Character Creation

[Cearnach]

Our campaign begins on September 3rd, 1189, the day of Richard Lionheart's Coronation as King of England.

There are two options for character creation. First, players may ask to play one of several pre-generated historical characters. These characters are the heads of the great houses, and tend to be somewhat more powerful than a starting character would otherwise be, but their traits and passions are arranged to reflect their character as it is known to history. Players of these characters are encouraged to make them their own within the guidelines established by their historical pasts and their character sheets.

The available characters are:
• William d'Aubigny, 2nd Earl of Arundel
• Robert "Whitehands" de Beaumont, 3rd Earl of Leicester [Claimed by Drop It Like It's Hutt]
• Waleran de Beaumont, 4th Earl of Warwick
• Roger Bigod, Lord of Norfolk
• Constance, Duchess of Brittany
• Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester and 4th Earl of Richmond (jure uxoris)
• Richard de Clare, 3rd Earl of Hertford
• William de Ferrers, 3rd Earl of Derby
• William de Mandeville, 3rd Earl of Essex and 2nd Earl of Aumale (jure uxoris)
• Hawise of Aumale, Countess of Aumale
• Richard de Redvers, 4th Earl of Devon
• Aubrey de Vere, 1st Earl of Oxford
• William de Warenne, Earl of Surrey (jure uxoris)
• Isabel de Warenne, 4th Countess of Surrey


Secondly, players may choose to adapt historical characters that are not NPCs or develop entirely original characters. They may follow the character creation rules in the Pendragon 5th edition guidebook, with the following adjustments to reflect life in England in 1189, rather than Arthurian Britain.

Players who wish to play female characters should be aware that this time period was not egalitarian, but that women sometimes exercised power anyway. All players should read the notes about Otherness in the rules section of the forum to get a sense of the intentions we have for this game. Female characters should be built using the rules for exceptional women in the 5th edition Pendragon rulebook

Name: Naming conventions follow their historical cultures. Be careful when searching baby-name lists for Anglo-Norman names, as some printed there are modern names with shaky Anglo-Norman roots. Remember that by this time the power in England is concentrated in a Middle French-speaking, French-cultured aristocracy. The names, generally speaking, are also Middle French.

Homeland: Pregenerated historical characters will be either from England or from France. Original characters could be from anywhere in Europe. Understand when you are considering your character's origins that tensions between England and Wales and between England and Ireland are currently quite high, and that the entire nation has been readying for a crusade, so Moorish or Saracen characters will not be permitted.

Titles: Many characters present at the coronation will be a lord or lady of some fief either of England or France. Historical characters available for play have their titles listed in their descriptions. Original characters may not be of Earl level or above in the secular administration or a bishop or above in the Church. Other titles are acceptable.

Liege Lord: Indicate which of the Earls (or Duchess Constance or Isabel de Warenne) listed under Great Houses your character owes fealty to.

Traits

Religion: By far the most dominant religious system in England and France is Roman Christianity. All historical characters present at the coronation are Roman Christian, and all of them will generally assume that they are speaking to Roman Christians in a Roman Christian context. This was a time in which outward piety was expected, if not universal, and crusading fervor is sweeping the country.

Players may choose to play Celtic Christian or Jewish characters (provided they are making original, rather than historical, characters), but they should understand that they will be in the minority, and that their views on religion will not generally be well understood by the rest of society. Characters interested in playing a Jewish character must understand that they are not permitted to be a knight or hold a title, and thus certain opportunities in the game will not be available to them.

Roman Christian Virtues: Chaste, Forgiving, Merciful, Modest, Temperate
Celtic Christian Virtues: Chaste, Energetic, Generous, Modest, Temperate
Jewish Virtues: Chaste, Just, Pious, Prudent, Temperate

Characters with martial training will begin with the 15 in Valorous prescribed by the Pendragon rulebook.
Characters with ecclesiastical training will begin with a 15 in Pious.
Characters with scholastic training will begin with a 15 in Prudent.

All Religious virtues start at 13, and other virtues start at 10, as prescribed in the basic rules.
You may choose to Reverse a religious trait, rebelling against the standard idiom of your background. To do so, put the 13 in the Vice opposing that Religious trait.


A Word About Evil
Pendragon as a system models Arthurian Romance. It is about ideals, and players are encouraged strongly to behave according to the precepts of chivalry. In our historical game, however, the concept of chivalry is still in development. Courtly Love is in full swing, but the codes of knightly comportment will take another 150 years to solidify. Indeed, one of their initial champions, Marie de France, is present at this coronation.

