Character Generation

The following is a summary of some rules from Book of Knights & Ladies. Always confirm your character with George, especially if you are making a foreign or unusual character.

Son Number

Roll 1d6 to find out what your "son number" is. (I.e. you are the Xth oldest son.) Note that the 3rd son is usually sent to the priesthood so for 3+ rolls add 1 to get your real son number.

Region Generation

You can choose to come from a variety of locations, or you can trust to random fate and let the GM decide.

British Peoples

• Logres
• Cambria
• Cumbria
• The North
• Cornwall/Brittany
• Ireland
• Aquitaine

Continental Peoples

• Byzantines
• Danes
• French
• Germans
• Spanish
• Italians
• Occitanians
• Huns
• Zazamancs

Determine Your Liege Lord

This is the person who knighted you and is not always the lord of the land: you may have been knighted by a senior knight or sub-noble within that land.

Salisbury

• d20 Roll Result
• 01–12 Countess Ellen of Salisbury
• 13–14 Officer (roll on Officer Table)
• 15–18 Deputy Officer (roll on Officer Table)
• 19-20 Banneret

Lothian / Castle Of Maidens

• 01–08 King Lot of Lothian
• 09-12 Sub Ruler (i.e. Duke or Baron beneath Lot)
• 13–14 Officer (roll on Officer Table)
• 15–20 Deputy Officer (roll on Officer Table)

Officer Table

• Officer Table
• d20 Roll Result
• 01 Admiral
• 02–10 Castellan
• 11 Butler
• 12 Chamberlain
• 13 Chancellor
• 14 Forester
• 15 Justiciar
• 16 Marshall
• 17–18 Seneschal
• 19–20 Sheriff

Fathers Class & Current Class

You must determine your fathers social class and, therefore, your class.

• d20 Roll Result
• 01–12 Knight, Household
• 13–18 Knight, Landed
• 19 Banneret
• 20 Knight and Officer (roll on Officer Table, as per Liege Lord)

You will have the same social class as your father, as a rule, if you are the eldest son: whereas junior sons will be Household Knights at best and likelly poorer than normal.

Wealth Level

• d20 Roll Result
• 01–12 Poor
• 13–19 Normal
• 20+ Banneret

Add +2 to the dice roll if your father was a banneret or officer: -3 if he was a household knight. 4th + sons drop a level compared to what they rolled. (So can be at best normal knights when play starts and much more likely poor knights.)

Traits

Starting traits depend on your characters culture and religion.

Cymric Personality Traits

Cymric (British Christian)

• Chaste 13/7 Lustful
• Energetic 13/7 Lazy
• Forgiving 10/10 Vengeful
• Generous 13/7 Selfish
• Honest 10/10 Deceitful
• Just 10/10 Arbitrary
• Merciful 10/10 Cruel
• Modest 13/7 Proud
• Pious 10/10 Worldly
• Prudent 10/10 Reckless
• Temperate 13/7 Indulgent
• Trusting 10/10 Suspicious
• Valorous 15/5 Cowardly

Cymric (Roman Christian)

• Chaste 13/7 Lustful
• Energetic 10/10 Lazy
• Forgiving 13/7 Vengeful
• Generous 10/10 Selfish
• Honest 10/10 Deceitful
• Just 10/10 Arbitrary
• Merciful 13/7 Cruel
• Modest 13/7 Proud
• Pious 10/10 Worldly
• Prudent 10/10 Reckless
• Temperate 13/7 Indulgent
• Trusting 10/10 Suspicious
• Valorous 15/5 Cowardly

Cymric (Pagan)

• Chaste 7/13 Lustful
• Energetic 13/7 Lazy
• Forgiving 10/10 Vengeful
• Generous 13/7 Selfish
• Honest 13/7 Deceitful
• Just 10/10 Arbitrary
• Merciful 10/10 Cruel
• Modest 7/13 Proud
• Pious 10/10 Worldly
• Prudent 10/10 Reckless
• Temperate10/10 Indulgent
• Trusting 10/10 Suspicious
• Valorous 15/5 Cowardly

Regional Variation

You modify the start traits depending on the region your character comes form.

• Aquitaine: Vengeful +2, Proud +2, Trusting +2
• Brittany: Energetic +1, Modest +2, Prudent +2, Valorous +1
• Cambria: Arbitrary +2, Suspicious +2, Prudent +1, Temperate +1.
• Cumbria: Pious +2, Honest +1
• Cornwall: Arbitrary +2, Suspicious +2, Prudent +2
• Ireland: Lustful +1, Energetic +1, Honest +2, Indulgent +2
• Logres: Energetic +1, Forgiving +1, Honest +1, Just +1, Trusting +1, Valorous +1
• North: Prudent +2, Selfish +2 (representing frugality), Pious +1, Temperate +1

Individual Choices

Choose one Trait to start at 16, if desired.

