Dragonlance Fifth Age Campaign Oracle - Point-based Hero Creation System

While allowing his/her players to create new heroes, a Narrator can have a bad surprise. Many players are extremely lucky when it comes to hero creation, getting many "A" codes or very high attribute scores, or both. Heroes able to do absolutely anything can ruin even the best story - maybe the risk is one of the main elements of a game session.

This is a brand new optional system for hero creation. It allows players to choose their heroes' main qualities and flaws, while it limits the quantity of points assigned to each attribute and code. It also allows players to pick up any Nature or Demeanor despite the cards picked during hero creation. All you need to use it is a hero sheet (download this online Hero Sheet - PDF format) and a pencil.

Five steps in Hero creation

Create a character concept - choose Race, Role, Nature, Demeanor
Use Hero points to create your concept - determine Attribute scores and codes, Quests and Wealth
Check the point distribution
Add some final touches - choose equipment and weapons, create a background
Check if the concept is complete, or start over

Step One: Create a character concept

Before doing anything, the player must create a concept - it can be expressed in a few words, like "a sorcerer", or a complex description ("my hero was a Knight of Takhisis, but he left anything to become a Druid in Abanasinia."). This description is the main source of information while creating a hero in this system, so it must be very complete. Determine a Nature and a Demeanor from any card in the Fate Deck or choose any adjectives to be these statistics. Choose a possible Race and Role also, but do not write them in your Hero sheet.

Step Two: Use Hero points to create your concept

This hero creation system uses points (named Hero points) to create new heroes. All players receive 81 Hero points, which can be used to assign Attribute scores and codes, Quests and Wealth. Use the following table to distribute your points:

Attribute scores: One Hero point = One Attribute score point
Attribute codes:	A = 4 Hero points	B = 3 Hero points	C = 2 Hero points	D = 1 Hero point	X = 0 Hero points
Quests: One Hero point = One Quest, maximum of 10 Quests
Wealth: One Hero point = One Wealth level, maximum of 9 levels

Example: Jack wants to assign 9(A) as the value of his character's Strength attribute. He must spend 9 Hero points to assign 9 as the attribute score, plus 4 points for the attribute code (A). He spent 13 Hero points in this attribute. He also wants to assign 7 Quests to his character, and so he spends 7 Hero points to have this Quest value.

Step Three: Check the point distribution

Add the values the player spent during Hero creation. If it is equal to 81, go to the next step. If not, add the missing points to any attribute or if more points were assigned, reduce the hero abilities until they reach the right value. Check if the hero has reached the required Race and Role attribute scores and codes, and then write them down in the Hero sheet.

Step Four: Add some final touches

Choose background details and the equipment the hero has, as well as his/her physical description. If possible, write a short story describing your hero briefly, and list some likes/dislikes and objectives. It may be interesting and it's very useful to the Narrator.

Step Five: Check if the concept is complete

If you could create a hero similar to the concept you created, you have been succeeded. If not, start over or use the old method to generate your hero.