Hidden Hands

Character Creation

Point Buy & Ability Scores: This is a low-fantasy campaign using a 10-point buy. No ability score may be lower than 8 before racial adjustments.

Races: All core races are permitted except gnomes. You begin play as a young adult in the small human hamlet of Hampton. The locals are largely ignorant of other races and xenophobic by default. Higher-status individuals know progressively more about other races; that knowledge often deepens rather than lessens their prejudice.

Each race has an altered in-universe history. If you choose a non-human race, your parents, village elders, or other authority figures have not shared with you with new racial cultural paradigm with you. 

Languages: Because of your isolated upbringing, languages gained from a high Intelligence score are restricted at character creation. Agnes, Hampton’s de-facto leader, knows the following languages and can teach them: Dwarven, Elven, Halfling, and Orc.

Hampton lacks both the resources and the demographic diversity to support instruction in any other language. Even if you select a non-human race, Agnes may be the person who taught you your “native” tongue.

Ranks in Linguistics allow access to magical dual dictionaries that exist in this world. Studying one for a single evening grants fluency in the paired language. These dictionaries are freely available in any settlement that possesses a library. Languages outside Agnes’s repertoire must therefore wait until the party reaches such a settlement. 

Traits: No drawbacks, pick two, and one must be a campaign trait. 
Other Rules: No EITR, or background skills

Social Class & Class Progression: Everyone begins as a Commoner. This world maintains a rigid social hierarchy, and the player characters start at the bottom until they prove themselves.

• At 2nd level a character may convert into a different NPC class (Adept, Aristocrat, Expert, or Warrior).

• At 3rd level (or later) a character may convert into a core class (including the core and unchained versions of barbarian, monk, and rogue) after receiving appropriate training.

• No archetypes after 3rd level you don't need a mentor anymore.

Prior choices and demonstrated character matter. A mentor will only accept a pupil who possesses the necessary ability scores, skills, or a compelling narrative justification. A merciless character will not be taken on by a paladin; an aristocrat is unlikely to be accepted as a barbarian.

Not every inhabitant of the world begins at the bottom of the social ladder. The children of wealthy parents, urban professionals, or noble households may start with higher point-buy totals and may already possess levels in PC classes. A shopkeeper’s child might begin with a 15-point buy; a minor noble with a 20-point buy; members of royal or royal-housed servile families with a 25-point buy. Your 10-point buy reflects your ignoble starting station. The DM may decide that the party’s station has improved permitting an increase in the point-buy. It is suggested that such increases coincide with natural ability score increases, and to allow for decreases in ability scores by one point. If intelligence is lowered corresponding ranks are retroactively lost, and you may forget how to speak a language. You cannot lower an ability score if a feat is dependant on a minimum score. This is intended to reflect that training. A farmer who used to bale hay and now only lifts books could become less strong while become more intelligent.

Hit Points: At 1st level you receive maximum hit points for your Hit Die. Thereafter you may choose either half the maximum value (rounded down) or a roll of the Hit Die.

Intended Path: On your application, indicate the general path you intend to follow. This is not binding, but it allows the GM to place relevant opportunities in the story. Paths should make internal sense. Aristocrat is expanded in this campaign to include government officials. Example progressions include:

• Commoner → Warrior → Ranger

• Commoner → Expert (shady merchant) → Unchained Rogue

• Commoner → Adept → any spellcasting class

• Commoner → Aristocrat → Bard

Level 3 – Core Class You may select any core class (including the core or Unchained versions of barbarian, monk, and rogue) provided your lifestyle and choices up to that point make narrative sense. A character who has spent the campaign stealing, murdering, and lying will not be accepted as a paladin, but will find an easy path into the rogue class. Likewise, an aristocrat-to-barbarian transition is difficult to justify.

Please refer to the resource section for the players guide.