; start with long boat	8d10
71-80	Alchemist: read & write; amateur alchemist	4d10 x5
81-82	Tomb Robber: caver; [see Robber Items subtable]	6d10 x5
83-85	Artillerist: fire siege engines; start with small ballista	6d10 x5
86-87	Veterinarian: amateur animal physiologist	7d10 x5
88-90	Surgeon: amputation; bloodletting; +1 to hit with dagger	4d10 x10
91-94	Architect: read & write; amateur construction designer; choice of one tradecraft	5d10 x10
95-98	Lawyer: read & write; amateur practitioner of the law	4d10 x20
99-00	Political advisor: read & write; amateur politician	5d10 x20

All sage abilities and studies have 10 pts. of knowledge; studies enable the possession of all amateur abilites therein. Each ability or whole study increases at d4-1 (0-3) per level, unless superseded by the character's class. These abilities/studies are possessed regardless of class. Further notes on the intelligence source table are as follows:

• Trapper: has familiarity with animal traps, one-person watercraft. Familiar with 3-6 nearest wilderness hexes (size 20-mile diameter), knowing holes and other mysterious places that might exist there. Can skin and clean animal carcasses. Progenitor was loner with even more experience of wilderness, with no outside world contacts.

• Hermit: character has spent at least 2 years living in complete isolation, with long-time acquaintance with both starvation and extreme weather. Can sleep comfortably without shelter in weather as cold as frosty conditions (-6 C/20 F) without mishap, assuming proper clothing.

• Scribe: character has worked at least 2 years in counting houses or other company establishments, gathering information on all manner of subjects. He or she adds 5 pts. of knowledge to their starting chosen study, +1 pt. to all studies within their class sage abilities.

• Carpenter: character is able to construct or demolish wholly wooden structures with amateur proficiency, having spent at least two years on various sites and participating in numerous builds. Wooden house's location is 2-5 miles from nearest large settlement, depending on where the character enters the game. Includes one acre of land; finished with wooden/earth foundation, no furnishings.

• Mason: character is able to construct or demolish wholly stone structures with amateur proficiency, having spent at least three years on various sites and participating in numerous builds. Stone house's location is 2-5 miles from nearest large settlement, depending on where the character enters the game. Includes one acre of land; finished with stone foundation, no furnishings.

• Gamekeeper: character has been trained to watch over farmland, as a professional hunter of herbivores who would eat crops or predators that prey on livestock. Has skill at locating the best routes through unknown wilderness. Also has an excellent relationship with the lord of a estate nearby a medium/large village, upon whose land the character dwelt for periodically over a four year time period, while training.

• Boathandler: has skill as steering small and large river boats, as well as a barge, down river courses within the kingdom where the character joins the campaign. Very much at ease on water. Long boat has single stepped mast, 18 ft. long, 6 ft. beam, carries 2 tons, 9 in. draft. Is docked at nearest docking post/dock/quay to the character upon entry into campaign.

• Alchemist: character has multiple sage abilities associated to study of alchemy, knows how to set up a lab, has worked as an apprentice to his or her alchemist progenitor for two years. Has 10 pts. of knowledge in full study.

• Tomb Robber: character has plunged into many an underground environment; knows spelunking and navigating caves; has had one adventure with his or her progenitor that resulted in the character obtaining a magic item, as indicated by the robber items subtable. Roll for the character class the character has become; with multiclass characters, roll d40 or d60 enabling all possibilties. For example, an assassin cleric would roll 1d40; for results of 1-20, consult the assassin-friendly items; for results of 21-40, consult those of the cleric.

Robber Items

Class	Item (d20)
Assassin	dagger +1 (1-9), gaseous form potion (10-14), shield +1 (15-20)
Bard	dagger +1 (1-10), leather armour +1 (11), philter of love (12-16), scroll w/2nd level bardic spell (17-20)
Cleric	club +1 (1-7), healing potion (8-10), scroll w/2nd level clerical spell (11-14), shield +1 (15-20)
Druid	leather armour +1 (1-4), healing potion (6-10), scroll w/2nd level druidical spell (11-14), spear +1 (15-20)
Fighter	heroism potion (1-6), shield +1 (7-13), short sword +1 (14-20)
Illusionist	dagger +1 (1-8), healing potion (9-13), scroll w/2nd level illusionary spell (14-19), ring of protection +1 (20)
Mage	dagger +1 (1-7), healing potion (8-12), scroll w/2nd level magical spell (13-19), ring of protection +1 (20)
Monk	quarterstaff +1 (1-12), spear +1 (13-17), speed potion (18-20)
Paladin	invulnerability potion (1-4), long sword +1 (5-12), shield +1 (13-20)
Ranger	animal control potion (1-4), battle axe +1 (5-14), leather armour +1 (15-18), short bow +1 (19-20)
Thief	dagger +1 (1-8), invisibility potion (9-14), leather armour +1 (15-20)

