Ogre:CharacterCodex:Character Creation:Setting

Character Creation

This section describe all the steps to create your character.

1. Introduction
2. Choose your Campaign Setting
3. Choose your Concept
4. Choose your Race
5. Choose your Culture
6. Choose your Profession
7. Choose your Character Background
8. Choose your Skills
9. Choose your Equipment

Choose your Campaign Setting

Before starting a game, you need to know in what type of campaign your character will evolve. The two most important aspect to know is what style will be used and in which era the will action take place.

Style

This is the style of your character. Styles determine how fast you will learn feats and your maximum expertise with feats and how many hit points you will have. Some style suggestion below.

Realistic

You are an ordinary guy in a world very like our own. Combat are very dangerous and can become deadly rapidly. You can become very skill in a domain, but won't have flashy move to show your superiority. You earn 1 feat per 5 ranks in a skill. You cannot even become a specialist in a feat. You received one less hit points per rank than normal. Players should start with 30 XP.

This is the kind of hero you can meet in the real world like policeman or military member.

Pulp

You live in a world very like our own, but you are not an ordinary guy. You are the best at what you do. You often have a small edge over other that keep you alive more longer than other people. You earn 1 feat per 4 ranks in a skill. You can become an specialist in a feat. You received one less hit points per rank. Players should start with 40 XP.

This is the type of hero you found in most realistic action movie.

Heroic

You have a great destiny in front of you. You are clearly a hero and better than most other people. This do not guarantee success in your adventure, but you have a lot of resources at your disposition to succeed. You earn 1 feat per 3 ranks in a skill. You can become an expert in a feat. You received normal hit points. Players should start with 50 XP.

This is the type of hero you found in most American action movie. This is the recommended style for a game.

Epic

You are greater than nature. You can do stuff that are not humanly possible with a little practice. You earn 1 feat per 2 ranks in a skill. You can become a master in a feat. Players should start with 75 XP.

You received normal hit points. This is the type of hero you found in most Asian action movie.

Legendary

You are certainly one of the best hero in the known world. Almost nothing can stop you and you always seem to have the good trick at the good moment. You earn 1 feat per ranks in a skill. You can become a master in a feat. You received 1 more hit points per rank. Players should start with 100 XP.

This is the type of hero found in old Greek or roman poem depict as half-god or super-heroes found in comics books.

Custom Style

Those styles are only example that can be adapted to a campaign setting. You can also mix styles for PC and NPC. You may have realistic character that need to survive an impossible fight against alien that have an Heroic style or your character may be Epic and fight armies of Realistic opponent with one or two nemesis villain that are also of Epic style.

Era

You need to know in what era your adventure will take place, this will give you an idea of what equipment and what skill are available for this specific era.

Stone Age

The major achievements of a Stone Age society are the use of fire, the domestication of animals, and the invention of agriculture. An individual living in a Stone Age society is primitive, but he isn’t necessarily gullible, stupid, or easily frightened by advanced technology. Common weapons in such a civilization include the club, the dagger, the spear, and the bow. Armor made from hide or leather is possible, as are wicker shields. Communication beyond the local tribe or settlement doesn’t exist. Travel is accomplished by foot or by simple rafts or canoes. Simple pottery, stoneworking, and woodworking are possible.

Bronze/Iron Age

Early human civilizations began to work metal toward the end of the Stone Age. The malleability of copper led to its becoming the first metal to be “tamed.” Adding tin to copper created a much stronger alloy: bronze. This advance allowed for the crafting of tools and weapons of great durability. In turn, those improved tools made possible the working of iron, which soon replaced bronze as the metal of choice for tools and weapons.

In a Bronze/Iron Age society, advances in pottery, construction, and agriculture allow for the concentration of populations into larger and larger groups, with a corresponding upswing in the accumulation and sharing of knowledge. The rise of nations, city states, and empires begins in the Bronze Age. Organized efforts to improve communications allow regional societies to exist. Galleys and small sailing vessels are capable of relatively long voyages, and some cultures may build extensive road or canal networks to link distant places. Improvements in agricultural efficiency permit the rise of artisans, craftsmen, professional soldiers, and other occupations that are not directly concerned with gathering food.

