Character Creation Modifications

I’ve settled on using Chivalry and Sorcery the Rebirth for the campaign that I’ll be running. Character generation will be done using 135 PC Points. The modifications to the character creation as presented in the rule books are as follows:

  1. The minimum attribute value you may start the game with is 7. The maximum is 22.
  2. No character may purchase a social class higher than landless knight. (i.e. You may choose: Serf, Rural Freeman, Townsman, Guildsman, or Landless Knight.)
  3. Special abilities and talents may be gained by one of two methods (Note that a character can elect to have no special abilities and talents.):
    1. Purchase up to 3 special talents and abilities from table 1.9B on page 1-14 using the PC Point costs listed. A random roll only ability may be chosen for 15 points. (This is in lieu of how the book says pay 13 and get a chance to get it.)
    2. Randomly roll and accept the results from 1.9A and 1.9B for your special abilities or talents. (Note that I will only accept results from this method which are rolled in my presence.)
    3. The following special abilities and talents are not allowed in the campaign: Extra Magical Spells, Fey Affinity, Fey Blood, Highly Resistant to Magick, Primitive Talent Magical Powers, and Resistant to Magick.
    4. Night Vision has been changed to Keen Sight and works by adding 7 + 1d10 % to a character’s alertness-sight rolls.
  4. Flaws, Deficiencies, and Defects must be rolled in my presence. This includes the roll to see if one is gained.
  5. Birth Signs may either be paid for using PC Points to select the desired sign (it costs 10 points) or can be randomly rolled. (Note that I will only accept randomly rolled birth signs when rolled in my presence.)
  6. Professions available include all of the “warrior” and “rogue” based vocations listed in Volume I: Core Rules for C&S. The only vocations from Volume II: Magick and Miracles allowed are the following: Friar, Monastics, and Ordained Clergy. Page 2-9 has Table 2.23 which is to be modified as follows. The sections available for game play are: Core Acts of Faith Prayers, Miracles, and Formal Sacred Rituals The Sacraments.
  7. Skills: All skills except those from the category Materia Magica are allowed. For Language Lore, the following should be substituted: Own Language, Foreign Language, and Ancient Language. For this campaign, Own Language will be English (what academics call Middle English). French is treated as a Foreign Language except for Landless Knights who may acquire the skill at the difficulty and experience point factors listed for Own Language. Latin is treated as an Ancient Language except for Monastics and Ordained Clergy who may treat it as a Foreign Language. Biblical Greek and Hebrew are treated as Ancient Languages.

All players must fill out the character generation work sheet and submit it to me.

Skill Cost and Acquisition Guide

A starting character begins the game with the following skills:

  1. Background Skills (Per charts 1.5B to 1.5I on pages 1-5 to 1-10.)
  2. Birth sign skills. (Page 1-20.)
  3. 10 skills chosen for “free” from the vocational primary and secondary skill lists. (See your vocation listing for the available skills.) At least 6 of the 10 chosen must be from the vocational primary list. A maximum of 4 of the 10 can be chosen from the vocational secondary list. Any skill chosen as one of the 10 “free” skills gains a bonus and starts at Level 1 instead of the usual Level 0.
  4. Tertiary skills per Table 4.1 on page 1-36.
  5. Any skills bought with the additional creation points (experience points) from age. (Remember to apply penalties in the form of extra costs if purchasing a skill level above your character level. See 1-34 and 1-35.)

Background Skills

These skills are gained at character creation and the character has them at Level 0 (Basic Knowledge). Background skills may be improved at the DF listed for the skill (see skill description or master list). The only exception to this is if the character chooses a vocation where the background skill is chosen as a primary skill. In that case, the skill is then treated as a primary skill.

Birth Sign Skills

Table 1.18A lists two skill categories for each astrological sign. Look at the table to find the areas that are auspicious for the character. A character gains 2 free skills with the birth sign. The character can choose either 2 skills from one of the categories or 1 skill from one category and 1 skill from the other category. If the skill chosen is listed as a primary skill for the character’s chosen profession, then the skill starts at Level 2 and has a DF modifier of -2. (That is it’s a “free” mastered skill.) If the skill chosen is not a primary skill, then the skill is gained at Level 2 and has a DF modifier of -1.

Primary Skills

Any skill chosen as a primary skill at character creation as one of the 10 “free” skills is gained a Level 1. (If chosen after the “free” 10, then it is only gained at Level 0.) Primary skills may be learned or improved at a DF of -1 the listed DF.

Secondary Skills

Any skill chosen as a secondary skill at character creation as one of the 10 “free” skills is gained at Level 1. (If chosen after the “free” 10, then it is only gained at Level 0.) Secondary skills may be learned or improved at the DF listed for the skill (see skill description or master list).

Tertiary Skills

Tertiary skills are also known as hobby skills. They don’t relate to the character’s profession and weren’t learned in childhood, but have been picked up due to the character’s interest in the subject. Tertiary skills chosen begin at Level 0 and can be learned or improved at a DF of +1 the listed DF.

Mastered Skills

A character can take any primary, secondary, or background skill known and mark it as a mastered skill. (Background skills can only be mastered at character creation. After character creation mastering a skill may only be applied to primary or secondary skills.) A beginning character gets 5 mastery slots to assign. (More mastery slots are gained as the character adventures and gains experience. See Table 4.2 on page 1-37 for how many levels are necessary to gain new mastery slots.) A skill that is mastered can now be improved at a -1 DF and this is cumulative with previous modifiers. That is, a primary skill will now have a DF modifier of -2 (-1 for being a primary skill and an extra -1 for being a mastered skill) and a secondary skill will now have a DF modifier of -1 (+/- 0 for being a secondary skill and a -1 for being a mastered skill). Note that a character can save mastery slots until a later time if the player wishes to save up for something.