Because the items are awarded to the character as the result of plunder, with regards to scrolls allow the player to choose the single-use spell that's given. All potions have 1 quaff.

• Artillerist: character has familiarity with loading and firing siege engines; effectively, has a "weapons proficiency" in it. Has experience in at least one protracted siege; can act as a member of a battery; has no special skills for commanding one. The small ballista in the character's possession is located on a friend's rural property near the character's entry into the campaign.

• Veterinarian: has worked as an apprentice vet in area before joining campaign; has multiple sage abilities associated with animal physiology, is familiar with the care and treatment of most barnyard animals. Has 10 points of knowledge in full study.

• Surgeon: character has assisted in scores of operations, has 10 pts. of knowledge in amputation and bloodletting, but no skill in other medical procedures. When the character acquires 30 pts. of knowledge, he or she will gain the ability to perform minor invasive surgery. These numbers can be surpassed if the character is able to specialise in the whole study of medicine.

• Architect: character has multiple sage abilities associated to study of construction architecture, enabling simple builds and the ability to keep a crew of up to eight persons working. He or she will have worked on many sites for a collective period of two years. Trade gained may be carpetry, excavation, masonry, brickwork, tile work or thatching. Has 10 pts. of knowledge in full study.

• Lawyer: character has multiple sage abilities associated with law and social policy, having participated in organising a business, defending clients to judges and securing local permits. Has 10 pts. of knowledge in full study.

• Political Advisor: character has multiple sage abilities associated with politics and the halls of power. His or her progenitor was an important, elite voice, influencing the monarch and upper nobility in matters of finance, defense, preparations for war and foreign diplomacy. The character may someday have like influence. Has 10 pts. of knowledge in full study.

Wisdom Source

There are 14 professions and personages associated with the wisdom stat — these relate to matters of pursuing education and the application of experience, ethics and knowledge of the greater good. While on the surface this may suggest a staid, responsible member of society, often it's also the wisdom to recognise the culture's faults and reasons why it should fall.

Roll (d100)	Profession & Benefits	Starting Capital (g.p.)
01-12	Prospector: prospecting; can manage donkeys and mules, improving encumbrance for each	4d10
13-38	Husbander: domesticate horses; manage work animals; +2 saving throw for all animals in the husbander's care	5d10
39-52	Tutor: read & write; instruction; +1 pt. to all studies	5d10
53-63	Steward: motivation; has standing invitation to act as steward over a baronet's keep	5d10 x5
64-68	Physician: read & write; medicine	4d10 x5
69-76	Herbalist: identify herbs; cultivate mushroom; +3 save vs. poison	4d10 x5
77-82	Librarian: Tutor: read & write; +2 pts. to all studies; start with 3-12 practical books	4d10 x5
83-86	Curate: perform burial, immersion, marriage; able to cast one clerical spell regardless of class: [see Bonus Spells subtable]	5d10 x5
87-90	Village witch: carve sigil; make a reading; able to cast one magical spell regardless of class: [see Bonus Spells subtable]	6d10 x5
91-93	Priest: read & write; faith; invitation to become a missionary	6d10 x10
94-96	Professor: read & write; instruction; +2 pts. to all studies; start with 3-12 practical books	4d10 x10
97-98	Mortician: turn undead; +1 to saves, to hit and damage against undead	5d10 x10
99	Witchhunter: make salve; +3 saving throw vs. magic	6d10 x10
00	Sinecure: read & write; writ of passage; respect from a local noble; seat in the town hall	7d6 x25

All sage abilities and studies have 10 pts. of knowledge; studies permit the possession of all amateur abilities therein. Each ability or whole study increases at d4-1 (0-3) per level, unless superseded by the character's class. These abilities/studies are possessed regardless of class. Further notes on the wisdom source table are as follows:

• Prospector: character has spent at least four seasons in summer and fall participating in panning for placer deposits and digging. Has extensive knowledge of nearby mountains and hills, dangerous place. Knowledge of working with donkeys and mules; encumbrance limit +10% for each.

