To create a character, you'll need a piece of paper (or character sheet), a pencil, and three six-sided dice. Here's an overview of the process. First, read over the races and classes you can choose from. Some combinations work better than others. Once you've decided which ones to choose, write them down. Next, generate your attributes. Figure out your secondary attributes and perception. Good so far? Write down each of the eight skills and distribute skill points between them. Choose a trait, or pick two if you're human. If you're able to wield magic, choose your starting list of spells. Finally, roll your starting silver and spend it on equipment. Fantastic, you're ready to play!

If you'd like, you can download character sheets in Word format.

You can choose one of four different races.

• Humans are 6' tall and the most versatile people in the lands. They begin the game with an extra trait.
• Elves are 5' tall, slender, pointy-eared, and magically gifted. They start with +2 magic points.
• Dwarves are 4' tall, bearded, stout and stubborn. They gain a +1 bonus when resisting disease, poison, charm or fear.
• Orcs are 7' tall, dark-skinned, massive and tough. They start with +2 health points.

A character's class determines which role he is best at while adventuring. There are six classes to choose from.

• Warriors are experts on the battlefield, trained to fight monsters and villains of all sorts. They benefit from a high Body attribute. They can spend skill points on Combat and get a +1 bonus to the Athletic skill.
• Sorcerers are masters of the arcane, able to cast powerful spells. They need a high Mind attribute. They can spend points on Arcane and get a +1 bonus to the Medical skill.
• Rogues train in stealth, traps and other subtle arts. A balance between Mind and Body attributes works best for them. They can spend skill points on Underworld and get a +1 bonus to the Social skill.
• Rangers are a hybrid of warrior and rogue, making excellent scouts. They can spend skill points on Combat and Underworld, however it costs an extra point for +1 rank. They also receive a +2 bonus to the Outdoors skill.
• Wizards combine the fighting skills of warriors with the spellcasting of sorcerers, making them versatile in combat. They can spend skill points on Arcane and Combat, however it costs an extra point for +1 rank. They also receive a +1 bonus to Athletic and Craft skills.
• Bards learn the skills of both sorcerers and rogues. They sing or play an instrument to cast spells. They can spend skill points on Arcane and Underworld, however it costs an extra point for +1 rank. They also receive a +1 bonus to Medical and Social skills.

Your character has two primary attributes. Body is a measure of his physical prowess, including strength, agility and stamina. Mind is a measure of his mental might, including intelligence, alertness and willpower.

The scores for these attributes are generated randomly. For one attribute, roll 3d6 and drop the lowest die. For the other attribute, roll 2d6. Assign these two numbers to your attributes in a way that's advantageous to your class.
Optional Rule: For more balanced characters in a party, roll 1d6 and add 9. Divide this number of points between Mind and Body.

An average attribute is 6 or 7. The maximum attribute at character creation is 12, however attributes can be raised as high as 16 using experience points.

Attribute Rank Comparisons

Your character has two secondary attributes. These will change during game play, so you'll need to keep track of the base or maximum value, and the current value. Base health and magic points can be increased with experience points to a maximum of 20.

Health Points (HP) represent his constitution, or how many points of damage he can sustain without dying. His starting base health points are equal to his Body, plus any adjustments due to race. When he takes damage his current health points are reduced. A character with 0 HP is in a coma and will die without immediate medical attention. At -1 HP or less, he is dead. At -10 HP, they can't identify the body. Health points are restored by rest and healing, back to the base value. Rest restores 1 health point every 8 hours.

Magic Points (MP) determine how many spells your character can cast before resting. Your character's starting base magic points are equal to his Mind attribute, plus any race adjustments. Wearing armor reduces his base magic points by an amount equal to the armor's defense value. Casting spells and using scrolls reduces your current magic points. Resting and sleeping restore them, but never above the base value. They recover at a rate of 1 per hour of rest, or 3 per hour of sleep.

Perception (PER) is a tertiary attribute which measures your character's ability to notice things. To make a perception check, the target number is equal to Mind plus his rank in the appropriate skill. Roll this number or less on 3d6 to succeed. For example, if you were trying to spot someone camouflaged in the woods, your perception check target number would be Mind + Outdoors.

Skills represent your character's talents and abilities. There are eight different skills to choose from. Physical skills benefit from a high Body attribute, while mental skills are enhanced by a high Mind attribute. Skills range in rank from 0 (no skill) to 6 (mastery). Your character begins with a certain number of points to assign to skills, equal to his Body for physical skills and Mind for mental skills. Skill ranks can be increased by spending experience points.

Traits are special talents and abilities. They don't have ranks like skills - a character either has the trait or he doesn't. Humans begin the game with 2 traits, all others begin with one trait. Some traits are only available to members of a particular race. Traits can be purchased with experience points. Each trait may only be applied once. You can't buy the same trait twice for double the effects. Traits can have cumulative effects with spells and magic items.

Sorcerers, wizards and bards begin the game with several spells. These must be chosen from the Low Magic category. Sorcerers and wizards learn incantations, while bards learn mystical songs. Sorcerers begin with a number of spells equal to Mind divided by 2, rounded up. Wizards and bards begin with a number of spells equal to Mind divided by 3, rounded up.

Warriors, rangers and rogues may begin the game with one or more combat maneuvers. Warriors begin with a number of maneuvers equal to Body divided by 3, rounded down. Rangers and rogues begin with a number of maneuvers equal to Body divided by 4, rounded down.

Sorcerers, rogues and bards begin the game with 3d6x10 copper pieces (CP). Warriors, wizards and rangers roll 3d6, drop the lowest die, and multiply by 10 to determine starting copper pieces. All characters begin the game with clothes, a backpack, a bedroll, a week's worth of travel rations, a knife (AV 3, 2 Damage) and three torches. Additional gear can be purchased before the game begins.