GM: Tim Emrick
Character Creation Rules: System; Starting Points; Social Standing; Advantages; Disadvantages; Skills; Magic; Martial Arts; Nonhuman Races; Psionics; Tech Level; Equipment; Character Types & Templates.
System: GURPS. The following rulebooks will be used for character creation [page abbreviation in brackets]:
The following books will be used on a very limited basis (consult the GM before using anything from them):
Starting Points: 200 points, with the standard maximum of -40 points in disadvantages and -5 in quirks.
Social Standing: A generic status chart usable for most of Arcadayn is given below:
| Status | Rank | Monthly Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Emperor, King, (Clerical Rank 4) | $20,000+ |
| 6 | Prince, Duke | $10,000 |
| 5 | Marquis, Earl/Count, (Clerical Rank 3) | $5,000 |
| 4 | Viscount, Baron | $2,500 |
| 3 | Baronet, landed lord, (Clerical Rank 2) | $1,500 |
| 2 | Knight, Mayor, Guildmaster, great merchant | $800 |
| 1 | Squire, captain, craftsman, merchant, (Clerical Rank 1) | $400 |
| 0 | Freeman, journeyman | $200 |
| -1 | Bondsman, servant, apprentice | $100 |
| -2 | Outsider, thief, very valuable slave | $50 |
| -3 | Beggar, skilled slave | $50 |
| -4 | Serf, unskilled slave | $50 |
Clerical Rank is discussed in the "Religions of Arcadayn" pages. See "Job Tables Index" for representative jobs. Average starting wealth is $1,000; see "Currencies of Arcadayn" or the national profiles for the monetary units used in a given area.
Advantages: The following advantages require some notes:
The following advantages do not exist in Arcadayn: Extra Stun; Rapier Wit; Style Familiarity; Tenure; Trained by a Master; Extra Life; Harmony with the Tao; Illuminated; Reawakened; Snatcher; any involving high/low gravity, acceleration or time travel; any requiring equipment of late TL4+ (e.g., Sharpshooter). Racial/super advantages are limited to nonhuman races.
Disadvantages: The following disadvantages require some notes:
The following disadvantages do not exist in Arcadayn: Evil Twin; No Physical Body; Tourette's Syndrome; Killjoy; Lover's Distraction; Prefrontal Lobotomy; Mundane Background; Yin-Yang Imbalance; any involving high/low gravity, acceleration or time travel; any requiring equipment of late TL4+. Racial/super disadvantages are limited to nonhuman races.
Skills: The following skills require some notes:
TL4 skills are normally restricted to Visalans with the High Technology advantage. (Other characters may use TL4 equipment, but creating it requires this advantage as a PR to the skill.)
The following skills do not exist in Arcadayn: Chi Treatment; Herbalist [see notes on Herbary and Physician]; Neurophon; Paraphysics; Pharmacy [use Alchemy or Herbary instead]; Psionics (science skill); Ritual Magic; Science!; Style Analysis; Symbol Drawing; Tea Ceremony; Weird Science; Yin-Yang Healing; all TL5+ skills; all skills exclusive to firearms and time travel; all skills requiring Trained by a Master; most Asian weapons.
Magic: See "Magery," above. Magic is widespread, with mages scattered at random (?) in most populations. (Scholars debate whether magical aptitude can be directly inherited anywhere outside faerie-tainted Haldinibar.) In most kingdoms, wizards are tolerated and are subject to the same laws as other folk. In Krith and Visala, the constabulary frequently has the resources to apprehend low-powered magical criminals. Magiocratic Riversmidst requires wizards to register with the authorities, but gives them special privileges in return. At the other extreme, Northlanders fear magic and persecute all suspected "witches" except for their rune-skalds.
The mana level (pp. B147, M6) for Arcadayn is "normal," with some small areas of "low" or "high" mana. "No-" and "very high" mana areas are rumored to exist, but their locations are not common knowledge.
Technological spells (pp. G94-96) are unknown in Arcadayn, with the exception of Metal spells (which may be treated as Elemental Earth spells). Gate spells (pp. G44-51) exist, but are jealously guarded by the rare mages who know them. Time travel spells do not exist; those which merely slow or speed time might. Most of the other spells in GURPS Magic and GURPS Grimoire are known, though those from the latter tend to be less common.
The following optional magic rules are in effect: Improvised Magic (pp. M85-90), Rune Magic (M90-93; rune-skalds only), Aspected Mana (M94), Knacks (M96-97). Magical knacks are usually limited to Blessed individuals, and even then are quite rare. The optional rules for knacks on p. WI70 are not used.
See GURPS Religion and "Religions of Arcadayn" about divine magic. Lead Worship (pp. R108-109) is not used in Arcadayn. Most clerics learn Consecrate (p. R110) as their first spell.
Martial Arts: Martial arts exist in only a rudimentary way in Arcadayn: the Karate and Judo skills are rare, and all true Asian martial arts "styles" are unknown. The "Trained by a Master" advantage is not possible here, though "Weapon Master" is; "cinematic" martial arts skills (pp. CI 137-145, MA36-40) are limited accordingly. Slightly-modified versions of the following styles from GURPS Martial Arts can be learned: Hashishin Style (Desert Men "Alasaz" only), Italian Rapier Fencing (Visala only), Military Hand-to-Hand (elite troops only), Pancratium (Krith only), Streetfighting (large cities).
Nonhuman Races: Most Arcadayn adventurers will be human. See "Nonhuman Races of Arcadayn" for other possibilities open to starting players. Some may require an Unusual Background cost if truly exotic or if starting far from their homeland.
Psionics: Psionics are very rare and the existence of psi is not common knowledge. These powers are usually mistaken for magic except by the most skilled thaumatologists. Any psi whose powers become known will be treated as a mage would be in that culture (cf. "Magic," above).
A psionic character must pay for an Unusual Background worth 5 points per power group. The two exceptions are Danger Sense and Empathy, which have no extra cost; however, starting with points in ESP or Telepathy skills does. Electrokinesis does not exist.
Tech Level: Arcadayn technology is mostly at the standard medieval level (TL3), with a few isolated, primitive areas at TL2 (Iron Age). TL4 (Renaissance) is beginning to appear in the more developed parts of the Kingdom of Visala. See GURPS Low-Tech for more information on TL0-3.
Equipment: Most "European" TL3 equipment from the Basic Set (pp. B206-212) and Compendium II (pp. CII 19-46) is available in Arcadayn at the listed prices. TL2 equipment can be found in regions where such is the norm. TL4 equipment is available in some parts of Visala, but remains quite expensive (at least double normal cost). Magical equipment is both rare and expensive (see sidebars, pp. M20-22, CI 17).
Character Types & Templates: Generic fantasy character types are described in the following GURPS books:
Feel free to use these character types as inspiration, but check with the GM if you have questions about what is appropriate. Some national profiles include notes on special groups or character types.
SJ Games has also published template books to allow players to create GURPS characters quickly. The following list gives the titles of these books and the templates from them that are suitable for Arcadayn:
As with the character types listed above, consult your GM if you have questions about what choices are appropriate.
Using these types and templates is not mandatory--they are simply offered as starting points. Feel free to create characters from scratch, following the guidelines on this page.
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This page last updated 11/5/2003 by Timothy E. Emrick. | Copyright 1998-2003 Timothy E. Emrick.