Renaissance Saga:Character Generation

Character Generation

Step 1

Backgrounds

Backgrounds
Noble		Nobles begin with the wealth and prestige of being associated to the ruling powers of the land. +5 to Intelligence, -5 to Willpower, +5 to any Attribute
Bourgeois		Wealthy and powerful merchant families, guild leaders and civil servants who have clawed their way up to positions of relative power from the peasantry. +5 to Fellowship, +5 to Intelligence, -5 to Toughness
Artisan		Skilled tradespeople, soldiers and working people who make up the city-dwelling lower class. +5 to any Attribute
Peasant		Rural farmers and working people, often the first to be drafted into the military or otherwise struck by the tragedies of war. +5 to Strength, +5 to Toughness, +5 to any Attribute, -5 to Intelligence, -5 to Fellowship
Vagabond		Freelancers, refugees and unwelcome minorities are often considered vagabonds by the natives of a region, but can often make the best of even the worst hardships. +5 to Willpower, +5 to Agility, -5 to Fellowship

Characters in Renaissance Saga come from one of five classes most common in the land, which reflect the general social environments they grew up in. Although the actual cultural backgrounds may change between regions, the lifestyles and quality of life of a Savoyan peasant and a Farianian farmhand will not differ greatly. The most important thing to consider when making a character is where they come from, and social class and wealth is perhaps the most effective means of building a base from which to develop a character.

As such, characters are split between the Noble, Bourgeois, Artisan, Peasant and Vagabond backgrounds. Depending on the preferences of the GM, some of the backgrounds may not be available for certain games.

Among other things, the social class of a character determines half of their starting wealth, adds penalties and bonuses to certain attributes and gives them access to background packages which unique to each social strata.

Noble

"Noblesse Oblige"
"Whoever claims to be noble must conduct himself nobly." - Unknown

In the Mitelland, the aristocratic upper class still rules much of the known world controlling the trade, government and religion of the common people while being marginally bound to it themselves. To play a Noble in Renaissance Saga is to play one of the movers and shakers of society

Nobles could be any member of the royal court, from lowly knights to the powerful dukes and earls who may very well be blood relatives of the reigning monarch themselves. On occasion, the noble may even be an immediate member of the ruling family. It is not unheard of for princes to go on adventures wandering the land or leading armies, and princesses to be sent out as diplomats and political hostages for the benefit of a kingdom.

When choosing careers, it's important to remember that a Noble is never simply an apprentice or an aide. A Noble Cleric will always be at least the spiritual leader of a whole diocese, a Noble Soldier will begin as a lieutenant and a Noble Sage will be considered to be a leader among his peers in the scientific community. Because they do not serve others (save other nobles), Nobles are also restricted from Careers and Career paths which imply servitude to anything less than a God or a King.

Noble Characters

Fate Points: Roll a d10.
On a roll of 1-2, the character gets 1 Fate Point.
On a roll of 3-8, the character gets 2 Fate Points.
On a roll of 9-10, the character gets 3 Fate Points.
Wounds:d5 + Toughness Bonus
Attributes: +5 to Intelligence, -5 to Willpower, +5 to any Attribute
Background Wealth: Noble characters begin with 500 Schillings from their background.

Traits

Born to Rule: A Noble character is considered to be two ranks higher than their experience level for the purposes of pay and hierarchy.

Voice of the Emperor: Noble characters gain the Peer talents for all members of their trade, and all citizens of their kingdom.

Career Options
Noble characters may not pursue the Career of Sheriff, Rogue or Magister.

Bourgeois

"Hypocrisy is a fashionable vice, and all fashionable vices pass for virtue." - Moliere

The Bourgeosie are the rising stars Mitelland, upstart merchant magnates and guildmasters who have formed a second upper class. While their political power is still lesser than the nobles, much of that may change in the near future as they expand their control of the economy and tradespeople. In many cities, the commoners already pledge allegiance to these newly wealthy people rather than the nobility, and some cities such as Galicia, the merchants rule.

Bourgeois are not simply "rich people" or "merchants", however. They can be guildmasters, civil servants who serve the regional lord or even soldiers, and their title comes from their rank as new members of the upper class, earned through their own efforts of that of family members.

When choosing careers, remember that the Bourgeois are culturally commoners and do not have the same restrictions as a Noble. They serve as freely as they lead. Moreover, many of the wealthy families in Mitelland are connected in one manner or another, forming alliances and vendettas and staging secret wars between eachother. As a consequence, any Bourgeois character will be buoyed up by the reputation of his house and the nepotism of powerful relatives, but may suffer ills at the hands of his family's enemies.

