[Interest Check] Into the Dark Night (TRoS/BoIT/d10 custom system)

[JNAProductions]

A: Skills
B: Proficiencies
C: Attributes
D: Race/Magic
E: Social Class
F: Gifts & Flaws

Maybe? Maybe.
Does this seem reasonable?

[Lacco]

A: Skills
B: Proficiencies
C: Attributes
D: Race/Magic
E: Social Class
F: Gifts & Flaws

Maybe? Maybe.
Does this seem reasonable?

You'll have a very good chance to succeed on skill rolls. Basically, very reliable in their skill area, can hold her own in combat. The flaws will hurt, but well...

Just noticed I forgot to put the half-elves and dwarves into the race/magic column. Will fix that.

Why the "D" in race/magic?

[bramblefoot]

i think ill take the scar, feeling an older man

A: proficiencies
B: skills
C: gifts
D: attributes
E: race/magic
F: social class

[ProgressPaladin]

Sorry, for A meant attributes.

[JNAProductions]

You'll have a very good chance to succeed on skill rolls. Basically, very reliable in their skill area, can hold her own in combat. The flaws will hurt, but well...

Just noticed I forgot to put the half-elves and dwarves into the race/magic column. Will fix that.

Why the "D" in race/magic?

Because I wanted a touch of magic. Not a ton, but a little bit of druidic thingies.

[Lacco]

i think ill take the scar, feeling an older man

A: proficiencies
B: skills
C: gifts
D: attributes
E: race/magic
F: social class

Older man it is!

The Scar provides a bonus of +1 to EN and +1 to WP, but -1 to SOC. The bonuses apply after you spend your attribute points.

Sorry, for A meant attributes.

No problem. So it's:

A: Attributes
B: Proficiencies
C: Social
D: Gifts
E: Skills
F: Human

Stahl provides +1 to TO, -1 to SOC and +1 to Proficiency points. C in Social gives you a Shire horse (a Destrier).

Because I wanted a touch of magic. Not a ton, but a little bit of druidic thingies.

Okay. Dabbler means you are allowed to spend up to 3 proficiency points on Magic. In general I'd suggest going for Arcane magic, but if druidic magic is your style, see the spoilers.

Spoiler: Arcane Magic

Show

There are 8 Lesser Mysteries:
Cursing - you place a curse on a person or an item, increasing likelihood of negative consequences.
Enslavement - you force your will on the person, either giving them commands or changing their perception of a certain fact (e.g. "that's not a sword, but a snake you are holding!").
Mending - recovery from injuries, lifting curses, curing diseases (or causing pain).
Prophecy - allows you to make prophecies and again, place spiritual attribute called "omen" on someone/something.
Scrying - allows you to see the true nature of things, as well as to travel astrally at distant places.
Warding - creation and manipulation of temporary or permanent wards - shields, walls, etc.
Witchfire - a magical attack (which may not be fire at all; it can be almost anything).
Telekinesis - controlling or moving of items with the power of sorcerer's mind.

There are also 3 known greater mysteries:
Necromancy (communication with the dead, allowing the sorcerer to gain knowledge already lost)
Goety (summoning of demons, to do their master's bidding)
Mana shaping (ability to create mana crystal/solid mana to create temporary items from, also to "hoard" mana to create areas with high magical potential)

As you can see, this is more 'eldritch magic' than druidic magic - and the mechanics support that. As a dabbler, you can spend up to 3 points of proficiencies to learn these lesser myseries (can't learn greater ones) and you can either become relatively good at one thing, or know basics of up to three mysteries. I'd suggest the bolded ones (especially mending).

Spoiler: Druidic magic

Show

I did a writeup for druidic magic some time ago. Never formally tried it out. Here is the basic stuff:

Rituals
Druidic rituals are used for two purposes – either they allow both more powerful and more distant use of Druidic Songs (Minor Rituals), or allow other magical effects – outside normal rules (Major Rituals).

For ritual to occur, the character needs to fulfill at least 3 basic requirements:
• ritual must take place at Place of Power or at Circle of Magic*
• ritual has to include at least two participants
• ritual has to include a Song and Motion
• ritual has to include a sacrifice of item
• ritual has to include a sacrifice of blood (counts as 2)
• ritual has to include a sacrifice of life (counts as 3)
* - mandatory for Major Ritual

If you are using the Ritual to empower a Song, the results are more predictable – see below and follow the ritual casting rules.

When you draw on a place of power to create a magical effect, tell the GM what you’re trying to achieve. Ritual effects are always possible, but the GM will give you one to four of the following conditions:

It’s going to take hours/days/weeks/months.
First you must ________.
You’ll need help from _________.
It will require a lot of resources.
The best you can do is a lesser version, unreliable and limited.
You and your allies will risk danger from ______.
You’ll have to disenchant __________ to do it.

