New Character Creation Ability Scores Races in the County Classes in the County Alignments Languages Skills and Feats Religions Spells Purchase Equipment Prestige Classes Guilds and Organizations (Meta-Gaming) What Now Downloads Maps All Living Greyhawk characters are made using the same rules, and since there isn't a judge to watch your rolls, and you can take the character from judge to judge, con to con, anyway, dice roles are not used to create characters. Instead attributes are assigned with a point-buy system. The full details of how to generate a character are defined below. Your character also didn't just appear out of nowhere (well, probably didn't), your going to want to make a background for that character. Its probably best to do this first, as it might affect how you make your character, what class, race, skills and feats you might choose. To get a better idea of the nation your going to find yourself in, and therefore what kind of background you want, read through the the County of Urnst Gazetteer. The Gazetteer should give you some basics as to the History of the County of Urnst, its Political areas, and its Geography. In creating your background its important to remember that just because people want to have a character that may not fit into the County of Urnst society easily, the Triad and the module writers are not going to let you get away with having it easily. Be prepared for being treated unjustly, and even unfairly by simple-minded peasants and the like. The following is a step by step guide to creating a character in Living Greyhawk. Items colored in red denote 'the norm' in the County of Urnst. Feel free to play whatever you like of course. Although not required, it is recommended that you use one of the character sheets found in the files section of this website. Step 1 - Ability Scores     Top Living Greyhawk characters are created using the point buy method using 28 points. You may not drop a stat below 8 or raise it above 18 before applying any racial modifiers.   Stat Cost Modifier 8 0 -1 9 1 -1 10 2 0 11 3 0 12 4 +1 13 5 +1 14 6 +2 15 8 +2 16 10 +3 17 13 +3 18 16 +4   Races in the County    Top The County has some special considerations towards the commonality and identity of each of the races.  See the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer, Chapter 2 for further details.  Living Greyhawk characters are restricted to the following choices for race unless given specific campaign documentation, Human, Elf (Gray, High, Wood), Dwarf (Hill, Mountain), Half-Elf, Half-Orc, Halfling (Lightfoot, Tallfellow, Deep), and Gnome (Rock). When Choosing a Human, you should also choose a heritage from the following list: Baklunish, Flan, Oeridian, Rhenee, Suloise or Mixed. This will not affect your stats in any way but may help determine what you look like and how others react to you. High Elves are identical to the elves listed in the players handbook, as are Hill Dwarves and Lightfoot Halflings. The other subraces use the modifications listed below.   Subrace Ability Adjustment Favored Class Trait Change Gray Elf -2str, +2dex, -2con, +2int Wizard None Wood Elf +2str, +2dex, -2con, -2int, Ranger None Mountain Dwarf Standard Dwarf Fighter None Tallfellow Halfling Standard Halfling Rogue See Monster Manual Deep (Stout) Halfling Standard Halfling Rogue See Monster Manual   Common Races   Human (79%) The original, ancient tribes of different human sub-races have intermixed in the County, but the predominant bloodline features of each character may still be evident.   The human bloodlines commonly found in the County are: Oeridian (51%), Suloise/Suel (42%), Rhennee or Attloi (4%), Flan (2%), other or unremarkable (1%).   Overall, human racial differences are given little importance by the intelligent and cultured folk of the County. Halfling (9%) Behind humans, halflings make up the next largest racial group in the County (9%).  Much of their population tends to live between Heanor and Trigol in a number of spread-out communities of a hundred or two.  Tallfellow and stout halflings tend to live nearer to elven and dwarven conclaves respectively.  Native halflings have a thick ‘midwestern’ accent.  Elves & Half-Elves  (6%) Elves make up the third largest racial group in Urnst at 6%.  They were rare here until the Greyhawk Wars.  Then, the Elves came as refugees and immigrants from the forests of the Fellreev, Celadon, Phostwood, Gamboge, or even the Adri.  Central Urnst has been to the liking of the high elves as it is a wealthy and civilized realm, but largely devoid of the dense forests Gray or Wood elves treasure so much.  Their arrival has spurred prejudice too, as elves tend to be slow to make friends, and were largely isolationist when most needed during the Greyhawk Wars. Uncommon Races   Dwarves (3%) There are families of native hill dwarves living in the Dreerwode hills just outside of Brotton and along the Franz River.  The foreign, Mountain dwarves in Urnst tend come from the Rakers Mountains to the Northeast. Gnomes (2%) There are some gnomes native to the County, but their communities are secretive and not known to most Urnstians.  The Duchy of Urnst, the Cairn Hills and the Domain of Greyhawk, to the southwest, are the nearby sources of foreign gnomes. Half-Orcs (1%) Half-Orcs are not completely uncommon in Urnst.  Most often, they appear near the Urnst-Iuz frontier.  These people are scorned throughout Urnst, as their kind used to raid with the old Bandit Kings before the coming of Iuz.   