Character creation

Boulders & Barbarians is designed with simplicity in mind, to allow for greater creativity and freedom for both players and the Storyteller. Outlined here are the mechanical rulings for creating a character, along with some tips on how to build your character's backstory and personality.

Attributes
Attributes determine your character's basic talents and capabilities. Attributes generally do not increase or decrease, except in very specific circumstances, like developing a permanent injury. Therefore, your choice of attributes has very permanent bearing on your character.

Attributes are divided into three sections - physical, mental, and social. Male characters gain 8 physical points, 6 mental points, and 4 social points. Female characters gain 4 physical points, 6 mental points, and 8 social points. The first dot of every attribute is free (an attribute cannot be at 0 dots). Putting dots in an attribute is always done 1:1 with attribute points, one dot costing one point.

Some of the peoples of Úr have expanded or limited attributes. An expanded attribute starts with 2 free dots instead of 1, and can be increased to a maximum of 6 instead of 5. A limited attribute still gets 1 free dot, but can only be increased to a maximum of 3.

Skills
Skills are a measure of your character's knowledges and abilities. Unlike attributes, skills can be actively improved throughout the course of the game. Most sessions will award skill points, and achieving goals in the story will typically award more. Putting dots in skill points becomes gradually more expensive the higher you go. The first dot only costs one point, but the second and third dots cost two points each, and the fourth and fifth dots cost three points each.

When creating your character, choose a background for your character. Your character's background helps dictate who your character is and where they have their skills from, but it also dictates how many skill points you start with in a given category. Your choice of background has no permanent effect on your character outside of roleplay purposes, as any skill points you gain from playing the game can be used for any category of skills.

Characters with a martial background gain 20 physical skill points, 12 mental skill points, and 12 social skill points. A martial background usually indicates your character as some form of fighter. Perhaps they are in the town militia, get in drunken brawls a little too often, or is used to roughing it alone in the wilds.

Characters with an academic background gain 12 physical skill points, 20 mental skill points, and 12 social skill points. An academic background indicates that your character actively relies on their intellect or wit, either on a personal level or as a way to make a living. Perhaps they are an aspiring artisan, a well-read scholar, or a skilled craftsman.

Characters with a gregarious background gain 12 physical skill points, 12 mental skill points, and 20 social skill points. A gregarious background indicates that your character is heavily involved with other people in some way or another. Perhaps they are an enterprising merchant, an ambitious politician, or a devious trickster.

Archetype abilities
Archetypes serve as a way to give your character individuality and unique powers, affecting not just who they are but also how they play. Every archetype has 10 different abilities to unlock, and many have a special resource or passive ability too. Your character starts with 1 attribute point, and will earn more attribute points by completing adventures, up to a total maximum of 6. When deciding what abilities you want, consider their potential synergy with the abilities you already have, as well as the abilities of your party members. Archetypes are divided into mundane and mystic, respectively.

Backgrounds
Character backgrounds are an optional feature that help root your character to the world of Úr. You may take any background so long as you fulfill its requirements, or you may choose not to take a background at all. Regardless of what you choose, this is a good time to consider your character's backstory, and how they came to be who they are now.

Races
The Realm of Úr contains a myriad of different peoples and cultures. When choosing your character's race, consider how it affects the way they behave, and how they see the world. A person will almost inevitably reflect their culture in some way or another - even someone who actively rebels against their own culture reflect it through subversion.

Age
When creating your character, consider how their age affects not only their skills and attributes, but also who they are and how they think. A younger character might be more brash and impulsive, whereas an older character will be more cautious and reflective. In modern times we can afford the luxury of an elongated childhood throughout our teen years, but in the ancient times that Boulders & Barbarians is loosely based on, you were expected to mature and take on the duties and responsibilities of adulthood far earlier in life, typically around 13 years of age. Natural death by aging tends to begin in a character's fifties, but death by way of violence or disease before that time is much more common.