One of these should be negotiable (GM’s choice, it will be exchanged for a different one from the list) and one should be (if possible) replaceable by difficulty adjustment for the Ritual roll.

Participants of the ritual are either non-magical helpers (using standard rules for Tapping) or participate using their magic. Druidic rituals allow any character that has Power attribute to participate using their magic – adding casting part of their Power attribute to dice pool – but once they do, all participants have to share their Taint, meaning that if any of the participants accumulates any Taint, it is spread over all participants who use magic.
Otherwise, rules for Ritual Casting are used.

Songs

You learn Songs from Ancestors, other Druids or Nature itself.

Learning from Ancestors takes place in Dreamspace.

Learning from other Druids takes time and may be taxing (time, resources, fatigue).

The songs themselves machanically work as proficiencies. You pay SA Points or Drama to learn a new Song. Each Song gives you a separate skill, starting at your Singing or Musical Instrument skill +2 – songs that are similar in nature may be at the same TN.

Each Song usually provides magical effect exactly as its name suggests, but you need to keep singing it for certain amount of time for the effect to take root in reality.

Most songs have 4 levels (proficiency points): apprentice, proficient, journeyman and master. If not stated otherwise, Apprentice level songs work only during the time the song is sung, their effects are limited to close range and up to 3 successes. Proficient songs work few moments (rounds) after you end them and their effects are limited to thrown range and 5 successes. Journeyman songs work even after you stop singing for several minutes, their effects are limited with long range and they have no limit of successes. Master songs may last until you stop focusing and you may even bind them to certain persons, items or animals – and they count as if they had double successes.

If you decide you need more power, you may sing louder or more powerfully – but it taxes you with Fatigue, Wounds or Corruption.

Example songs:
Song of Cleansing
Cleanses the area of Dark Magic and residual Taint, allows rerolls of Resist Magic rolls with bonus equal to net successes. Eldritch, Unholy and Undead will avoid the area unless ordered or provoked (+1 difficulty to all rolls while in area). Provides +1 difficulty to casting any other than natural magic for next hour.

Song of Soothing
Soothes the pain of all who hear it, removing temporarily Pain and Fatigue.
Removes – temporarily – 1 point of pain and fatigue per net success for next minute/hour/half-day/day (apprentice/proficient/journeyman/master).

Song of Valor
Provides bonuses to combat rolls (removes fatigue effects, adds 1 CP per 5 successes, provides bonus to Courage rolls...).

Song of Pathfinder
Allows rerolls of Navigation and Orienteering rolls.

Song of Sleep
Listeners need to resist magic or fall firm asleep for next (level+net successes) hours if friendly/neutral or (level+net successes) minutes if unfriendly. After that they may be woken normally. Caster gains 1 unresisted point of fatigue.

Hymn of Peace...
Song of the Hunt...
Ballad of Pain...

Regarding homelands: you can choose either Schwerwald or Rune forest. Schwerwald is basically the 'wild' part of Stahl: it spreads north and northeast of Stahl, and makes for a vast 'no man's land' forested area, which is contested by three countries at least at any moment. The natives are usually described as hot-headed and hard-headed, but very controlled. Situated amongst one of the largest forests, this area is full of old ruined castles and mysteries. And robber barons.

Rune forest is a different beast: less people, more mysteries. Elves are told to roam this ancient forest, said to be protected by druids and their magic. Orc encampements tend to be found on the northern side of the forest, but most orcs that stay nearby are heavily spiritual types - and will not attack unless you disturb their forest. It lies south of the Scar.

Schwerwald provides +1 WIL, free skill "Survival" and "Folk-lore", -1 SOC.
Rune forest provides +1 to POW (power; derived attribute), +1 HT and -1 SOC.

---

Step 3: Attributes!

There are 10 basic and 5 derived attributes. The higher they are, the better. Heroic average is 4, common folk average is 3.

You have to distribute the points from prioritization to 10 basic Physical and Mental attributes. One of them needs to be higher than the others and you can not get more than 7 or lower than 2 on during this step. Afterwards, modify those by your homeland. Calculate the derived attributes afterwards (except for Power; which requires you to spend some Proficiency points).

Physical:

Strength - ST - physical strength. Determines damage, carrying capacity, influences movement speed.

Agility - AG - physical agility, coordination of movement and dexterity. Influences lot of skills, combat reflex, aiming, movement speed and balance.

Toughness - TO - ability to withstand damage. Determines damage resistance and influences how hard it is to get your character unconscious.

Health - HT - ability of body to heal, withstand illness, poisons, etc. Influences how fast you bleed out.

Endurance - EN - determines how fast fatigue impacts your character.

Mental:

Willpower - WIL - determines how stubborn, self-controlling and determined the character is. Influences magic resistance, resistance to provocation/persuasion, as well as knockout of the character.

