In our game we have a large focus on role play, so in order to support that facet of our game we have made character creation very flexible.
Overview #
This document will take you through several aspects in creating a character. Keep in mind, there is no one way that a character needs to be made, but rather many things to consider.
Designing the Character #
Here are a few things to consider when creating a new character:
- Inspiration or Concept – What aspect of your character do you want to start with? Is there a part of the game you want to explore? Is there a type of character you enjoy playing? Inspiration can come from about anything. Some people like to take characters that they love from other media and merge them together while others will find a drawing of a character that fits their style. Its safe to say that there is no wrong way to get your Character Concept and it can always change! This is just a jumping off point to start the character. Hopefully through this process your original concept will evolve into something unique to you.
- Background and Origin – Its important to discover where your character is from and how they got here. Understanding their journey to this point in time will help you understand their motivations, customs, manner of dress, foods they like, and even give them a sense of belonging to a culture or people. It is perfectly okay to utilize tropes when creating a character, but consider throwing in a twist that gives the character depth.
- Personality and Mannerisms – Next lets choose how your character interacts with other people. Find some traits that you like and then to give your character depth, consider their flaws. These are the things that make your character one of a kind. One common trope to stay away from here is Brooding Loner that sits in the corner of the tavern alone, because all they know is pain and the loss of their friends and family. Its over done. LARP is a social game, find a reason for your character to interact with others.
- Drive and Motivation – Understanding what your character wants goes a long way to being able to interact as them and make choices in the moment. The difference between glory and vengeance can be huge for a character. You have pinned down a foe and have the opportunity to finish this. Do you take the swing? What if they are begging you for their life, do you take it now? Maybe your focus is in more of a crafting aspect or even magical, Find out what inspires your character to action or possibly even inaction.
- Role in Society – What does your character do between conflicts? Do they have a job? Are they a craftsmen, or do they work for the military? Maybe they are more interested in political matters and they work for a noble house or are more involved with the Order. How do they spend their down time? Do they socialize and tell stories or do they do research on their next major spell? Understanding where your character fits in helps you have things to do in the game and will draw other players to you.
Things to Note. #
Its Important not to base your character off of only one thing, whether that is a character that you found from another media, or a concept like “My Character cannot turn to the left.” Where those aspect can be very fascinating, they should not be the sole inspiration. You can even take a concept like no left turns and explore it further. Maybe they were inured and they have trouble turning their head to the left. So now they always put their left side to a wall, or stand on the left side of the group as a way to prevent things from surprising them. Now this is an aspect of your character and not the definition of your character.
Choosing a Race and Culture #
In our game, any race is possible if you can find a way to show it. There are 5 native cultures to Astrel, with a rich and diverse background in each region. The races you will find in them are, Dwarves, Elves, Humans, Orcs, and Beastfolk. If you choose a non-native race, then part of your story would probably include how you ended up in this world. There are a few other Planes that are know, specifically the Fey Wild and Imperium. Both are essential to our story and world, but there is an infinite number of other planes known as Minor Planes. Your story could be from any of the Minor Planes, and you create the story! In our world, Portals appearing all the time from other worlds and your character might have fallen through one. These portals are unreliable and very few have been able to control them.
Choosing Abilities #
Starting off, a new player character will have three abilities to choose. Consider what sort of archetype you are going for and choose abilities that fit that style of game play. On top of the three abilities that you choose, you will be given one based on your race or background that you choose. While this ability is assigned by the GMs, you can suggest one that you believe fits. When submitting a character, include a description of your character’s race and background.
Each character, through progression, will have a maximum of 10 abilities, plus a GM assigned racial or background ability.
Click here to find out more about Abilities.
Stories and Quests #
There are three types of stories that exist in game, the Main Story, Personal Stories, and Downtime Interactions.
Head to our Story and Quests page for more details.
Making Money #
Our Economy is very diverse and there are a lot of different ways you can interact with it. below we have compiled several ways to make money. Each one has its own unique responsibilities.
- Join the Military
- So you have decided to swear an oath to the local Duke or Duchess. You are charged with keeping people safe and ensuring that nobody breaks any laws. For doing this you will receive a passive income based on your rank in the military.
- Join a Guild
- As a member of a guild, you will receive jobs that are in accordance with your skill level. Apprenticeships are not paid, but by the time you reach a Journeyman, you will start getting paid for the jobs you complete for the guild.
- Join the Order
- Maybe your goals lie a little deeper within the Hallowed Halls of the Order. Dusty tomes, and relics of long forgotten events find their way into dark hiding places. Keepers of the dangerous, the order is dedicated to keeping the beings under its charge safe. The first few levels of being in the Order are unpaid, but once you receive a title, you would then start receiving a passive income.
- Hunter/Gatherer
- Find players willing to pay you to do something they don’t want to do like gather resources. There is not a formal structure for things like this, you will need to talk to people and offer to assist them.
- Crafting
- Use a crafting ability to craft things (In game) and sell them. Offer up your skills for coin, let others know you can make them things that they may want to have!
Death and Defeated #
If you fall in battle, you are considered Defeated. You are out of the game for 5 minutes while you find a GM. The GM will then roll a die and you will loose access to one of your abilities for the rest of the day. Once you have done this, you can then return to the game as normal unless you have chosen to join the Perma-Death System.
Opt-in Perma-Death system #
Players are not required to join the Perma-Death System. This is an optional system based off Percentile. Everyone starts at 0% and when defeated, that player must find a GM so that they can roll a percentile and must roll higher than their percentage or they are permanently dead.
For example, if your % is at 3 and you roll a 3 or lower, your character is permanently gone, if you roll higher than 3 then you narrowly escaped death. Each time that you are defeated your percentage goes up by 1%. As you can tell this is a pretty low risk early on, but the more you die the more opportunities and likelihood it is that your character won’t survive.
This system was designed for a high risk, high reward. It is possible to loose your character permanently. Some quests will only be available to Perma-Death players and will offer much higher rewards if you are able to complete them.
If you feel like your percentage is getting too high, we have placed Quests throughout the game that would allow a player to lower their percentage if the task is accomplished.
Character Submission #
First, create an account here on the website. The current Character Submission form can be accessed from your “My Account” page. You must be logged into the website to be able to fill it out.
Waivers #
Last but certainly not least in order to play you must fill out our waivers. The first is our company waiver, and the second is the Springfield Park Board Waiver. Most of the time we are playing at a Springfield Missouri Park and they require that we have a new one signed each year.
