Rules for Character Creation

This addendum concerns rules the author has put in place to smooth out character creation in games that they run. Unless otherwise specified, these rules are in effect in the author’s games. To any game masters reading this, feel free to utilise any of these rules yourself if you find them fitting for your own games.

Rolling a Standard Array
One cannot deny the thrill of rolling up stats and seeing what the end result is and apply said result to one’s fresh character. However, when everyone rolls their stats individually, there is always the risk of the Fighter getting three 8’s while the Bard gets to flaunt their two 18’s and a 16. As such, the GM has decided to run a rolled standard array house-rule.

Each person rolls one stat (4d6, drop the lowest die). When there aren’t enough people to get six stats, some of the players roll an additional stat until there is a total of six stats.

If, of these six stats, there are less than two 15s or higher, remove the lowest stat of the bunch and reroll it until that is a 15 or higher. For example, if the group rolled a 17, 14, 13, 12, 10 and 8, they reroll that 8 until it becomes a 15 or higher. If the stats didn’t have any 15s to begin with, let’s suppose that 17 was another 14, then the two lowest stats are rerolled, in this case the 10 and the 8.

Once all stats have been rolled up, these become the standard array for the adventure. Any new characters introduced will also use this standard array, or, after GM approval, a newly rolled standard array whose sum is within 3 points of the sum of the original array.

Bonus Item with Rolled Gold
An issue one may be faced with when creating a character, is when you want to roll for gold instead of taking starting equipment, but you lack the funds to purchase expensive items such as Chain Mail. To make rolling for gold more appealing to classes that get access to expensive commodities (e.g. Cleric, Fighter, Paladin and Ranger) in their starting items, a house-rule has been created.

If you roll for starting gold to purchase your items rather than take the starting equipment, you may forfeit one die (i.e. rolling 4d4 x 10 gold instead of 5d4 x 10 on Fighter) to obtain one option from the starting equipment list of your class. This works on any option, such as armour, starting weapons or packs.

Free Cantrip
The universe of Morterra is infused with magic, even the smallest pebble has some innate energy that can be drawn upon to cast spells. Due to this, people teach their children to control this magic from a young age, lending them access to minor magical utility. If you so desire, you may add one of the following cantrips to your character: Dancing Lights, Gust, Light, Mending, Prestidigitation or Spare the Dying.

This bonus cantrip does not count against your number of cantrips known, and uses your Intelligence as spellcasting ability. Exceptions to both the list of available cantrips and the spellcasting ability may be made at the GM’s discretion. Generally, one can expect backstory-related exceptions to be allowed, such as a druid’s daughter learning Druidcraft or a sorcerer using Charisma instead of Intelligence for their spellcasting ability.

Origin of Power
All forms of magic require a source for the caster to draw upon to conjure their spells. This could be one’s devotion to a deity, or an instrument to affect the Arcane weave. When you create a magic-using character, consider what gives them their power. Have they learned it through arduous study, were they chosen by some greater entity? Below you’ll find several examples of what classes use what kind of magic, and how they are connected to its source.

Planar magic is the energy inherent to the Inner Physical Planes of the Morterran multiverse. Although it is difficult to control for mortals, some have an innate connection to another plane, or know a being capable of controlling a plane’s energy. Druids and Rangers often connect to the Prime’s natural energies, while Archfey Warlocks and Wild Sorcerers may pull from the Feywild. Planar magic can be shut down by severing one’s bond with the planes.

Divine magic is the wild manifestation of an ideal or emotion, channeled through the Outer Noumenal Planes into the caster. Clerics and Paladins are granted their powers by their vows to their deity or ideals, and Celestial or Fiend Warlocks gain their magic through some form of contract or agreement. Arcane magic originates from the fragile strings that weave throughout the multiverse and keep the worlds within cohesive. Learning Arcane magic is a difficult task, and can bear great risk if done incorrectly. Wizards and Bards typically wield this kind of magic, requiring only their tools and instruments to manipulate it.