Wit - WIT - mental reflexes, cunning. Determine how quick-thinking the character is, influence character's reflexes and are used with several skills that require fast thinking.

Mental Aptitude - MA - ability to learn, understand and analyze. Influences how fast the character learns skills, starting number of free skill points, how "learned" the character is. Important fact - this is not "intelligence" - the low MA characters may still be smart, but not learned.

Social - SOC - ability of character to socialize, use words for his purpose, whether it is persuasion, intimidation or seduction.

Perception - PER - awareness of one's surroundings, influences aiming and is used mostly to determine what the person sees, hears, feels, etc. Is used mostly with skills that should "notice" something.

Derived:

(basic rule: unless told otherwise, round down)

Reflex - REF - exactly what it says on the tin. REF is a basis for character's combat pool. It is (AG+WIT)/2

Aim - AIM - basis for character's ranged combat pool. It is (AG+PER)/2

Knock down - KD - how easy it is to knock your character prone, lose balance, lose grip on sword, etc. Calculated as (ST+AG)/2

Knock out - KO - how easy it is to knock your character unconscious (TO+1/2WIL)

Move - MO - how fast the character moves (in yards per exchange). MO = (ST+AG+EN)/2

Mages have their own derived attribute - Power (POW) - calculated as (WIL + MA + HT + bonus)/3; where bonus is equal to number of mysteries you know or (if lower) the highest mystery rating.

---

So, spend your attribute points! Discuss or ask if you need anything.

Also, since I get errors, if there is a consensus, we can move this to Discord. Or at least the part where we discuss characters. Let me know.

[JNAProductions]

Rune Forest for me, please.
And Druidic Magic. Definitely want Song of Soothing, but not sure what else.

And let's see, 39 points to work with. 10 Abilities.

Physical	19 Total
Strength	3
Agility	5
Toughness	3
Health	4
Endurance	4
Mental	20 Total
Willpower	3
Wit	3
Mental Aptitude	3
Social	4
Perception	7

[Lacco]

@JNAProductions: Consider that Rune Forest will give you +1 HT. So feel free to drop the HT a bit and add Strength (will allow you to use better bows, if you plan to be an archer).

Otherwise, not too bad for a ranged combatant with some basic magic. Though your Power attribute will suffer a bit from the WIL/MA.

[ProgressPaladin]

Oh I did not know we were using discord. This is most likely my fault. I will not use discord, so will have to leave.

[Lacco]

No, I plan using GitP for PbP, but was offering it as temporary solution for current issues with the server (almost lost the two long writeups, but I've grown to be paranoid.

[ProgressPaladin]

Ah, that’s fine. We can still communicate on here though?

[ProgressPaladin]

Attributes:
STR: 6, AG: 6, TO: 5+1, EN 3, HT: 4, WP: 3, WT: 6, MA: 2, SOC: 3-1, PER: 6

Reflex: 6
Aim: 6
Knockdown: 6
Knockout: 6

[JNAProductions]

Physical	19 Total
Strength	4
Agility	5
Toughness	3
Health	3+1=4
Endurance	4
Mental	20 Total
Willpower	3
Wit	3
Mental Aptitude	3
Social	4-1=3
Perception	7

[Lacco]

Ah, that’s fine. We can still communicate on here though?

Of course. I plan to run the game here - it was mostly for convenience regarding current situation.

Also, as English-as-second-language speaker, I need time to check what I write - I am quite proficient, but still think in my language that is quite different.

So, there is very little chance of me running anything on Discord. I don't mind having it as "Q&A" section, as I can respond faster, but PbP is PbP. And today I am getting no errors, so it should be fine.

Attributes:
STR: 6, AG: 6, TO: 5+1, EN 3, HT: 4, WP: 3, WT: 6, MA: 2, SOC: 3-1, PER: 6

Reflex: 6
Aim: 6
Knockdown: 6
Knockout: 6

Knockout should be ST + 1/2 of WP, which is 7 in your case.

Also, one of your attributes needs to be higher than the other ones before you apply race/homeland bonuses and penalties. I'd suggest improving AG and lowering PER, you'll get the same AIM, but you can improve WIT during game to get REF 7, which is phenomenal.

Overall, good job. I'd watch out for the EN and WP: you will get fatigued easier, which can be bad (don't wear heavy armor) and socially skilled enemies will provoke you easily. Especially if you take one of the flaws related to troublemaking/bloodlust.

There are no dump stats in this game. Even the low SOC will bite you, as people will not be as likely to help you out.

Still, a formidable fighter.

Physical	19 Total
Strength	4
Agility	5
Toughness	3
Health	3+1=4
Endurance	4
Mental	20 Total
Willpower	3
Wit	3
Mental Aptitude	3
Social	4-1=3
Perception	7

Checks out.

Calculate derived attributes and we can move on.

