HOW TO CREATE A HARNMASTER II CHARACTER (IN 55 EASY STEPS!) By Bill Gant, 1992. WHAT YOU'LL NEED: * a copy of the HarnMaster II Character Generation Worksheet. You may photocopy the one on the following page. * a pencil and eraser. * 2d4, 5d6, 3d10, 1d12 and 1d30. * a calculator. * a HarnMaster II character sheet and a sheet containing the Armour & Clothing Table and Armour Analysis Table. Both these sheets are included at the end of this guide and may be photocopied for your personal use. * a copy of HarnMaster FRP system (by N. Robin Crossby, 1986). * a copy of HarnMaster II: rule additions, deletions and alterations (by W. Gant, 1992). * a copy of HarnMaster II Megagame Supplement (by W. Gant, 1992) (in case an off-worlder PC is generated). * Harnview (birthplace generation). * Gods of Harn (for more about Harnic religion). * Shek-Pvar module and Tomes (in case a Shek-Pvar PC is generated). * Pilots' Almanac (in case a pilot, seaman or shipwright PC is generated). * Rethem kingdom module (in case a Lia-Kavair PC is generated). * Tharda republic module (in case a gladiator PC is generated). * BattleLust battle system. * a few hours of your time! All set? Then let's start! (1) Get the WORKSHEET out and fill in your name and today's date (real time). If you are creating a HarnMaster II character for the first time, you'll be allowed to create 3 characters and choose one. You'll be allowed to re-roll certain scores on that chosen character, to try and make him/her better, but these re- rolls must be kept, even if the new scores end up worse than the original. (Note: You may only re-roll scores that have a good-to-bad range. Species, sex, birthdate, sibling rank, clanhead, frame, complexion, hair colour and eye colour cannot be re-rolled.) If this is a second generation character (i.e. your first character died and you're creating a new PC), then you may create 2 characters and choose one. The chosen PC may be altered, as above. If this is a third generation character, then you may only create 1 character. This PC may still be altered, as above. If you are so unlucky as to be creating a fourth or greater generation character, you may only create 1 character, and he/she may not be altered through re-rolls. (2) You might wish to have a NON-HARN CHARACTER. The PC may conceivably come from any part of Kethira, but it's a good idea to discuss his/her country of origin with the GM. It's also possible to play an OFF-WORLDER. As long as the GM okays it, the character may come from Terra, Sherem or Midgaad. Losenor has no playable life- forms, no one wants to leave the Blessed Realms, and Yashain might be a little too far-fetched (you'd have to be a demigod!). However, you may only ever play ONE off-worlder in one GM's campaign. If that off-worlder dies, you may never play an off-worlder again. Off-worlders from Terra are humans from a universe very similar to Frank Herbert's "Dune" series. Characters from Sherem are humans, muadra or boccord from Skyrealms Publishings's RPG, "Skyrealms of Jorune". Characters from Midgaad are humans or demi-humans from I.C.E.'s RPG, "Middle Earth Role Playing". All three worlds should be to some extent converted to HarnMaster rules by the GM. The GM will need to improvise a fair deal, so the player should expect some changes to his/her character later in the campaign (GMs are not infallible!). (3) Roll 1d100 twice for your potential character's SPECIES on the table on Character 2, or simply choose to be human. If you roll a non-human category on the first roll, you must achieve the same category, or 00, on the second roll, to play a character of that species. Otherwise, the character is human. If 00 is rolled for both the first and second rolls, the character may be whatever the player wants, as long as the GM agrees! It's possible to play an Aenarin (half-elf), a creature from HarnMaster's Bestiary (such as an Ivashu), or even a demigod! Note that it may sound great to have a superhuman character like a demigod, but such a character will certainly be restricted in his/her actions (powerful characters have powerful enemies...). (4) Roll 1d100 for your character's SEX on the table on Character 2 if you want to try and role-play a PC of the opposite gender. If you want a character to be the same sex as yourself, then no roll is necessary. Experience has shown that few players can role-play characters of the opposite gender credibly. (5) Roll 1d30 and 1d12 for the character's BIRTHDATE on Character 2. The (human) character was born 17+1d4 years prior to the start of the game, but this is modified if the character becomes a priest or a Shek-Pvar. Keep this in mind for later: PCs who join the priesthood add about 3 years to their age (see Religion 3). PCs who become Shek-Pvar add about 4 to 6 years to their age (see the Shek-Pvar book, page 7). (6) The character's SUNSIGN is derived from his/her birthdate. See Character 2 for the relevant table. A cusp occurs if the character is born within the first two and last two days of each sign. So, if 4th Larane is the last day of Ahnu, and 5th Larane is the first day of Angberelius, a character born on the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th of Larane will be born on the Ahnu-Angberelius cusp (a character