New Character Gen Notes: Dice and some petty starting benefits

 

My Planet Psychon character gen has been entertaining with various starting stuff tables. Also seen a newish dice roll system that was pretty nice. Oldschool but not as mean.

So firstly for may Hombrew EMO houserules character ability scores:

Starting points could be for the group to meet quick or individually how you met another party member so each has its own link to another player. Could be how you met a follower. Past or current situations can be derived from these stories.

I did test all these methods.
Method one rolling 4 characters all of them came up substandard but one guy made a moleman abhuman nightfighter formerly a blacksmith for a bandit gang and he got a starting follower of the second best character who is clumsy and ugly.  Method 2 I made a dwarf war survivor and he was pretty ordinary but he had fast draw flintlock and gun skills, needed some extra guns but its ok. Method 3 I got an interesting wizard who did arena fights with some nifty background loot. And finally I did a druid orphaned murder hobo who was partly raised by wild animals.  Ill try this again they seemed pretty diverse. The 1st was probably best and interesting weirdo b list fighter designed to ignore magical darkness. Id probably pick no3 the wizard but the druid seemed fun and silly roleplaying opportunity.

Minimum scores 
Only one attribute can be 8 or less, if have more raise them to 9
Prime requisite for character class can be raised to a minimum of 12
May choose your worst rolled score as your class prerequisite for a minimum of 12

Method 1 Grimdark Start
Roll 3d6 per attribute in order and generate up to six zero-level zero character. Run them all but by 1st Level pick a final character (use follower slots from CHA to adopt them)
-fighting folk d6 HP two weapons and one art skills
-crafty folk d4HP one weapon two arts skills
-These are bonuses to 1st level HD and akills for risking the zero level start
When you achieve your first sortie one character becomes the 1st level character and other surviving ones can be used as potential starting followers for who created them first then anybody else. Characters can take CHA bonus for followers plus one as of 1st level.
Start with clothes (shirt and trousers or a dress), old shoes, one tool of your trade, d4cp 
Use this for an unusual grimdark challenge or lesson in suffering and resource horror

d12 Grimdark Starting Points
1 Prison Inmates
2 Workhouse Slaves
3 Garbage scavengers
4 Sewer Workers
5 Cult Fanatics 
6 Homeless Beggars

7 Tavern Drunks

8 Wanted Outlaws

9 Temple Poorhouses

10 Peasant Farmers

11 Vermin Catchers

12 Household servants

d12 Typical Zero Level Characters
1 Brawler - unarmed expert+1, Unarmed strike, first aid
2 Guard - sword, dagger, spot 
3 Labourer - d6 club, endurance
4 Servant - d4HP dagger, etiquette, grooming
5 Outlaw - d4HP dagger, sneak, night sight 
6 Hunter - d6HP shortbow, dagger, survival

7 Trader - d4HP staff, bargain, fast talk

8 Pick Pocket - d4HP dagger, sleight, juggling

9 Temple Poorhouse - d4HP staff, holy lore, first aid  

10 Peasant Farmer - d6HP sling, farming, animal handler 

11 Dwarf Youngling - d4HP hammer, blacksmith, mining

12 Elvish Sprite - d4HP bow, sneak, carousing

Method 2 Challenging Start
Roll 3d6 in order
Use sample equipment and money as given under character class 
Use this for a typical challenge adventurer

d12 Challenging Starting Points
1 Tavern Strangers
2 Caravan Journey
3 On Sea Voyage
4 Military Conscripts
5 On Pilgrimage
6 Holy Shrine
7 Serving Nobility
8 Met at Job Board
9 Labourers at Work
10 Marketplace Gate
11 During Festival
12 Middle of War  

Method 3 Heroic Start
Roll 3d6 in order rerolling any result of 1 on a dice
Roll 3d6 x5gp for starting money plus clothes, armour for class and one weapon
Use this for a more daring starting character
Suitable campaigns where characters start as 3rd or better level

d12 Heroic Starting Points
1 Shipwrecked in a strange country
2 Drug plunged your mind into your ancestor's body
3 Survived a fanatic purge against your kind 
4 In a battle on edge of the frontier
5 Hunted by a cult because of some prophets words
6 Participating in a public contest of skill
7 Mysterious inheritance arrives 
8 Trapped with others during a monster attack
9 War survivors barely survived
10 A feast with local important people
11 Attacked on the highway travelling
12 Letter from former patron offering a good job

Method 4 Veteran
Allocate the following 6 numbers in the six ability scores: 15 13 12 11 10 9
50gp starting money plus clothes, armour for class and one weapon (+10 shots ammo)
Use this if you spat the dummy at a character rolled by any method above once 
If your character by another above method gets a total bonus of only +1 to less use this
Or if you like building characters from the ground up

d12 Veteran Starting Points
1 Gladiator and duelling scene
2 Orphans whose families all murdered must keep their names secret
3 Mercenary guild members in several wars
4 Heists, scams and trouble with underworld figures
5 On the road travellers have wandered for years
6 Agents of a temple on missions for holy cuase
7 Agents of noble securing information and troubleshooting
8 Agents of a wizard seeking strange ingredients and research
9  Agent of a guild moving information and keeping eyes open