---

Step 2.5: Lacco Forgot about the Status!

Spoiler: Status

Show

Status decides your position in your local society (so, at home - but is mostly respected or mistreated also outside), your privileges, obligations, reputation and your starting equipment.

As you will be starting outside your 'home' area, we won't be doing the shopping in detail, but you will be afforded starting equipment according to the status, and you'll get some personalised picks (will be prepared later for each of you after we have prepared the character; the 'starting equipment' is there just to give you a basic idea what to expect).

In general:

A - Landed Noble
General Privileges: owning land, owning weapons, setting local rules, commanding the serfs, having yeomen, acting as judge on their land.
Obligations: owns fealty to a higher power (king), must provide units/money if asked, has to pay taxes.

Assets: landed noble owns lands and a manor in their homeland, where they may retreat. They also have extensive network of contacts among other nobles, and wear their own banner (if worn, they may be recognized).

Starting equipment: A set of very good quality armor and several weapons, a warhorse, few other horses or a carriage, escort of few men, several pouches of silver, jewelry, good clothes (including spares), good tools for any relevant skill, a personal servant (unless replaced by PC), pavillion tent and a chest of personal effects.

B - Landless Noble
Gentry, or minor nobility. Addressed as "sir/lady", or as appropriate to the country, if recognized. Have a family banner. May own a house and may use their name to gain access to certain local nobles.
Starting equipment: a good quality weapon, a good quality armor, a good horse or a carriage, a pair of hired mercenaries and a servant, good clothes, tools, a pavillion tent and horse to carry it, a pouch or two, full of silver.

C - High Freeman
Free-folk. The artisans, merchants, mercenaries, not bound by anyone. Or landless noble out of luck.
Priviledges: move around freely, carry weapons in most societies; if landless noble out of luck, you gain bad reputation.
Starting equipment: a weapon, an armor, a good set of tools, a riding horse and maybe a mule for equipment, a pouch of silver

Low Freeman
Not indentured to anyone, but not so well-to-do as high freemen. Academics, lower clergy or scribes.
Starting equipment: a weapon, a leather jacket (or padded armor), a set of basic tools for their job, clothes that keep them dry and warm, a riding horse or a wagon, and handful of silver coins,

Peasants and Serfs
The working class. Unless their lord gives them the privilege, they may not own weapons (bows, daggers and staves are not considered "weapons"). Serfs have to work on their lord's land and may not move without permission. Peasants, on the other hand, may move, but have to pay rent for their land.
Starting equipment: a 'not weapon' (bow, dagger and/or staff) of lower quality, a set of clothes and personal effects that fit into a small satchel or backpack, handful of copper pieces

Prisoners/slaves/exiles
The unfortunate.
You get what the GM gives you and you may be pleasantly surprised (or not).
Or you get one ragged set of clothes, a rusty/bent weapon given by GM and pat on back (pats on back have no in-game effect!)

---

Step 4: Proficiencies and Skill Packets

Spoiler: Proficiencies

Show

Proficiencies are weapon skills – specifically, they are styles of combat, sometimes including several styles over one weapon. A longsword may be used with sword&shield style, longsword/greatsword, even with cut&trust (not very effectively).

Here you distribute the points you got into individual weapons skills to calculate you CP (combat pool).

Defaulting is important part. When you train one style, you may gain proficiency in some other styles, similar to the one you train. Through defaulting, you can not raise your proficiency over 6. I will post a link to table with defaults (where you can calculate your final proficiencies).

Melee proficiencies are:

• Sword and shield – covers the traditional combination of one-handed or hand-and-half sword with a personal shield on your arm. This offers good defensive options.
• Longsword/greatsword – covers use of long swords, usually used with both hands. Long range and good cutting power.
• Cut and thrust – light swords, focused on thrusting - short swords, backswords, sideswords, usually in combination with other hand free, small personal shield, cloak or power glove, in some cases also two swords. Emphasis on thrusting or draw-cutting, fast swordplay.
• Rapier – use of rapier, smallsword. Quick and deceptively deadly.
• Case of rapiers – simultaneous use of two rapiers. Extended range and good attack potential.
• Sabres, scimitars - curved blades, especially good for mounted combat, very effective against lightly armoured opponents.
• Daggers – easily hidden, popular as civilian weapons. Carried almost by everyone.
• Polearms – spears, pikes, quarterstaffs. Good range, good piercing attacks and cheap.
• Poleaxes – especially effective against armour, used by both hands. Includes famous guisarmes and glaives.
• Mass weapon and shield – axes, flails, hammers. One or two-handed, particularly heavy on the “bussiness” end.
• Pugilism/brawling – punches, kicks, dirty tricks and some grappling. Good for close combat, bad if the opponent has range and doppelhander.
• Wrestling – specific focus on getting the opponent pinned, thrown to the ground and there immobilized/killed by bare hands. Good as a last measure, fine in unarmed fight. May be good idea against some opponents, immediate death against other.