Finally, add total of 6 points to any Trait or Traits desired. Put them all into one Trait, or distribute them between up to six others, or any way you desire. However, no trait can be made greater than 19.

Directed Traits

Characters from some locations start with directed traits. Unless specified otherwise these are +1d6+1

• Lothian: Suspicious of Pendragon.
• Salisbury: Suspicious of Silchester.

Passions

All characters start with the following passions:

• Loyalty (Lord) 3d6+5
• Love (Family) 3d6+5
• Hospitality 3d6+5
• Honour 3d6+5
• Concern (my commoners) 2d6

Regional Passions

Some regions give characters starting passions. These are all rolled on 4d6+1

• Clarence: Hate Gloucestermen
• Gloucester: Hate Clarence
• Salisbury: Hate Saxons.

Player Choices

Once these base values are assigned, a player may choose to raise one or more starting Passions by distributing 3 points among them.

Attributes

Distribute a total of 60 points among the five attributes to a maximum of 18.

Cultural Attribute Modifiers Certain cultures have bonuses and penalties for some attributes. This modification is applied after the base attributes have been allotted. Thus, these modifuers can allow people to go above or below their normal restriction.

• Aquitainian: +1 DEX, +1 CON, +1 APP
• Cymric: +3 CON
• Irish: +3 CON
• Pict: –3 SIZ, +3 DEX,–3 APP
• Roman: +1 DEX, +2 APP
• Saxon: +3 SIZ, –3 DEX, +3 STR, +3 Con

Skills

Character starting skills depends on gender and culture.

Cymric, Male

• Awareness (7)
• Boating (1)
• Chirurgery ―
• Compose (1)
• Courtesy (5)
• Dancing (2)
• Faerie Lore (1)
• Falconry (3)
• Fashion ―
• First Aid (10)
• Flirting (3)
• Folklore (2)
• Gaming (3)
• Heraldry (1)
• Hunting (6)
• Industry ―
• Intrigue (3)
• Orate (5)
• Play (harp) (3)
• Read (Latin) (0)
• Recognize (3)
• Religion (varies) (2)
• Romance (0)
• Singing (4)
• Stewardship (2)
• Swimming (2)
• Tourney (0)

• Combat Skills
• Battle (10)
• Siege (2)
• Horsemanship (10)
• Sword (10)
• Lance Use Spear Expertise
• Spear Use Spear Expertise
• Great Spear Use Spear Expertise
• Dagger (5)
• Spear Expertise (10)

Personal Choices

To these starting skills make following changes.

• 1. Choose any one combat or non-combat skill at which you excel. Make it 15. (A weapon skill is a popular and useful choice.)
• 2. Choose any 3 non-combat skills, and make each of them 10.
• 3. Raise any four scores from among the Traits, Passions, or Skills. If you raise a skill or combat skill, then it increases it by up to 5 points. If you raise an attribute, trait, or passion, then it increases by 1 point.
• 4. Add 10 more discretionary points, to be divided in any amount among any number of non-combat skills of your choice.
• 5. All other skills start at the default values.

Family Characteristic

All characters have the same family characteristic as their same-sex parent: that is, it is passed from father to son and mother to daughter.

For new characters, roll 1d20

• 1 Keen on Status (+5 Courtesy)
• 2 Spiritual Bent (+5 Religion)
• 3 Know the Commoners (+5 Folklore)
• 4 Know Faerie Ways (+5 Faerie Lore)
• 5 Good with Horses (+5 Horsemanship)
• 6 Excellent Voice (+10 Singing)
• 7 Keen-sighted (+5 Awareness)
• 8 At Home in Nature (+5 Hunting)
• 9 Sprightly (+10 Dancing)
• 10 Natural Healer (+5 First Aid)
• 11 Naturally Lovable (+10 Flirting)
• 12 Never Forgets a Face (+10 Recognize)
• 13 Surprisingly Deductive (+5 Intrigue)
• 14 Like an Otter (+10 Swimming)
• 15 Natural Storyteller (+10 Orate)
• 16 Natural Musician (+10 Play (all instruments))
• 17 Good with Words (+10 Compose)
• 18 Grew Up with Books (+5 Reading)
• 19 Good with Birds (+10 Falconry)
• 20 Clever at Games (+10 Gaming)

Fathers Class

If your father was an officer or banneret you may have bonuses to skills! Check with the GM.

Luck

Roll 1d20 for the first character in a family and check with the GM what good luck you have.

Starting Glory

For starting characters basic glory is 150+6d6,

If your father was a banneret or feudal officer this may be different.