Character Creation Challenge 27: The One Ring

31 Day Character Creation Challenge

27: The One Ring

The second edition of The One Ring is coming to Kickstarter soon, so looking back at the first edition which I haven’t had a chance to do anything with since the playtest. (Bias note!)

Following several official Middle-earth RPGs, including the second RPG I tried to run and bounced off hard, it’s quite light and focuses on travel as part of the adventure and on the importance of hope and fellowship against Shadow and despair.

Character generation is playbook-ish, with Culture deciding a Blessing, starting skills and a list of specialties, and then one of six Backgrounds determining starting Attributes, a favoured skill and some character features, before adjusting a character by Favoured Attribute and Calling (class) and spending any previous experience (10 by default) on skills. The process is quick and straightforward.

Halla, daughter of Halfdan

Barding Treasure-Hunter

Select a Heroic Culture

Barding, a human used to trade and river travel

Record a character’s Cultural blessing and skill list (Inspire is underlined as Favoured)

Blessing: Stout-hearted

Skills

Awe 1 Inspire 2 Persuade 3

Athletics 0 Travel 2 Stealth 0

Awareness 0 Insight 2 Search 1

Explore 2 Healing 0 Hunting 0

Song 1 Courtesy 2 Riddle 0

Craft 1 Battle 2 Lore 1

Weapon Skills

(Swords) 2, Spear 1, Dagger 1

Select two Specialities

Swimming, Trading

Roll (or choose) Background

Gifted Senses

Record Basic Attributes and Favoured Skill

Basic Attributes

Body 6, Heart 6, Wits 2

Favoured Skill

Search

Select two Distinctive Features

Adventurous, Steadfast

Customise your Hero

Choose your hero’s Favoured Attributes

+3, +2 +1

Body 7, Heart 9, Wits 4

Spend Previous Experience to buy skill levels

10

Bow 1 (2)

Athletics 1

Stealth 1

Awareness 1

Hunting 1

Travel 3

Search 2

Choose a Calling and Favoured skills

Calling: Treasure-Hunter

Favoured Skill Groups: Movement (Travel), Perception (Inisght)

Trait: Burglary

Shadow Weakness: Dragon-sickness

Generate the scores for Endurance and Hope

Endurance 22 + Heart = 31

Hope 8 + Heart = 17

Prioritise the scores for Valour and Wisdom (choosing, accordingly, your starting Reward or Virtue)

Valour 2 (Keen Sword)

Wisdom 1

Record Starting Gear and Fatigue (as a game featuring travel, encumbrance rules are a feature)

Sword, Bow, Dagger, Leather Corslet and Cap, Shield

Main Language

Dalish

Adventuring Age

16-30

23, in the middle

Halla is the daughter of a King’s guard and a river merchant, out to make her own way in the world and better the kingdom. There is talk of treasure in ruins at the edge, and of more of the goblins lurking there and planning who knows what.