Ranged proficiencies are:

• Bow
• Crossbow
• Darts
• Slings
• Spear/Javelin (may get "defaulted" from polearms)
• Thrown Knives
• Thrown Axes
• Thrown Rocks (and other irregular objects)

Basically, each weapon/style is deadly. As the book states, you wouldn’t want to get stabbed by a dagger – so why would your character ignore it? Still, going with a dagger against a greatsword is foolish at best.
Proficiency 3 means basic training (basic training), 6 is for trained person (e.g. soldier), 9 for elite and 12 for masters.
Proficiencies give you access to manuevers. We will discuss these later.

Spoiler: Skills

Show

Skills represent target numbers (TN) for skill checks, rolled with Xd10 dice, where X is the value of respective attribute. This means, that the lower the skill value, the better.
In the character generation, you pick skill packets, representing the “occupation” or training you received. You can also suggest your own skill packets if you find the ones in the rules lacking.

The numbers in the priority table represent skill packet values – e.g. 6/7 means you get one skill packet with TN 6 and one skill packet with TN 7. Every skill packet has a list of skills, some with modifiers (from -2 to +2) which change the final value.

After that, you receive skill points equal to your MA attribute, which you can invest in any skill you want. First point invested will give you the lower TN from your skill packet values (e.g. in our example it would be 6).

You can choose from basic skill packets, or propose an specific one from the concept list:

• Academic
• Adventurer
• Alchemist
• Antiquarian
• Assassin
• Bandit
• Bard
• Beggar/Street urchin
• Bounty hunter
• Burglar
• Clergyman
• Cleric
• Con-man
• Courtier
• Craftsman
• Cutpurse
• Druid
• Druid/
• Entertainer
• Explorer
• gambler
• Guardsman
• Healer
• Highwayman
• Knight/squire
• Laborer
• Manservant/Butler/Seneschal/Page
• Mercenary
• Merchant/trader
• Occultist
• Peasant/craftsman
• Pirate
• Plague doctor
• Priest/nun
• Ritualist
• Roadwarden
• Rogue
• Sailor
• Scout
• Soldier
• Spy
• Swordsman
• Thief
• Warrior (clan/tribe)
• Witch doctor
• Woodsman/ranger

Other skill packets may be produced on demand. If you want to take one skill packet twice, it will lower the TNs of all skills by one.

For spending of MA points there is a skill list (more skills to be updated):

• Acrobatics
• Acting
• Ancient languages
• Animal guise
• Animal handling/herding
• Appraisal
• Arcane theory
• Artillery
• Astronomy
• Battle
• Boating
• Body language
• Breaking and entering
• Camouflage
• Climbing
• Combat/Weapon art
• Craft/Trade
• Dancing
• Diplomacy
• Disguise
• Etiquette
• Farming
• First aid
• Folk lore
• Forgery
• Gambling
• Games
• Heraldry
• Herbalist
• Hunting/Trapping
• Intimidate
• Intrigue
• Juggling
• Language (nation)
• Law
• Leadership
• Lockpicking
• Lore (knowledge area)
• Meditation
• Musical instrument
• Navigation
• Omen reading
• Orate
• Orienteering
• Panhandling
• Persuasion
• Pickpocket
• Read & Write
• Research
• Ridicule
• Riding
• Ritual Magic
• Sailing
• Scrounging
• Search
• Secret Language (specific language)
• Seduction
• Sincerity
• Singing
• Sneak
• Stewardship
• Strategy
• Streetwise
• Style analysis
• •Surgery
• •Survival
• •Swimming
• •Symbol Drawing
• •Tactics
• •Teamster
• •Theology
• •Tracking
• •Traps
• •Weather sense

If there are any questions about application of skill, I’ll answer them, however – start with skill packet. The additional skills will be selected easily.

[JNAProductions]

Physical	19 Total
Strength	4
Agility	5
Toughness	3
Health	3+1=4
Endurance	4
Mental	20 Total
Willpower	3
Wit	3
Mental Aptitude	3
Social	4-1=3
Perception	7
Derived	-
Reflex	4
Aim	6
Knock Down	4/5
Knock Out	4/5
Move	6/7
Power	5/6

Do we round up or down? That's what the X/Y are.

Proficiencies-11 Total
Bows
Daggers
Rocks

Not sure what kinda numbers to assign. Maybe 6/3/2?

Skills-6/6
Explorer
Woodswoman

How does spending MA points work? Do we get one per MA?