• Husbander: character has herded and handled animals for at least two years on a farm, raising them for meat or using them as work animals; can manage sheepdogs, horses, mules, donkeys or oxen (and elephants if of Asian descent). Keeps animals in good health, enabling them better saving throws.

• Tutor: character has been shown how to teach, and has instructed others through the time of his or her own training. Has had opportunities to read and pursue knowledge. All studies associated with the character's class gain +1 point of knowledge above normal.

• Steward: character has multiple sage abilities associated with the study of motivation. His or her progenitor acted as an overseer of an estate in the owner's absence, teaching the character how to give orders and yield respect. Has 10 pts. of knowledge in the full study. A local baronet (minor baron), has asked the character to act as a steward for a year, so the baronet may pursue interests abroad; the character has not yet accepted, but the offer is open for 2-5 months.

• Physician: character has multiple sage abilities in the study of medicine, the practice of healing without the use of magic. Has spent at least two years working with diseased and injured persons and has overcome any feelings of doubt or distaste for the practice. Has 10 pts. of knowledge in the full study.

• Herbalist: has skill in the examination, recognition and administration of herbs and medicinal mushrooms, as well as experience raising the latter, having spent years observing plants in the wild and learning their medicinal qualities. Character has an unusual skill at recognising the use of poison, with great respect for it, and so gains a +3 saving throw where poison is concerned.

• Librarian: since being a boy, the character has spent a hundred months perusing books, copying from them, reading, even gathering a few of his or her own. All studies associated with the character's class gain +2 points of knowledge above normal. "Practical books" in this case are of authority-status in value; the character rolls 3d4 in number, then assigns each practical book a study from those which the character normally gains due to his or her class.

For example, if the character were a druid with only 3 books, then he or she might assign one to sea life, one to natural astronomy and one to trees. When the character has the book and 10 minutes to study it, the book adds +5 points to the character's knowledge in that study as long as the character is able to presently consult the book.

Authority-status books have this benefit only for amateur-status characters; when a character becomes an authority in a study, he or she needs an expert-status book to gain the 5 pts. benefit.

• Curate: able to perform minor ceremonies within the character's religion, the internment of a dead body, the welcoming of a new worshipper into the religion and the marriage between two believers. This is possible regardless of the character's class, for he or she has demonstrated their piety sufficiently to maintain this right and ability; likewise, the character has also learned one additional clerical spell, which would be a bonus spell to a cleric and something a non-cleric is still able to cast. The spell is indicated on the bonus spells subtable.

Bonus Spells

Roll	Curate Spell	Curate Spell
1	create water	dancing lights
2	detect malevolence	erase
3	endure cold & heat	feather fall
4	invisibility to undead	grease
5	light	identify
6	penetrate disguise	mending
7	precipitation	Nystul's magic aura
8	purify food & drink	taunt
9	remove fear	unseen servant
10	resist cold	ventriloquism

Characters won't gain further spells from this progenitor. If the character is a cleric, the spell's effectiveness equals any other possessed spell; but for non-clerics, the spell always functions as though the character were 1st level.

• Village Witch: traditionally, a paganist practitioner of black magic, dwelling in a hinterland and treated as an outsider; at the same time, this same person is surreptitiously approached by the desperate and unscrupulous, who will pay the witch for cast spells. The character spent at least to years in the company of such a witch, observing villagers who came in the dark of night to ask for healing, love potions, the casting of curses and foretellings using the occult. This has taught the character some occultist skills and has — regardless of class — bestowed upon the character the ability to cast a single magic spell. The spell is indicated on the bonus spells subtable. As with curate above, characters won't gain further spells from this progenitor. If the character is a mage, the spell's effectiveness equals any other possessed spell; but for non-mages, the spell always functions as though the character were 1st level.

