Characters in the flesh.

Character creation is fun.  With Pathfinder, you could spend an entire "session" creating and tweaking your character.  Ideally, this character will last your entire campaign.  With LotFP, you need to be able to create them while the game is happening (because at some point  you will probably die in the middle of a game session.)

Here are resources relating to character creation in LotFP.

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Jonathon Baker made up a great character quick start sheet at his blog.  His version includes some of his house rules, but he also provided an editable document for our convenience.

I spent quite a bit of time tweaking it, including working in the new character creation rules from Green Devil Face 5, adding: some rules players should keep in mind, retainers, (taking out his house rules) and tweaking the staff a bit.

If you want to take my document and edit, go here.

I've incorporated three new skills from Deep Delving ("Riding," "Medicine" and "Lore") plus a fourth one that was inspired by DCC, called "Occupation."  This represents what career the PCs would have gone into had they not started adventuring.  They roll on the following chart.  To use the skill, they have to make a case for how it would help them, then roll a d6.

(For those wishing to see more on occupations, at the bottom of this page are the links to the sites I used when creating the list.)

Here is a printable list of skills and "things to do" so that players can remember their options: Skill Sheet.

Finally, here's a printable LotFP character sheet, formatted for 8.5x11.  I print these on card stock so the players can fold them to create a folder, which makes it easier to write on.

UPDATE: I've created a back to the character sheet here.  It's used to determine injured body parts when monsters score a crit against a player.  It also has a last will and testament as the cover, so that PCs can name their beneficiary.

The Last Will and Testament was inspired by Idle Speculations and the picture used for critical hits comes from The Project Gutenberg: Object Lessons on the Human Body.

All documents are pasted below so you can preview them before clicking through to the links.  I hope you find these useful and I'm always interested in hearing feedback!

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Roll your stats:_______________________________
Roll 3d6 for each stat. Check the modifiers.  If the total of all modifiers is negative, you may reroll.  You may swap any two stats.

Stat modifiers:________________________________

3            -3                        18         +3

4-5        -2                        16-17    +2

6-8        -1                        13-15   

9-12       0

Stat effects are marked on your character sheet.

Pick a class:__________________________________

Fighter – has the best combat capabilities.

Cleric – can cast spells from the Cleric list.

Magic-User – can cast spells from the Magic-User list.

Specialist – is better at certain activities.

Barbarian – is able to bare incredible burdens.

Dabbler – is trained as both a Fighter and Magic-User.

Sidekick – is very quick and agile.

Ranger – is a hunter of man and beast.

Baseline attributes:____________________________

Attack bonus +1

Parry: +2 armor class

Press Attack: AB +1, AC -4

Defensive Attack: AB -4, AC +1

Saving Throws 15 in all categories

Skills:_______________________________________

All characters start with one dot in all standard skills.
You also have Lore, Medicine, Riding and Occupation, each starting at one dot.  Roll percentile to determine the occupation you would have trained in had you not left home to be an adventurer.

Roll on class table:____________________________

Roll 2d10, or 1d12.

Starting money:_______________________________

3d6X10 sp

Use the lowest price when buying equipment.

(100 coins= 1 item for encumbrance)

Hit points:___________________________________

Roll a d6, and add your constitution modifier.  After applying bonuses, make sure you meet the minimum:
Fighter:                            8

Cleric:                              4

Specialist:                        4
Magic-User:                    3

Barbarian:                       6

Dabbler:                          4

Sidekick:                         4

Ranger:                            7

Choose a weapon:_____________________________

Great Weapons must be wielded with two hands.  These include two-handed swords, mauls and great axes.

Medium Weapons include most standard weapons like swords, battle axes and maces.  They can be used with one or two hands.

Small Weapons are one handed, light and fast, like short swords and hand axes.

Minor Weapons are small, one-handed, and suffer a -2 hit penalty vs. unadjusted AC of 15 or better.  These include clubs, knives, and daggers.  They are easier to hide.

Write down the category of the weapon, and what the specific weapon is.

Encumbrance:________________________________
Fill in the lines under equipment to determine your encumbrance: Non-encumbering items aren't tracked - write them in the smaller box to the side. Oversized items add a full level of encumbrance.

Keep track of where your stuff is stashed, and be aware that anything in a backpack or sack over your shoulder will take 3d6 combat rounds to access.  (A handy belt pouch takes 1d3+1 combat rounds.)  During this time you will be attacked as if from behind, or if you use your full AC, you lose that round of searching.

