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Ability Scores

Skills and Feats

Equipment

Background

Nationality

Playing your Character

The Isle Of Ratjik

CHARACTER CREATION GUIDELINES

NOTE: The original and latest version of this CCG can be found here.

Portals of Midwrathe
The Isle of Ratjik
Character Creation Guidelines
Version 1.2.1

The world of Midwrathe awaits you. Everything you need to create your character as a native of Ratjik can be found here in this guideline. As the world of Midwrathe grows, these guidelines will grow as well. Please note that Ratjik is only one of many starting regions in Midwrathe, and others can be found at the campaign web site. Players interested in having their character start in Ratjik should contact Dale Friesen.

The Portals of Midwrathe campaign is one of low-fantasy role-playing and character development. To facilitate this, characters are encouraged to start with a simple class and develop from that class into a character of heroic proportions.

Players choosing options out of a publication other than the core rule books are responsible for bringing a copy of that publication to the table. For the purposes of this campaign, the following are considered to be core rulebooks: D&D Player's Handbook 3.5 (PHB), D&D Dungeon Master's Guide 3.5 (DMG), and D&D Monster Manual 3.5 (MM).

Step 1: Ability Scores

To put all characters on even footing the campaign uses the point generation system.

Commoner	32 points
NPC Class	28 points
PC Class	25 points

Use the table on p. 169 of the DMG to build your abilities.

Racial bonuses are added after the ability scores are generated.

Step 2: Race and Class

There are two races commonly encountered in Ratjik. Humans follow the rules as presented in the PHB. The water elems follow the rules in the Dragonstar Galactic Races book, except that their favoured classes are cleric and commoner. The skojik name for them is forskarlar. All humans live above water, and most forskarlar live underwater.

The classes originate from the PHB chapter three, the DMG chapter four, and Freeport: The City of Adventure chapter six.

The available starting NPC classes are: adept, aristocrat, commoner, cultist, expert, and warrior. Players wishing to play an aristocrat or cultist must first consult with the GM.

The available starting PC classes are: barbarian, fighter, ranger, and rogue.

Commoners are automatically granted the Toughness Feat in addition to their normal feats at first level.

No character can enter play multiclassed.

Step 3: Hit points

At first and second level, assign your starting character the maximum hit points possible for its class plus any Constitution modifier.

Starting at third level assign hit points according to the new class by taking half the maximum value for the class, then adding 1 point, plus the Constitution modifier.

Step 4: Skills and Feats

Skills

All Skills from the PHB are eligible for play, as is the Divine Ritual skill from Spellbound.

A few skills need brief additional rulings:

Craft

These skills do not allow you to craft items other than the ones that PCs can purchase normally (see Step 5). No acid or other such equipment is allowed unless approved by the campaign directors.

Craft skills can only be chosen from those listed in the Craft skill description in the Player's Handbook unless permission is given by your GM.

Depending on circumstances in the plotline PCs may have an opportunity to spend time units to earn money by practicing their craft. If your GM gives you such an opportunity at the end of a scenario the results are as per the PHB unless the GM rules otherwise.

Knowledge

All of the knowledge skills in the PHB are available. Some of them, such as Arcana and Dungeoneering, will be unusual and will require an appropriate background to explain why the character has learned these things. Since Midwrathe is a role-playing encouraged campaign it makes sense to take knowledge skills relating to the character's background and social standing.

Speak Language

The local language of Ratjik is Skojik, which is spoken by all Ratji (human and elem). The elems also speak Aquan, and this is available as a bonus language for Ratjik humans. The next-most commonly encountered language is Sardrinné, the common language of the mainlanders. Other mainland languages are also available.

Literacy

All classes are considered to be illiterate, as per p. 25 of the PHB.

Profession

Opportunities may arise for PCs to practice their profession and generate earnings. The GM will inform the PCs of such opportunities, which unless otherwise stated will follow the rules presented in the PHB.

Divine Ritual

The Divine Ritual skill is an exclusive class skill for the adepts and clerics of Ratjik. As errata to Spellbound, it is intelligence-based rather than wisdom-based.

Feats

Feats may be selected from those listed in Chapter 5 of the PHB.

In addition, the following feats from other printed materials are allowed (though some will be inaccessible to starting characters):

Freeport: The City of Adventure

Born Marine, Greater Improved Initiative, Intellect Fortress, Pearl Diver, Press Ganger, Razor Tongue, Scoundrel's Luck, Skill Expertise, Skill Finesse.

Seafarer's Handbook

Aquatic Armor Proficiency, Barroom Brawler, Fool's Luck, Great Lungs, Improved Positional Advantage, Lookout, Naval Heritage, Notorious, Parry, Parrying Weapon, Polar Bear Skin, Port Savvy, Pressure Survival, Riposte, Rope Climber, Sea Dog, Shanty Man, Storm Sense, Swing-By Attack, Two-Weapon Defense, Waterfront Native, Weapons of Opportunity.