Classes in the County    Top Living Greyhawk allows the use of all standard Players Handbook classes. Once you meet the requirements, you may also take any 'Core' prestige class listed in the Living Greyhawk Campaign Sourcebook. You need regional documentation to take any of the adaptable prestige classes listed in the same location. You gain full hp at 1st character level, and half plus one for ever other level. Currently the classes listed in the Complete Warrior and the Miniatures Handbook are not allowed. Barbarian Berserkers, as they are sometimes called when hailing from the more civilized regions like the County, combine the raw power of anger with survival skills second only to druids and rangers. While those that call themselves civilized sometimes view them with distain, nobody can deny their power and prowess in battle. Bard Normally viewed as traveling minstrels and taproom performers, the County's bards are some of the most versatile adventurers one will ever find. With the healing powers of the priests, mind-affecting spells better then any illusionist, and almost as many skills as rogues, bards can and will fill any niche, if given the chance, and sometimes create their own while inspiring others. Cleric While the County does not have any official religion, we do have some of the most zealous priests and priestesses of anywhere in the Flanaess. With a renewed undead threat, many churches are training these field priests to go out and help defend the people, some are going out to help themselves. Just hope you have one around when the going gets tough. Druid As the breadbasket of the Flanaess, the County has many relatively inexperienced, but still effective druids. With animal and plant foci, the druids of Urnst do what they can to protect both the wilds from civilization, and civilization from the wilds. They are found in several of the forests of the County, especially the Dreerwode. Fighter With the recent civil war, there are many trained fighting men and women of all races. Whether they fought on the side of the Countess or the Lord of the East, these professionals are skilled and ready for a fight. With the current non-aggression pact with the Imperium, many of the County's able bodies have returned to active duty, but when on leave, still adventure for gold. Monk With discipline comes skill, and with skill comes ability. These and many other pieces of wisdom are taught to many aspiring monks before they leave the secluded monastery, deep in the Dreerwode. These lightly armed combatants are a stark contrast to the heavily armed and armored troops, but with experience, can do things beyond even the mightiest mage, priest, or simple warrior can hope to accomplish. Paladin The path of the righteous warrior leads many through the lands of the County. With sightings of rogue fiends left over from the civil war, and a renewed uprising of undead, the churches of law and good are fielding their holy warriors to fight the good fight. All these internal dangers, the Imperium to the south and east, and the Bandit Kingdom and Iuz to the north, ensure there is no shortage of adventure for Paladins based in the County. Ranger Specializing in two-weapon combat or archery, the County's rangers are the premier wilderness warriors. With their non-encumbering armor, flexible weapon selection, and tracking skills, there is no shortage of adventure. Most rangers focus on animals or humanoids of various sorts, though many take fiends when favoring an enemy since the civil war. Rogue Thieves, bandits, and pickpockets, while not the best words to describe the rogues of the County, they are sometimes true. Moreover, many rogue specialize in more, dungeon-oriented skills, like traps and locks, magical items and avoiding hostile detection. Though there are many thieves’ guilds in the County, there are also many reputable jobs for the more skillful adventurers. Sorcerer With the ability to call forth magic from their very blood, sorcerers are prized adventuring companions. With a better weapon selection then wizards, and more spells each day, sorcerers make great battle mages in any situation, and with their natural force of personality, they also make excellent diplomats, some even combining magic with their diplomacy. There are also rumors of sorcerers developing their draconic heritage, though specifics are hard to pin down. Wizard Professional, trained wizards are well appreciated here and their art and wisdom is highly looked upon. Radigast has one of the best wizardry colleges in the Flanaess, some say the best, and with the late Countess Belissica having been a wizard herself, the occupation has a rich history. With versatility unmatched by bards or sorcerers, and the ability to scribe and carry even more spells from the start of their adventures, wizards, specialists or generalists, are welcomed in any adventuring party, the more the merrier, or the crispier, depending on enchantment or evocation. New Base Classes from the Complete series: Favored Soul The divine counterpart to sorcerers, favored souls are not chosen by any religion, like most clerics are, but instead, are chosen by the gods themselves, as independent representatives in a world where they themselves cannot interfere. Some of the established churches in Radigast are afraid that an errant favored soul may damage their standing with the people, but the favored souls claim they serve the gods, not the temples. Hexblade In the goodly County, most people fear the power of the hexblade, and rightly so. With combat capability roughly on par with a paladin, but without the moral issues, hexblades tread a narrow bridge over a pit of darkness, and are the arcane counterpart to the paladin and ranger's divine nature. Beware the hexblade's curse. Marshal Trained as officers at the elite Citadel outside of Jedbridge, the marshal in the County is sometimes viewed as better adventuring support then the bard. Many marshals are