Weapons and armor:__________________________
If you have a gun, note the reload times with the following modifiers (calculate in this order.)
Base reload:                                  10 rounds

Dexterity modifier:                      subtract from base
Fighter                                           -2

Ranger                                           -1

Cartridges or apostles                  -1

Rifled                                            x1.5
No lock                                          x0.75

Flintlock                                        x0.5

Fighters and Rangers round any fractions down, all other classes round up.

Rules you should know:________________________

Damage/Death: at 0 hp, the character can take no actions and usually goes unconscious.  At -3 hp, they are mortally wounded and will die in 1d10 minutes.  Death is instantaneous at -4 hp.

Healing: characters with at least half of their hp recover 1 hp after a peaceful night’s rest; a day of rest can recover an additional 1d3 hp.  Characters with less than half must rest a full night/day to recover 1 hp.  A character at 0 or less will wake up after 1d6 hours – they cannot carry equipment or walk, but can crawl at a rate of 10’; they require rest in a comfortable bed and room to recover 1 hp per day.

Retainers: Factors that affect hiring retainers are: payment, the character’s charisma, the terms of service, and in some cases, living quarters.  Once hired, the retainer’s loyalty will be checked when put in danger, when other retainers have been mistreated, and when an opportunity to greatly profit from abandoning the party is presented.

Mapping: if the party is moving at mapping speed, then they get full details and dimensions of the area.

Light: torches (6 turns)/lanterns (oil=24 turns) provide light in a 30’ radius; candles (12 turns) = 10’ radius.

turn=10m / round=6s / segment=1s

mêlée weapons______________dmg_ _special_______

great                   50sp/ –                1d10  2hands
medium               20sp/50sp           1d8

small                   10sp                    1d6

minor                  5sp                      1d4   -2vsAC15
rapier                   15sp/ –                1d8   -2vsAC15

spear                   5sp/3sp               1d6   reach, set, lr

staff                    4sp/2sp               1d4   2h, +1 parry
polearm              30sp/–                 1d8 reach, set, +1vsAC16

cestus                  10sp /–                1d3   -2vsAC15

garrote                5sp/ –                  1d6   req. grapple

whip                   10sp/25sp           1d3   reach, AC<14

lance                   30sp/ –                1d10  1h on horse

mancatcher        20sp/ –                none   paralyzes

silver: price x10, 10% break chance on all attacks

missile weapons_            dmg_____range_______special_

blowgun             5sp/–        0         20/50/80            

bow, long            45sp/–   1d6        50/600/900        

bow, short           25sp      1d6        50/300/450        

xbow, heavy        30sp/ – 1d8        50/200/600         3rd rld

xbow, light         25sp/ – 1d6        50/150/400         2rd rld

rock                     free        1d2        10/20/30

sling                    1sp/5cp 1d4        50/300/450

dart                     1sp/–     1d4        10/20/30

weapon, throwing: see melee         10/20/30                 spear+30' long range

guns_________cost____dmg___ccdmg____rng/feet______

pistol              25sp/50sp  1d8        min        25/50/100      
arquebus        20sp/50sp   1d8        min        50/75/300    
musket          40sp/80sp   1d8        med       50/100/600

ammunition______________________________________

12 Apostles         5sp/8sp powder, 1 load    3/5cp

powder, barrel    150sp/–               powder horn       1sp (50 shots)

matchcord, yd     1sp        scattershot          1sp

shot bag              2sp        bullet (sling)       2cp       
fire bomb            5sp/7sp bolt/arrow           5cp

armor_________________________________________

leather (14)         25sp/50sp           chain (16)         100sp/ –

full plate (18)     1,500sp/–            shield (+1/+2)  10sp/25sp
pikeman’s (14)   50/100                buffcoat  (+1)   15sp/30sp

tassets (+1)         25sp/50sp           morion (+1)      15sp/30sp

kettle hat (+1)     25sp/50sp           secrete (st)        5sp/10sp  

animals__________________________________________
carrier pigeon       100sp                  dog            1sp/2sp

horse, riding         100sp               horse,  war   500sp/–

mule                     50sp/25sp          pony            75sp/50sp
generic livestock  10sp/5sp

containers ____________________________________
backpack                3sp/1sp            pouch            5cp/1cp

saddlebag              1sp/5cp            sack               5cp/2cp
barrel                                  1 sp/5 sp          chest             10sp/5sp

quiver                    5sp/10sp          via/bottle       5cp/7cp waterskin                  1sp

miscellaneous equipment ________________________

air bladder         1sp                      block & tackle    2sp/3sp

caltrop                5cp/–                   chain, 1’              1sp/2sp

chalk                   1cp                      pots/pans            1sp/5cp crampons            5sp                      crowbar                             2sp

