LUNE CHARACTER GENERATION

AND HOUSE RULES

© 1995 G Adamson

Character Abilities

Characters are to be diced up using the following method:

• The player rolls up 5 characters, each character consisting of seven abilities (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma and Perception), each ability rolled up with 4d6, discarding the lowest die.
• The player selects one of the five characters (or may, at the DM's discretion, gamble everything on one final roll).
• Abilities can be rearranged as desired.
• Each ability's subability may be customised by moving it up or down up to four points either way. The other subability is then moved in the opposite direction by the same amount. Thus two subabilities added together and divided by two will equal the character's appropriate ability. E.g., a character's Strength is 15. The Muscle subability of Strength may be modified to 17 (up two points), but to compensate, Stamina must be adjusted downward by two points, to 13.
• The player can increase any ability by one point with a corresponding decrease of two points in another ability.

Races Permitted

The following player-character races are available for use in play:

Humans: There are various types of humans on Lune, including barbarian types, nomads, plainsmen, city-dwellers, savages, and woodsmen. They are considered the same for game purposes.

Dwarves: There are two very similar types of dwarves: mountain dwarves, and hill dwarves, differing only in the location of their chosen habitat.

Elves: The races of elf indigenous to Lune are the high elves, the sylvan elves, and the night elves. They differ mainly in their colouring and habitats. Night elves are rumoured to be descended from the drow, many aeons ago.

Halflings: There are no sub-varieties of halflings on Lune.

Ghelflings: Ghelflings are thought be the result of a cross between elves and halflings. They are about the same size as halflings, but look like elves, with slender bodies and pointed ears. The ghelfling race has no sub-varieties.

Half-elves: Half-elves often have the same features as their elven parent.

Shapelings. Shapelings are similar to half-elves in size and build, but their bodies are completely transparent. Most are very skilled in disguise, utilising make-up and paints that let them pass quite easily as humans or half-elves.

Players may not play humanoid, half-humanoid, or drow characters.

Classes Permitted

The following classes are available for use in play:

Warrior: Fighter, Ranger and Paladin, and the associated kits of each

Wizard: Mage, or a specialist wizard of the following types: Diviner, Enchanter, Illusionist, Necromancer, Summoners (also know as a Warlock), Pyromancer, Hydromancer, Windmage, or Geomancer.

Priest: Cleric of any deity. There are no druids, as such, but there are clerics of nature deities.

Rogue: Thief and bard, and any associated kits.

There is no psionicist class. Psionic characters have their psionic powers in addition to any skills of any other class they may have.

There are no hard and fast rules on which races are eligible for which classes, on multiclassing, or on level limits. If a player can provide a justification to the DM as to why his character could be a member of any particular class or classes, then there is no problem with it. The player may need to provide a full character background, and/or abide by the DM's restrictions in some cases. On the other hand, the character may not be suitable for the campaign, and the player's requests may be denied. The DM may impose any suitable requirements on each class, such as minimum ability scores.

Racial Bonuses

Players may apply the following modifiers for race to their characters:

Humans: No modifiers

Elves: Constitution -1, either Intelligence or Dexterity +1

Dwarves: Constitution +1, either Dexterity or Charisma -1

Halflings: Strength -1, either Dexterity or Constitution +1

Ghelflings: Intelligence +1, Dexterity +1, Constitution -1, Strength -1

Half-elves: If desired, Dexterity +1 and Constitution -1

Shapelings: No modifiers.

Racial Maximum Abilities

Note that these are natural maxima. They can be exceeded by certain types of magic, or deity-level powers.

There are no gender-based ability maxima.

Magic and Armour

Each spell-casting character suffers a chance of spell failure if wearing any sort of armour. This chance is:

• 10% per point of armour (not armour class: chainmail = AC5; magical +2 chainmail = AC5 for purposes of armour points) below AC9 for pure spellcasters. This means that there is a 10% chance of spell failure for leather armour, 40% for chainmail, 60% for plate mail etc.
• 10% per point of armour below AC7 for multiclassed spellcasters, or spellcasters who have some combat experience, like bards.

Note that casters of clerical spells do not have these restrictions. These restrictions apply only to casters of mage-type spells.

Magic

Magic on Lune is the manipulation of energy. Only about 2 ­ 10% of Lune's population have actually seen magic as cast by a mage (as opposed to a cleric). Magic items and spells are not generally for sale because of the time and materials involved in their creation. Guilds are the major controllers of magic, and they are few in number. They are independent, but do hold ties with each other.

