New Players 
Character Creation
Last Updated: 10/15/03
The Forest of Shadows has nothing to do with AD&D or any other previously existing world or RPG. This RPG is set in a world that the Moderators and Players get to create as we go. For now, assume that it is a completely generic fantasy world with a few modifications. You may start your first adventure as any of the following characters:
Mage 
Elemental Mage Former Guardsperson Mercenary Peasant/Ordinary Person Exiled
Royalty Disgruntled Farmer Bard Healer Thief Adventurer Dancer/Acrobat Orphan Druid Merchant Explorer Enchanter
All characters start at the skill level that would be appropriate to the Senior Apprentice Mage. Ideally, characters should be at least 16 and no older than 30, and some professions may only be applicable to specific ages. All characters have the natural ability necessary to become exceptional members of the profession they choose, unless otherwise specified.
(Note: Any of these characters can be male or female. The descriptions were supposed to alternate in gender, but I kept changing the order. And "I" refers to me, Salli.)
1-Mage (Order of the Blue Dragon)
Your character is a Senior Apprentice in the Order of the Blue Dragon, a Mage School that teaches those with an aptitude for what they call High Magic. (In other words, they're fairly typical fantasy mages.) He has trained several years, is adept in low-level general magic, and may have been a Senior Apprentice for quite some time. In order to progress to Journeyman status, mages in this order must find some kind of focus stone. Your character feels the call of higher magic and/or the call of the road (or he's just bored), so he has entered the Forest to find one. Like Elemental Mages, Mages in the Order of the Blue Dragon don't have time for much beyond their magical studies. However, if your character had an especially long apprenticeship, he may have acquired a few extra skills. Mages in this order tend to wear at least some blue, but there is no official dress requirement.
2-Mage (Eastern Order/Elemental)
Your character is a Senior Apprentice in the Eastern Order of Elemental Mages. (Note that "Eastern" is merely a random direction, it doesn't mean anything beyond that.) She has completed several years of basic training in Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. (Unless you prefer Wind.) The time has come for her to find her true element. She must journey through the Forest and see what she discovers. Currently, she has very minor abilities in each element. If she succeeds, she will attain Journeyman status and, more importantly, specialized abilities in one element (with a corresponding weakness). She may have basic survival and defensive skills, but probably hasn't had much time to learn anything else. An Elemental Mages can be extremely powerful within her own area.
3-Former Guardsperson
Your character was formerly a guardsman in the royal army of a kingdom that was at war for most of his life. He enlisted (or was drafted) and trained. After taking part in a few skirmishes, he played a crucial part in the very last battle of the Great War. During said battle, the king of one country and the queen of the other happened to meet for the first time and fall madly in love. Needless to say, there was then a depressing outbreak of peace and well-being in your character's kingdom. He is not interested in settling down as a farmer or minor lord, so he decided to travel. The Forest is between him and the rest of the world. Since he was somehow responsible for the accidental meeting of the monarchs, he is reasonably well-equipped, and does not need to work for his living. He likes the idea of being a warrior, but he may not be quite there yet. Alternatively, your character could simply be a former guardsman who participated in a few skirmishes, got disgusted, and quit as soon as he had a chance. If this is the case, he should be a younger son of a minor noble or merchant—someone who does not need to become a mercenary.
4-Mercenary
Your character is a mercenary, pure and simple. For reasons that are unlikely to be relevant for a while, she fights for her livelihood. No matter how she started, she currently has no choice but to eventually find work, though she can also get by for short periods adventuring on her own. Her training may not have been as good as the guardsman described above, but she has more experience. In any case, she hasn't been a mercenary very long. She has sufficient equipment, but it may be in need of repair. She is currently in between jobs, and looking for new territory. The Forest is on her way to a new part of the world.
5-Talented Peasant/Ordinary Person
Your character is an "ordinary" villager or townsman who is setting off to seek his fortune. If he has any training, it is in a craft or another profession useful for everyday life. Perhaps he always wanted to learn one of the other professions listed here. He didn't stick around to finish whatever he was doing. Instead, perhaps because he yearns to travel or was forced to leave, he is making his way in the world. Like the fighters, he needs to get through the Forest to continue. He may be seeking some kind of magical help, like the Incredible Wishing Pond™, an Enchanted Tree of Happiness, or some such place or item. You have a lot of freedom with a character in this category. Whatever his goal, he probably knows outdoor survival skills if he is from a village and street skills if he is from a larger town, and he will find something special in the Forest of Shadows. (No one is ever ordinary for long in a good fantasy story!)
