Character Creation Guide

This page will walk you through the various steps that need to be taken in order to create a new character for OSE.

Each step will be followed by a short description of the usage and importance of that aspect of your character in Italics.

In the class list, you can click on each class to see its full description along with all the information you will need to copy from it onto your character sheet.

Before doing you start, you first need to choose how you would like to record your character's information. In the google folder there are several character sheets. One of these is a google sheet file, a few are form-fillable pdfs. You can really use any piece of paper or text file, as long as all the information that you are told to record in this guide is recorded on the sheet somewhere. This is very important, as many sheets will be missing spots for values and other sheets will have places for values that aren't used.

Steps:

1. Roll Ability Scores
2. Choose a Class
3. Adjust Ability Scores
4. Note Ability Score Modifiers
5. Note Attack Values
6. Note Saving Throws
7. Note Class Abilities
8. Roll Hit Points
9. Flesh Out Character
10. Note Known Languages
11. Buy Equipment
12. Calculate Encumbrance
13. Note Armor Class
14. Note Level and XP
15. Name Character

1. Roll Ability Scores

Roll 3d6 and write the total into each of your character's ability scores in this order: Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma. If all of these scores are under 8 or one score is less than 4, you can choose to re-roll all your stats.

These ability scores are essentially the backbone of your character and will determine what general things they are good at. Unlike other games, though, they do not play a huge role in gameplay as there are no skills and ability score rolls are rare. Instead, these scores will be more important in showing you which classes your character may be better suited for, and who they are as a person.

2. Choose a Class

Choose one of the classes from the Class Compendium page. If you want to choose a class that fits your character's stats, make sure to read the Prime Requisite and the Minimum Requirements for said class. You can only choose a class if your stats meet the minimum requirements, and whichever stats the class has listed as Prime Requisite are the stats that are most useful to that class. Make sure to read through the abilities of each class to make sure you like the choice you take.

The class is probably the most important aspect of your character. This will determine what role your character plays in gameplay and defines the kinds of thing you will be doing for as long as they are alive. Each class levels up at a different rate, and some classes have level caps that are much lower than other classes, make sure you understand all of these aspects of a class before you choose it.

3. Adjust Ability Scores

If you wish, you may raise your character's prime requisite(s) stat by lowering other (non-prime requisite) ability scores. For every two points by which an ability score is reduced, one point may be added to a prime requisite. The following restrictions apply:

• Only Strength, Intelligence, and Wisdom may be lowered in this way.
• No score may be lowered below 9.
• Thieves may not lower STR

This is your last chance to alter the ability scores of your character. There is no way to improve ability scores without powerful magic, so if you really want to make your prime requisite better now is the time.

4. Note Ability Score Modifiers

Make sure to note each of these numbers somewhere on your sheet, if you can't find a dedicated box, put them in some notes section. None of these modifiers will ever be added to an ability score roll, as those rolls are roll under. These bonuses are for their specific applications as listed.

Strength (STR)

• Melee: Is applied to attack and damage rolls with melee weapons.
• Open Doors: The chance of success with attempts to force open a stuck door.

Intelligence (INT)

• Spoken Languages: Denotes the number of languages the character can speak.
• Literacy: Indicates the character's ability to read and write their native languages
• # of Spells: The number of spells an Arcane spell caster starts with in their spell book.

Wisdom (WIS)

• Magic Saves: Is applied to saving throws versus magical effects. This does not normally include saves against breath attacks, but may apply to any other saving throw category.

Dexterity (DEX)

• Armor Class: Modifies the character's AC
• Missile: Applied to attack rolls (but not damage rolls) with ranged weapons

Constitution (CON)

• Hit Points: Applies when rolling a character's hit points (i.e. when rolling hp for 1st level and every level after). A character always gains at least 1 hit point per Hit Die, regardless of CON modifier.

Charisma (CHA)

• NPC Reactions: Applies when hiring retainers and when interacting with monsters.
• Max # of Retainers: Determines the number of retainers a character may have at any one time.
• Retainer Loyalty: Determines retainers' loyalty to the character

Prime Requisite

A character's score in their prime requisite affects how quickly they gain XP.

• XP Modifier: Applied to all XP awarded to characters with a single prime requisites. Characters with multiple prime requisites have a different bonus listed in their class information.

5. Note Attack Bonuses

Your character will have two attack bonuses, one for Melee and one for Missile attacks. These are calculated by adding the bonus from STR or DEX to your class' attack bonus for the level you are at. At level 1, this bonus will be +0, but make sure to check when leveling up that the bonus hasn't increased.

Because we are using ascending AC, combat should be simpler without having to use an attack matrix, but I will still be utilizing some aspects of descending AC to keep things more consistent (See the note under "Note Armor Class" for more info.)

6. Note Saving Throws

In your class level table you should be able to see the saving throw values. Copy your class' saves for level one somewhere on your sheet. These will improve when leveling up.