[bramblefoot]

alright, since i dont like the social classes kit i get, im gonna do some editing

proficiencies A
skills B
attributes C
social status D
gifts E
race F

ill take flawed vision as my flaw

for his philosophy it is the voices speak madness. my gibbering holds the truth

for perk:

ST: 4
AG: 5
TO: 4
HT: 5
EN: 4+1

WILL: 3+1
WIT: 5
MA: 3
SOC: 3-1
PER: 3

REF: 4
AIM 4
KD: 4
KO: 3
MOV: 5

[Lacco]

Proficiency Default Table:

LINK

Use the 'generator' sheet. Just select your proficiency priority & put points into 'invested points' column.

Do we round up or down? That's what the X/Y are.

Always round down in this game.

Proficiencies-11 Total
Bows
Daggers
Rocks

Not sure what kinda numbers to assign. Maybe 6/3/2?

Check the link above.

Bows 6 will give you 3 points by default into thrown rocks.

That will leave you with 3 free points for melee.

However, remember that for druidic magic you need to spend proficiency points for Songs.

In character generation you spend 1 point to get 3 Songs - learned from the mentor. Afterwards you have to improve each separately (each becomes its own Proficiency and its own skill). So if you choose Healer's Songs, you get the three songs mentioned for 1 point at Apprentice level. If you want to improve Song of Soothing to a journeyman level, you need to spend additional point.

Healer's Songs (Song of Soothing, Song of Mending, Song of Cleansing)
Traveller's Songs (Song of Pathfinder, Chant of Long Road, Song of Soothing)
Warrior's Songs (Hymn of Valor, Ballad of Pain, Song of Soothing)
Hunter's Songs (Song of the Hunt, Chant of the Long Road, Tracker's Tune)
Nightmother's Songs (Nightmother's Lullaby, Song of Dreams, Requiem for a the Fallen)
Allfather's Songs (Song of Cleansing, Hymn of Peace, Song of Friendship)

And I'd suggest putting at least 2 points into polearms (a staff is surprisingly good weapon, as is a spear) or axes (mass weapon & shield style, can be used without a shield).

Skills-6/6
Explorer
Woodswoman

How does spending MA points work? Do we get one per MA?

You get 1 point per MA. Spending a single point gets you either a single new skill at your higher rating (in your case 6), improves a skill by one step, or give you an additional language.

You should definitely spend points to get Singing as your skill. For the songs.

Your skill packets:

Spoiler: Explorer Skill Packet

Show

Appraisal +2
Breaking and entering +1
Climbing
First aid +1
Hunting/Trapping +1
Navigation
Orienteering
Search
Streetwise
Survival
Swimming

Select 2 of following:
Boating
Sailing
Teamster
Riding

Spoiler: Woodswoman Skill Packet

Show

Hunting -1
Tracking +1
Survival
Scrounging
Animal Guise
Herbalist +1
Orienteering -1
Sneak +1
Camouflage
Climbing +1
Swimming -1
Weather Sense

alright, since i dont like the social classes kit i get, im gonna do some editing

Why? It would make it more interesting... ok, I'd give you a free gift. Manacles! For free!

proficiencies A
skills B
gifts C
social status D
attributes E
race F

Okay. I'd seriously suggest not going so low with attributes. You can get new equipment by buying it (you have two companions), by scrounging it, by stealing it, looting it... but E in attributes will hurt you.

IF you want an old man, go with attributes C and gifts E. You'll get a Lingering Injury and maybe some other baggage, but the two others won't have to carry you

ill take gibbering madman as my flaw

for his philosophy it is the voices speak madness. my gibbering holds the truth

for his special thing its a killer instinct and a taste for blood

Philosophy is fine. The special thing sounds like Bloodlust flaw (which is available and basically makes you fight to the death most of the time instead of letting foes run away). As for the gibbering madman... there is no such thing, but we can think of something. However, bear in mind: you are a witness of something important. And the two men that are dragging you across three countries should trust you. So less of a madman, but maybe touched by magic. I'd say you can have something called 'a flawed vision' - you see omens and portents, broken images and dreams - but they are often unrealiable. How does that sound?

ST: 3
AG: 5
TO: 3
HT: 3
EN: 2+1

WILL: 2+1
WIT: 4
MA: 2
SOC: 2-1
PER: 3

That's 29. You still have 2 additional points even with the E.

[ProgressPaladin]

I have proficiency in both cut and thrust, and saber and dagger. Could I use my cut and thrust sword and a dagger for the latter?

[Lacco]

I have proficiency in both cut and thrust, and saber and dagger. Could I use my cut and thrust sword and a dagger for the latter?

Saber & dagger is an error on my side, have to fix the table. The original proficiency is Saber, Scimitar, Messer. And it assumes only a single weapon.

Saber & dagger (weapon combo) would be under Cut & Thrust proficiency.

