PC Creation

4e WILDERLANDS PC Creation

Introduction

The Campaign begins at 3rd level, with the PCs in the vicinity of the Stone Axe Inn, at a crossroads north of the horse-farming town of Bisgen, deep in wild Barbarian Altanis on the Pazidan Peninsula. Bisgen is ruled by Parre, a female Altanian "Traitor Baron" - one who has sworn fealty to the Invincible Overlord of the City State, in Roglaras far to the north.  The climate is hot, subtropical.  Climate and terrain here somewhat resemble Earth's Latin America, in the vicinity of southern Brazil.  On the coast to the west lies the silk-farming town of Renth, where dwell many elves and half-elves, while the road north-east leads up into the highlands and the township of Bisituni, with its poncho-clad halflings, its llamas and potato fields.

The Empire of Nerath, founded by exiles from the City State, once ruled in these lands, but fell during the Gnoll Times more than two centuries ago.  Before that, two millenia ago the Glorious Doomfire Empire of Bael Turath dominated here, and warred with the Dragonborn Empire of Arkhosia to the south, in Oricha - to the eventual mutual destruction of both empires.  And before those empires, there was mighty Kelnor, and before that, the Golden Age of Ghinor, and before that, ancient legends tell of the terrible Dragon Empire of Oricha, and before that... countless ruins of fallen empires dot the ancient lands of Altanis, many still hiding their secrets.  But the Men of Altanis will not go there.

PC Concept Sheet.

Contact me to discuss ideas for your character background, then fill in and send me the Concept Sheet below with your character proposal.  I will take the best 3-5 initial PC proposals.   Companion NPCs are potentially available, especially if the PCs number less than five.

The starting area in Barbarian Altanis is a wilderness marked by 'points of light' - villages, manors and towns that are mostly remnants of the fallen Nerathi Empire, where the ancient Alryan Nerathi nobility cling to their civilised mores amidst a swelling tide of red barbarism.  Beyond the walled towns, the fierce nomadic Red Barbarians of Altanis roam the wastelands, battling the vicious Orcs and other monsters.  The ruins of countless fallen empires litter the wilderness, avoided by the superstitious barbarians, but known to hold the sorcerous relics of the ancients.

Character Name:

Rank/Position/Concept:

Sex:

Species: (normally human) Race:

Homeland:

Age: (minimum 16 for humans)

Height: (feet & inches)

Weight: (lbs. minimum is STRx10 lbs, eg STR 16 is 160 lbs)

Colour of - Hair: - Eyes: - Skin:

Appearance: (eg handsome, ugly, fat, voluptuous, imposing)

Clothing: (eg shirt, loincloth, tunic, long dress)

Demeanour: (eg grim, cheerful, studious)

Motivations: what brings you to the area, what your general goals in life are. Good motivations include plot hooks for the GM, especially ones that can incorporate additional PCs in a scenario!  See below on Goals & Conflict.

Background: your history and social standing - noble, slave, mercenary et al.

Sample Character Backgrounds include professional soldier, tribesman, noble, knight, fop, savage, nomad, escaped gladiator slave, outlaw, thug, beast master, ruin explorer, last survivor, professional killer, warrior-priest, beggar, barbarian-thief, dilettante, diplomat, gambler, inspector, guide/pathfinder, pirate, scout, smuggler, spy, treasure hunter, dancer, escaped (or freed) temple slave.

With the DM's approval your PC can take an appropriate Background-related skill as a Class Skill (or +2 bonus to checks if already a class skill), as per 4e PHB 2.  This then replaces the racial class skill (below).  Here are some sample Backgrounds from the 'Metal Earth' blog, with associated skills:

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1. Forager: Foragers live outside the cities, living off the land. Players with this background must pick a specific home environment with which they are very familiar (e.g. swamp, desert, woodland): within this environment the forager knows how to acquire food and water.  Skill: Nature

2. Scholar:  At the very least someone with this background is functionally literate. The character may also have knowledge of a certain subject area.  Skill: any one Knowledge skill from History, Arcana, or Religion.