half-elves, but all of the civilized races are represented. The marshal is adaptable, and make both great battlefield support, but also excellent spokespersons, as they have been trained to be diplomats of the highest skill. Scout The wild places of the County produce quite a few different types of people, from animalistic spellcasters, to vindictive warriors, to the lightly armored, swiftly moving scout. With abilities found in both rogues and rangers, scouts excel in enemy detection, combat support, both ranged and melee, and wilderness stealth. Always on the move, scouts are an appreciated addition to any adventuring party. Swashbuckler Dashing and daring, some in the Contessa's court say that the swashbuckler is the future of civilized combat. With the social graces available to bards and rogues, but the raw combat skills of the heavily armored fighter or paladin, the swashbuckler cuts a very interesting picture of a lightly armored, lightly armed, yet deadly precise warrior. Warmage Trained as combat support for the County's army and navy at the elite training center called the Citadel, just outside of Jedbridge, a warmage in the County has most likely finished their commitment with the military and have decided to use their training in further support of the Contessa, by adventuring.   Languages    Top In addition to the Languages listed in the players handbook, the following languages are also available. The four more common tongues are Ancient Baklunish, Flan, Old Oeridian and Ancient Suloise. Slightly less common are Amedi, Cold Tongue, Druidic, Ferral, Keolandish, Lendorian, Lendorian Elven, Nyrondese, Olman, Ordai, Rhopan, Ulagha, and Velondi. Halfling and Elven are also common languages. Skills and Feats   Top Certain skills can be used to earn extra money between adventures, these include Craft, Perform, Slight of Hand, and Profession. Knowledge (Local) refers to a Meta-Region, so if you wanted to know about your meta-region (Nyrond and her Environs) you would take Knowledge (Local: Meta Region IV). Knowledge (The Planes) is also a handy skill to have as rumors of ethereal creatures stalking the lands to the east have surfaced. Regional Feats As per the LGCS v4.2, page 10, any regional feat is available to you from 1st level onward (unless an in-game circumstance otherwise dictates a change). Racial feats are also available to players in this region, but are not listed here (see the LGCS v4.2, page 11) Copies of both articles from Dragon #315 and #319 will soon be made available from Paizo Publishing on their website at www.paizo.com. Until that time, you must bring the Dragon Magazine containing the article or articles relevant to the table with you, as with all non-core rules items. Mercantile Background (Dragon #316) Rapscallion (Dragon #316) Rustic Charm (Dragon #319) Well Read (Dragon #316) Alignments Top With Living Greyhawk, the player will have an opportunity to play any non evil alignment. This includes Chaotic Neutral. Any player who chooses the CN alignment must read the new description of the alignment in the 3rd edition Players Handbook. Player characters will be held responsible for their actions. Chaotic Neutral does not allow you the choice of doing random evil acts. If during a game a Player character is caught doing an evil act, they can be punished severely. And using the excuse I am chaotic neutral and my alignment allows it will not protect a player character from the executioner block. Religions of the County   Top All characters in the County of Urnst are strongly encouraged to choose a god to worship in the event they die and desire to be returned to the world of the living. Gods Head Temple Boccob the Uncaring No Temples Halfling pantheon Applebee Hieroneous the Invincible Count’s Markham Lydia Radigast City Mayaheine the Shield Maiden Dominion Norebo of the Big Gamble Radigast; Jedbridge Oeridian Nature Gods Radigast City Pelor the Sun God Radigast City Pholtus of the Blinding Light Stone Road Phyton the Woodshaper Small Shrines St. Cuthbert of the Cudgel Small shrines Trithereon Radigast City Xerbo of the Lake High Mardreth Zilchus the Money Counter Radigast City   Spells Top When you begin play as a spell caster, you may only choose spells that are in the players handbook. As you adventure, you may gain access to spells or items in the builder books. Purchase Equipment Top All characters start out with the maximum starting gold pieces for their class at first level. You can purchase any item from the standard goods table of the player handbook. Encumberance is used so pay attention to how much you are carrying. Prestige Classes  Top There are a wide variety of Prestige Classes available from Core source books. See the Living Greyhawk Campaign Sourcebook, V4.2 for more information. Guilds and Organizations (Metagaming)   Top The new Meta Organizations are starting to roll out for use. Please see this page for further details. Maps of the County Maps may be downloaded from the Downloads Page. Finishing Touches   Top Take the time to read up on the County of Urnst. Pick a place of birth or a reason for being an adventurer. A list of common County of Urnst names is available here.   What Now?  Top Hopefully by now you've created a character, gotten some background into what can be found about the County of Urnst and are ready to play an adventure. Check the Conventions section of the website to find up coming conventions near you. You also might try looking under Game Days to find groups who meet regularly in your area. Under the Peoples of the Realm section you can read about other characters, and register your own. Under Metagaming you can read about other groups and activities your character can get involved in.