Spellbound

Arcane Ritual Focus, Arcane Ritual Mastery, Divine Ritual Focus, Divine Ritual Mastery.

Forskarlar (water elems) may reside either on the island or under the water surrounding it. Those living underwater must have the Polar Bear Feat, which can be taken for free by forskarlar Ratji at character creation. They have the option of having the Aquatic Armor Proficiency feat for free, in which case they may later take the Surface Armour Proficiency feat.

Surface Armour Proficiency
[General]
You are proficient in surface armour. This does not grant specific armour proficiencies, but allows you to use the types of armour (light, medium, or heavy) above the surface in which you are already proficient.

Instructors for other feats may be available.

Item creation feats can only be used when adequate supplies are available. Some situations will make this a non-issue, while others will make the use of these feats a challenge.

Step 5: Equipment

Assign equipment to your character from the following sources:

Table 7-3: Trade Goods, Table 7-5: Weapons, and Table 7-6: Armor and Shields sections of Chapter 7: Equipment in the Player's Handbook
The Adventuring Gear, Tools and Skill Kits, Clothing, and Food, Drink, and Lodging sections of Table 7-8: Goods and Services in Chapter 7: Equipment in the Player's Handbook
Holy water, sunrods, and tindertwigs from the Special Substances and Items section of Table 7-8: Goods and Services in Chapter 7: Equipment in the Player's Handbook
Rowboats and oars from the Transport section of Table 7-8: Goods and Services in Chapter 7: Equipment in the Player's Handbook
Equipment, Underwave Armor, and Underwave Equipment sections of Chapter 1: Seafaring Adventurers in Seafarer's Handbook

You may not purchase magical items for your character except through play opportunities.

During character creation a PC may be given any of the equipment from the above sources. After creation, only items worth 100 gp or less are available for purchase between adventures in Ratjik. More valuable items will need to be acquired through play opportunities or in another venue.

The Carrying Capacity rule is used, so keep track of what your character is carrying and how much it weighs.

Step 6: Background

You must choose a non-evil alignment that meets all requirements for your character's class from the following list: Lawful Good, Lawful Neutral, Neutral Good, Neutral and Chaotic Good. Player characters may not play evil characters by choice. Evil characters are not permitted in the campaign, and any evil actions committed may be grounds for dismissal from the campaign.

A character may begin play at any age from Adulthood to Middle Age, as defined in the Age section of Chapter 6: Description, in the PHB.

The character may be of any height and weight allowed by the height and weight tables for their race.

Disadvantages may be purchased according to the background rules presented in the Spycraft Espionage Handbook. All disadvantages must be approved by the GM. The limit of three serials between appearances of the disadvantage before a buy-out becomes an option is lifted.

Step 7: Nationality

Citizens of Ratjik serve Lord Kurralt. Humans and elems living above the surface pay him a small amount of tribute and he has certain rights and obligations that the current Lord Kurralt seldom observes. Elems living under the waves recognize Lord Kurralt as the overlord of this area, but are rarely affected by this.

Ratjik is part of the barony of Loth-Maldan, and the current baroness is Moria Ironstorm. She is Lord Kurralt's feudal overlord.

Step 8: Playing your Character

Time Units

On January 1 every year each character receives 364 time units, which expire each December 31. Each time unit represents one day. All campaign activities, including adventuring, item creation, and metagaming activities, may have associated TU costs. Each adventure and activity that does will describe the specific time unit costs associated with it.

Characters may not borrow TUs from future years to perform activities in the current year, nor may they carry over unused TUs from one year into the next. Any activity that uses more TUs than a character has available still takes place, but the remainder of the TU cost is taken from the following year's allotment and the character cannot be played again until new TUs are available.

Time units are used instead of counting days because some aspects of the campaign are necessarily abstracted. By representing the time with undefined units certain aspects of a shared campaign can be represented without being completely illogical.

Character Log

A character log is a set of sheets that track information about which adventures the character has participated in, the judge's information, any experience or treasure gained, and any notes about the adventure. Logs also are used to track meta-campaign activities and entries for any other character-changing event (such as changing deities). Logs are required for all characters.

Each log entry must be signed by the GM. In the case of online play, the GM's e-mail address can be substitutes for their signature.

Players and gamemasters are encouraged to make extensive notes on the activities of the session on their log sheets. Gamemasters are requested to review unfamiliar log sheets before each session.

Available Spells

PCspell casters can choose from the spells listed in the PHB, Seafarer's Handbook, and Freeport: The City of Adventure.

Banned Spells

There are several spells and powers that are not suitable for use in the campaign environment.

The following spells are not available to PCs: polymorph other, polymorph self, permanency, and true reincarnation.

Other spells may be banned by the campaign staff in the future if necessary.