First, I'll need your timezone and available times/days to play.
You play a 150-point character limited to -75 in disadvantages and 5 quirks. The background is that each PC has just been hired on to work as a mercenary.
You are not allowed Duty or Military Rank, as you’re all just freshly hired mercenaries. It is generally assumed that a PC is of Average Wealth and Status 0, as befits his new job. Other than that, you may build your character without unrealistic, exotic or cinematic traits, excluding the guidelines below. The setting is Renaissance Florence, around 1505 A.D. and with seemingly historical and realistic context. The Tech Level is 4.
If you are playing a wizard or paragon, see guidelines below. Keep in mind that the GM may inform you of setting details not included in this summary, as they are little known to normal people.
WIZARD CHARACTERS
The magic system in use is Threshold-Limited Magery (GURPS Thaumatology pages 76-82), following the standard spell prerequisites, with the following restrictions;
1) All VH spells are Secret Spells, requiring an adventure or Perk before a character can even attempt to learn it by study or character point expenditure.
2) Radiation spells are Banned. They do not exist.
3) Every arcane PC is required to take the disadvantage: Secret (Wizard) [-20], they get points for this as normal.
4) The default Threshold is 30, and the Recovery Rate is 8 per day. These can both be increased by purchasing the advantages on pages 78-79 (Increased Threshold [5/level] and Rapid Magic Recovery [5/level]). The Safer Magic Excess [10/level] advantage is also available, but Variable Energy Access is NOT. The Magery Limitations on page 79 probably aren’t available.
PARAGON CHARACTERS
Characters with access to holy miracles are called Paragons. They use the system laid out in GURPS Powers: Divine Favor, with the following rules;
1) Power Investiture (Divine Favor) [10/level] gives bonuses to Divine Favor’s reaction rolls, not its petition rolls (which is governed by Divine Favor itself).
2) Power Investiture (Divine Favor) also gives bonuses to Holy powers like Blessed, which the Paragon may also purchase.
3) You do not need Religious Rank or Clerical Investment to have Divine Favor, although it is not unusual for a Paragon to be a priest of a religion.
4) Being a Paragon requires -10 points worth of disadvantages that represent the moral code needed to access Divine Favor. Make a note of which disadvantages (you still get points for them, as normal) make up your moral code. Violating/ignoring those disadvantages may cut off your access to your Holy powers.
Alchemy is an available skill, although it’s typically only known to Wizards. It may require a good background to explain why your character has it.
Cultural Familiarities:
CF: Christian Regions is native for western Europe. Most characters should have it. Muslim is another major Cultural Familiarity in the world at the time.
Languages:
Italian regional dialect languages for major cities are Toscano (Firenze), Ligurian (Genoa), Lombardic (Milano), Veneto (Venezia), Romanesco (Roma) and Campano (Napoli).
Other Italian regional dialects are Emiliano and Romagnolo in the northwest, Calabrese in the far south and Umbrian between Roma and Toscana.
These dialects are different Languages, but fluency levels ‘default’ to one lower (e.g. Native Toscano to Accented Ligurian), two lower if dialects are from opposite ends of the country (e.g. Native Toscano to Broken Calabrese).
French, German and Spanish are frequently encountered languages, English and Swedish less so.
Latin is known and preferred by writers and the church. Hebrew, Greek, Arabic and Turkish sometimes known to special cases.
Recommended Books for this Campaign;
- Magic and Thaumatology (REQUIRED FOR WIZARDS)
- Powers: Divine Favour (REQUIRED FOR PARAGONS)
- Martial Arts
- Social Engineering
- Low-Tech and its Companions (QUITE HELPFUL)
- Hot Spots: Renaissance Florence (EXTREMELY USEFUL)