born on the 5th or 6th would actually be born on the Angberelius-Ahnu cusp, but the effect is the same). Off-worlders also gain the benefits of a sunsign, but the names will be different (use the names of the months for Midgaad, variants of Terran starsigns for Terra and Sherem). The effects are the same. (7) The player may then choose an appropriate CULTURE for the character. Birthplace doesn't need to be generated unless the player chooses this character. When it does need to be generated and the character is a Harnian, the GM should roll on the Nation and Birthplace table of Harnview (p.23). See Character 2 for a brief description of the different cultures. (8) Next, roll 1d1000 three times for PARENT OCCUPATION. Roll on the appropriate column of the table on Character 3, and choose the best occupation of the three rolls. (9) Next comes SIBLING RANK. Roll 1d100 on the table on Character 4. There's no need to roll on the subtables (e.g. sibling rank, whether or not the mother is still alive, etc) unless this character is to be kept. (10) The player now rolls for ESTRANGEMENT. Roll 1d100 on the table on Character 4. (11) CLANHEAD comes next, if the character's family is extended. Serf occupations do not need to worry about this, since most have unextended families. If it's necessary, roll 1d100 and consult the table on Character 4. (12) The player may choose to roll 1d1000 on the MEDICAL table on Character 5, but this is completely optional. If the player doesn't want to roll on the table, then go to step (13) now. If a particularly bad medical trait is generated, such as alcoholism, deformed/missing body part, or drug addiction, then the GM should either disallow or moderate it. A trait should be disallowed only if it seriously impairs the character (e.g. hemophilia or organ defect); otherwise it should be simply moderated. A disallowed trait causes the player to roll again. (13) The character's HEIGHT comes next. Roll the appropriate number of d6's on the table on Character 6. Don't forget to modify the height by the character's race and/or diet. Discretionary modifiers may be applied for off-worlders and non-Harnians. (14) The character's FRAME should be generated on 3d6. Human females and Sindarin have a -3 modifier, Gargu-Arak have +1, and other Gargun and Khuzdul have a +4 modifier. Discretionary modifiers might be imposed for off-worlders and non-Harnians. See the description on Character 6. (15) The character's WEIGHT is derived from height and frame. See Character 6. PCs taller than 7'0" (84") add 6 lbs to their weight per inch beyond 84. Obese characters (generated on the Medical table) increase their mass by (1d6+1)x10 percent. (16) 3d6 is then rolled for the character's COMPLEXION. See Character 6 for details. Ivinians and Sindarin have a -5 modifier, Azeryani and other southern peoples have a +4 modifier. Again, discretionary modifiers could be imposed for off-worlders and other Kethirans. Note that this attribute has nothing to do with the character's race; nearly all Harnians and western Lythian people are Caucasian, regardless of complexion. (17) The player now rolls 1d100 for the character's HAIR COLOUR. Consult the appropriate column on the tables on Character 6. Off-worlders would need to roll on the table that most closely represents their own. Eastern Lythians would probably roll on the Dark complexion column, regardless of their actual complexion. (18) 1d100 is then rolled for EYE COLOUR. See Character 6. Off-worlders would need to roll on the table that most closely represents their own. Eastern Lythians would probably roll on the Dark complexion column, regardless of their actual complexion. (19) The player rolls 3d6 for his/her character's COMELINESS. Khuzdul and Sindarin may alter their attribute in view of humans as follows: _______________________________ ________________________________ | (KHUZDUL) | MODIFIER TO COM | | (SINDARIN) | MODIFIER TO COM | | ACTUAL | WHEN SEEN BY | | ACTUAL | WHEN SEEN BY | | STAT | HUMANS | | STATS | HUMANS | |-----------+-----------------| |------------+-----------------| | 3-6 | -1 | | 3-4 | +8 | | 7-10 | -2 | | 5-6 | +7 | | 11-15 | -3 | | 7 | +6 | | 16-18 | -4 | | 8-9 | +5 | |___________|_________________| | 10-11 | +4 | | 12-18 | +3 | |____________|_________________| It is a relatively easy task to adapt this Comeliness modifier to other species. A character with a Comeliness attribute of 19 or more may cause members of the opposite sex (and possibly of his/her own sex) to fall helplessly in love (or lust) with him/her. Characters with poxmarks (generated on the Medical table) modify their Comeliness attribute by -1d3. (20) The next category is the character's STRENGTH. This, along with the other six attributes marked with a (*), is a Key Attribute, and is generated on 3d6, with an optional re-roll on any one d6 (but the new roll must be kept, even if the total score is less than the original). Strength is modified by weight (see Character 7), +5 if the character is Gargu- Khanu, +4 if he/she is Khuzdul or Gargu-Viasal, +3 if some other Gargun, and +1 if Sindarin. Discretionary modifiers may be applied for off-worlders. Certain characters with a genetic throwback (generated on the Medical table) may have +1d3 Strength. There