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Contents
Choose your Path
To begin, you should choose between a caster, and a non-caster character as a base. Mixing and matching Spellcaster and Non-caster abilities is totally acceptable, but you must obey the rules of both. To begin, it is recommended you stick to one or the other until you reach high enough of a level to be able to have both.
Choose a race, class, and name for your character
Races There are four core player races you can choose from: human, dwarf, sun elf, and halfling. These races are the primary races that live on Hellan.
Human Racial Passive — Diplomacy: +1 Charisma. Humans are respected by all races of Hellan. Even Halflings avoid robbing human settlements. Without humanity, the confederacy would never have formed. Confederate enemies however, loath humanity (or the ruling nation of humanity, if they are outlaw humans). Language — Common
Dwarf Racial Passive — Hardiness: +1 Stamina. Dwarves are in tune with the earth. They can sense the general distance and direction to nearby metals and ore. Dwarves are very resilient. They have an innate resistance to poison, and can survive in frigid cold temperatures or burning heat. Languages — Common, Dwarvish
Sun Elf Racial Passive — Long Lived: +1 Knowledge. Sun elves are in tune with the sky. They are excellent navigators as long as they are above ground. Sun Elves have an eye for beauty. Even the untrained can determine the worth of treasure or properties of a magical artifact. Languages — Common, Elven
Halfling Racial Passive — Quick Fingers: +1 Dexterity. Halflings are nimble and quick-witted. Generations of farming and fishing have granted halflings better-than-average cooking skills and a tendency to befriend animals. Language — Common
If you would like to play another race (such as a wood elf, genasi, goblin, etc.), refer to the Advanced Character Building section of this guide.
Classes
Within this system, you can play any class you want. You could be a fighter, thief, swashbuckler, ninja, sorcerer, necromancer, illusionist, druid, shaman, seer, cleric, paladin, shapeshifter, etc.; the limit is your imagination. Simply choose a defining theme for your character. Simply conform to the Spellcaster and Non-caster rules for the respective schools of abilities.
Add points to attributes
You receive points to add to your main attributes. The number of points you can allocate are based on your level. At level 1, you begin with 10 points, and you gain new points every level.
To act in an RP encounter, you roll a d20 and add your applicable points (imagine your points as a “modifier” for your d20 roll). Spell-casters typically need 4+ Arcana to cast spells, and non-casters need a certain amount of Dexterity and/or Strength to wield weapons, but the attributes are otherwise not used for combat directly.
Defense Tables
As you gain equipment, your armor value will increase. See Basic Equipment for details on the type of equipment you will find, and the requirements of that.
You will notice that armor has a set defensive value. To determine how this affects you in combat, consider wearing basic leather armor. Your defense might be 2, which would make your defense table something like this:
1 - crit fail
2 - no damage
3-10 - full damage -1d4
11-19 - full damage
20 crit success - max damage
The attacker would roll a d20 against your defense table, and depending on what they rolled, they would deal the appropriate amount of damage with their ability according to that table.
Skills
Every character begins with three skills they are proficient in. Skills are used for RP purposes. These skills are generally things which your character has received formal training in, has extensive experience with, or is naturally very good at. You gain a +5 bonus to rolls involving one of your proficient skills.
Here is a list of skills to choose from, or you can come up with your own. You must have 2 points in an attribute that apply to the skills you choose. For example, to use a “skill related to Strength”, it would require 2 Strength. Survival skills can be used by anyone.
Skills Related to Strength Swimming Climbing Balancing Escaping restraints Reduce falling damage
Skills Related to Stamina Endure extreme weather Resist disease Ignore hunger/thirst Stay awake without resting for 24+ hours
Skills Related to Dexterity Disable traps Pickpocket Pick locks Sleight of hand Dancing Stealth
Skills Related to Knowledge History: Human, dwarven, elven lore History: Orc, demon, monster lore History: Mythology and religion History: Regional lore [choose a region] Sensing others' motives Investigating
Skills Related to Arcana Identify magic item Dispelling wards Detect magic
Skills Related to Charisma Lying Intimidation Persuasion Seduction Blending in with locals Performing (Singing, storytelling, and acting)
Survival / Adventuring Skills Foraging Administer first aid Treat diseases Animal handling Build traps (snares etc) Navigation Piloting [choose vehicle type] Creating camouflage Sailing