That is not to say that there are not expectations. Lords expect loyalty. Society as a whole expects public acknowledgment of piety. Courtesy is valued. However, characters need not necessarily be good people, and the distance between the discourse expected of the aristocratic class and their actual experience can be very wide indeed. Before you run off and make your mad, bad, and brutish fight-monster, though, remember: there are consequences to actions. Eleanor is watching.


Passions
Instead of Hate (Saxons), characters begin with a 3d6 Crusading Zeal rating, reflecting their reaction to the loss of Jerusalem and the siren call of the 3rd Crusade. Players should be aware that some of the pregenerated characters and NPCs have certain Passions that are quite high.

Attributes
Allocate 60 points among your attributes. Please observe the minimum and maximum scores provided by the rules.

Cultural Attribute Adjustments
Norman, French, and English characters receive +3 to CON.
Jewish characters have a +2 to CON and a +1 to APP.
Scots receive +2 to STR and +1 to SIZ
Welsh receive +2 to DEX and +1 to APP
Irish receive +1 to STR, +1 to DEX, and +1 to APP.

Beginning Skill Values
The beginning skill values for Anglo-Norman, French, or Scottish sons of knights are as follows:
Awareness 5, Boating 1, Compose 1, Courtesy 3, Dancing 2, Faerie Lore 1, Falconry 3, First Aid 10, Flirting 3, Folklore 2, Gaming 3, Heraldry 3, Hunting 2, Intrigue 3, Orate 3, Play [instrument] 3, Read [Latin] 0, Recognize 3, Religion [Choose 1] 2, Romance 2, Singing 2, Stewardship 2, Swimming 2, Tourney 2

The beginning battle skills values for Anglo-Norman, French, or Scottish sons of knights is: Battle 10, Horsemanship 10, Sword 10, Lance 10, [one weapon] 6, Dagger 5

The beginning skill values for Welsh or Irish warriors are as follows:
Awareness 5, Boating 1, Compose 3, Dancing 3, Faerie Lore 2, Falconry 1, First Aid 8, Flirt 3, Folklore 3, Gaming 1, Hunting 3, Intrigue 3, Orate 3, Play [instrument] 3, Read (Welsh or Irish) 0,
Recognize 3, Religion (Choose 1) 2, Romance 2, Singing 3, Stewardship 1, Swimming 2

The beginning battle skill values for Welsh or Irish warriors are as follows:
Battle 10, Sword 10, Spear 10, Javelin 10, [one weapon] 6, Dagger 5


The beginning skill values for Religious or Scholastic characters are as follows:
Awareness 5, Chirurgery (0), Compose 5, Courtesy 5, Faerie Lore 2, First Aid 10, Folklore 5, Heraldry 5, Intrigue 4, Orate 5, Play (instrument) 2, Read (Latin) 10, Read (Pick One) 10, Read (Pick One) 5, Recognize 5, Religion (Choose 1) 10, Singing 4, Stewardship 5, Swimming 1.



Reading
There are several more options for the literate in Anglo-Norman Britain than there were in the Arthurian Age:
• Latin is still the language of scholarship and education. Anyone who has received formal schooling of any kind knows at least enough Latin to get by. Religious figures and dedicated scholars most likely know a great deal more. If your character is speaking Latin, use FF0000
• Greek is becoming more important, as increased contact with the Byzantine Empire has allowed some of the classics to begin to be recovered. If your character is speaking Greek, use 0000FF
• Arabic is largely unknown, but some, particularly those involved in the Crusades or who have lived in Outremer, have learned the language. If your character is speaking Arabic, use BF4000
• French (the Langue d'Oïl) is the dominant spoken language in the English and French royal courts. More and more scholarship and poetry is beginning to be written in it, rather than in Latin. If your character is speaking French, use plain black text.
• Occitan (the Langue d'Oc) is the language of the troubadour tradition and of the people of southern France. It is the native language of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard Lionheart's most comfortable language. If your character is speaking Occitan, use FF8000
• Welsh has become an important literary language as well, now that the eisteddfods have begun, though its impact has not been felt much outside Wales. The de Clare family in particular has several family members of Welsh origin or who can speak Welsh. If your character is speaking Welsh, use FFBF00
• It will be another 200 years before Chaucer and the Pearl Poet will begin to make Middle English an important written language. Old English has precipitously declined as its speakers have been forced from power and institutions of learning by the Normans. Characters may still choose it, but should be aware that it is nowhere near the influential language that it will become. (Richard Lionheart cannot speak it at all, for instance). If you are speaking Old English, use FF40FF
• Irish and Scottish are extensively spoken in their own territories, but are not well known outside of them. Scottish is not the working language of the Scottish royal court during this time period (it is speaking French), and there is no Irish royal court. If you are speaking Scottish, use 40BF80, if you are speaking Irish, use 00BF00.