Bourgeois Characters

Fate Points: Roll a d10.
On a roll of 1-3, the character gets 1 Fate Point.
On a roll of 4-7, the character gets 2 Fate Points.
On a roll of 8-10, the character gets 3 Fate Points.
Wounds:d5 + Toughness Bonus
Attributes: +5 to Intelligence, +5 to Fellowship, -5 to Toughness
Background Wealth: Bourgeois characters begin with 350 Schillings from their background.

Traits

Family Connections: A Bourgeois character is considered to be a full rank above their experience level for the purposes of income and hierarchy.

History of Excellence: Bourgeois characters may take one Skill and one Talent available at Rank 1 for free.

Fortune's Favored: Bourgeois characters double the starting wealth from their career choice.

Career Options
Bourgeois characters may pursue any Career.

Artisan

"The histories of mankind are histories only of the higher classes." -Thomas Malthus

The Artisan class is in many ways what the Bourgeoisie used to be: the skilled craftsmen and ordinary working people in the cities. Anyone who lives in a city and follows a trade that provides a good or service may consider themselves an Artisan, and form a sort of upper-lower class. They are above the peasantry, but only considered common citizens of their nation.

Despite a lower living class and limited access to medicine and education, most Artisans live in fairly good conditions compared to the previous 'Dark Age', with regular meals featuring cheap protein such as poultry or legumes and one ore two staples, sturdy urban housing and access to clean water from a well or aqueduct.

While playing an Artisan, remember your character's humble origins. They are a soldier who climbed up the ranks through sheer effort and will, a master craftsman respected for his skill or a cleric beloved by the people. Should such a character survive to a high Rank, they will be even respected (albeit grudgingly) by those of higher standing.

Artisan Characters

Fate Points: Roll a d10.
On a roll of 1-3, the character gets 1 Fate Point.
On a roll of 4-7, the character gets 2 Fate Points.
On a roll of 8-9, the character gets 3 Fate Points.
On a roll of 10, the character gets 4 Fate Points.
Wounds:d5 + Toughness Bonus + 2
Attributes: +5 to any Attribute
Background Wealth: Artisan characters begin with 150 Schillings from their background.

Traits

Tools of the Trade: An Artisan character can treat any untrained skill as Basic provided he has the proper tools to use it.

Hard Work Works: When taking additional time to complete a task, an Artisan adds an additional +3 on top of the +10 for a given interval.

Voice of the People: Artisan characters gain the Peer (Artisans) and Peer (Peasants) Talents for free.

Career Options
Artisan characters may pursue any Career.

Peasant

Beyond the cities (and in the slums surrounding them), peasants make up the bulk of a given nation's population. They are the farmers, unskilled laborers and house servants that keep the rest of the country afloat.

For Peasants, life is hard. Although fresh water and food are often more easily acquired than in the cities, arable farmland is a commodity owned by the upper classes. Preyed upon by bandits and often the first target of an invading nation, many a farming family is more than adequately familiar with tragedy.

Peasants have fairly limited career options though their strong bodies, hardened by labor on the farms, often make them natural choices for military conscription. Peasant Clerics are hardy, personable and loyal and the pagan magic traditions, stamped out by the Inquisition in the cities, does persist in some form in the countryside, hidden away from the eyes of the public.

Peasant Characters

Fate Points: Roll a d10.
On a roll of 1-4, the character gets 1 Fate Point.
On a roll of 5-10, the character gets 2 Fate Points.
Wounds:d5 + Toughness Bonus + 3
Attributes: +5 to Strength, +5 to Toughness, +5 to any Attribute, -5 to Intelligence, -5 to Fellowship
Background Wealth: Peasant characters begin with 100 Schillings from their background.

Traits

Hardy: A Peasant character is considered to have a Toughness Bonus 1 point higher and ignores up to -10 from wound penalties.

Strong Back: Peasant characters are considered to have a Strength Bonus 1 point higher.

Lean Times Peasant characters ignore up to -10 in penalties from starvation or dehydration, and re-roll all failed Toughness tests related to eating tainted food or resisting poisons (including alcohol).

Career Options
Peasant characters may not pursue the Career of Sage.

Vagabond

The Vagabond background is the only one that does not correspond to an exact social group. Rather, it represents those people who are unwanted inside of their own nations, either as religious or ethnic minorities that are discriminated against, or because of their chosen trade. Boazi refugees are often seen as parasites in other Mittelland kingdoms, as are roving mercenaries from the other continents.