drill                     5sp                      grappling hook   5sp/10sp

manacles             10sp/15sp           lock                    7sp/10sp

instrument          >1sp/>5sp           hourglass            100sp/–

mallet                  3cp                      spike, iron           3cp/5cp spike, wooden 1cp                      nails                    1cp/2cp 

miner’s pick        6sp/12sp             pipe                     1sp/5cp pole, 10'         1sp/5cp               riding gear       25sp/10sp rope, 50'                3sp                      shovel                 3sp spyglass                    250sp/–                            specialist’s tools                50sp/–

ladder, 10'          10sp/7sp             fishing gear          1sp

lard                     1cp                      soap                     1cp

clothing, fine      >20sp/–                             clothing, normal               5sp/2sp

clothing, poor     1sp/5cp               cl. winter travel  10sp/5sp

tent, grand          25sp/–                 tent, pavilion      50sp/– tent, personal             5/10 sp                tent, regular     10sp/20sp bedroll                2sp/1sp               tinderbox            1sp/5sp

candle                 1cp                      lantern                 3sp/5sp

torch                   1cp                      lamp oil (flask)   5cp

ink (& pen)         1cp/5cp                             healer’s kit              100sp/–

paper, sheet        2cp                     book, blank         5sp/10sp book, reading 10sp/20sp           blank spellbook  100sp/–

map, kingdom     10sp/25sp           map, local           1sp/5sp

scroll case           1sp/3sp               garlic                  3cp/1cp tobacco               1sp/5cp               wolvesbane         1sp/1cp

whistle                1sp                      holy s.silver      25sp/50sp

holy s. steel/iron               10sp                    holy s. wood              1sp/1cp

holy water           25sp                    mirror, glass     10sp/15sp mirror, silver      30sp/–                 mirror, steel        1sp/5sp

food_____________________________________________

wine/liquor, poor 5cp/2cp                           wine/liquor, decent >1 sp

wine/liquor, rich >10sp/–                            drink, cheap              1cp drink, decent              3cp/2cp                             drink, good              6cp/4cp drink, rich             >10sp                meal, horrid               2cp/1cp meal, standard     2cp/1cp                             meal, fancy     1sp/5cp meal, rich            >10sp                  iron rations (1)              2sp/1sp st'd rations (1)    1sp/5cp               animal feed (1)              1sp/5cp

lodging___________________________________________

barn                     –/1cp                   inn, poor              1sp/5cp   inn, average 5sp/2sp               inn, secure          10sp/5sp inn, fancy               >25sp                  inn, extravagant    >100sp

1 month rent per 10ft^2 = 30sp/15sp

services _________________________________________

post, local           1sp/–                   post, municipal   5sp/–

post, kingdom     15sp                    post, outrealm     25sp

coach, local         1sp/–                   coach travel/day 10sp coach charter/day 20sp/–                         freight, lb/day     5cp

ship passage/day   2sp/–                ship charter/day 100sp

animal hand.       14sp                    coachman            6sp

guard                  8.4sp                   guide                   14sp*

laborer/servant    5.6sp                   henchmen           *

linkboy               4.2sp                   mercenary           *

physician            28sp                    sailors                *

slave                   (1sp)                   teamster              10sp

*these retainers receive a portion of the party’s profits.

monthly wage only: accountant, alchemist, armorer, butler, craftsman, slave master, spy

 vehicles ____________________________________

cart                     50sp/25sp          coach              >500sp/–

wagon                150sp/75sp        chariot                250sp/–

raft                      5sp                      canoe             30sp/25sp lifeboat               100sp/–              riverboat            1000sp

river galley        4000sp               sailboat              6000sp

trireme               10,000sp            cog                  15,000sp

longship                           30,000sp             caravel               39,000sp cutter                 45,0000sp           carrack               48,000sp quadrireme                     50,000sp             galleon               60,000sp

brig                     90,000sp             corvette            135,000sp

frigate                 180,000sp                        

italicized items are non-encumbering items listed in both italics and bold are oversized