• Priest: character has spent two years steeped in religion and is able to both preach and proselytise, as well as practice other sage abilities associated with the study of faith. Has 10 pts. of knowledge in the full study. Is free to petition the appropriate religious clergy if the character wishes to be assigned to some part of the world as a missionary. The posting comes with 1,500 g.p. and two servants, but the location of the posting is beyond the character's control. Asking for a posting only to refuse on account of the location ensures no further missionary work will ever be offered to the player.

• Professor: character has spent at least two years taking courses, arguing, reading and otherwise experiencing the scholarly life at a noted university; he or she has spoken in public and given official lectures, though never a full class. Is an instructor, possesses a collection of practical books (see librarian, above). All studies associated with the character's class gain +2 points of knowledge above normal.

• Mortician: character has aided in the embalming and internment of the dead, and has a time or two even encountered the undead in the flesh. Possesses an ability to turn the undead, which may increase slowly as the character accumulates knowledge. Character is also an effective fighter against the undead.

• Witchhunter: in a world of magic, there are spellcasters who use their powers against the good of society instead of for it; the character has accompanied his or her progenitor in the pursuit of the villains on many occasions, and as a result the character has been taught the secrets behind resisting magic, gaining a +3 bonus against saving throws. In addition, the character has learned the art of making healing salve from scratch, a semi-magical ointment that heals 1-4 hit points.

• Sinecure: the character's progenitor held an office within his or her religion that paid [500-1500] g.p. yearly, with no responsibility, no asked for labour and no active service. This was granted by one of the highest ranking clerics of the local continent where the character enters the game. The character's high starting capital is a reflection of this sinecure; moreover, if the character's biological father or mother is the possessor of the sinecure, and the character is the eldest sibling, then the office becomes a legacy for the character when the requisite parent passes away. Otherwise, as a child of the sinecure holder, the character enjoys the privilege of being treated as a person of importance and good reputation.

Constitution Source

There are 12 professions and personages associated with the constitution stat, indicating professions that require considerable fortitude, good health, along with a willingness to do dirty and unpleasant work. Here we speak of the worst sort of environments, where heat, confinement, isolation and grime are the order of the day.

Roll (d100)	Profession & Benefits	Starting Capital (g.p.)
01-05	Rat catcher: +2 roll to hit against rats; +1 saving throw vs. poison; immune to disease from rats	3d10
06-07	Graverobber: fence stolen goods, appraisal I; +2 armour class vs. undead	4d10
08-33	Labourer: +2 bonus when learning skills; +1 strength when calculating encumbrance	4d10
34-49	Porter: stability; +2 strength when calculating encumbrance	5d10
50-62	Miner: mining, prospecting; constitution +1 when underground	6d10
63-69	Gypsy: evil eye, prognostication; +1 save vs. magic	8d10
70-76	Alchemist's apprentice: distilling, identify earths; -1 damage per die against acid, electricity and poison	8d10
77-89	Blacksmith: forging; -1 damage per die against fire; +1 to hit and damage with short hammer	3d10 x5
90-94	Armourer: make leather and metal armour; armour of the character and party saves at +2	5d10 x5
95-97	Weaponsmith: make weapons; weapons of the character and party save at +2	5d10 x5
98	Executioner: perform execution; writ of passage; +1 to hit with axe	6d10 x5
99-00	Explorer: read & write, navigation, pathfinder I; memory of distant land	5d10 x10

All sage abilities and studies have 10 pts. of knowledge; studies permit the possession of all amateur abilities therein. Each ability or whole study increases at d4-1 (0-3) per level, unless superseded by the character's class. These abilities/studies are possessed regardless of class. Further notes on the constitution source table are as follows:

• Rat catcher: character has caught and killed many hundreds of rats, and has wandered through city sewers, abandoned buildings and into the worst quarters for years in search of these vermin. He or she has been sick many times of rat-borne diseases and is now completely immune; and has a heightened resistance against poison as well. Likely the past was unpleasant, though the character's memory of these times may vary.

• Graverobber: graverobbing is not a matter of digging up random graves; the character must pay attention to whom is being buried, the corpse's former wealthiness and the apparent willingness of the family to bury valuables with the body. Graverobbers usually strike within a week of the internment, when the soil is still soft and easily dug. They look over the body's trinkets with a keen eye, recognising what should be left behind and which should be taken. Then the goods are carefully fenced, so as not to reappear in the same place where the corpses' family might recognize Uncle Julian's gold circlet or Aunt Maztah's necklace. In addition, the character has dodged and undead or two in his or her day.