6-Exiled Royalty
Not too long ago, your character was royalty. She is now in exile, and her family cannot possibly return to power for at least five generations. (So don't get your hopes up. That would be boring, anyway.) However, once a princess (or king, or queen, or prince, or third cousin once removed of the emperor), always a princess, right? Her skills are probably more useful in court that in the woods, but one never knows. She can turn on the charm or the commanding presence, and if she was particularly powerful, she may be a little spoiled. Like the Peasant, you can do many things with this character. Men in particular may have been trained for combat. Use your imagination--just remember that she is former royalty, and she may not want to make it easy for her enemies to find her. She might be in disguise, although her disguise may be somewhat inept. She is traveling through the Forest in search of a new life, and she may very well find one.
7-Disgruntled Farmer
Yep, that's right, your character is an unhappy farmer. Or rather, was an unhappy farmer. He quit, and now he is traveling through the Forest. Why? That's up to you. You'll have to come up with the rest for yourself. So, you ask, why should you bother with this category? Because you are a creative person, and you think it would be fun to say that your character is a disgruntled farmer, of course!
8-Apprentice Bard
Your character is an Apprentice Bard. He has been training for several years. In order to become a Journeyman, he must write his first major ballad. There's only one catch--it must be about something he witnesses or experiences for himself. He is traveling in search of inspiration, and hopes to find what he needs in the mysterious Forest of Shadows. Don't worry, you won't have to write the song (not that anyone would stop you). You may want to pick an instrument for your character, though.
9-Healer
Your character is a young Healer. She completed her initial training (whether in a small village, a city, a temple, or with an army somewhere is up to you), but there is already a Healer in her home town and there wasn't a place for her elsewhere. She does not feel called to settle down in any particular position--in fact, she's rather inclined to travel. She has always wanted to explore the Forest of Shadows, having heard that many strange herbs and magical plants grow there (that, and it sounds cool). Perhaps she'll discover a miraculous new medicine. Or perhaps she'll be content not to discover a new poison by mistake! She probably has more practical training than either of the Mage professions. Her Healer's training is good, but she is inexperienced.
10-Thief
Simply put, your character is a thief, or at least a rogue. He has a sketchy past and an even sketchier future, but he has a heart of gold. (Although not literally, or he would have sold it!) He's in the Forest because 1) he's heard that there are cool things here and 2) he kind of got chased out of that last town, and needs to hide... He's sneaky and quick, but may not be very well equipped. Oh well. He can always con or steal his way to whatever he needs to get by!
11-Adventurer
Your character is some kind of adventurer. Such is her life. Have fun. Be adventurous. You aren't getting any help from me on this one, so this is for you if you have your own ideas and don't like any of mine. She can be as deep or as shallow as you like. I have no idea what awaits her in the Forest of Shadows, and neither do you. That's part of the fun. =)
12-Dancer/Acrobat
Your character is a dancer who has traveled with a caravan of performers since she was young, living with either her birth parents or her guardian. As a child, she learned the basics of various styles of dancing, acrobatics, juggling, and singing; however, she excelled in dance, and, when she was 10-12 she began training exclusively in dance and acrobatics. She will have trained with one style of weapon (sword, staff, daggers, etc.) or item (scarf, parasol …) for entertainment purposes. She also learned the basics of self defense. Eventually, your character decided to leave the caravan and discover the world on her own. Concerned with her success in life, the elder of the caravan gave her a mission to dance for "someone of importance" and said that she can only return home if she brings some sort of proof that she has done so.
If you would like your character to be an acrobat, simply substitute acrobatics for dancing in the above description. In either case she trained in both, learning either dance and some acrobatics or acrobatics and some dance.