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Roll%	Occupation	Description
1	Acater	Food provisioner
2	Accomptant	Accountant
3	Alchemist	Chemist
4	Apothecary	Makes and sells drugs/medicines
5	Arkwright	Makes “arks” (wooden chests/coffers)
6	Astrologer
7	Bailiff	Makes arrests/executions
8	Barber	Cut hair, performed surgery and pulled teeth
9	Bard	Minstrel, Troubadour, Mummer, actor, poet
10	Barrister	Lawyer
11	Bearleader	Travelling tutor
12	Apiarist	Beekeeper
13	Beggar
14	Bellmaker	Makes small bells for sleights and clothing
15	Besom maker	Makes brooms
16	Bodger	Itinerant wood turner – makes chair legs
17	Bonecarver
18	Boothaler	Marauder, plunderer
19	Brewer
20	Burglar
21	Camp Follower	Follows an army, makes money off of soldiers
22	Cantor	Choir leader in a church, sings hymns and leads prayer
23	Carter	Drayman, cart driver
24	Catchpole	One who finds and brings in debtors
25	Chandler	Makes candles
26	Chantry Priest	A priest that says a prayer for the dead
27	Clockmaker
28	Cobbler	Makes and repairs shoes
29	Coiler	Makes and sells charcoal/coal
30	Colporteur	Sells religious books
31	Constable	Warden of a town or castle
32	Corsetier	Maker of corsets and other undergarments
33	Cutler	Makes and repairs cutlery
34	Cutpurse
35	Cutthroat
36	Delver	Ditch digger
37	Diver	Pickpocket
38	Executioner
39	Falconer	Breeds, trains and hunts with falcons
40	Famulus	Servant/attendant to a scholar or magician
41	Fence	Trades stolen goods
42	Ferryman
43	Fewterer	Master of the hounds, keeps the hunting dogs
44	Geiger	Fiddler, plays any stringed instrument
45	Fisherman
46	Fool	Jester, clown
47	Footpad	Robs pedestrians
48	Forester	Game warden, forest ranger
49	Fowler	Hunts for wild fowl
50	Goatherd	Looks after a herd of goats
51	Silversmith	Works with precious metals
52	Gravedigger
53	Graverobber
54	Gunsmith
55	Haberdasher	Sells men’s clothing
56	Hacker	Makes hoes
57	Hatter
58	Hayward	Officer in charge of fences and hedges
59	Herald	Makes pronouncements/proclamations and can identify the various insignias used by the rich to identify themselves
60	Horse Courser	Horse seller, reputation for selling stolen horses, like a used car salesman
61	Horse Thief
62	Horse Trainer
63	Hunter	Huntsman
64	Innkeeper
65	Jailer
66	Jeweler
67	Knifeman	Soldier skilled with a knife, specifically trained to disembowel horses
68	Lampwright	Makes lamps and lanterns
69	Liner	Traces property boundaries
70	Locksmith
71	Lutenist	Plays the lute
72	Cartographer	Mapmaker
73	Mason	Bricklayer
74	Master of the Revels	In charge of court entertainments
75	Miniaturist	Painter of miniatures (small paintings on icons or in books)
76	Pardoner	Seller of indulgences
77	Pig Farmer
78	Poacher	Illegally kills animals, usually on someone else’s land
79	Porter	Carries burdens or waits by doors
80	Potboy	Cleans out chamber pots
81	Prostitute
82	Ragpicker	Sorts through leftover rags and finds re-usable ones
83	Gongfermor	Street sanitation worker, dung carter, raker
84	Ratcatcher
85	Sacristan	In charge of relics and religious artifacts in a church
86	Sailor
87	Silk snatcher	Steals bonnets
88	Stewsman	Brothel keeper
89	Summoner	Serves subpoenas
90	Tailor
91	Tanner	Prepares leather
92	Teamster	Drives teams of oxen and horses
93	Thimblerigger	Guess which thimble the pea is under?
94	Thonger	Makes leather straps or laces
95	Tumbler
96	Turnip farmer
97	Unguentary	Sells unguents
98	Userer	Money-changer
99	Waferer	Confectioner, sells wafers – a kind of cake
100	Woodcutter

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Architecture

Spend 1 turn examining a structure to determine its slope, safety, different time periods, cultures, materials. methods of construction and other attributes.

Bushcraft

Roll to find food in the wilderness (hunting and foraging).  If successful, the distance traveled that day is lessoned by 1d4X25%.  Unsuccessful hunting takes all day.  The chance is modified as follows:

Plains	+1
Forest/Jungle	+2
Desert/Winter	-1
Mountain/Swamp	+0
Non-proper missile weapon	-1
No missile weapon	-2

The character gains 1d4 days’ worth of standard rations for a single person.  1d10 units of ammunition are expended if a proper missile weapon is used.

Water can be found easily except in deserts, where a d12 is used to make a Bushcraft roll.

When traveling across the wilderness, there is a 1 in 6 chance of getting lost.  On a 1, a second roll is made using the highest Bushcraft in the party - a success prevents the party from getting lost.

Climbing

Use to climb sheer walls and surfaces without handholds.  Subtract 1 for each point of encumbrance when attempting to climb.  Failure means falling from a random point.  Characters with two free hands may climb ropes and ladders with no die roll needed.  Falling causes 1d6 dmg/10’ ( to a max of 20d6 for a 200’ fall).