is no upper limit to a character's Strength (or any other attribute, for that matter), and it may exceed 18. An obese character (generated on the Medical table) does not add the modifier for his/her actual weight to Strength; only the optimum weight is considered. (21) The character's ENDURANCE comes next. This is a 3d6 Key Attribute, and is rolled as for step (20) above. Khuzdul and Gargu-Khanu characters add +2 to Endurance, Gargu-Viasal have a +1 modifier, and Gargu-Arak have a -1 modifier. Discretionary modifiers may be applied for off-worlders. (22) The character's DEXTERITY follows. As with Strength and Endurance, this also is a Key Attribute. That is, 3d6 is rolled, and the player has the option of re-rolling any one d6, but the new score must be kept. Sindarin have a +2 modifier to Dexterity, and Khuzdul have a +1 bonus. Discretionary modifiers may be applied for off-worlders. Certain Medical traits can raise a character's Dexterity: Ambidexterity grants a +2 bonus, as do double-jointed arms, and left-handedness bestows a +1 modifier. The bonus from double-jointed arms is cumulative with either ambidexterity or left-handedness. Obviously, the bonuses from ambidexterity and left-handedness are not cumulative with each other! (23) Next comes the character's AGILITY, which is yet another 3d6 Key Attribute. Sindarin characters have a +2 bonus to Agility. Discretionary modifiers may be applied for off-worlders. The character's Frame modifies this attribute as follows: Scant, +2; Light, +1; Heavy, -1; and Massive, -2. Certain Medical traits can further modify Agility: Double-jointed legs grant a +2 bonus, and obesity reduces Agility by 1 point for every 10 percent the character is heavier than his/her optimum weight. Minimum Agility attribute (as for any other attribute generated on 3d6) is 1. (24) The character's SPEED is next. For humanoid characters, Speed is linked to Agility; it may not differ from Agility by more than 4 points (adjust Speed up or down as necessary). Speed is generated on a flat roll of 3d6. Human females and Khuzdul have a -2 modifier, and Gargu-Arak have a +2 bonus to Speed. Discretionary modifiers may be applied for off-worlders. (25) EYESIGHT is generated on 3d6. It is modified by +4 for Sindarin and +2 for Gargun. Night vision temporarily reduces Eyesight by 2 to 7 points (-4 to -5 on average), but this does not apply for Gargun and nocturnal creatures. Discretionary modifiers may be applied for off-worlders. A character with a low Eyesight attribute is probably myopic or hypermetropic. A character with a high score not only has perfect vision, but notices small details exceptionally well. (26) The next attribute is HEARING, which is generated on 3d6. It is modified by +3 for Sindarin and +2 for Khuzdul and Gargun. Discretionary modifiers may be applied for off-worlders. (27) SMELL/TASTE is also generated on 3d6. Gargu-Arak gain a +5 bonus, Sindarin have a +3 modifier, other Gargun have a +2 modifier, and human females have a +1 bonus to this attribute. Tribal humans tend to have more sensitive noses, and hence gain a further +2 bonus. Discretionary modifiers may be applied for off- worlders. (28) The next attribute is TOUCH. 3d6 is rolled for this attribute, and is modified by +2 if the character is Sindarin, +1 if Khuzdul. Characters who do manual labour (such as warriors who frequently wield weapons that do not have Tch incorporated in their Skill Bases) have a -1 modifier to Touch, but only in the hands. Discretionary modifiers may be applied for off-worlders. (29) Next comes VOICE, which is generated on 3d6. Sindarin add +3 to this attribute. Discretionary modifiers may be applied for off-worlders. See Character 7 for details. (30) INTELLIGENCE is a 3d6 Key Attribute, and is only an assessment of a character's memory, not his/her ability to reason or articulate. Consult the table on Character 7 for a description. Discretionary modifiers may be applied for off-worlders. Characters afflicted with falling sickness (generated on the Medical table) have a +1d3 modifier to this attribute. However, this medical trait is hardly considered to be beneficial if the character's Will attribute (below) is low. (31) Next is AURA, another 3d6 Key Attribute. Sindarin have a +4 bonus to this attribute, female humans have +2, Khuzdul have -2, and Gargun have a -4 penalty. Discretionary modifiers may be applied for off-worlders. A character with 13 or greater Aura has the potential to have psionic talents. This is generated later if this character is chosen to be played. (32) The final 3d6 Key Attribute is WILL. Khuzdul gain +3, Sindarin and Gargu- Khanu gain +2, and Gargu-Arak suffer -1 modifiers to this attribute. Discretionary modifiers may be applied for off-worlders. (33) 1d1000 is rolled for PSYCHE, on the table on Character 8. Some traits are perhaps too hard on PCs, and so might be disallowed (in which case you roll again) or moderated. This all depends on the GM. (34) The player now rolls 5d6 for his/her character's PIETY. It doesn't matter yet that the player has not chosen a deity for the character to worship; that can be decided later if this character is chosen to be played. Add 1d6 for acolytes, or 2d6 for priests. Off-world characters do not have any