[JNAProductions]

Physical	19 Total
Strength	4
Agility	5
Toughness	3
Health	3+1=4
Endurance	4
Mental	20 Total
Willpower	3
Wit	3
Mental Aptitude	3
Social	4-1=3
Perception	7
Derived	-
Reflex	4
Aim	6
Knock Down	4
Knock Out	4
Move	6
Power	5

Proficiencies-11 Total
Bows 6
Daggers 3
Druidic Magic 2

Skills-6/6
Explorer [Teamster, Riding]
Woodswoman

MA: Singing
MA: Hunting/Trapping improvement
MA: Sneaking improvement

[Lacco]

@JNAProduction:

Hunting / Trapping = you need to choose one of those (either hunting or trapping). However, you have it in both packets, so you can have both.

Your skill list should look like this (if I did no mistakes):

Skills:
Animal Guise 6
Appraisal 8
Breaking and entering 7
Camouflage 6
Climbing 5
First aid 7
Herbalist 7
Hunting 6
Trapping 7
Navigation 6
Orienteering 4
Riding 6
Scrounging 6
Search 6
Singing 6
Sneak 6
Streetwise 6
Survival 5
Swimming 4
Teamster 6
Tracking 7
Weather Sense 6

Which druidic songs will you choose?

[JNAProductions]

Sleep, Pathfinder, and Soothing.

[ProgressPaladin]

I was looking through the weapon stats, and polearms add “p” to thier damage. What is that?

[bramblefoot]

alright, ill flip it. the dm is always right :)

[Lacco]

Sleep, Pathfinder, and Soothing.

I think you wanted to spend 2 points; in that case you can either get 2 songs, or you can take one of the packets (3 songs for price of 1) I mentioned above.

If you want to be a healer, I'd suggest going also for the Song of Mending (which speeds up healing).

I was looking through the weapon stats, and polearms add “p” to thier damage. What is that?

I'll be using the weapon list from Flower of Battle supplement. It's much more detailed.

Also: the 'p' means 'piercing'. Some polearms (e.g. staff) use blunt damage. Spears use piercing, but e.g. boar spear can also cut and you can use the handle for a quick blunt swing/thrust.

You have different damage results for cutting/piercing and blunt damage.

alright, ill flip it. the dm is always right :)

Bear in mind: it's your character. I'm just providing suggestions as someone who played the system for a long time.

If I were you, I'd go for the 'prisoner'. You would normally get an old sword (or a different weapon), some clothes, a fur/hide armor (least effective, does not cover most of the body) and a personal item or two. It will make the game a biiiit more complicated at start, but bear in mind: you are effectively starting in a lawless land, you'll have to rely on your companions to provide some money for equipment and share their provisions - but it will be balanced by your skill in combat.

And the free manacles, of course! Can be reused on someone else!

So, feel free to rework or keep the original character.

---

So, any questions? Feedback? If you are unsure about anything, let me know. I'm here to help.

[ProgressPaladin]

I don’t have the flower of battle supplement, nor any interest in feting it. Could you share the stats somehow?

[bramblefoot]

proficiencies A
skills B
attributes C
social status D
gifts E
race F

ill take flawed vision as my flaw

for his philosophy it is the voices speak madness. my gibbering holds the truth

for perk ill take muscles of a panther and the speed of a snake on a hot roof

ST: 4
AG: 6
TO: 4
HT: 5
EN: 4+1

WILL: 3+1
WIT: 4
MA: 3
SOC: 3-1
PER: 3

REF: 5
AIM 4
KD: 5
KO: 4
MOV: 7

proficiencies

longsword 8
thrown rocks 2
brawling 4
dagger 4
sword and shield 4

[JNAProductions]

I think you wanted to spend 2 points; in that case you can either get 2 songs, or you can take one of the packets (3 songs for price of 1) I mentioned above.

If you want to be a healer, I'd suggest going also for the Song of Mending (which speeds up healing).

I must've missed the packets-what do they include?

[Lacco]

I don’t have the flower of battle supplement, nor any interest in feting it. Could you share the stats somehow?

No problem.

Normally I ask what weapons you'd like and provide the stats, but I can also write them down in total (I always wanted to do it but never had a reason to).

So, if you give me some time, I can have a list ready maybe somewhere around Tuesday.

proficiencies A
skills B
attributes C
social status D
gifts E
race F

ill take flawed vision as my flaw

for his philosophy it is the voices speak madness. my gibbering holds the truth

for perk ill take muscles of a panther and the speed of a snake on a hot roof

ST: 4
AG: 6
TO: 4
HT: 5
EN: 4+1

WILL: 3+1
WIT: 4
MA: 3
SOC: 3-1
PER: 3

REF: 5
AIM 4
KD: 5
KO: 4
MOV: 7

proficiencies

longsword 6
thrown rocks 2
brawling 3
dagger 3

Attributes look fine.

If you have proficiency A, you can go to 8 with your proficiency level (normally you can go to 7). I'd go for the Longsword 8. That will give you (see Default table) 4 in Daggers and Brawling by default.

