5. CUSTOMISING YOUR CHARACTER
1) Characterisation
Now that the character is almost fully-formed, it is time to add those little tweaks and extras that make the character special. A roleplaying game is a means of telling stories, like novels or the cinema, and the stories are always better when they have credible heroes. At this point your character is nothing but a list of numbers written on an obscure form. Now is the time to bring the character to life. Here are some things to consider. Once you have decided some of these details, write them up on the back of your character sheet.
a) Name
What is your character's name? In Middle-earth the choice of name is particularly important. Unless you are playing a character from a realm largely unknown in the West (Khand, Harad, Rhun or perhaps even further afield, where names could be strange and wonderful, at least as far as Western peoples are concerned) your character should have a name which reflects the languages and peoples of Middle-earth. Obvious sources of names are Tolkein's novels themselves. Try to think of the name's meaning, when translated from Sindarin or Quenya back into English, as this may give you an idea of some other aspect of the character. Hinluin, for example, means “Blue Eyes”. It may be best to avoid names which have significant bearing on the novels, however. Calling your Magician Gandalf, your Warrior Boromir or your Hobbit Frodo, could cause confusion or problems for your character: “Are you really the Gandalf?”
b) Description
There is a mass of details for which no dice roll is appropriate or necessary. Some points to consider include:
What sex is the character? Choosing male or female will have no bearing on the character's skills or attributes, as all characters are equal, but may provide interesting role-playing opportunities. Dwarf-women, for example, are so very rarely seen outside Dwarven cities that some races believe that there are no Dwarf-women at all. If your character is a Dwarven female, what is she doing adventuring? What will be the attitudes of male Dwarves who encounter her? Consider Eowyn, Shield-maiden of Rohan. While skilled with sword and shield, her society frowned on female warriors, so she had to ride to battle disguised as a man.
What colour are the character's hair and eyes? The Character Races chapter gives general physical descriptions of all the races but these need not limit your choice. Noldorin Elves, for example, generally have black hair but one family line is known to have golden hair.
Is he right or left handed? Handedness has no bearing on the rules of this game. In combat particularly, characters can use weapons and shields in either hand with equal skill. But in certain situations – does the character reach into a spider-filled chest to retrieve a ring with his left or right hand, for example – knowing which is the character's 'good' hand and which is the 'off' hand might be useful.
How does she dress? Does she wear fine Elven garments or rough-and-ready clothes of Mannish make? Is he wearing armour openly or concealed beneath his clothes?
Does she speak with an accent? An Elf speaking Westron might well have a smoother, more musical tone of voice than a Hobbit speaking the same tongue. There might be differences in pronunciation between Northern men and Gondorians.
Take a moment to look at the attributes. If SIZ is high but STR is low, the extra mass is probably due to fat, not muscle, implying the character is overweight. On the other hand, a character with low SIZ, good CON and high DEX will could be seen as small and nervous with fast reflexes.
c) Behaviour
Real people have distinct preferences. Does your character have particular tastes? Do spiders make him squirm? What is her favourite meal? What are his favourite expressions or catchphrases? Try to find a few details which will bring out the character's personality, but limit yourself to two or three such details. Otherwise your character will be but a collection of nervous quirks.
d) Personal History
Now that you have a good idea of him in the present, try to work out some of the character's past. Where did he grow up? Are the parents still alive? Brothers and sisters? What are the siblings' relationships, if any, and why? You could also start with these questions and build up a picture of
the character in the present based on the answers. The two methods work equally well. Use whichever you feel most comfortable with.
e) Motivation
Ideally the character should have a reason to be adventuring. Such reasons might be simple ("to accumulate gold and glory"); more ambitious (“to destroy a powerful magic ring”) or connected with the character's past (“to track down the Orc raiders who devastated my village”).
f) Creating a Tolkien-esque Hero
Many fantasy roleplaying games grant great leeway in the type of character you may play. Tolkien created the most detailed fantasy setting ever. Roleplaying in Middle-earth therefore requires a character which would not seem out of place in the novels themselves. This is not easy to accomplish for gamers experienced in the “hack-and-slash” school of roleplaying.
Consider the heroes in the novels themselves.
Aragorn, for example. To the people of Bree he is Strider the Ranger, a wanderer in the wild-lands, strange and dangerous. People there are suspicious of him. But in reality he is a King in waiting, last heir of a glorious heritage, noble and brave, but also, perhaps fearful of his destiny, the responsibilities that go with it and the dangers of failure.
Boromir is a warrior captain of Gondor and the favoured son of the Steward. A brave man who is nonetheless flawed as he desires the Ring and would be used by the Enemy – however unintentionally. He recovers his honour at the last and sacrifices himself to save Merry and Pippin.