Age
You may not apply the age bonuses to your characters. Characters may be of any age, but their stats will still be those of starting characters. This is largely being done to make the game broadly enjoyable for all players, and the gms' lives infinitely easier. No exceptions will be entertained.

However, you should make 4 additional starting skill picks, raising a skill by 5 each time. Note that no one skill can be increased above 15. This will help differentiate characters a little better, and allow for some people to shine at what they really like to do.

Squire
Characters need not have a squire if they do not wish to have one, and should not have a squire if they are not a knight. Players may replace the Squire with a different hanger-on, such as a ward, a confessor, or a trusted servant.

Glory
Players who wish to play a member of the immediate family of an earl will find the family's starting Glory listed with their family description.

The base starting glory for all other original characters is 6d6+150. Please submit the link to your roll (made in Orokos) with your character submission. Use "Lionheart" as the campaign title. Character submissions without the link will be returned. Cheaters will be burned in effigy.

Knight characters do receive the +1,000 Glory bonus. This is the age of warrior-heroes, after all.

We will not be using the Salisbury Family History method. Players are encouraged, however, to think about how their families navigated English history while studying the timeline.

Wealth and Starting Equipment
The Standard Equipment has changed a little, as the spear has been replaced by the sword as the primary weapon of the military aristocracy, and the nobility has become filthy rich. Knight characters start with:
1) Chainmail and Shield
2) Sword, 2 weapons, and dagger
3) £1 of Fine Clothing
4) Personal Gear, Travel Gear, and War Gear
5) 4 horses.

Other characters start with a dagger, the Fine Clothing, the Gear, and a horse, but not the more serious armaments.

Starting wealth is determined by the House you serve, according to the standards of living found in Chapter 8. [Poor, Ordinary, or Rich]
D'Aubigny: Ordinary
De Beaumont: Poor
De Bigod: Rich
De Blondeville: Ordinary
De Clare: Rich
De Ferrers: Ordinary
De Mandeville: Poor
De Redvers: Ordinary
De Vere: Ordinary
De Warenne: Rich

Coat of Arms
The grandfather of one of the Earls in this game is widely (if dubiously) credited with having invented the concept of a coat of arms by tying a sheaf of wheat to the front of his shield to soften blows. They are not regulated, and are often more closely associated with individuals than with families. For example, Richard's association with the qualities of lions in the public imagination will lead to his adopting a lion as his personal heraldic device, and this lion will then become associated with the royal house of England because of his role as King.

Most knights do not have one. If you want your character to have a coat of arms, he had better be a knight and have a very good reason to be associated with the particular symbolism or patterns in question in the imagination of the English nobility at large.

Family Characteristics
If your character is not a blood relative of one of the Houses, please roll on the chart in the rulebook. Otherwise, find your house below:

D'Aubigny: Religious Benefactors--+5 to Religion
De Beaumont: Advantageous Marriages--+5 to Romance
De Bigod: Slippery--+5 to Intrigue
De Blondeville: Public Prowess--+5 to Tourney
De Clare: Marcher Lords--+5 to Battle
De Ferrers: Economic Mastery---+5 to Stewardship
De Mandeville: Highborn Manners---+5 to Courtesy
De Redvers: Lords of the Channel---+5 to Boating
De Vere: Hereditary Officials---+5 to Recognize
De Warenne: Grudgebearers---+5 o Awareness

Army
Only knights or women administering holdings in their own right can have armies. The armies of the great houses are listed in their descriptions, but you may generate your personal army according to the rulebook. This represents the portion of your lord's levies that are under your personal control. You will be expected to raise them when called upon by your lord, but may also do so yourself to smite your rivals, engage in brigandage, go on crusade, or protect your demesne like a responsible noble. Please link your rolls in your character submission.

[Cearnach]

It's worth noting that you can find many of the lower-ranking families operating in 1189 online through wikipedia and the Domesday Book: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/hel ... sday-book/. Domesday only helps find you who was operating estates in the 11th century, but you can use that tool as a base to search forward in time. You'll start to notice a lot of the same names popping up, because there were a lot of estates and not all that many Normans. By this time, a lot of the strictly English and guys with Norse names will have been forced out, but not all. Kent, for example remained a highly German-inflected area into Chaucer's time.