Learning:

There are two types of learning institutions for magic: academies, and universities.

Academies: Valorn: The Mages Academy of Valorn can teach magic up to 3rd level spells, and have a bent toward combat spells.

Tainrearg: The College of Magic in Istari can teach magic up to 3rd level spells.

Niflheim: The Academy of the Arts in Niflheim can teach magic up to 4th level spells.

Allemaren: The Mages' College of Allemaren can teach spells up to 3rd level.

Universities: Faerieland: The University of Magic in Frost City can teach magic up to 7th level spells, and is the most advanced place of learning on Lune.

Mereth: The Mereth University can teach magic up to 5th level spells, but only accepts women citizens of Mereth.

The Mages' Trial

There is a convention called the Mages' Trial. Generally, mages can learn spells up to 2nd level informally, but to use 3rd level spells requires rigorous training, and the candidate must pass the Trial before being permitted to advance.

Training

Training takes 3 to 4 times longer at a college than adventuring, because of the lack of practical experience, so many mages are inclined to travel. Advancement to the use of 2nd level spells requires the student to develop and demonstrate a 1st level spell.

Fields of Magic

A mage may become a specialist in a single field of magic. These loosely-defined fields are:

Divination: This field includes all manner of divination spells. Specialists are known as Diviners.

Enchantment: Enchantment spells. Specialists are known as Enchanters.

Illusion: Illusions. Specialists are known as Illusionists.

Necromancy: Spells dealing with death, mainly. Specialists are termed Necromancers.

Summoning: Summoning and conjuration spells. Specialists are known as Summoners, or Warlocks.

Fire: Spells dealing with the element of fire. Specialists are called Pyromancers.

Water: Spells dealing with the element of water. Specialists are called Hydromancers.

Air: Spells dealing with the element of air. Specialists are called Windmages.

Earth: Spells dealing with the element of earth. Specialists are called Geomancers.

Being a specialist has the following benefits:

• The specialist gets an extra one spell per spell level.
• Targets of the specialist's spells (in his field) suffer a -1 penalty on saving throws.
• The specialist has a +1 bonus on saves vs spells in his field.
• The specialist has a 15% bonus to the chance of learning spells within his field.

The specialist suffers the following penalty:

• When casting any spell 2nd level or higher that is not in his field, the specialist has a 10% chance of a wild surge.

STRENGTH: Muscle and Stamina

Muscle

Stamina

(% of body weight)

(% of body weight)

Attack modifier: This is the modifier applied to any attack rolls made by the character when using a melee weapon (except for non-rigid weapons like the net or whip), hurled missile (spear, rock, chair etc.), or specially made weapon (e.g. a custom-made composite longbow). It reflects the brute force used to penetrate an opponent's defences, like parries, blocks, armour, and skin.

Damage modifier: This is the modifier applied to any damage rolls when such an attack hits, reflecting the greater damaging power of the character's attack.

Maximum press: This shows the maximum weight a character can lift over his head for a short period of time, expressed as a percentage of the character's body weight (e.g. a character with a Muscle score of 14 and a weight of 200 pounds can briefly lift 110%, or 220 pounds over his head).

Open doors: This is the chance on 1d20 a character has of opening a heavy or stuck door. Repeated attempts can be made. The number in parentheses is the chance the character has of opening a locked, barred, or magically held door. Only one attempt may be made on such a door; subsequent attempts fail.

Bend bars/Lift gates: This is the chance on 1d100 a character has of bending iron bars, lifting a portcullis, or performing a similar feat. Only one attempt of each type may be made.

Weight allowance: This is the weight, expressed as a percentage of the character's body weight, that the character can carry without being encumbered, or carry for any reasonably long distance. A character with Stamina of 11 and a body weight of 200 pounds could thus carry 60 pounds without being encumbered.

DEXTERITY: Aim and Balance

Aim

Balance

Score

(%)

(%)

Aim affects a character's chance of hitting targets with thrown objects, and any action that requires hand-eye co-ordination or manual dexterity. Balance affects the character's chance of dodging, balancing, or succeeding in any action that requires overall co-ordination and agility.

Missile attack modifier: This is the modifier applied to any attack rolls made by the character when using a missile weapon. If the character is using a hurled weapon, he may gain a modifier only from Dexterity or Strength, not both.