The sword replaces the club and the dagger as the preferred weapon of infantry. Chariots briefly dominate warfare before cavalry (aided by the introduction of the stirrup) render chariots obsolete. The first true military forces or tactical systems appear. Armor can now be made from sewn plates or scales, metal links, or even forged breastplates, and a variety of metal melee weapons dominate the battlefield.

Middle Ages

Maturing civilizations experience a period of turmoil and adjustment in this era. Developments continue in architecture, commerce, metallurgy, and mathematics. Wider dissemination of information becomes possible thanks to more advanced printing techniques. Sea communications dominate in the later part of this stage of development, and sturdy seafaring barracks and galleons open the door to the next era.

As populations increase and knowledge of agriculture evolves, an increasing percentage of the population relocates into growing cities and towns. Toward the end of this era, the feudal system, in which a small class of nobles ruled a large population of agricultural workers, begins to collapse. Specialized crafts develop, universities appear, and the middle class is born. The first corporations emerge in the form of trade guilds. The evolution of strong systems of trade and finance tends to distribute a society’s wealth more evenly among its members, diluting the power of the nobility.

Tools of warfare undergo a significant revolution. Sophisticated chain and plate armors protect warriors from harm, and elaborate fortifications become something of an art form. Toward the end of the Middle Ages, the introduction of simple gunpowder weapons signals the imminent end of knights, heavy armor, and organized armies of swordsmen.

Age of Reason

The Age of Reason is an era in human history when the development of ideas and systems of thought takes precedence over technological invention. The scientific method improves humankind’s understanding of the world. Experimentation becomes the means by which the physical properties of nature are systematically examined. The study of the various scientific disciplines—chemistry, electromagnetic, medicine, biology, and astronomy—flourishes. Instruments such as microscopes and telescopes enable scientists to greatly extend the range of their observations and discoveries. The new reliance on science generates waves on all levels of society. Superstition falls away, and exploration of the world reaches its apex. Society begins to experiment with new forms of organization, such as democracy. Corporations and economic alliances continue to evolve. Economically, this era is a transition from the cottage industries of the Middle Ages to industrialization.

The cannon becomes the dominant factor in naval warfare, while massed musket fire and horse-pulled field pieces rule the battlefield. Even the reliable bow vanishes, replaced by the flintlock. Light melee weapons remain common.

Industrial Age

In the fourth era, the theoretical knowledge of the previous era matures into widespread practical application. The harnessing of hydraulic, steam, and electric power creates an explosion of commerce and industry. Developments such as the telegraph, the telephone, and the radio make true global communication possible. Breakthroughs in manufacturing techniques allow the construction of heavy ironclad vessels, rail transportation, and architecture of previously unimaginable size. Pioneers venture high into the atmosphere and descend into the sea’s depths.

Urbanization is complete as individuals gather in smaller environments where they can more easily exchange goods and information. Corporations expand in power, many establishing themselves throughout the explored world. Governments are based on political and economic factors.

The means of war change swiftly through the period. Aircraft and submersibles join the list of military assets. Reliable and accurate rifles, pistols, and machine guns become common. Mechanized war machines herald the first great change in the art of battle since the end of the knight.

Information Age

The Industrial Age relied on chemical power, but in the Information Age, computer technology and electronics rule supreme. Satellite information systems and the Internet connect the globe digitally. This era also sees the introduction of fission power and weapons reducing the importance of fossil fuels. The automobile replaces the locomotive as the common form of travel. The first steps toward space travel involve massive chemical rockets, unmanned probes and satellites, and short-term manned missions.

The technology of the era allows greater citizen participation in government. The emergence of international alliances begins to dissolve borders between nations. Corporations gather power and begin to threaten government authority. Technology has a greater effect on individual lifestyles than on society as a whole. Most weapons at this time are refined versions of Industrial Age equipment. Rifles, machine guns, and heavy howitzers are still used by the world’s soldiers. Computerized targeting systems and guided weapons make warfare much more precise and efficient. Strategic weapons, tested but never used, exhibit the specie's power to exterminate itself in minutes.

Humanity experienced its Information Age as anxious years full of minor crises. The tension gradually alleviates through the age, and as the era ends new superpowers form.

CyberGenetic Age

Computers are omni-present in every aspect of this era. Almost every piece of equipment have some sort of chips in it. Human-like robots start to make there appearance on the market, but they are more toys than actually useful because of there limited artificial intelligence. Some robots are useful, but they are highly specialized in one or two task like cooking and cleaning. It his very easy to recognize a robot from a human.