And Longsword 8 makes you a formidable opponent.

After that I'd look at ranged options: in RoS, bows are dangerous. Dangerous as hell (you'll learn). Thrown knives and rocks are fine, but they are strength-dependant (and even a short bow can easily mess you up).

Also, Sword & Shield. Don't think shields are like D&D and give +1. Nope. They give you passive armor (on the arm you are wearing them and even more if you have a larger shield), are the only way how to defend against ranged (outside of evasion) and are very good for blocking and give you a range of maneuvers.

Again, just suggestions. But look at the defaults and consider what you want to pick. Even thrown rocks are a good idea (slings are even better; but they require at least ST 5 to use well).

(also, Longsword! one of the best proficiencies!)

I must've missed the packets-what do they include?

Healer's Songs (Song of Soothing, Song of Mending, Song of Cleansing)
Traveller's Songs (Song of Pathfinder, Chant of Long Road, Song of Soothing)
Warrior's Songs (Hymn of Valor, Ballad of Pain, Song of Soothing)
Hunter's Songs (Song of the Hunt, Chant of the Long Road, Tracker's Tune)
Nightmother's Songs (Nightmother's Lullaby, Song of Dreams, Requiem for the Fallen)
Allfather's Songs (Song of Cleansing, Hymn of Peace, Song of Friendship)

Song of Soothing: Soothes the pain of all who hear it, removing temporarily Pain and Fatigue. Removes – temporarily – 1 point of pain and fatigue per net success for next hour/half-day/day/week (apprentice/proficient/journeyman/master). The pain still needs to be healed, but the negative effect of pain is removed. Takes somewhere from a minute to three minutes to sing.

Song of Mending: Mends wounds and speeds up healing. Net successes are split evenly between healing a wound (removing 1 point of Pain immediately per net success) and speeding up healing of the residual pain (decreasing the time until next healing roll from by 1 day; usually this is once per week). Levels above apprentice provide 1 additional point of Pain healed by the song. Singing this song takes a four hours on apprentice level, 2 hours on proficient, 1 hour on journeyman and only 10 minutes when Master.

Song of Cleansing: Cleanses the area of Dark Magic and residual Taint, allows rerolls of Resist Magic rolls with bonus equal to net successes. Eldritch, Unholy and Undead will avoid the area unless ordered or provoked (+1 difficulty to all rolls while in area per level of the Song). It takes an hour to sing the song, and the area is determined by the level.

Song of Pathfinder: First level of the song, when sung, allows rerolls of Navigation and Orienteering rolls. Second level allows you to choose either faster or safer path. Journeyman level provides you with knowledge of how to find your path towards your goal.

Chant of the Long Road: This chant allows everybody who hears it to reroll Endurance rolls during long parts of road. On higher levels, it adds dice to the Endurance roll equal to the level. Lasts only when sang.

Hymn of Valor: An uplifting battle song, filling hearts of warriors with courage and their arms with vigor. Needs to be sang before combat. It lasts only for few hours (2 hours per level) and takes 5 minutes to sing. Net successes provide bonuses to combat rolls (remove fatigue effects - 1 point per level, adds 1 CP per 4/3/2/1 successes - based on level, provides bonus to morale rolls).

Ballad of Pain: A bloodthirsty song that is able to fill the warriors with anger and desire to hurt. It increases Pain caused by any wounds they cause by +1 per level of the song.

Song of the Hunt: This song needs to be sang before a hunt. It lasts for a single hunt and takes around 5 minutes. It allows the hunter to reroll a hunting or trapping roll and provides bonus dice for the higher song levels.

Tracker's Tune: This tune needs to be sang during tracking. On lowest level it allows only to reroll a failed tracking roll, but on higher levels it provides bonus dice and decreases the amount of successes needed to track someone.

Nightmother's Lullaby (Song of Sleep): A short lullaby, takes less than a minute (several combat rounds) to sing. Listeners need to resist magic or fall into a magical sleep (only pain can wake them up) for next (level+net successes) hours if friendly/neutral or (level+net successes) minutes if unfriendly. After that they may be woken normally.

Song of Dreams: This song transports the singer and the sleeper into a dream world. Depending on the level of the song, net successes can be extracted to view memories, see future, scry into distance and even send messages to other people.

Requiem for the Fallen: This song awakens the feelings of loneliness, sadness and makes people contemplate their own mortality. Listeners need to pass a Will check or become demoralized, ignoring even direct threats. Higher levels of the song may lead people to lose combat dice when in combat, or even worse.

Hymn of Peace: The song calms down enemies and even animals.

Song of Friendship: The song is a celebration of friendship and may cause listeners to become more friendly, helpful and on higher levels even directly cause them to rally behind the singer.

[JNAProductions]

I'll take the Healer's package.