10 Survived famous massacre, all share the same enemy
11 Recruited by an esoteric secret society
12 Orphan whose parents deadbeat murder hobos abandoned as urchins

Starting Extras
These are starting item extras 
Method 1 zero rolls
Method 2 one roll
Method 2 three rolls
Method 4  two rolls

Roll only once per table so 3 rolls get three different tables

d12 Random Inheritances
1 Rustic
2 Nautical
3 Urban
4 Street
5 Potion
6 Magician
7 Murder Hobo
8 Occult
9 Tribal
10 Market
11 Military
12 Noble

d12 Rustic Inheritance
1 Livestock d4 1=goat 2=pig 3=sheep 4=cow

2 Farmdog companion (possible follower)

3 Donkey or goat with saddlebags

4 Packload of normal rations for four weeks and dried rations for 3 months

5 Old person and goat, provide milk and cheese and carries a pack load 

6 Rustic simpleton follower d6 Club, Endurance, Animal Handling

7 Healing herbal poultices 3d4 each adds +1HP to first aid or healing rolls

8 Granny's healing ointment d4+4 doses of d4 healing medicine

9 Antivenom poultices d4+1 gives one extra saving throw vs poisoned bites or blades

10 Dozen +1 elvish arrows

11 +1 elven leather armour

12 +1 weapon belonged to an ancestor

d12 Nautical Inheritance

1 Pet d4 1=parrot 2=monkey 3=seagull 4=cat

2 Fishing net, d4 lobster traps, fishing line, hooks, quality rod, d4 days of food

3 Month of smoked fish, 3 months of dried sea biscuit

4 Tattoos, some from far away lands and possibly secret brotherhoods

5 Jewellery, d4 items of jewellery for 30gp each, rings, armbands most common

6 Scrimshaw whale tooth worth 65gp

7 Dried mummified baby mermaid in a box (not a fish sewn to a monkey) 120gp

8 Pipe, pound of tobacco and d6 doses of black lotus resin 15gp each, flagon of rum

9 Flintlock pistol and 3d6 shot&powder, various tools and cleaning paraphernalia 

10 Grenades d4+1, cast iron with fuse, 2d4 over 2m area save halves, round to light fuse 

11 +1 Ring of protection with a pearl

12  +1 Dagger with mother of pearl handle

d12 Urban Inheritance

1 Fancy extra townsperson outfit from older relative

2 Tokens from a casino worth d6x 10gp in a box

3 Bottles of good wine d6+4 bottles and a bottle of rum

4 Signet ring of family you've always had worth 30gp

5 Piece of fancy jewellery 3d4x 10gp

6 Deed for a creepy old house

7 Share in an urban business with d4 other partners

8 Secret society signet ring worth 15gp or to gain entry to a secret club

9 Suit of chainmail, shield & sword of grandparent with an old coat of arms

10 Ring with pill container neutralises ingested poisons one dose 300pg

11 Suit of plate armour in the older style

12 +1 Dagger with jewelled handle

d12 Street Inheritance

1 Small cage with live rats d6, collection of rat traps 2d4, a sack of thirty rats, ratskin cloak and hat

2 Lucky number tickets 3d6 each with 1in6 chance of earning 1gp from numbers racket

3 Sack with remains of a feast from a palace good for a dozen meals and d4 bottles of beer

4 Relatives map to treasures claims was a murder hobo adventurer in old days

5 Hooded black suit, thieves tools, silenced grappling hook, 30m rope, prybar, sack, mask

6 Boxes of coloured water, fake potions worth a sp or go bottle to right client, 5d6 bottles

7 Fake reference letter proclaiming you would make a good servant from a famous war hero so you can get into a fancy household

8 Map of a section of city sewers and a hidden room under a city

9 Black lotus resin block with gold leaf stamp worth 300gp possibly belongs to a sinister drug mob

10 Bag of 2d6 doses of poison herbs used in cooking, save per dose or lose d6 HP

11 Bottle of blade venom d4 doses for the blade (lasts fight) or ten times that for arrows or darts (one use), each does an extra d3 damage an hour later per blow if save failed 