Frodo, a Hobbit from the Shire, thrust suddenly into momentous and life-threatening events. He volunteers to take the Ring to Mordor to be destroyed. Initially Frodo is inspired by his Uncle Bilbo's romanticised stories of the Quest of Erebor and Smaug the Dragon. But as the Quest of Mount Doom progresses, Frodo develops a grim determination to see the Quest completed and the Ring destroyed.
Sam Gamgee, Frodo's gardener. A source of encouragement and help to Frodo during the darkest times in the Quest. He takes on more than his share of Frodo's burden, carries the Ring for a while and sees through Gollum's deception.
Merry and Pippin are young Hobbits. Indeed, Pippin is barely out of his “tweens” at the start of the novel. Both show great courage in taking service with Theoden of Rohan and Denethor Steward of Gondor respectively. Both carry out their duties with great honour and, after the War of the Ring, rise to positions of great responsibility in the Shire.
Gimli the Dwarf overcomes his peoples natural distrust of the Elves to befriend Legolas. He also has a secondary purpose in his adventuring. He wants to determine what happened to Balin's colony and is willing to risk the perils of Moria to find out.
Legolas the Elf journeys from Mirkwood for the Council of Elrond. His sharp eyes and Elven intuition aid the Fellowship many times and his skill with a bow is invaluable in many battles.
Last but not least is Gandalf. The Wizard is more powerful than any player character could ever be but even he fears the power of the Ring. His sage advice, inspirational leadership and magical powers carry the Fellowship through to the completion of the Quest.
So we can list the qualities of these heroes. They are brave, honourable and wise. They are willing to sacrifice much for their friends and for the overall goal. While they may have flaws in their characters (Boromir's pride; Pippin's uncontrollable curiosity) they have the courage to face and conquer these flaws.
2) Custom Points
Each character gets (INT + DEX) x 5 Custom Points for this step. For example, a character with INT of 10 and DEX of 10 would get ((10 + 10) x 5 =) 100 extra points for this step. Why INT and DEX? These attributes reflect the mental and physical aptitudes needed to pick up new skills.
These points can be used to purchase new skills, increases to existing skills, and Advantages. Should the character take one or more Disadvantages, more Custom Points will become available depending on the severity of the Disadvantage.
a) Limits to Advantages and Disadvantages
No character can begin the game with more than 3 Advantages and 2 Disadvantages.
3) Increases to Existing Skills and Purchasing New Skills
By spending Custom Points, the character can acquire new skills – over and above those learned by virtue of the character's class – and increase existing skills. One Custom Point increases an existing skill by one percentage point. When used to purchase new skills, the character pays one Custom Point per percentage point in the skill and then adds any Base Chance and Skill Group Bonus appropriate to this skill.
This advantage can be taken more than once and the Custom Points spent can be allotted to more than one skill. For example, a Warrior may want to learn the new skill of Hide and spend 25 CP to gain this skill then add his Stealth Skill Group Bonus and the Base Chance (+10%) to determine his starting Hide skill. The same Warrior may then wish to increase his Longsword Attack by 10%, paying 10 CP to do so.
4) Advantages
As the name implies, Advantages give the character special features which go above and beyond additional skills. Some Advantages are bought in Levels. The higher the Level at which the Advantage is bought, the greater its beneficial effects. Some Advantages affect the character's skills, so be sure that any skill bonuses granted by Advantages are noted on the character sheet. There are many possible Advantages; some examples are listed below.
Advantage Quick Draw
Custom Points 3 per Level; maximum of 5 Levels
Description
This gives the character the ability to react quickly on the first round of combat. If the character has a scabbarded, holstered or similarly secured weapon (a sheathed dagger or an axe in a belt loop for example), it can be drawn and an attack made on the first combat round with a +1 Initiative bonus per Level of this Advantage. If the character has a ready weapon (a bow with an arrow to the string, a drawn sword) the character can make one free attack with the ready weapon before the normal combat sequence begins. The character may make a move of up to half his normal distance before making the attack.
Advantage Combat Sense
Custom Points 10 per Level; maximum of 5 Levels
Description
The character comes alive in the heat of battle, all his senses working at maximum capacity to warn him of dangers. This gives the character an Initiative bonus in combat of +2 per Level of the Advantage. Further, the character is never surprised in combat. Attacks against the character may never receive bonuses for attacking from behind, from the unshielded side or if the character is engaged in a non-combat action.
Advantage Equipment
Custom Points 15
Description
This is useful at the start of a character's career. All of the character's basic equipment needs have been met, either through an off-stage patron or through careful hoarding of the character's own resources. This includes, food, clothing, weapons, armour, camping gear, hunting gear (if applicable), and any equipment needed to do the character's job (tools for an Artisan, an instrument for a Minstrel). The player should discuss with the GM exactly what are the character's equipment needs. The GM can veto unreasonable requests.
