After a brief MERP and Palladium Fantasy dalliance, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay was my “next” fantasy rpg after D&D. The first edition was weird and brutal and we didn’t play enough of it. I picked up the 2nd edition when it came out, regrettably let it go in a move, grabbed the entire line when it went up on Humble Bundle, and haven’t gotten a chance to really play it or Cubicle 7’s new 4th edition.
Because of that, I’m going to make a character for 4E for Day 2 of the Character Creation Challenge, in case I get a chance to play or to run solo. It’s a randomish system, with options for making choices and XP rewards for abiding by random rolls.
I forego the bonus XP and choose my Species: High Elf. They were my first army in Warhammer Fantasy Battles and I love their aesthetic and Moorcockian/Atlantean snootiness. Next comes Class/Career. My roll is 95 which actually gets me Warrior/Knight – an awesome choice and one I’m totally down with (though I’m technically a Squire). Because I like the result and will keep it I get 50 bonus XP, but if I didn’t like it I could roll further, with diminishing bonus XP.
I roll my Attributes – Elves get pretty high starting ones but lose out in other areas to compensate. I keep my rolls as they are and gain an addition 50 XP.
At this point I have to choose a Motivation and I decide on the rather open ended “Oppose Chaos wherever it is found.” Good one for a Knight I think?
I get 5 “Advances” to place in a Characteristic determined by my Career so place all 5 in Strength, raising it to 40. My Species also gives me Advances to spend in Skills and I get to pick some Talents (special abilities.) Here’s an area elves are… “weaker” in, since they have limited options – humans and halflings get to randomly roll a few. My Career gives me more Skill advances and Talent choices related to it – there are enough Advances to position yourself to move to a new Career almost instantly, which is an interesting take, but you can also spend extra in a Career Skill to boost it up. I do that, just in case I feel like changing things up sooner rather than later – then choose the Talent “Warrior Born” to give him some serious Weapon skill.
For starting gear I get Trappings from my Class and Career without paying for them. Basic stuff overall but it’s good to have it! My Status and Standing are also determined by Career – which is new to me and WFRP, and it sets me up with 21 silver shillings (the status seems to indicate your starting coin type.)
After this I determine physical characteristics and my Ambitions. For short-term I decide Aesirian will be looking for a missing friend and his long-term ambition is to climb the ranks of a knightly order. I spend my bonus XP on the Talent Roughrider, which allows him more freedom when directing his mount.
There are 10 questions to help bring your character to life, so I’ll answer them here as there isn’t room on the sheet I’m using.
Where are you from? Aesirian is from Altdorf, capital of the Empire. His parents were envoys from the High Elf homeland of Ulthuan and he grew up in the human city, but with parents who ensured he had a proper Asur upbringing.
What was your childhood like? Due to the differences in aging, Aesirian rarely found friends or companions his age – save in other elves, but as he was fascinated by humans he still made an effort. Only a few became close to him and those that are still alive are very old now. His parents ensured he had something of an education, however Aesirian was too fascinated by the grandeur of the knightly orders he saw at court or in the city and, spurred on by his parents’ stories of the legendary Asur Dragon Princes of Caledor and Silver Helm knights, he sought out teachers in the martial ways.
What is your family like? Both parents are relatively stern and no-nonsense, only breaking their masks to deliver dry wit or a barbed observation. They consider themselves above the humans of the Old World, but view themselves as shepherds and not conquerors. It is too easy for humans to fall to Chaos and so the elder peoples must guide them.
Why did you leave home? [Let’s use his short-term ambition here] Having become a Squire to a Knight of the Empire he’s basically disappointed his parents. He sees it as a form of training and cultural exchange, they see it as the foolishness of youth. However, recently his Knight has gone missing and he has left to find her.
Who are your best friends? Aesirian counts his Knight among them. Sigrid Helasdottir is a Knight of the Empire who Aesirian has known for decades. They became friends when Aesirian was “young” and she was a squire, then she offered to sponsor him in return when she achieved knighthood.
What is your greatest desire? To achieve glory and combat the forces of Chaos.
What are your best and worst memories? Aesirian’s best memory was a brief visit to Ulthuan, seeing the shining helms and pennants of a troop of Silver Helms as they rode by. His worst memory was when he lost a close friend – the guardsman Reynhart Selber – to Khorne cultists who captured and sacrificed him. Aesirian assisted in slaying them, but was too late for his friend.
What are your religious beliefs? Aesirian gives homage to the Elven gods and in particular Asuryan and Eldrazor. He carries a small amulet bearing the symbol of the latter.
To whom, or what, are you loyal? Aesirian is loyal to the Asur but could easily find his allegiances torn were those he considers friends to come into conflict with the aims of the High Elven nation.
Why are you adventuring? Aesirian adventures to earn a knighthood and to combat Chaos, the latter taking precedence over the former.
To credit the designer, the editable character sheet I used is available here:
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