12 +1 dagger with gang insignia

d12 Potions Inheritance

1 Blue Lotus Powder d6 doses each restores one energy level of spell energy

2 Two doses of 2d4 healing potion

3 Haste pill, doubles Move speed and +1 attack for one ten minute turn

4 Heroism Pill, +1d8HP +1 to hit for one ten minute turn

5 Anti-Venom Pill

6 Ani-Disease Pill

7 Anti Invisibility Dust covers 6m area with glitter

8 Berserker Shrooms d4 doses, +2Hit&Dam, fight up to -10HP, 3d6+4 rounds

9 Breathe Water potion d4+1 doses each lasts hour

10 Ointment of Flight, d3 doses each lasts hour, takes round to rub over body

11 Werewolf Potion, turn you into a wolf for one hour

12 Holy Weapon Oil, +1 on ten arrows or one weapon for a turn 

d12 Magician Inheritance 

1 A strange magical tattoo you don't remember getting

2 Documents describes a sinister cult connected to the family

3 Silver dagger, wolfsbane, hammer steaks, holy water, garlic and mirror in a bag

4 Deck of trick cards and weighted dices, ventriloquist doll

5 Bag of flash pellets like cantrip 4+d4 doses

6 Bag of smoke pellets like cantrip 4+d4 doses

7 Pills that heal 1HP 4+d4 doses

8 Magic Scroll d3 Levels (cast 

9 Contact dead potion 

10 +1 shield or magic armour

11 +1 magic weapon

12 +1 ring of protection

d12 Murder Hobo Inheritance
1 Pipe, tobacco, nude painted playing cards, d4 bottles of rum, naughty pamphlet

2 Trunk with 2000cp, a pewter beerstien, a dagger and a fancy hat

3 Backpack with hammer, iron spikes, 3m rope, a bag of caltrops, lantern and lamp oil

4 Treasure map and long letter from distant unpleasant parent explaining regrets

5 Journal detailing how to kill a d6 monsters with illustrations and recipes

6 Jar with an abusive imp trapped inside, magic lead seal on the lid

7 Cursed -1 weapon, the user becomes paranoid and overprotective of it

8 A damaged ancient manual to operate an ancient magical artefact 

9 A guide to demonology with the true names of a d4 lesser demons to call them

10 Ammunition 12 +1 shots for sling, bow or shot&powder

11 Cestus gauntlet d4 damage +1 magic hit and damage 

12 Fireball Potion 6d6 12m area thrown potion save halves

d12 Occult Inheritance
1 Creepy painting of an infamous evil ancestor
2 Secret society signet ring worth 15gp or to gain entry to a secret club
3 Minor mutation (use d100 or d4 1=boils 2=polyps 3=oozing wound 4=warts)
4 Occult tattoos of a secret society 

6 Cultist robe, 30gp medallion and initiates book in a locked chest
7 Book of star charts and codes to locate a lost treasure

8 Part of wizard book with a d3 levels of spells recorded  
9 Map of a secret panel in an abandoned haunted house 
10 +1 Wavy dagger with goat head handle, the blade is its toungue
11 Slim Black volume telling you how to sell your soul to the black lodge of magic and how to call an imp to help you sign the contract for a wish (wishes may be abused)
12 Magic Missile wand or healing rod (2d4HP per charge) 3d4 charges 

d12 Tribal Inheritance

1 Carved Medalion 30gp of animal ancestor spirit d4 1=jade 2=amber 3=ivory 4=bone
2 Tribal tattoos and scars
3 Bodypaint d4 uses as Protection from evil spell for an hour 
4 Cloak of prehistoric beast handed down from past
5 Bag of ochre in d4 colours worth 30gp per colour for painting
6 Shrunken heads d6 of enemy +1HP each (one use each)
7 Drum has power to contact local spirits once
8 Medicine Bag +1 on one type of saving throw
9 Medallions 2d4 one use +1 saving throws
10 +1 Leather armour or sheild
11 + tribal weapon of stone and bone and sinew
12 +1 ring of protection

d12 Market Inheritance
1 Token for goods in a warehouse in another city
2 Donkey with saddlebags
3 A youthful servant adopted from a poor customer d4HP
4 Bag of exotic spices and herbs for cooking worth 75gp
5 A merchants outfit fit for guild event
6 A set of common tools d4 1=carpenter 2=mason 3=blacksmith 4=taxidermy
7 Abacus and scale set in a lacquered case
8 Fancy scribe set worth 90gp in lacquered case 
9 Human bodyguard d6HP uses a club and dagger
10 Map of kingdoms with trade routes with d4 ruins marked
11 +1 staff or dagger
12 +1 ring of protection

d12 Military Inheritance
1 Chest of foriegn coins 3d6x 5gp
2 Exotic foreign helmet or war mask worth 65gp
3 Exotic melee weapon and shield
4 Exotic suit of plate armour
5 Gold signet ring 65gp from enemies hand
6 Loyal servant from war d6 HP spear, grooming, first aid
7 One 2d4 healing potion
9 Riding horse and saddle
10 +1 magic weapon in an exotic ancient or foreign style
11 +1 protection helmet
12 Cloak +2 save vs fear +1 morale to commanded group

d12 Noble Inheritance
1 Multiple piece of jewellery d6x 30gp
2 3d6x 5gp gold pieces
3 Outfit suitable for a visit to court or church
4 Cameo of a beloved relative 120gp
5 Gold chain necklace 90gp
6 Inherit a ruined building and abandoned land
7 Coat of arms recognised for generations by experts
8 Riding horse and saddle
9 Young servant d4HP dagger, grooming, animal handling
10 Elderly relative d4 dagger, steward, etiquette
11 Banner +1 Morale to forces under your command
12 +1 shield with ancestors coat of arms