So, a friend of mine started running a WFRP game for us a little while ago, using pre-gens. I think it's WFRP 2e. We started out with some breaking and entering in a city-of-thieves type location, fought-off a burglar from the room we were squatting in, then hired-out to a noble to retrieve some artifact for a local robber-baron.
Anyway, I finally got to roll up a character(I wonder if the DM will let me play both him and the pre-gen, until one of them bites the dust). I didn't really realize just how complex WFRP character creation is until now. I once played in noisms' WFRP PBP, but he limited the character creation to a few basic questions. The basic stats seem to be a combination of in-born abilities(Dex, Int, etc) and general skills(weapon skill, ballistics skill). But then, there's also a separate skill system. Anyway, meet Siegwart the Bawd.
By the way, is there a more Picaresque character class than Bawd? I sort of doubt it. He's not even a proper thief. He seems to be more of a serial lounger with vaguely criminal tendencies. I'm sure he's going to be fun to play.
My Starting profile didn't contain anything too remarkable, but at least his dodge blow, high initiative, and very resilient should make him hard to hit. Also, I rolled him some nice starting funds, so I got him a crossbow.
Name: Siegwart
Race: Human
Gender: M
Alignment: N
Age: 28
Height: 5"6
Fate Points: 3
Career Class: Rogue
Current Career: Bawd
Career Exits: Bodyguard/Fence
Starting Profile:
M: 4
WS: 29
BS: 29
S: 2
T: 4
W: 7
I: 30
A: 1
Dex: 33
Ld: 33
Int: 37
Cl: 28
WP: 27
Fel: 34
Current Profile:
I: 40
Skills:
ambidextrous
dodge blow
street fighting
very resiliant
bribery
scale sheer surface
Languages: Old Worlder, Thieves' Cant
Equipment:
2GC
Leather Jack
Sturdy Clothing
Boots
Secret Purse
Knife
Steel Bar Mace
Crossbow
5 bolts
Seigwart does quite well for himself hanging around the bars, the gambling halls, and the houses of ill-repute in the city. He knows many underworld characters and may act as messenger, informant, negotiator, or spy, despite not being a member of any particular gang. Though not a hired killer, he grew-up on the mean streets and is tough and knows how to take care of himself.
"I didn't really realize just how complex WFRP character creation is until now."
ReplyDeleteThe characters might look complex, but there really aren't many choices to make to create a WFRP1e character - which is what Seigwart is. Choose race, roll a few dice to determine characteristics, choose general career class, roll for starting career. Apart from background extras (height, weight, hair colour etc., oh, and yes, name), that's it. You don't even have the pre-game shopping expedition, as each class and career comes with 'trappings'.
Fair enough. I guess it was complex relative to my expectations.
DeleteI did have to roll a whole lot of dice, but what concerned me more was that, even an experienced player couldn't guide me through the process without repeatedly looking in the book.
Although, on the other hand, that complexity brings with it a lot of 'flavor'.
I know you like character generation, and Warhammer 2e is a system that has a good one:
ReplyDeletehttp://silverghost.dyndns.org/wfrp/
I used this for our last online Warhammer game (that got taken over by the 5e playtests) - it worked quite well in that the players didn't need to learn the system to make characters.
There is also a really good Warhammer 2e rules template for RPtools out there as well. Makes picking up the game pretty easy.
That is a really good character generator!
DeleteI saw that one. I wasn't sure it was the same 'edition' that our DM is using. I couldn't find 'Bawd' anywhere...
DeleteOh, we clarified the edition question. Turns out we're using the Hogshead printing of WFRP 1st edition rules.
ReplyDelete