These saving throws may seem like a strange group of things to specifically save against, but I will often use them for saves it seems like they might not otherwise fit for. (e.g. Wands as dodging projectiles or petrification as avoiding spider webs.)

7. Note Class Abilities

Look at the Class Compendium section for your class and copy down the abilities you see there, some of them are only unlocked after certain levels, so make sure to know which you can use now, and which are unlocked later. Additionally, some abilities come with a table of skills, make sure you note down the probabilities of these skills at your current level and update them when leveling up. If you have a spell book, choose a number of spells based on your INT to be your starting spells and choose one of them to prepare. If you use divine magic, choose a spell from your spell list to be your first prepared spell. booklet. Also, if your character has a spell book, you may choose a number of spells based on your INT.

These abilities can range from useful to very specific, but they are the real differentiating factor between the different classes. Certain abilities give you specific skills for that class. Because we are using the d6 skill rules, these skills will all start with a 1 in 6 chance of success, and are increased with expertise points which are gained when creating your character and at first level depending on your class.

8. Roll Hit Points

Roll the hit die listed in your class' description and modify it using your CON modifier to determine starting hit points. You can re-roll 1s or 2s. A character always starts with at least 1 hit point.

Hit points are incredibly important and fairly scarce at low levels, it pays to be careful and use combat only as a last last resort. (For reference, a goblin usually does 1-6 damage, so if you're unlucky you could die to a single goblin attack.)

9. Flesh Out Character

Think a little bit about where your character is from. Where were they born? How did they live? What do they want? Why are they adventuring? Think a little bit about who your character is. How do they talk with others? How do they see those around them? What kind of things do they like to do in their free time? Based on those two things, think about if your character is Lawful (Believes in goodness, order, truth and justice as the natural order of the universe.), Neutral (Believes in a balance between the forces of Law and Chaos), or even Chaotic (Believes in evil and the meaninglessness and randomness of the universe).

I don't expect you to come up with a super long backstory or really know much about your character, but you should go into the game with at least a spark of inspiration.

10. Note Known Languages

All characters know Common as their native language. Demihumans and some other classes also natively know additional languages that are listed in their class descriptions.

Characters with a high INT score can choose additional languages from the following:

• Bugbear
• Doppelganger
• Dragon
• Dwarvish
• Elvish
• Gargoyle
• Gnoll
• Gnomish
• Goblin
• Halfling
• Harpy
• Hobgoblin
• Kobold
• Lizard man
• Medusa
• Minotaur
• Ogre
• Orcish
• Pixie
• Human Dialect

Some of these languages may or may not be useful or really exist. I would imagine Hobgoblin and Bugbear are just dialects of Goblin, and that Halfling is just a dialect of Common.

11. Buy Equipment

Your character starts play with 3d6 x 10 gold pieces. You may spend as much of this money as you wish to equip your character for adventure, consulting the equipment lists below. More information about the equipment can be found in the rule book. If you want some other piece of standard equipment not listed, talk to the DM about it.

(More equipment, weapons and armor can be found in Carcass Crawler #1)

12. Calculate Encumbrance

Use the following chart to determine the number of encumbrance points you have and make sure to take note of both how many points and how many items you have.

Then, use the next chart to determine your base speed from the number of encumbrance points you have.

More information about encumbrance rules and mechanics can be found here.

Encumbrance is a slightly difficult mechanic to work with, because it needs to be present in a game that utilizes a logistical approach to dungeon crawling, but at the same time it can easily become cumbersome in situations when it isn't really important. Often, travel times will be more casual or simple, but sometimes, to encourage interesting decision making, these encumbrance rules will be more strictly enforced.

13. Note Armor Class

Add your bonus from dexterity, shield, and your armor's base AC value. Unarmored base AC is 10.

We are using ascending AC rather than descending AC, which has the upside of being easier to understand but it loses the bounded accuracy and generally enclosed system that descending AC has baked in. Therefore I'm imposing some limits to bring the enclosed system back. First of all, certain types of armor are represented by specific AC values, Base AC without armor is 10, Leather armor has an AC of 12, Chainmail has an AC of 14, and Plate has an AC of 16. This will be true no matter who is using the armor, and can be used to understand the relative hardness of something. Next, player AC cannot usually go beyond 19, certain monsters may have higher ACs, but no piece of armor will ever have a base AC of 19 or more.

14. Note Level and XP

Your character begins play at 1st level with 0 XP.

XP is generally gained through treasure, with every gold piece brought to civilization from a dungeon or wilderness counting as one xp point. XP can also be gained through killing monsters, but not very much. This is to encourage more creative problem solving over combat, which is incredibly dangerous. Another important note is that each class levels up at different speeds, so the amount of XP needed to level up as a fighter is less than as a magic user.

15. Name Character

Finally, choose a name for your character. You are now ready for adventure!