However, because they do not strictly correspond to a given culture, Vagabonds are also given slightly randomized starting options for wealth and have a more flexible skillset. A mercenary might have come from a tribe of shamans who possessed the talent of divination or a Rogue hailing from the steppes might be familiar enough with horseback riding to decide to train it in later on.

Vagabond Characters

Fate Points: Roll a d10.
On a roll of 1-2, the character gets 2 Fate Point.
On a roll of 3-8, the character gets 3 Fate Points.
On a roll of 9-10, the character gets 4.
Wounds:d5 + Toughness Bonus +1
Attributes: +5 to Willpower, +5 to Agility, -5 to Fellowship
Background Wealth: Vagabond characters begin with 4d100 Schillings from their background.

Traits

Foreign Mannerisms: A Vagabond character receives a +10 bonus when trying to deceive a character not from their ethnic group, but a -5 penalty when trying to see through their lies.

Determination: Vagabond characters may re-roll failed Willpower rolls versus Fear or any social attempt at making them give up on a goal.

Cultural Heritage: Vagabond characters pick one Career at chargen. For the remainder of the campaign, they may buy a single talent or skill with from that class with experience points at every new Rank. The options for the character are limited to the choices available to that class at a Rank one lower than his own.

Career Options
Vagabond characters may not pursue the Career of Sheriff or Cleric.

Attributes

Attribute Scores
Strength 15		The physical prowess of a bloodhound dog or a child of around 8 years old.
Agility 25		The agility of the average sage or artisan, who live largely sedentary lifestyles.
Weapon Skill 35		An adept swordsman with a few years of practice.
Ballistic Skill 45		Boazi riflemen or Farinian longbowmen in their prime, able to strike a target at a hundred paces.
Intelligence 55		A genius artist or engineer, who may be the favored servant of a city's lord, or perhaps even the king himself.
Willpower 65		The indomitable will of the Kings of Edom, who make the world their own.

Player characters in Renaissance Saga all have nine attributes which reflect their competencies and general physical attributes, numbered 1 to 99. Strictly speaking, the average rating for a normal person in Fluchwelt is around 30 for physical and mental attributes and 25 for Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill, although these may differ from region to region depending on the local culture and the backgrounds of the people.

The nine attributes are composed of four physical attributes, three mental attributes and two combat attributes, which help define the limits of a character's competency.

When creating their characters, players roll two d10 dice for their character's attributes, rerolling any 1's and adding 20 to the sum afterwards, rolling nine times for each of the character's attributes. A player may then reroll one attribute, taking the higher roll, and move around rolled attributes as he pleases.

In gameplay, attributes may be increased by spending experience points, through training or other means, but may be decreased by crippling injuries, with a risk of permanency if the wound is not treated properly.

Weapon Skill

Weapon Skill is the main combat skill when using melee weapons such as swords, axes and spears. It also governs the usage of shields and other defensive tools to defend themselves from attacks, allowing characters to parry melee strikes and block arrows.

Ballistic Skill

Ballistic Skill governs the usage of any ranged weapon, including bows, throwing knives, crossbows and even rare gunpowder weapons. Ballistic skill also allows for the safe operation of siege equipment such as crossbows and the exotic red mercury weapons of Edom.

Strength

Strength is basic physical prowess, governing how much a character can safely carry without being encumbered and the power of their swings in melee combat. Strength is also important for Archers and Crossbowmen, as it determines their power and reload rates, respectively.

Toughness

Toughness determines the character's raw physical fortitude and ability to resist poisons. It also determines starting wounds and natural armor, making it an essential attribute for melee characters.

Agility

Agility is the character's overall reflexes and manual dexterity. The Dodge skill is based on Agility, making it essential for survival in many battles. Cavalry, airship navigators and Arm Fugue maestros all make use of Agility to control their vehicles.

Intelligence

Intelligence is the measure of the character's education and capacity for intuitive thinking. All knowledge skills are dependent on intelligence, as are those related to the maintenance and operation of machinery such as Arm Fugues.

Perception

Perception is a combination of mental acuity and perceptive ability. High perception allows characters to take in more information at once, be more aware of their surroundings and avoid surprises.

Willpower

Willpower is the essential attribute for the powers of Magisters, allowing them to bend reality to their desires. It also allows other characters to resist fear and ignore temptation.

Fellowship

Fellowship affects the character's ability to interact with the world and withdraw positive outcomes from socialization. While not directly related to a character's physical appearance or personal charisma, high Fellowship is a strong indicator of both.