Winner of the Design-A-Profession Contest
Profession written by ShiniTenshiLadySilk.*
13-Orphan
Your character is an orphan. Her parents died when she was very young (before she turned three), and she remembers little, if anything, about them. She was raised in an orphanage or by an unfriendly neighbor family, and has never had a family of her own. However, she believes that some relative is alive out there, and knows that she must travel through the forest to find her past. She may hope to learn that her parents were a certain type of people, but the storyteller will decide what she finds. Her skills depend upon where she was raised, but she is most likely very resourceful. The orphan resembles an Ordinary Person, except with a different motivation and background. This profession would work best with characters between 16 and 20 years old.
Design-A-Profession Contest, 2nd Place
Profession written by WhisperAcrossWater.*
14-Druid
Your character is a young druid who has lived most of his life in the forest and loves it with a dedication few others can hope to match. He learned to nurture the woods and the animals, making friends with these as often as with people. Now, your apprentice druid has reached the point in his training where he must take on "the Quest," a journey all druids make before being accepted into the ranks of their brothers and sisters. The apprentice druid travels alone in the forest until he feels that he has learned to use the power of nature. Often, the evidence of this is an animal companion, but almost everything can be accepted, as long as it shows the druid's love for nature and connection to the power. The Quest is highly personal, and the druid himself decides when he is ready to enter the ranks of full brotherhood. Many Quests take only a matter of days… but some take a lifetime. Most druids travel in their own home forest, and return to their home enclave afterwards, but your character intends to travel farther. He's always been curious about the great Forest of Shadows, which has no druids of its own, and he intends to complete his Quest there, or perhaps in the world beyond. He doesn't plan to ever return "home"--his true home is in nature, which is always with him.
Design-A-Profession Contest, 3rd Place
Profession written by Cerwan.*
15-Merchant
The merchant comes from a trading family, or has relatives in the business, so he is familiar with the trade. However, perhaps because he wanted to start on his own, or family fortunes took a downturn, he is now without caravan or shop, and traveling alone through the Forest in search of new markets, and, even better, interesting things to sell. He may wish to start a thriving business, or simply sell what he can carry from place to place. He's interested in money, of course, but what really excites him is thrill of the sale, bargaining, finding merchandise, etc. (Pick one!) The only goods he may have with him at the beginning are those he can carry personally, and he probably does not have any at all, or very little. Instead, he could have enough money to get him started. A merchant generally has the skills of an ordinary person, and, though he may be an accomplished traveler, is generally accustomed to villages, cities, trade fairs, and the like. He isn't at home in the countryside, and doesn't have survival skills beyond the sorts of thing one would learn traveling with a caravan. He knows how to defend himself, but wouldn't carry anything larger than a knife.
16-Enchanter/Enchantress
Your character is an Enchanter. Well, mostly, anyway. She's a worker of magic who cannot actually sense the forces she manipulates—but she can sure see the results! She performs spells using potions, herbs, complicated rituals, tongue-twisting incantations—or some combinations of the above. Ever since she was a child, she's studied enchantment with Aunt Ermingarde, Uncle Theodore, Second Cousin Once Removed Calliope, or some such eccentric yet knowledgable personage. She has a good working understanding of basic spellcraft, a collection of common herbs, a trinket or two infused with simple enchantments, her notebook, and a burning desire to get out and see the world. Possibly she really is the scholarly type—but she wants to learn more than she ever could at home. Perhaps she secretly yearns for adventure, and life on the open road. Maybe she's just tired of Aunt Ermingarde's "famous" cooking! In any event, the Forest of Shadows beckons—who knows what herbs, or spellbooks, or curious magical objects might be hiding in such a wonderous place?
17-Explorer
The Explorer has a sense of adventure and a desire to see new places. He always wants to know where that road leads, where this river begins, or what's on the far side of that mountain range. He has above average survival skills, and is used to living in remote places. He may also be a cartographer (a.k.a. mapmaker) with a passion for mapmaking, irresistibly drawn to the Forest because it just will not be mapped consistently. He's prepared to defend himself, but combat never interested him enough to really train. Eventually, he could enter the service of a particular group or leader, such as a Mountain Kingdom monarch.
All material on this site (unless otherwise labeled) © 2001-2003 Salli Canaliya, SarahStar, and/or the folks at the Forest of Shadows. Don't steal. If you want to use anything, ask.