• Labourer: character has no real profession, having worked dozens, perhaps scores of jobs over the past three or four years, in between advancing his or her training. As a candidate for training, however, with regards to instruction, the character adapts and learns more quickly than most. In addition, having spent so much time with carrying and moving loads, the character's strength is counted one point higher when calculating encumbrance; this strength addition cannot be applied to other game circumstances.

• Porter: character has spent many seasons acting as a mule through all sorts of climates and over every kind of terrain. This has provided the character with unusual balance and stability. Because of the time spent bearing one burden after another, the character's strength is counted as two points higher when calculating encumbrance; this strength addition cannot be applied to other game circumstances.

• Miner: character has spent two years of his or her life toiling in the underground, digging out valuable minerals, shovelling them to the surface and breaking stone apart to find its ores. As such, the character has an amateur ability as a miner and a prospector (as the sage abilities), and exceptionally resilient when adventuring underground. No special skill has been gained for seeing in the dark.

• Gypsy: character has been raised by and with gypsies, most often in groups of more than 50 persons. As such, the character identifies many persons as "family," beyond those to him he or she is biologically related. The character has gifts in telling the near future and in delivering a specific form of curse to enemies, the "evil eye." The character was born at least 200-500 miles from where their entry point into the campaign, and has knowledge of those places and cultures located in between.

• Alchemist's apprentice: unlike the "alchemist" progenitor found under intelligence, the character's progenitor never achieved even an amateur knowledge of the study. The character can perform a few skills, as given. Years of cleaning and serving in laboratories has quickened the character's reaction time to acid, electricity and poison, so that he or she subtracts 1 point of damage from attacks of those kinds.

• Blacksmith: character is able to shape ordinary metal tools and ironmongery using a hammer, anvil and forge. After a year of constant work in the field, the character is acclimatised to working with heat, molten metal and steam, so that he or she subtracts 1 point of damage from attacks with either normal or magical fire. A short hammer is a 14-inch long striking tool that normally causes 1-3 damage on a hit; the blacksmith is assumed to have the tool/weapon as a bonus weapons proficiency; the character must buy the tool. A smithy is required to make metal objects.

• Armourer: character is an amateur maker of leather and metal non-magical armour, having spent 18 months learning the craft. The character's present suit of armour is self-made and is considered a bonus over and above the character's starting capital — this is true whether or not the character is of a class permitted to wear armour. The character may choose any armour type, and may adjust it for another character. This requires only tongs and hammer, at a cost of one day per 10 lbs. weight difference plus one day per 1 in. height difference. A smithy is required to make armour from scratch. The character is assumed to be maintaining the party's armour continuously.

• Weaponsmith: character is an amateur maker of weapons of all non-magical types, whether fashioned of wood, bone, metal or other hardened material. He or she has spent two years learning the craft. The character may count the cost of his or her proficient weapons as a bonus over and above the character's starting capital. A smithy is required to make metal weapons from scratch. The character is assumed to be maintaining the party's weapons continuously.

• Executioner: character has performed [0-2 (d4-2)] official executions in his or her past. If the character has committed an execution, it was sanctioned by a noble known only to the player, as the executioner character wore a hood in the act. The character carries a writ of passage for free movement throughout the realm (no payment required for tolls or fees) and bears a tattooed mark that can be displayed if the character wishes to be known to the locals as a potential executioner for hire. The character has learned a practiced indifference to death, which may or may not be embraced by the player.

• Explorer: character is able to read and study books, possesses skill at navigating by the stars and can locate the best routes while travelling through a wilderness. The character spent [9-36] months journeying to a strange and largely unknown land, randomly determined, before returning to the place where he or she enters the campaign — much is known about this place and the character has [2-5] allies and potential followers who dwell there. During the journey, the character was merely an attendant to his or her progenitor explorer ... but should the character wish to raise money for another expedition to the same land, a sum of [2-5] thousand gold pieces is available — provided the character can match that amount from his or her own pocket. There's no time limit on this offer.