3. Criminal:  Criminals come in different varieties. At the very least, a character with this background should have black market/underworld connections in their home town. It is also possible that they are experienced in breaking and entering, extortion or some other traditionally criminal activity.  Skill: Streetwise

4. Outlander : This is character from another time or world. This background is available only to humans.  Skill: Athletics (for higher gravity worlds) ore as agreed with GM.

5. Looter:  Looters have experience gaining access to and dealing with the hazards of ruins.  Skill: Knowledge – Dungeoneering.

6. Farmer:  farmers are adept in working the land.  Skill: Nature or Athletics.

7. Artists:  Artists are capable practitioners of an art form (e.g., poetry, painting, sculpture) or one of the performing arts (e.g., dancing, playing a musical instrument, acting, prostitution).  Skill: Bluff

8. Sailor : Sailors know about boats.  Skill: Athletics

9. Artisan:  Artisans have a manufacturing skill that requires the use of their hands; this could be anything from making jewelry to blacksmithing to house painting.  Skill: Knowledge – Arcana or Religion

10. Guard:  Guards are trained in standard military procedure. Guards know how to march in formation; keep things polished; open and close gates; defend against a siege, and sometimes enforce the law.   Skill: Intimidate or Streetwise

Contacts: You can propose a number of NPC Contacts equal to 1+CHA bonus, people who your PC is friendly with and can call on for advice and assistance. They may be eg family members, friends, or mentors.  Write a short descriptive paragraph about each Contact (no game rules). If aproved the GM will stat them out appropriately.  Contact NPCs will rarely adventure alongside the PC.

Goals & Conflict

When creating your character, think about them as the star of a pulp swords & sorcery story.  They should be exciting to you, and to the reader.

Think about their goals, and at least two that conflict.  Do they value gold over friendship?  Survival over revenge?  Sketch out their goals on their character sheet, but don't try to answer the question yet. The question of which wins out should be answered in play. 

Common Human Races in the 'Southlands' Campaign Area – Barbarian Altanis

The semi-nomadic Altanian Barbarians dwell across Barbarian Altanis on the Pazidan Peninsula. Copper to reddish brown to (rare) blood-red skin, sandy to black hair.

The female-dominated Amazons hail from the far south, in Altanis they are found mostly in scattered bands, or as female mercenaries and adventurers.

The most common humans in much of the South, especially the wild Ghinarian Hills, are the Ghinorans, citizens of the ancient Ghinoran Successor States.  They have tanned complexions and dark hair, often curly.

The most common race in the north are the Alryans, originally a mix of Altanian and Tharbrian with Skandik admixture. They typically have fair to olive skin, occasionally reddish, and brown hair.  The rulers of Old Nerath were also Alryan, and their descendants can still be found in parts of Altanis dominated by the Empire of Nerath before the Gnoll Times.

The Tharbrian nomads dwell in lands west of the City State, they have ruddy tan skin with black or tawny brown hair.  Most Tharbrians in Altanis are slaves or adventurers.

The rare Dunael Woodsfolk dwell in the Dearthwood northeast of the City State, they have bronzed tan skin and black hair.  Very rarely seen in Altanis.

Local Non-Human Races

PHB Races

Dwarves: The major Dwarf-Holds in the area are Chacban and Kolda.

Elves: Barbarian Red Elves (Southern Elves) roam Altanis; especially the Lagoldurna Jungle; while urban Red Elves are found in Renth.

Eladrin/High Elves: Those encountered in the campaign area typically originate from the ancient High Elf/Eladrin city of Actun to the northwest, some have settled in Renth.  Eladrin pupils are visible, except when using powers, or in the Feywild.

Half-Elves: Common in Renth and Bisgen.

Halflings: The major halfling settlement in the area is the highland potato & llama farming township of Bisituni.

Tieflings: Descendants of the sorcerous, demon-touched Ghinoran-Altani rulers of the ancient and wicked Glorious Doomfire Empire of Bael Turath, which cast out Kelnor and dominated Pazidan for a thousand years, before its destruction in the Great War with Arkhosia to the south. Tieflings are often persecuted as 'demonbrood', bearers of ill fortune, and many have learned to mask their true countenance (PCs can optionally appear human, unless reduced to 0 hp or rendered unconscious).