Advantage Contact
Custom Points 20 per Contact
Description
A Contact is a person the character knows who may be able to provide information, equipment, help or other resources. The player character is assumed to have a “working relationship” with this person. This relationship need not be warm and friendly, but should be cooperative; it could be a cool professionalism between two warriors, or a competitive trading relationship between two merchants. The Contact is an NPC controlled by the GM and the player character need know nothing of the Contact's skills, abilities and weaknesses. This Advantage can be taken several times, allowing the character to have several Contacts.
Advantage Elf Friend
Custom Points 50
Description
The character has performed some great service for the Elves. What this service was should be discussed with the GM. The character is gifted some small token of the friendship, perhaps a ring, brooch or (most rarely) an Elfstone. On presenting this token, the character will receive favourable reactions from other Elves. The GM should note that the hospitality and friendship of the Elves are not trifling matters. An Elf Friend may even receive military aid in times of need, their swiftest horses, finest food and most expert healing.
The character may request information, advice and aid from the Elves but should be aware that they may also request help of him! Being an Elf Friend is as much a responsibility as a privilege and the player should realise this before taking this Advantage.
Suitably renamed, this Advantage could be applied to other groups: Dwarf Cousin, Tribal Brother, Honorary Rider, Ranger Scout.
Advantage Night Vision
Custom Points 20
Description
The character can see in all but complete darkness. This negates penalties on skill use or combat in conditions of dim light, moonlight or starlight. In pitch blackness, the skill penalties are halved.
Advantage Direction Sense
Custom Points 20
Description
The character has an unerring sense of direction. Under normal circumstances, he can always locate North, never gets lost and can find his bearings on land or sea. No Navigate skill roll is required. Under bad conditions – darkness, fog, dense or featureless terrain (jungles and deserts, for example)stormy weather – Direction Sense grants a +30% bonus to the character's Navigate skill.
Advantage Charmed Life
Custom Points 20
Description
The character has a talent for avoiding life-threatening injury. Once per game session, the character may avoid the effects of a single critical hit in combat or the effects of a single fumble rolled by the character.
Advantage Good Looking
Custom Points 10
Description
The character is noticeably beautiful or handsome. This causes heads to turn wherever the character goes. The character receives a bonus of +20% on Persuade and Oratory skills when dealing with members of the opposite sex.
Advantage Sharp Eyed
Custom Points 10 per Level ; maximum of 3 Levels
Description
This skill does not grant a bonus to the character's See skill. (The player could just as easily spend the Custom Points increasing the See skill directly.) Being Sharp Eyed has two effects. Firstly, each Level purchased allows the character one re-roll of a failed See skill roll per game session.. Secondly, a successful See skill roll will provide more information for the Sharp Eyed character than might be the case for a character with less-extraordinary vision. For example, if a character without this Advantage makes a See skill roll, the GM may reveal the character sees a glimpse of a man-like creature approaching through the trees. A Sharp Eyed character making the same roll may learn that the creature is an Elf, and therefore (probably) a friend, rather than an Orc.
Advantage Sharp Hearing
Custom Points 10 per Level ; maximum of 3 Levels
Description
This skill does not grant a bonus to the character's Listen skill. (The player could just as easily spend the Custom Points increasing the Listen skill directly.) Having Sharp Hearing has two effects. Firstly, each Level purchased allows the character one re-roll of a failed Listen skill roll per game session.. Secondly, a successful Listen skill roll will provide more information for a character with Sharp Hearing than might be the case for a character with less-extraordinary hearing. For example, if a character without this Advantage makes a Listen skill roll, the GM may reveal the character hears a group of creatures approaching. A character with Sharp Hearing making the same roll may learn that the group numbers seven creatures.
Advantage Healthy
Custom Points 5 per Level ; maximum of 3 Levels
Description
This Advantage provides some resistance to natural diseases. For each Level purchased, the characte r gains +1 CON for the purposes of resisting the VIRulence of a disease. This is described in more detail in the Combat chapter.
Advantage Swift
Custom Points 20
Description
With this Advantage the character moves 1/3 faster than other members of his or her race. See the Game System and Combat chapters for details on movement rates.
5) Disadvantages
The other side of the coin to Advantages are the Disadvantages. These are penalties or hindrances to the character which, while making life difficult for the character, enhance the roleplaying possibilites. Disadvantages cost no Custom Points. Instead they provide additional Custom Points which can be used as described above. Many Disadvantages should be discussed with the GM to determine their parameters and the number of Bonus Custom Points they provide.
Disadvantage Dependent
Bonus Custom Points 5 to 20
Description
The character is responsible for helping and protecting a weaker relative, friend or spouse. The Dependent is an NPC controlled by the GM, who can determine the Dependent's motivations, status and capabilities. The weaker, more helpless, more demanding of the character's time the Dependent is, the more Bonus Custom Points can be awarded.