piety points until a Kethiran deity is worshipped. (35) You've now completed the basics of a HarnMaster II character! Now GO BACK to step (2) and create your second and third characters (if appropriate). Now you have up to three characters to choose from. Decide which character you want to play in the game. This will be your PC. (36) If this is a first to third generation character, you may ALTER YOUR PC. If this is your fourth or greater generation character, go to step (37) now. To alter your character, you may re-do any of the steps you followed for this PC. That includes rolling three times for Parent Occupation and choosing the best of that three, and rolling for Key Attributes as normal (3d6 with an option to re-roll any one d6). However, you may NOT re-roll the PC's species, sex, birthdate, sibling rank, clanhead, frame, complexion, hair colour or eye colour. All other stats may be re-rolled, but whatever you alter is a permanent change, even if the new score ends up lower than the original. (37) Get out a HarnMaster II CHARACTER SHEET, and transfer the information for this character on to it. You must roll for birthplace (if possible; otherwise the GM will just pick a place for you), and make any extra rolls on the sibling rank table (Character 4). If your PC is not an off-worlder, you are now required to pick a religion for him/her, based on the character's parental and cultural background. You may start to think up a name for your PC, too. (38) On the HarnMaster II character sheet, work out your PC's MOBILITY (Speed x 5), DODGE (Agility x 5), and INITIATIVE rating (End + Dex + Agl + Spd + Wil), and enter them on the bottom left of the sheet. Note that Initiative is now an improvable quasi-skill, and its SB Initiative/5, rounded off. Make a note of Initiative SB to the left of the Initiative rating. (39) Work out your character's FATIGUE RECOVERY RATE, and enter this on the bottom left of the character sheet. See below and apply the rate appropriate to your character's Endurance: ________________________________ | | FATIGUE RECOVERY | | ENDURANCE | PER ROUND | |-----------+------------------| | 3-8 | 1/6 | | 9-14 | 1/3 | | 15-20 | 1/2 | |___________|__________________| (40) Determine for your PC the MINIMUM HOURS OF SLEEP REQUIRED PER 24 HOURS by rolling 2d4+3. Your character needs this much sleep each day to avoid suffering special penalties. The number of hours can be trained down by 20% in the course of the game. This is important when Shek-Pvar make up schedules to research spells, and when adventurers try to set up watches at night. Enter this value in the appropriate space below the fatigue recovery rate. (41) Next, determine the character's DRINK RESISTANCE. Don't bother if the PC does not or may not drink alcohol. This is the character's resistance to alcohol and is useful to know when the PC boozes up in a tavern, etc. It is derived from the average of the PC's Endurance and one tenth (round off) his/her actual weight. Enter this figure beneath the Minimum Hours... figure. (42) Now, you must fill in the TRAITS table on the character sheet; this is the main reason why this game is called HarnMaster II instead of just HarnMaster. The Morality attribute has been completely replaced by Personality Traits. Traits are dualistic personality factors existing in every individual, and they define a person's feelings and tendencies. HarnMaster II has 10 pairs of personality traits which are important to the game. The traits are presented in opposed pairs, and the total value of the pair must always equal 20 at the beginning of a character's adventuring career. Personality traits are not fixed, and will change as a campaign progresses. When one trait increases the opposite normally decreases by the same amount. No trait may ever start higher than 15 or lower than 5, except under special circumstances (usually caused by Psyche problems). Any trait with a value between 5 and 15 is considered to be normal, while those less than 5 and greater than 15 are excessive and deserve to be noticeable. Personality traits are always listed in whole numbers. All traits are considered to be virtues in at least one major religion, and a worshipper who displays significant behaviour in the virtuous traits will be rewarded. Each religion has 5 virtuous traits. Choose trait values carefully, since they guide your character's behaviour. From time to time, the GM will ask you to make trait rolls to determine which way your PC will act in a particular circumstance. Sometimes, you might wish to make rolls yourself on a trait to see how the character acts, by rolling 1d20; if the value equals or is less than the trait listed on the left, he/she acts that way (e.g. chaste, forgiving, generous, etc), and if the value exceeds that trait, then he/she acts in the opposite manner (e.g. lustful, vengeful, selfish, etc). There is too much to go into here on the subject of traits. For more information, you are referred to pages 2 to 6 of HarnMaster II: rule additions, deletions, and alterations (W. Gant, 1992). (43) Enter your PC's NATIVE TONGUE on the Languages/Scripts table of the HarnMaster II character sheet, near the centre of the page. Consult the table on Skills 3 for the Skill Base (SB) of the language (which is the average of Intelligence + Will + Will, rounded off, plus 1 if the PC's sunsign is Tai). Add this to the appropriate number found on Skills 1 to find the opening Mastery Level (ML), and enter SB and ML on the character sheet. A character is considered to be fluent in his/her native language if ML is 61+. If ML is 86+, the character is a master of the language. (44) Next comes the character's RITUAL skill, assuming he/she has a religion. If the PC doesn't have a religion, he/she obviously doesn't have a Ritual skill. SB is derived from Skills 3 (which is the average of Voice + Voice + Intelligence, rounded off, plus 1 if the PC's sunsign is Tarael). Opening ML is the same as SB, unless the character is a priest (see Religion 3). Enter these in the appropriate boxes on the Communication table of the HarnMaster II character sheet, near the top centre of the page. (45) If your PC has an Aura attribute of 13 or more, roll 1d100 on the PSIONIC TALENTS table on Skills 1 once for each point of Aura above 12. If Aura is 12 or less, go to step (46) now. On the HarnMaster II character sheet, write down the names of the talents in the Psionic Talents table near the top right of the sheet. If you rolled the same talent more than once, make a small note of it after that talent's name (e.g. x2 if you rolled the same talent twice). Now roll 1d100 against the PC's Aura for each talent. If the roll is equal to or less than Aura, that talent is ACTIVE. Otherwise, it is DORMANT. Further rolls to try and awaken talents are made whenever the character encounters some kind of magical phenomenon. Only the active talent has a ML listing; work out each active talent's SB and ML from Skills 3. NOTE: Shek-Pvar automatically have ALL active talents. Off-worlders from Terra come from a plane of existence noted for its lack of magic. Therefore, Terrans may actually have a passive resistance to magic and psionic activity for each point of Aura that is below 3. Hence, a Terran with an Aura of 2 has a 1% magic resistance on Kethira; if the resistance roll succeeds, an incoming spell or psionic talent is completely negated. (46) You must choose your character's OCCUPATION. The PC might wish to pursue his/her father's career, or perhaps another profession might beckon. In general, a PC may only pursue a career equal to or less than his/her parent's occupational RANK; only a gifted (or rich) character could try for a better rank. Occupations above the character's parent's rank may require SBs for all relevant skills to be 14+, or a year's earnings for a Bonded Master in advance, or both. See below for the rankings of various occupations: RANK 1: Beggar, Farmhand, Herdsman, Tribesman. RANK 2: Cook, Gladiator (free), Legionnaire, Man at Arms (ordinary), Mercenary (ordinary), Viking. RANK 3: Man at Arms (scout), Mercenary (scout), Thespian, Trapper. RANK 4: Harper, Hunter, Longshoreman, Man at Arms (sapper), Mercenary (sapper). RANK 5: Embalmer, Fisherman, Jester/Fool, (Lia-Kavair), Man at Arms (archer), Mercenary (archer), Salter, Seaman, Toymaker. RANK 6: Chandler, Charcoaler. RANK 7: Apothecary, Clothier, Hideworker, Innkeeper, Locksmith, Potter. RANK 8: Glassworker, Jeweller, Lexigrapher, Perfumer, Scribe, Woodcrafter. RANK 9: Animal Trainer, Courtesan, Litigant, Metalsmith, Physician, Teamster, Tentmaker. RANK 10: Herald, Ostler, Timberwright. RANK 11: Alchemist, Astrologer, Cartographer, Miller, Miner, Shek-Pvar. RANK 12: Mercantyler. RANK 13: Mason. RANK 15: Weaponcrafter. RANK 29: Pilot. RANK 45: Knight/Squire. Each rank represents one penny of income per day (on average) for Rank 1, plus one farthing per day per rank above 1. Thus, Rank 2 earns 1.25 pence per day, Rank 3 earns 1.5 pence, Rank 4 earns 1.75 pence, etc. Lia-Kavair (Thieves' Guild) members are approximately rank 5, but it is extremely difficult for characters whose parents are not in the Lia-Kavair to join, regardless of their own ranks. Practically anyone may join the priesthood of a legally-approved religion, regardless of parent rank. All that is required is an enthusiastic interest for the religion and at least some potential. It is also very easy to join the Miners' Guild and Seamen's Guild as long as the character has SBs for all relevant skills at 11+, and there is a general shortage in guildmembers in the region. Some occupations, such as Legionnaire or Viking, are restricted to certain regions; feudal kingdoms have neither professions available. The various rankings for Man at Arms and Mercenary are quickly described below. If the PC's father is a Man at Arms or Mercenary, roll 1d10 for his actual occupation: __________________________________________ | 1D10 RESULT | ACTUAL OCCUPATION | RANK | |-------------+-------------------+------| | 1-4 | Ordinary soldier | 2 | | 5-7 | Scout | 3 | | 8-9 | Sapper | 4 | | 10 | Archer | 5 | |_____________|___________________|______| Ordinary soldiers are treated as Medium Foot, Scouts and Sappers are Light Foot, and Archers are either Longbow or Shortbow (Light Foot). Scouts have Tracking/3 in addition to Man at Arms or Mercenary opening skills, but must give up 2 SBs' worth of occupational skills or option points. Sappers have Engineering/3 and Carpentry/2 in addition to Man at Arms or Mercenary