Character Creation Rules

In order to gain PC (that is Player Character) status for your character you must post a character bio for them in the appropriate folder. For each section of play there is a bio folder for the characters that belong to that particular section of play (EG: Norse characters should be posted in The Hall of Heros in the Norse section of play). There are several reasons why we ask that you post a bio; the main reason is simply so that there is a standing record of important characters played by regular players. Having character bios gives Staff an easy to find and maintain record of who is playing where, how many people are in any given game section and what sorts of characters they may want to consider when coming up with adventure storylines. Also it give people an idea of what Names are already in play (how many times have you labored so long to find the perfect name only to discover that it’s already been snatched up!) While not using a name another player is using is not an official rule, it is easier to keep track of characters when you don’t have 15 Nigels and 24 Lulabells running around. Unfortunately, disputes will occasionally arise and having character bios for characters regularly in use will help the staff to more fairly and quickly resolve said disputes. For the sake of all parties involved, this will just make life easier.

All bios must be approved for characters that will be put into continuous play. Once your bio is posted you may begin to play the character while you are waiting for approval from the section GM. The Gms will get back to you about your characters as quickly as possible, however since we all have lives outside the boards, there may occasionally be delays. This is why you can begin to play a character before the bio is approved. However if a member of staff has asked you to make changes to the bio, please do so before continuing to play said character. We as Staff will try not to be overly particular or strict about the content of bios. We want the forum to be well balanced. Certainly there will be some weak characters, some strong, and a lot in the “average” area. Overly powerful characters that have not been developed through play are more likely to draw Staff’s attention when they are initially posted. We will not necessarily deny all powerful characters; considering the setting there are likely to be characters who can achieve vast amounts of power, however most of us are of the opinion that gaining that power through play is far more fun and rewarding than simply beginning with all of it and having no further to develop. If you do not wish to make the adjustments to your bio, we will not force you, however you will be unable to play the character in the forum. Withdrawing or removing your character from the board is your right at any time.

New powers may be gained through play and added to the bio through updates; the same rules as with initial bio posting applies. You cannot use a new ability until it has been approved by the section GM; this is to ensure that there will be no disputes over the ability of characters during battles. If the staff feel you are updating with new powers too quickly, or taking too broad a jump between the level of power you have and the level of power you are trying to achieve, they will ask you to make adjustments or develop abilities more slowly. Please keep in mind that developing new skills takes time. You do not master something the moment you sit down to try it, it is unlikely your character would master a new skill after only attempting it one or two times. There’s nothing wrong with attempting to use a power and failing several times along the way. Also if you want to add a developing skill to your bio feel free, simply mention that the character is still learning the skill and that it may not work properly. When you are updating your bio with new abilities please bump the thread with a list of the what you have added to the bio as well as adding the new information into the first post. I ask this for two reasons; one so that the staff know you have updated and two so that there is a quick reference of all that has been added to the character since it was originally posted. You do not need to ask permission to develop new abilities. Keep in mind that having chat logs or message board threads that show the development of new abilities over a period of time will give evidence to Staff that a character has indeed learned a new skill, instead of developing it out of thin air.

When you write a character bio, please try to include the general gist of everything that they are able to do. I don’t require a full list of spells, nor do I require in-depth explanations of every ability. Please be certain that when someone reads your bio they are aware of the range of your characters abilities (what’s the least they can do, what’s the most they can do?). As far as use of skills and abilities goes, I will not force you to stick to exactly what is in your bio. I’m trusting everyone to use good judgment. If your character possesses Ice magic and you have written in the bio that he can create ice shards to throw at his enemies, it is not a stretch of the imagination for him to be able to freeze over a small, shallow lake. However it’s far too large a jump for someone who can ignite small campfires to suddenly set a whole forest on fire. Sorry, but it just isn’t happening. I want people to be able to do stories off the fly, I want people to be able to try new things when their character finds themselves in a pinch, as long as your stretching stays within reason, I see no reason why you can’t do it.

If you wish to use a character that you will not bring into play very often, or is very generic (such as a guardsman or barkeep), you do not need to post a character bio. These such characters are called NPCs (non-player characters). You may use a generic NPC at any time without permission (there are likely to be plenty of peasants or swordsmen lurking around wherever you may be), often it is necessary to bring a few non-descript characters into and out of a scene in order to move it along. You may play more in-depth NPCs on occasion without posting a bio for them, however please use this type of NPC sparingly, as there will be no formal record of them on the board. Also please keep this type of NPC from being ungodly powerful. Since there will be no record of your NPC’s abilities, it may be tempting to continuously pull powers out of thin air, but please try to avoid this at all costs. If you wish to test a character a few times by NPCing them and then turning them into a PC by posting a bio, please feel free to do so, I often test my characters before setting them in stone. Please note that NPC characters cannot cause any kind of major permanent damage to PCs (such as removing a limb) nor can they kill a PC.

In closing I wish to restate that only a character’s creator can say their character is dead. Usually this means agreeing to let their character die if it comes down to it, or planning the death in advance. Fortunately character death is not a very big deal in Lands of Myth and Magic, as most (if not all) areas have Playable Afterlives, meaning that your character can still be played, just in a different place. There are also options for character resurrection, though the method may differ in each section of play. It may be interesting to note that this forum offers a rather unique opportunity; that being that if you so wish, you may begin a character in play already dead. Simply state in their bio how they died and what part of the afterlife they currently reside in. Keep in mind when you write such a bio, however, the requirements for entry into that particular afterlife. For example: Egyptians must have their body preserved in order to enter the afterlife.

There is a character bio provided here. Though you are not required to use any set format, please do be sure you include all the information the bio asks for.