Dexterity Source

There are 41 professions and personages associated with the dexterity stat, the balance of which includes a wide range of artisans who have been trained to work with their hands to make practical objects. Other progenitors associated with dexterity represent arts where nimble fingers, fast movements and sharp practice. Many persons from these backgrounds treat the pursuit of an experience level and character class as an escape from the drugery of their rigorous family obligations.

Roll (d100)	Profession & Benefits	Starting Capital (g.p.)
01-04	Brewer: brewing; count character's weight at +50% when calculating intoxication	2d10 x5
05-08	Baker: baking; -1 damage per die against heat (not fire)	3d10 x5
09-12	Butcher: butchering; +1 to hit and damage with cleaver	3d10 x5
13-15	Candlemaker: chandler; -1 damage per die against boiling liquids	4d10 x5
15-18	Confectioner: candy-making; -1 damage per die against boiling liquids	5d10 x5
19-21	Cook: cooking; +1 to hit and damage with short knife	3d10 x5
22-24	Fishmonger: fishing; +3 save vs. nausea and odour-based attacks	3d10 x5
25-27	Tobacconist: plantation culture; resistance to addictive substances; +2 save vs. mind control liquids & gasses	6d10 x5
28-30	Woodcutter: cut down trees, stability; +1 to hit and damage with short axe	5d10
31-33	Vintner: winemaking; count character's weight at +50% when calculating intoxication	5d10 x5
34-36	Tailor: make clothing; start with suit of fine clothes; cloth items of the character and party save at +2	5d10 x5
37-39	Furrier: fur-maker; start with fur cloak; +1 to hit and damage with short knife, +2 to hit with short knife vs. rodents	7d10 x5
40-41	Draper: make canvas; bargaining; start with camp tent	8d10 x5
42-43	Fuller: pound fibres to make cloth; +2 strength checks	4d10 x5
44-46	Weaver: make cloth; start with two bolts of ready cloth; cloth items of the character and party save at +2	4d10 x5
47-49	Tanner: tan leather; +2 save vs. acid-based attacks; has skill at putting down animals for skinning	5d10 x5
50-53	Leather worker: leatherworking; start with leather cloak and hat; leather items of the character and party save at +2	6d10 x5
54-55	Cobbler: make shoes & boots; start with high boots; footwear of the character and party save at +2	3d10 x5
56-57	Cooper: barrel-making; start with 2 kegs and a barrel; +2 strength checks	4d10 x5
58-61	Wagoneer: wagonwright; drive wagons & carts; start with wagon	4d10 x5
62-64	Shipwright: shipbuilding, sailing; +2 when keeping ships afloat; start with single-masted sailboat	5d10 x5
65	Furniture-maker: make furniture; dismantle doors, chests, other wooden objects; start with three-legged stool	7d10 x5
66-67	Instrument-maker: make musical instruments, play instrument; start with musical instrument	8d10 x5
68	Papermaker: make paper, read & write; resistance to disease	2d10 x5
69-70	Bookbinder: make books, read & write; start with 2-5 choice practical books	3d10 x5
71-74	Potter: make pottery; flasks can be scored so for a +3 bonus to break if desired; otherwise, ceramic items of the character and party save at +3	5d10 x5
75-77	Glassmaker: make glass objects; -1 damage per die against heat-based attacks; glass items of the character and party save at +3	6d10 x5
78	Glazier: make glass windows, breaking & entering; -1 damage per die against heat-based attacks	6d10 x5
79-80	Sculptor: sculpt objects, appraisal I; +1 to hit and damage with short knife	3d10 x5
81-82	Stonecutter: cut stone; +3 bonus to strength checks	4d10 x5
83	Puddler: found metals from ore; -2 damage per die against heat-based attacks	6d10 x5
84	Jeweller: make jewellery, appraisal I	6d10 x10
85	Lapidary: cut, polish and engrave gems, appraisal I	6d10 x10
86-87	Tinker: make precision tools, repair tools & machines; +1 to hit and damage with short hammer	5d10 x5
88	Metallurgist: make metal alloys; -1 damage per die against heat-based attacks	8d10 x5
89	Diemaker: carve metal; appraisal I; counterfeit coins	5d10 x5
90	Engraver: engrave letters; assay metals; start with [6-72] engraved letters on owned items	7d10 x5
91	Juggler: juggle objects, evade missiles	2d10 x5
92-93	Toll keeper: bribe officials; +1 bonus to wisdom checks	3d10 x5
94	Forger: forge documents, read & write; legitimate writ of passage; false papers of ownership	4d10x5
95-99	Gambler: gamble proficiently; start with shaved dice, fixed playing cards	6d10 x5
00	Monk: improved armour class, fleetness, perform snap kick	5d10 x10