opening skills, but must give up 4 SBs' worth of occupational skills or option points. Archers must choose either Longbow or Shortbow as a favoured weapon and put an option point into it. (47) If you want your character to enter a profession different from his/her family's, then he/she will receive FAMILY SKILLS at base OML. Note these skills on the appropriate tables on your character sheet. See Skills 1 for details. Your decision to choose what to do should take into account what the GM is telling you of your cultural and family backgrounds, and the basic PREGAME. (48) Now the opening skills of your character's OCCUPATIONAL SKILLS are listed on the character sheet. If an occupational skill is the same as a family skill, then the higher of the two MLs is recorded. See Skills 2, 3 and 4 for details. As a general guideline, Sindarin PCs may engage in as many as 2 or 3 occupations (except Sindarin Shek-Pvar, who have the one occupation, but are allowed to spend their option points on all kinds of skills). Players creating PRIESTS must now consult the Religion section of HarnMaster. Those creating SHEK-PVAR must follow the rules in the Shek-Pvar book. PRIEST and SHEK-PVAR PCs should skip step (49) below, and go straight on to (50) when they have their invocations or spells ready. (Note: Players of Shek-Pvar characters will need an extra sheet of paper for their spell lists. The appropriate sheet can be photocopied from the back of the relevant convocational Tome.) KHUZDUL and SINDARIN PRIESTS provide a few minor complications. Khuzdul priests of Sereniel get 6 option points instead of just 3. All Sindarin are "priests" of Siem or Sweldre, so to speak (yet another occupation!), but they do not gain any extra option points for being priests because they aren't officially priests, even though they can make ritual invocations. Sindarin do have 15 option points to spend on anything they like, including priestly skills. Khuzdul and Sindarin option points are explained in (49) below. KHUZDUL and SINDARIN SHEK-PVAR are awesome. The dwarves gain 2x the normal amount of option points available to humans, and the elves receive 3x the norm! Also, they are not restricted to having spells at a maximum of SB3: A spell of the sorcerer's own convocation may be opened to SB4 at the cost of 3 option points per Complexity Level, to SB5 at the cost of 4 option points per CL, and to SB6 at the cost of 5 option points per CL. A Neutral spell may be opened to SB4 for 4 option points per CL, to SB5 for 5 option points per CL, and to SB6 for 6 option points per CL. Khuzdul sorcerers tend to focus on Jmorvi magic, and Sindarin Shek-Pvar tend to concentrate on the Fyvrian convocation. Also, if any option points can be spared, convocational skills (only) may be opened and raised by up to 2 SB levels, instead of the usual one. (49) Now divide your character's OPTION POINTS among his/her skills. Each non- priest/non-Shek-Pvar human and Gargun character may have 5 of these. An option point may be spent opening a new (reasonable) skill to base ML, then another option point increasing this new skill by SB. Alternatively, one option point may be spent on an existing skill, to improve it by SB. Dormant psionic talents may never be activated by option points, but active talents may be improved. Non-priest/non-Shek-Pvar Khuzdul PCs have 10 option points, of which 1 option point can be spent opening a reasonable skill to base ML, and 1 or 2 more option points increasing this new skill by 1 or 2 SB levels. Or, 1 or 2 option points may be spent on an existing skill to improve it by 1 or 2 SB levels. This is due to a Khuzdul's great age (in human terms) at the beginning of the game, which is 1d20+80 years. Non-Shek-Pvar Sindarin PCs have the same benefits as Khuzdul PCs, except that they have as many as 15 option points to spend! This is due to a Sindarin's extraordinary age (in human terms) at the beginning of the game, which is 1d3+1 centuries! (50) By now all the character's skills should be listed on the HarnMaster II character sheet, with all SBs and MLs presented. If not, STOP HERE! Don't advance any further until you are ready to proceed. If you are ready, well done! You've nearly completed your end of character creation! Take a look at your character's MLs. Are any melee weapon skills greater than ML 70? Are any other skills - apart from Languages/Scripts, and the quasi-skill Initiative - greater than ML 79? If the answer is no, then you have done everything for your character (but have you given him/her a name?). If the answer is yes, then pray continue. Those melee weapon MLs that are over 70, and those other skills (again, apart from Languages/Scripts and Initiative) over ML 79, are theoretical values. You must make DEVELOPMENT ROLLS (see Skills 7) for those skills to try and increase them beyond the base maximums (70 for melee weapons, 79 for nearly everything else). For melee weapons, no character may increase a skill to beyond ML 70 through simple practice and training. Therefore, if your PC does not see much real combat, then his/her melee weapon skills will start no higher than ML 70. If the GM decides that your PC does indeed see a lot of action, then he/she will allow you to make a number of development