Dragonborn: The heirs of ancient Arkhosia, Dragonborn are native to southern Pazidan, but adventurous Dragonborn often wander north into the campaign area.  As ancient allies of the Red Altanians against both the Orichalan Dragon Lords and later Bael Turath, they are usually warmly welcomed by the nomad clans, who see them as bringers of good fortune.  
Dragonborn were originally created by the Orichalan Dragon Lords during the War of the Pious and the Philosophers as a counter to the Altan Warforged.  The Dragon Lords impregnated human women with the seed of metallic dragons (chromatic dragonseed having proved invariably fatal to the impregnated human) to create a fast growing and powerful race of slave warriors.  The Dragonborn helped give the Dragon Lords victory in that war, but centuries later would join with Bondor and Ghinor in the great rebellions that destroyed the Empire of the Dragon Lords.  The Dragonborn later established their own empire of Arkhosia upon the ruins of the Dragon Empire of Orichala.

PHB2 Races

Deva: The Deva descended into the corporeal world thousands of years ago; some say to fight against the Philosophers and their Markab allies in the Final War.  But some Deva seem to have dim memories of earlier lives...

Goliath: A few Goliath or 'half giant' clans dwell in the Castellan Mountains.  The Goliath are the dominant race of the Demi-Giant Lands far to the west, beyond Viridistan, where they are said to rule whole savage kingdoms.

Shifters: Some Altanian clans of the Carnelian Plains are Shifters, humans of oddly bestial countenance who in battle take on the aspect of feral beasts.  Most Shifters are honourable, but a few renegades have fallen to depravity and allied with the Jackalwere 'Plains Demons', evil spirits clothed in flesh.  Notable Shifter clans include the Gray Wolf (Longtooth) and the Blood Panther (Razorclaw). 

Gnomes: Rare in the campaign area, may be encountered as lone wanderers or in isolated burrows.

Half-Orcs:  Orcs dominate the lands south of Bisgen, from the Castellan mountains to the sea.  Half-Orcs are typically the result of the rape of human women, either during Orc-raids, or as slaves of the Orc tribes.   There are a few small clans of true-breeding half-orcs.

Other Races

Warforged: Occasionally some magical or other mishap awakens a cache of ancient Warforged to the light of a new age.  The original Warforged* were created during the War of the Pious and the Philosophers, by the Altan Philosophers under Markab influence, but the Orichalan Dragon-Lords soon copied the designs for their own deadly war engines.  Philosopher-built Warforged are cut off from the God Tree and cannot channel Divine energy; they cannot have a class with the Divine power source (but with DM's permission these can be reskinned to a different source).  Orichalan Warforged are unrestricted in source.  Orichalan Warforged are normally Evil or Chaotic Evil, but PCs may be of any Alignment, having cast off their original programming.

*Altan Warforged were originally known as ABC Warriors – 'Arcane, Bacterial, Chemical'.  Orichalan Warforged are often called Blackbloods for the colour of the nutrient oil that maintains their systems.

Alignment

Typical Wilderlands adventurers are Unaligned, as most prioritise the accumulation of personal power and wealth.  Lawful Good and Good PCs are also permitted, and should have personal goals which permit and encourage regular adventuring.  Evil PCs are permitted in play, but they should have good reasons not to betray their companions (the other PCs), at least in the short to medium term!  Chaotic Evil PCs are not allowed.

Multiple PCs

Players may create up to three active PCs each, they can choose which PC (one only) to play in any particular session.  PCs beyond the first should preferably have established links to at least one PC of another player.  Normally each of a player's PCs should have a different class, and preferably different combat role (striker/defender/leader/controller). 

PC Roles

Ideally there should be no more than one Controller PC in the party in any particular session, and at least one Defender, who could be a companion NPC.  At least one Leader is also very useful and it's good to have plenty of Strikers.