All sage abilities and studies have 10 pts. of knowledge; studies permit the possession of all amateur abilities therein. Each ability or whole study increases at d4-1 (0-3) per level, unless superseded by the character's class. These abilities/studies are possessed regardless of class. Unless specified otherwise, most professions from the dexterity source assume the character has spent 2 to 3 years learning their craft; in each case, to make use of their craft to make items requires the proper space and tools. Further notes are as follows:

Baking: baking can be performed in campfire or better standards of preparation, saving the party food costs while improving overall nutrition and character food quality.

Brewer: character can brew, strain and cask his or her own lager beer, though this will be of middling quality as the character begins as an amateur. Intoxication is calculated according to how much a character weighs, the character's race and the amount of alcohol inbibed. A greater relative weight would mean the character has more difficulty becoming intoxicated.

Butcher: character can make better use of hunted or live animal foods, since the character is adept at getting all meat from the bone. The cleaver is a highly sharpened 12-inch long cutting tool that normally causes 1-4 damage on a hit; the butcher is assumed to have the tool/weapon as a bonus weapon proficiency; the character must buy the tool.

Candlemaker: character can render fat to make candles and oil, saving on the cost of illumination. Has ample experience working with boiling liquids, so that he or she subtracts 1 point of damage from such attacks. This includes burning oil, boiling water or steam. A pint of prepared bubbling wax can be thrown for 1 to 4 damage by any character, similar to throwing acid.

Confectioner: character can make candy, glazed fruit and other dessert vittles, soothing the sweet tooth of others. Like the candlemaker, has ample experience working with boiling liquids, also subtracting damage from these attacks.

Cobbler: with a bone needle, materials and cobbler's bench, the character can make footwear of all kinds. Starts with high boots, either hard or soft, made of cowhide, horsehide, sheepskin or kid leather, as wished. These are in addition to the rolled capital. The character is assumed to be mending and maintaining the party's footwear continuously.

Cook: character has an amateur experience with the preparation of food in any setting, increasing its nutritional quality. The short knife is a 10-inch blade that normally causes 0-2 damage on a hit. The character is assumed to have the tool/weapon as a bonus weapon proficiency; begins the game with his or her own knife.

Cooper: enables the character to make wooden slats and forge iron bands so as to make barrels, kegs, buckets and so on. Starts with two empty kegs, 5 gallon capacity, and one empty barrel, 63 gallon capacity, in addition to starting capital. These are located at a place safely nearby the character's entry in the campaign.

Draper: a draper is a cloth wholesaler, so the character has experience at buying and selling cloth, which provides the bargaining skill linked on the table. Start with a camp tent with one centerpole, 8 ft. square with 6 ft. ceiling, with room for 11¾ tons storage; putting up time, 1 hr; pack time, ½ hr; made of canvas. This in addition to starting capital.

Fishmonger: character has cleaned and gutted thousands of fish and is highly resistant to the sight of blood, bad odours or the effects from same. He or she may be considered a "cook" with respect to the preparation of fish, but no other sort of food.

Fuller: "fulling" is the process of scouring and pounding raw fibre, making the cloth ready for spinning; the process required moving and stretching the heavy fibre mass on great frames called "tenters," while the fibre was sopping wet. This accounts for the +2 bonus to all strength checks the character gains. The character is comfortable performing hard labour for ten or more hours at a time.

Furniture-maker: character can build items of furniture and decor, requiring a workshop. Knowledge of how wood is put together enables skill at pulling apart doors, opening chests around the lid, sinking ships or sabotaging vehicles, "stripping" through wooden walls and so on. Character starts with a three-legged camp stool of his or her own making, in addition to starting capital.

Furrier: with a bone needle & thread, a table, pelts and a knife, the character can make fur clothing; includes skinning of fur-bearing animals. Character begins with an ordinary quality cloak made of red fox or silver wolf fur, in addition to starting capital. The short knife is a 10-inch blade that normally causes 0-2 damage on a hit. The character is assumed to have the tool/weapon as a bonus weapon proficiency; begins the game with his or her own knife.

