We’re using OpenQuest, which is happily and generously Open Gaming Content. The character creation steps below are part of the Open Gaming License.

Character Creation Guidelines

What Are Beginning Characters Like In OpenQuest?

Starting player characters generated using these rules tend to be fairly well rounded as characters. All starting OpenQuest characters have the following features. They have:

-Abilities above the average man in the street. The player characters are the main protagonists of the story that the players and Games Master are cooperatively going to play, and even at the start of the game they are better than the folk who stay at home.

-A reasonable chance of doing the basic things that everyone knows. Such as riding a horse, and speaking their own language.

-A good to excellent chance of doing the things that their character should be more than competent at. For example Rurik who is a warrior has a 55% in Close Combat, which means he is fairly proficient with a sword and uses it to make a living.

-Some magic. Fantasy worlds are usually rich in magic and OpenQuest takes the view that even
non-magicians have some personal magic, known as Battle Magic. Rurik for example knows the spells, ‘Weapon Enhance’, which makes it easier to hit with his sword and causes more damage when it does, and ‘Coordination’, which increases his speed of reaction
when cast.

Character Creation, Step-by-Step

1) Come up with a character concept. Acceptable ideas might be a hardened raider, a relatively novice conscript, a noble warrior in exile, a free sword who has sworn an oath to the crown, a cultist hoping to spread the fervor of his cause, a servant of the gods seeing to the people, a war slave fighting against enemies not truly his own, and so on. The important thing is that each of you bear a loyalty or responsibility to Aquona. If you want, we have a series of random background charts, that can determine your starting social status, childhood events, lineage, starting bonuses/quirks, and more! These charts are optional, but as they say, no risk, no gain.

2) Generate your characteristics. Each characteristic starts with a value of 8. You next have thirty points to distribute amongst them. The maximum value of a characteristic during character generation is 18. You may also lower a characteristic to gain extra points. For example, reduce STR 8 to 6 to gain 2 points, but INT and SIZ have a minimum value of 7. Other characteristics have a minimum value of 3, although this indicates that the character has a severe disadvantage in this area.

3) Determine Attributes. To work out your character’s Damage modifier, add Strength and Size together and look at the Damage Modifier table below. Hit Points equal Size plus Constitution divided by 2,rounded up. Major Wound Level is equal to Total Hit Points divided by two, rounded up. The character’s starting Magic Points will be equal to the character’s POW.

4) Calculate Skills and Magic. Write down all the skills above on the character sheet. Then for each skill calculate the starting skill value, the base score, from the calculation provided. Then write it down on the character sheet next to the skill. Finally, distribute points between the skills, with a limit of no more than 30 to be allocated to any one skill. During character generation the player gets a pool of points to spend on each group of skills.

Resistances: Spend 50 points between the three skills.
Combat: Spend 50 points between the three skills.
Knowledge: Spend 50 points between the skills.
Practical: Spend 75 points between skills.
Magic: is special, refer to Step 5 below.

5) Magic Look at the list of Basic Magic below and pick six points of magnitude worth. Also work out Battle Magic Casting Skill, which starts at POW X 3. There are two other rare, advanced schools of magic for those playing arcane or divine-oriented characters may consider, Divine and Sorcery.

Starting with Divine Magic
If the player wants his character to start with Divine Magic, they start play as an Initiate of a Cult or Religion. The only requirement that a player character needs meet is a genuine desire to fulfill the duties of a Worshiper. As part of the initiation ceremony the potential initiate undergoes a special divination, where the cult’s deity tells the presiding priests of the candidate’s honesty in this regard. Here are the other prerequisites:

-Start with a Religion (Chosen Cult or Religion) of INT+40
-Note down Battle Magic Casting at POW x3.
-Choose six points worth of spells from either Battle Magic that the cult teaches, one point per magnitude of spell, OR Divine Magic on a one per magnitude (to a maximum of 2)
-Read Chapter 8 Divine Magic or see your GM for more information.

Starting with Sorcery
If the player wants his character to start with Sorcery, it is assumed that they are an Apprentice of either a School of Wizardry or a lone Sorcerer (see Chapter 9 or your GM for more
details). Here are the prerequisites to become a Sorceror:

-Sorcerers or Schools of Sorcery will not teach characters with an INT of less than 12.
-Choose a School to join or a Sorcerer to study under. (See Chapter 9 Sorcery or your GM for more details)
-Start with a Sorcery Casting of INT+40
-Note down Battle Magic Casting at POW x3
-Choose six points worth of spells from either Battle Magic that the School or Sorcerer teaches, one point per magnitude of spell. OR Sorcery spells that the School or Sorcerer teaches, at a cost or one point per spell.
-Read Chapter 9 Sorcery or see your GM for more information

6) Equipment. Each character typically starts off with some money and the tools of their trade. Base is 10 ingots of silver, plus or minus , plus potentially some land and holdings (based on background).

Each character starts out with one of the two arms and armor packages below:

-Leather armour + ranged weapon, + close combat 2H weapon + dagger OR

-Leather armour + Shield + ranged weapon + close combat 1H weapon + dagger

In addition each character starts out with the following equipment: Backpack, rope, two weeks worth of traveling provisions,flint and tinder, water skin.

Your characters probably won’t have much more than this for starters—perhaps a personal effect or keepsake or two.

7) Finishing Up. Note age; for humans this is 18-30 (2D6+16) respectively for human starter adventurers. Hero Points start at 2 for all player characters unless otherwise instructed. If you want to include a background narrative then do this now. Finally if you haven’t done so already write the character’s name on the character sheet.