Cyborgs start to appear in this era, at first as replacement part for amputee, but soon people will try to enhance their body with a lot of computer and robotic parts. Cyborgs technologies will quickly be part of most military member making them dangerous killing machines on the battle field. The biggest problems with cyborg in this era is the amount of energy needed for cybernetics part is so great that they need to be recharge often and cyborgs need to train battery pack in case of emergency. Cybernetics part are also big and hard to hide. Most cyborg cybernetics parts can clearly be seen. Genetics also have made a lot of progress. Cloning is widely used, mostly for spare parts or for people who cannot have children. Genetics mutations in new born are also introduce to make them better and more resistant to disease. Some try to mix different DNA to create new species, but most experiment failed or create monsters.

The development of fusion power provides an efficient, non expendable energy source that almost obliterates the need for chemical fuel sources. Advanced space exploration and colonization become possible. In this era, there is a struggle between mega corporation and nations for the control of the citizen. There is a lot of corruption and often citizen have the impression that it is not their government anymore that lead the country, but mega corporations. Armed with the means to eradicate the entire species, the world powers keep conflicts to the level of skirmishing and posturing, and integration of the Information Age’s improvements proceed peacefully.

Chemical-powered explosives and firearms remain the weapons of choice; fusion technology can’t be effectively miniaturized for personal combat. Nevertheless, advanced chemistry and superconducting technology change the materials and capabilities of many weapons. True spaceships become possible, propelled by powerful fusion drives, but still require a reaction mass to traverse space. The age sees the tenuous settlement of other planets and asteroids within the same star system.

Space Age

In this Era, the invention of two key technologies herald humanity’s climb to the stars. The gravity induction reactor systematically replaces fusion power as an even more efficient source of energy that can be miniaturized with great ease. With the use of the mass reactor, world powers explore, divide, and colonize the entirety of the local star system. For the most part, life on the home planet is unchanged.

The second advance of the era brings perhaps the greatest upheaval in the history of human civilization. The introduction and integration of gravity induction technology leads to the creation of the induction engine, which allows starship to bridge the gap between the stars. Political and economic reorganization occurs as the species spreads far from home. Contact with other species in the universe are starting to be seen but most of the times the two species will not understand each others making their relation accidental.

Projectile firearms are in their last days, as crude energy weapons become available. Powered armor is available to warriors of this age. Personal (melee) weapons enjoy a resurgence, due in large part to a shift in military tactics—armed conflict between individuals seldom occurs on an army scale, but more frequently involves engagements of small units in conditions when ranged weapons are not necessarily effective. Computer technology links every society, settlement, and outpost of a star system in a single information net, creating an unparalleled and expedient exchange of knowledge and data for business, entertainment, and research.

Robots are now used in every day life and the development in artificial intelligence make them as intelligent as human, and even better. Some people fear robots and conflict arise between them. Robots wants to be recognize as normal citizen like human being are. Some robots exterior are so well refined, that it his often hard to distinguish a robot from a human.

Cyborgs have also evolve a lot. Because of the new sources of energy, cyborgs do not need to recharge their cybernetics part very often and miniaturization allow them to have a wide range of feature from their electronic parts. Most cyborgs does not look like half robot anymore because synthetic skins or genetically manipulated skins can cover easily cybernetic parts.

Geneticians have completely master DNA and can create any kind of creature they want. They concentrate on creating hybrid human able to survive in deep space and on new planets discovered for colonization.

Energy Age

The continuing miniaturization of induction engine technology allows an almost limitless energy supply. Miniaturized sensors, shields, and engines allow mass production of small, practical star fighters. At the other end of the spectrum, advanced construction techniques allow humans to build enormous, self-sustaining cities in space. Alien technologies have been studied and incorporate in our own technologies. Communication with alien species are very common and government starts to englobe more than one species. Powerful personal force screens and energy weapons dominate the battlefield, as projectile weapons finally disappear after ruling the battlefield for a thousand years.

Custom Age

Thoses ages are the one found in the real world and the evolution it will probably take in the future. You can create any age you want for your campaign. You can even mix technologies level like running a middle age campaign where aliens discover earth and make available items from the space age. This could give a strange world where people fight with electrical steel sword and shoot jet propelled arrows.