Instrument-maker: refers to the making of musical instruments; the character may choose the instrument with which he or she is familiar and can play. Start with one musical instrument of choice, of his or her own making, in addition to starting capital.

Leather worker: with a bone needle, knife, wooden mallet and short hammer, table and small workshop, the character can make leather items of all kinds. Starts with a leather cloak and hat, made of cowhide, horsehide or sheepskin, as wished; either can be waterproofed if so desired and of a style the player chooses. These are in addition to starting capital. The character is assumed to be mending and maintaining the party's leather goods continuously.

Papermaker: able to make paper from scratch, requiring a workshop, as well as read and write. As the practice of making affordable paper involves the processing of worn and discarded linen and other materials, much of the product is filthy and disease-ridden; this has granted the character a strong resistance against disease, reducing both the nature and degree by -1 when rolling on a d8.

Shipwright: able to build or oversee small lake and ocean-going craft; the character has no knowledge of making a boat able to endure the rigours of river travel. Eventually, the character may be skilled enough to design and build crafts of any size. Bonus applies to situations where a craft is sinking and requires a roll to see if it does within a given time. Start with a single-masted gaff-rigged sloop, safely harboured at nearest stillwater location in the care of a friend; 33 ft. length, 7.9 cargo, 2 ft. draft, 1-4 crew, needs sailcloth. This in addition to starting capital.

Tailor: with a needle & thread, a table, cloth and a knife, the character can make clothing, saving on the cost of livery for the party and hirelings. Starts with high soft boots, breeches, shirt, doublet, robe and cloak made of either wool or linen fabric, worth 2.3 times their ordinary cost, in addition to starting capital. The character is assumed to be mending and maintaining the party's clothing continuously.

Tanner: includes skinning and drying of animal skins, including fur-bearing animals, as well as putting down such animals prior to skinning. Regular use of chemicals has made the character wary and uncommonly protective against the use of acid. Causes +10% damage when attacking helpless defenders, including animals and beasts, with a +2 to hit such creatures after the initial attack.

Tobacconist: character can grow, harvest, dry and smoke tobacco leaves, rolling them for smoking or powdering them for use as snuff. Having been addicted to numerous associated smoked substances, the character has tremendous resistance to the effects of narcotics, as a liquid or a gas, including magical substances such as a philter of love or eating food that's able to charm.

Vintner: character can grow, harvest and press grapes into wine, though the latter will be of a middling quality, as the character begins as an amateur. Intoxication is calculated according to how much a character weighs, the character's race and the amount of alcohol inbibed. A greater relative weight would mean the character has more difficulty becoming intoxicated.

Wagoneer: character is able build wagons and carts, as well as driving same; however, the character is not a teamster and therefore lacks any special knowledge of loading and unloading, the health of draft animals, or the location of shippers, places to buy loads, nor familiarity with warehouse overseers. Start with a wagon for haulage, durable and sprung for loading; heavy construction, flat platform and strong wheels, carries 8 tons. This in addition to starting capital.

Weaver: includes the process of transforming cleaned fibre tufts into cloth that can be made into objects; includes the ability to spin and use a loom. Start with two bolts of cloth, each 39 yards of material; character may choose from burlap, calico, cambric, canvas, cotton, flannel, linen, muslin or wool. The character is assumed to be mending and maintaining the party's clothing continuously.

Woodcutter: able to choose the best wood from a standing forest and practice selective cutting of trees. Time spent avoiding felled trees and riding logs on water has increased the character's balance. The short axe is a 15-inch tool with handle and metal axe-head that normally causes 1-4 damage on a hit; the woodcutter is assumed to have the tool/weapon as a bonus weapon proficiency; begins the game with his or her own axe.

Bookbinder: familiar with a printing press, setting type and binding books between leather, requiring a workshop, the character is also able to read and write. The character starts with [2-5] authority-status "practical books". Each book is assigned to a study, one per study; the character may assign these according to the studies in his or her own class. When the character has the book and 10 minutes to study it, the book adds +5 points to the character's knowledge in that study, as long as the character is able to presently consult the book.