rolls equal to your theoretical ML minus 70, to try and improve your character's skill beyond ML 70. For example, assume a player has just created a Viking who has a theoretical Spear ML of 75. The GM will allow that player to make (75-70=5) 5 development rolls to try and improve the Spear ML beyond 70. The same goes for the other skills, except 79 is the base figure, instead of 70. If a character had a theoretical Awareness ML of 90, the player must make (90- 79=11) 11 development rolls to try and improve Awareness ML beyond 79. With missile weapons, no character can increase a skill to beyond ML 79 through simple practice and training. Hence, if the PC doesn't see much real missile combat, then his/her missile weapon skills will start no higher than ML 79. This is a very similar situation to melee weapon skills. Unarmed combat is a strange exception to all this, as it may not be taken beyond ML 79 if training by a qualified martial arts teacher is not available. That is, actual unarmed combat will rarely develop the skill beyond ML 79. Training is only available within fighting and clerical orders of the churches of Agrik, Larani and Naveh, or given to gladiators. (51) Now you have a complete, albeit unequipped, HarnMaster II character. All he/she needs now is some money and wealth, and the PC is ready for an adventure! The GM will give your character some starting MONEY. If the character was an apprentice or engaging in some form of income-earning occupation, roll 2d6 and consult the table below: ___________________________ | 2D6 | MONEY EARNED | |-------+-----------------| | 2-4 | 1 month's wage | | 5-9 | 2 months' wages | | 10-12 | 3 months' wages | |_______|_________________| A month's wage = (Rank + 3) x 6, in pence. Characters who were apprenticed to guilded occupations receive only (1d4 + 2) x 10% of the above pay, with a minimum of 24d (12d for Shek-Pvar). Characters in unguilded occupations receive only (1d4 + 4) x 10% of the above pay, again with a minimum of 24d. Military characters receive full pay. If the PC served in the military (as a mercenary or professional soldier, not militia), he/she may (50% chance) also be entitled to an extra month's wage as a mustering-out bonus. The PC's parents may also provide something for the character, depending on their wealth and Estrangement. See below: ___________________________________________________________ | ESTRANGEMENT | PC RECEIVES... | |--------------+------------------------------------------| | Outcast | Nothing! He/she is lucky to be alive! | | Unpopular | Either half a month of father's earnings | | | (50%) or nothing at all. | | Average | 1 month of father's earnings. | | Popular | 2 months of father's earnings. | | Favourite | 3 months of father's earnings, possibly | | | (25%) some gift(s) worth a total of 1d3 | | | months of father's income as well. | |______________|__________________________________________| In poor families, this may place a severe burden on the family, so the PC is allowed to decline the family's money if he/she wishes (depends on how selfish he/she is). The character may or may not have a fair amount of money by this stage. However, he/she might lose it all during the pregame! Find the average of your PC's Will, Selfish trait and Temperate trait. See below for modifiers to a 1d100 roll: _______________________________________________ | (WILL+SELFISH+TEMPERATE)/3 | 1D100 MODIFIER | |----------------------------+----------------| | 4-5 | -15 | | 6-8 | -8 | | 9-12 | +0 | | 13-15 | +5 | | 16-17 | +10 | |____________________________|________________| Now roll 1d100 and adjust that roll by the appropriate modifier above to find how much money is retained by the beginning of the game. Then consult the table below: ________________________________ | 1D100 | TOTAL MONEY RETAINED | |-------+----------------------| | 01-10 | No money retained! | | 11-35 | 25% retained. | | 36-65 | 50% retained. | | 66-90 | 75% retained. | | 91-00 | All money retained. | |_______|______________________| If the PC has any starting money left at the start of the game, make a note of how many silver pence he/she has (1 penny = 1d) somewhere near the middle of your character sheet. Half a penny is called a ha'penny (pronounced "hape-nee"), and a quarter is called a farthing (1f). Coins are actually broken into quarters to create farthings. (52) The GM will now equip the character with the basic EQUIPMENT that can be provided by the PC's occupation. Skills 2 should give you an outline of what to expect (don't expect too much!). Such adventurer equipment as a bag or backpack, blanket, razor, knife and sheath, belt, wineskin, whetstone, tinderbox, bowl, cup, spoon, comb, and purse are often given for free. The GM will tell you what your PC is going to have as personal items, and you should write down the names of these objects and their weights (in pounds) on the Load table of your character sheet. (53) The GM may or may not give you WEAPONS. Just because your character served in the militia does not mean that he/she will get to keep a glaive, spear, shield and dagger! Actually, members of the militia are not allowed to keep their issued weapons. (Of course, a PC could run off with them...!) Each PC will be given a certain number