Reaction adjustment: This modifier is applied to a character's d10 surprise roll. Higher values mean a character is less likely to be surprised.

Defensive modifier: This modifier applies to a character's armour class, and to saving throws vs attacks that can be dodged, like Lightning Bolt or certain ray attacks.

Pick Pockets, Open Locks, Find & Remove Traps, Move Silently, Hide in Shadows, and Climb Walls: Adjustments here apply to characters with these thief skills. These figures also represent the chance of these skills being performed by a character without the skill, but who has seen the skill successfully performed (e.g. a character with an Aim score of 17 has a 10% chance of opening a lock provided he has seen it done before).

CONSTITUTION: Fitness and Health

Fitness

Health

Hit point adjustment: This modifier is applied to the character's hit points every time he advances to a new level. No roll can be modified below 1 with the modifier, however.

Regeneration: A character with a very high Fitness score can actually heal faster, and the Regeneration column shows what rate the character heals at. This regeneration is simply fast healing -- it does not allow the character to heal damage that would not heal by normal rest, such as severed limbs.

Physiological shock: This is the percentage chance the character has of surviving sudden and drastic physiological shock, such as losing all his hit points in a single blow. If resurrection is permitted in the campaign, this is also the chance of being successfully resurrected with a Resurrection or Raise Dead spell.

System shock: This is the percentage chance a character has surviving magical effects that age or drastically alter his body, such as petrification, polymorphing, or magical ageing.

Poison save: This modifier is used on saving throws against poison, reflecting the body's ability to fight toxic substances.

INTELLIGENCE: Knowledge and Reason

Knowledge

Reason

Score

Bonus skills: This is the number of bonus skill slots that the character receives. These are added to the character's initial number of skill slots.

Max # of languages: This is the maximum number of languages a character can know. Thus a character with a Knowledge score of 11 can speak a maximum number of two languages, including Common.

Learn spell: The is the percentage chance a wizard has of learning to cast a particular spell. The attempt may only be made once per experience level.

Max spell level: This shows the maximum level of spells that may be cast by a wizard. Thus a wizard with a Reason score of 15 cannot learn to cast 8th or 9th level spells.

Illusion immunity: A character is immune to illusions of the listed level or lower because of his superior ability to find logical flaws in the illusion. Thus a character or NPC with a Reason score of 21 is immune to 1st, 2nd and 3rd level illusion or phantasm spells.

WISDOM: Intuition and Willpower

20

21

22

23

24

25

Bonus spells: This is the number of bonus spells a priest character receives. The number of bonus spells is cumulative (thus a priest with an Intuition of 15 receives two 1st level spells and one 2nd level spell). A priest cannot cast spells higher than his level allows (so the priest with 15 Intuition can't cast the bonus 2nd level spell at 1st level).

Spell failure: This is the percentage chance that a priest's spell will fail when cast.

Mental save: This modifier applies to any character's saving throws vs mind-affecting spells, such as Charm Person, Fear, Suggestion etc.

Spell Immunity: The character is immune to the listed spells. The listing is cumulative, so a character with a Willpower of 20 is immune to the spells listed for 20 as well as 19 Willpower.

CHARISMA: Appearance and Leadership

Appearance

Loyalty

Reaction modifier: This modifier is applied to the reaction roll made when the character meets with NPCs and intelligent creatures for the first time.

Loyalty modifier: This modifier is applied to the loyalty scores of the character's henchmen.

Number of henchmen: This is the maximum number of permanent allies and retainers a character can attract. It does not cover hirelings, mercenaries, or other servitors.

PERCEPTION: Observation and Alertness

Observation

Alertness

Find secret doors: This is the character's base chance of finding a secret door when looking for one. Elves receive an automatic +2 bonus to this roll.

Find concealed doors: This is the character's chance of finding a concealed door when looking for one. Elves receive an automatic +2 bonus to this roll.

Find traps: This is the modifier a character with the Find & Remove Traps skill receives to his Find Traps (but not the Remove Traps) roll.

Surprise modifier: This modifier is applied to a character's d10 surprise roll. Higher values mean a character is less likely to be surprised. This modifier is applied in addition to any modifiers for Dexterity/Balance.

SOCIAL CLASS AND BIRTH MODIFIERS

Weapon Proficiencies

A

Weapon Skills