Editing Norrathians: Character Creation (section)

===Background Information===

Your character's alignment is not as important in this setting as it is in D&D and other settings.  There are no means by which others might detect your alignment, and there are no spells and few effects that hamper or affect targets of specific alignments.  However, it is important to choose an alginment and a deity, because your character's actions and alignment might become very important to your patron god if he or she begins to pay attention to you.  

Your character has a real history in the world.  He or she should be motivated to serve the best interests of god and guild.  However, the character need not be a one-dimensional stereotype of your class or religion.  Think through why your character has made the life decisions that have lead him or her to this point in life.

Aside from background information that defines your character’s motivations, you also need to create some secondary players in your character’s story.  This is called a “4x4”.  A 4x4 lists 4 contacts, 4 allies, 4 enemies, and 4 locations of your character.  These contacts are capable people you know who will help you for a price.  Your allies are close friends and family members who will help you out of a sense of loyalty – or they could be used as people who will call on you to do the same for them.  Your character’s enemies are foes or rivals with whom your character has a history, and who are capable of being problematic opponents again in the future.  The four locations are specific places not otherwise detailed in the setting information where your character has experienced something interesting.  These could be towns where your character once lived, locations of a known treasure stash, a natural landmark where something significant happened, a village where a contact of yours can be found, etc.

Your 4x4 need not be limited to only four of each, and could have other information besides contacts, allies, enemies, and places.  Other ideas include magical items, unique spells neverbefore heard of, or stories that illuminate the setting.  This information will likely be used in plot points during the game, so don’t include information that mirrors highly personal elements of your own life, or subjects that you would feel uncomfortable discussing and dealing with in-game.

The 4x4 information is just as required as your starting stats, character’s name, class information, and purchased equipment.  You don’t have a character without a 4x4.