of WEAPON POINTS by the GM, to be spent on any combination of weapons listed in BattleLust (p.12) provided their total cost does not exceed the Weapon Points granted. Characters in military careers (not militia) receive full WPs (e.g. 35 WPs for Medium Foot, 40 WPs for Longbow archers). All other characters would typically receive 1d8 WPs. If weapons are purchased, write down their statistics on the Weapon Analysis table of your character sheet. Each weapon will be of average weight, or you'll have to roll 3d6: _________________________ | 3D6 | WEAPON WEIGHT | |-------+---------------+ | 3-7 | Light | | 8-13 | Average | | 14-18 | Heavy | |_______|_______________| Each weapon you receive will also have either an average Weapon Quality (WQ), as listed at the end of this guide, or you'll be allowed to roll 2d6 for WQ: __________________________ | 2D6 | WEAPON QUALITY | |-------+----------------+ | 2 | -4 | | 3 | -3 | | 4 | -2 | | 5 | -1 | | 6-8 | +0 | | 9 | +1 | | 10 | +2 | | 11 | +3 | | 12 | +4 | |_______|________________| (54) The GM will provide your character with basic CLOTHES and possibly some ARMOUR. The weight of your character's clothing and armour depends not only on the material used and how much of the PC's body it covers, but also on how much the PC personally weighs. A character's size modifies the weight of all clothing and armour worn, by a constant factor. Multiply the base clothing or armour weight by this factor to determine its actual weight. On the table below, find the size and factor appropriate to the character's body weight (in pounds), and enter these values in the Size/Factor section at the top left of the sheet containing the Armour & Clothing Table and Armour Analysis Table: _______________________________ | BODY WEIGHT | SIZE | FACTOR | |-------------+------+--------| | 61-65 | 1 | 0.5 | | 66-75 | 2 | 0.6 | | 76-90 | 3 | 0.7 | | 91-110 | 4 | 0.8 | | 111-135 | 5 | 0.9 | | 136-165 | 6 | 1.0 | | 166-200 | 7 | 1.1 | | 201-240 | 8 | 1.2 | | 241-285 | 9 | 1.3 | | 286-335 | 10 | 1.4 | |_____________|______|________| You may choose to have average quality for all armour and clothing, or you may roll 2d6; on a 2, 3 or 4 the armour or clothing is inferior, on a 5 to 11 it is average, and on a 12 the armour or clothing is superior quality. Note the statistics (i.e. material, description, weight, quality, and an "X" for each location covered) of the armour/clothing - these can be found at the end of this guide - on the sheet containing the Armour & Clothing Table. On the same sheet, fill in the Armour Analysis Table. Your GM will tell you how much Armour Protection each location enjoys from the clothing/armour worn, in the form of whole numbers (the higher the number, the greater the protection). HarnMaster II has 6 different types of Armour Protection: Blunt, Edged, Point, Fire, Squeeze and Tear. An armour that is particularly good at stopping sword blows may not necessarily be as good against a mace or spear. If your character has hair, it will provide some protection, and so may be listed on the Armour Analysis Table (cumulative with other values). Hair is generally protective only on the Skull (unless your character is a Gargun, in which case all locations except the eyes, nose, ears and mouth are protected). The protection granted is B0 E1 P0 F1 S0 T1. Not much, but it's better than nothing. (55) Now, all that's left is for you to calculate your character's FATIGUE RATE and ENCUMBRANCE. Total up the weight of all your PC's equipment in pounds (including weapons and armour), and enter this value at the bottom of the Load table of your character sheet. For easy reference, use the Fatigue Rate tables on the following pages to quickly determine the character's FR. Encumbrance is generally double this value. Enter these values in the appropriate spaces on your character sheet. You now have a complete HarnMaster II character! - * - * - * - HARNMASTER II CHARACTER GENERATION WORKSHEET By Bill Gant, 1991. PLAYER'S NAME:__________________________________ DATE:________________ ___________________________________________________________ | | Character | Character | Character | | | #1 | #2 | #3 | | SPECIES: | | | | | SEX: | | | | | BIRTHDATE: | | | | | SUNSIGN: | | | | | CULTURE: | | | | | PARENT OCCUPATION: | | | | | | | | | | SIBLING RANK: | | | | | ESTRANGEMENT: | | | | | CLANHEAD: | | | | ___________________________________________________________ | MEDICAL (Optional): | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ___________________________________________________________ | HEIGHT: | | | | | FRAME: | | | | | WEIGHT: | | | | | COMPLEXION: | | | | | HAIR COLOUR: | | | | | EYE COLOUR: | | | | | COMELINESS: | | | | ___________________________________________________________ | STRENGTH (*): | | | | | ENDURANCE (*): | | | | | DEXTERITY (*): | | | | | AGILITY (*): | | | | | SPEED: | | | | | EYESIGHT: | | | | | HEARING: | | | | | SMELL/TASTE: | | | | | TOUCH: | | | | | VOICE: | | | | ___________________________________________________________ | INTELLIGENCE (*): | | | | | AURA (*): | | | | | WILL (*): | | | | ___________________________________________________________ | PSYCHE: | | | | | | | | | ___________________________________________________________ | PIETY: | | | |