Excavating

It takes an hour to excavate 3 (+strength modifier) cubic feet of earth with proper equipment.  It takes twice as long with improvised tools and four times as long with no tools.

Languages

Characters are fluent in their native tongue, and literate if their intelligence is 7 or higher.  Roll to see if the character knows a new language when they come in contact with it.  There is a -1 modifier if it’s not part of the same cultural group, -2 if it’s exotic, and -3 if it’s an ancient, dead language.  If the check is failed, then that character doesn’t know the language.

Lore

This represents the character’s knowledge about the world – geography, history, current events and other information.  Each class also has deeper knowledge, which may grant a bonus to the roll.  Success provides an answer regarding one event or feature (at the discretion of the referee).

Deeper Knowledge:

Cleric	Religions, gods, demons, angels
Fighter	Wars, military, warriors, weapons, armor
Magic-User	Arcana, dimensions, items of power
Specialist	Nations, societies, ruins, catacombs
Dabbler	Ancient history, diseases, poisons
Barbarian	Wilderness, tribes, violence, survival
Sidekick	Food and drink, nobility, tactics
Ranger	Forests, nature, animals, hunting

The roll is modified by the situation:

Deeper Knowledge	+1
Common Knowledge (name of king, large city…)	+1
Ancient Times	-1
Obscure Knowledge	-1

Medicine

Using a Healer’s Kit takes 1 turn.  Success means that a character has been healed HP equal to half their level, rounded down (minimum of 1).  Characters can only be treated this way once, until they lose HP again.  The Healer’s Kit may be used 10 times before having to be repurchased.

(Medicine cont’d on back)

(Medicine Cont’d)

If used for long-term care, the character expends 5sp/day and can treat a number of other characters equal to their skill level.  A success doubles normal recovery time.

Occupation

Use this to find information, influence NPCs, gain advantages, augment other skills, perform tasks, or almost anything else (subject to the referee’s discretion).

Open Doors

Roll to open a stuck (not locked) door, applying strength modifier.  Using a crowbar adds 1.  Each person helping adds 1 (although only 2 people can open a standard-sized door).  Each attempt takes 1 turn. 

Riding

Everyone knows how to ride a horse for transportation or use them as beasts of burden.  This skill is for daring stunts and combat while on horseback.

Make rolls when entering combat, and when the animal takes damage or is frightened.

Failure means the horse flees, failure by more than 2 means the character is thrown prone and takes 1d6 dmg.

Modifiers include:

Riding a horse	+1
Riding a war beast (trained for battle or naturally ferocious)	+1
Using stirrups	+1
Steed below half HP	-1
Supernatural threat	-1
Moving at max speed	-1

This skill can also be used to judge horseflesh, gauge the quality of an animal (HP), and to provide care beyond basic, daily care.

Search

Searching for hidden doors, traps and objects takes one turn per character per 10’ of area.  Most magical traps cannot be detected except by Dabblers, Magic-Users and Clerics.

Sleight of Hand

This includes picking pockets, hiding small weapons, drawing a weapon without being noticed and other tricks.

Sneak Attack

A sneak attack is an attack done by surprise.  A rank of 1 in this skill does nothing, but a rank of 2 or higher adds its modifier to the attack value, and multiplies the damage rolled by its rank.  (So a rank of 2 provides a +2 to sneak attack and x2 to the damage.)

Stealth

This is used to hide and sneak.  Subtract 1 for each point of encumbrance when attempting to use stealth.  When attacking after using stealth, the attack is always considered a surprise attack.

Swimming

Everyone knows how to swim.  Movement is halved.  Every point of encumbrance adds a 10% chance of drowning or every point of AC from armor minus 12 adds 15%.  Use whichever is highest. 

Tinker

Opening locked doors without a key require a Specialist’s Kit. (Doors can also be broken down: an ax on a wooden door takes 1 turn, a pick on a stone door takes 2 turns.)

This skill also includes removing or disarming small mechanical traps, setting traps, and jury-rigging impromptu devices.  If the attempt is failed, it cannot be attempted until the character gains a new level.

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RPG blogs/sites with some of the work already done:

A Butterfly Dreaming - 100 Medieval Careers

What did people do: in a Medieval City? + Addendum

The Arcana Wiki - List of Medieval European Professions

RPG Directory - Occupations in Medieval Times

Other lists with various degrees of organization and description:

Medieval Occupations (Jobs in the Medieval Age) and its mirror: Medieval and Renaissance Occupations and Trades

A List of Occupations

Medieval Jobs