Disadvantage Code of Honour
Bonus Custom Points 5 to 20
Description
This Disadvantage restricts the player's freedom to dictate his own character's actions. The character has a personal moral code which he must follow, no matter what the circumstances. The Code might bar the character from killing, from attacking from ambush, or never letting an insult go unchallenged. The Code may also make the character protect those weaker than himself, be courteous towards women, or give up wealth to those less fortunate. The Code can be determined with the GM.
Disadvantage Enemy
Bonus Custom Points 5 to 20
Description
Somewhere along the line, the character has made an enemy who will seek to harm, humiliate, or kill the character. The Enemy is an NPC controlled by the GM who may determine the Enemy's skills, abilities and motivations. More Bonus Custom Points can be awarded if the Enemy is significantly more powerful than the character, can call on support (either monetary or military) or has a long “reach” (i.e. there is nowhere the character can hide). In general, the Enemy (or his agents if appropriate), will make the character's life a misery in a scenario on the D6 roll of 6.
Disadvantage Dark Secret
Bonus Custom Points 10
Description
The character has a secret lurking in his past. For example, the character showed cowardice in battle, or was responsible for the death of his brother and covered up his involvement. The Secret can be modified (in secret) by the GM who, for example, may decide that the character's brother was actually murdered and the PC framed for the murder. The Dark Secret hangs like a cloud around the character: people who know will shun him, those who do not know may detect a subtle hint of treachery or dishonour in the character (particularly with an Insight roll). This will cause all Social skills (Persuade, Oratory, Fast Talk, Insight) used by the character to be at a -20% penalty until the Secret is revealed and/or dealt with. The number of Bonus Custom Points awarded depends on the nature of the Secret and GM's discretion.
Disadvantage Duty Bound
Bonus Custom Points 5 to 20
Description
The character is in service to some lord or employer and has to obey this person's orders before fulfilling his own plans. This can seriously disrupt an character's adventuring career as they struggle to balance their lord's orders with their own desires. If the Duty is failed, the character can be punished by the lord or employer.
Disadvantage Cowardly
Bonus Custom Points 10
Description The character has no stomach for a fight and cannot face danger. The character must make a CHA x 5% roll each time combat is joined and a POW x 5% roll in other dangerous circumstances. If the roll is failed, the character cannot fight or face the danger. If the roll is fumbled, the character flees.
Disadvantage Low Pain Threshold
Bonus Custom Points 10
Description
The character has no tolerance for pain. If wounded in combat or by some other source, make a CON x 5% roll. If this roll is failed, the character's inability to stand pain causes all skills to be halved until the wound is treated. If the roll is fumbled, the character falls unconscious for 1D6 minutes.
Disadvantage Impaired Vision
Bonus Custom Points 10 to 20
Description
The character is long-sighted, short-sighted, cross-eyed, squinting or similarly visually impaired. This causes a -20% penalty on the character's See skill. If the player chooses to have lost an eye, the See skill is at -20% and all ranged attack skills are halved because of depth-perception problems.
Disadvantage Bad Reputation
Bonus Custom Points 10
Description
The character is known as a cad, a liar, a cheat and generally untrustworthy. Whether this reputation is deserved or not is immaterial. In social situations, NPCs react to the reputation, not to the character, so reduce the character's Persuade, Oratory, Fast Talk and Insight skills by -10%.
Disadvantage Rash
Bonus Custom Points 10
Description
The character is compulsively foolhardy and will rush into danger or make promises they may later regret. This can be avoided if the character makes an INT x 5% roll.
Disadvantage Animal Aversion
Bonus Custom Points 10
Description
The character has difficulty dealing with (natural) animals of any type. This imposes a -20% penalty on all the character's interactions with animals, be they Ride tests, Teamster skill rolls to drive carts or wagons or the animal training aspects of the Animal Lore skill.
Disadvantage Heavy Sleeper
Bonus Custom Points 10
Description
The character sleeps deeply and requires a few rounds to become fully awake, even in an emergency. For 1D4 rounds after waking, the character is “fuzzy headed”: all skill rolls are halved and Initiative is at -2.
Disadvantage Phobia
Bonus Custom Points 10 to 30
Description
The character has a deep-seated (if possibly irrational) fear of one type of object, animal or phenomenon. This could be spiders, snakes, fire, heights, weapons or whatever seems reasonable. The number of Custom Points gained depends on how commonly encountered the object of the phobia is and how violent a reaction the character suffers. In mild cases, the character should test Courage against a Force set by the GM (see the Fear and Courage rules in the Middle-earth Special Rules chapter). In extreme cases, the character may have to expend a Fate Point to confront the source of the phobia.