Character Creation

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GM

Qralloq

Dec 2, 2023 5:27 pm
Dec 2, 2023 5:27 pm
Character Creation
There are pregens available in the Quickstart, but character creation isn't that involved.

The book allows for two methods, Planned and Freeform. I'm uncertain whether Freeform is appropriate, simply thinking that I'll forget to prompt you to fill in the details. As a compromise, let's use Planned Creation for creating the characters in advance, and then after the first couple of scenes, we can revisit if someone wants to make an adjustment.

Planned Character Creation is outlined on Page 109, as below:
[ +- ] Character Creation Summary
Before you get too far into this though, let's wait for everyone to chime in and discuss how you might work together. Your choices may evolve.
[ +- ] Dune 2d20

GM

Qralloq

Dec 8, 2023 2:45 am
Dec 8, 2023 2:45 am
Character Creation
Some notes on Carthag. The city was built by the Harkonnens with a lot of prefab structures and much forced labor. It's the second largest city on Arrakis with 2 million people.

It is also home to vast wealth, mostly in the Waterfall district. There is a middle class, merchant district, and a slum with enough poverty to shame all slums.

See the thread on Carthag.
Characters. The plan is to have you working for a Minor House. However, there's nothing saying that the party couldn't be, say:
- the house Lord themself
- a bene geserit
- a swordmaster
- a mentat

Or a different route, a series of criminal or merchant types that get contacted by the House.

Discuss.

BeardHareInactive for 1 months

Dec 8, 2023 11:02 am
Dec 8, 2023 11:02 am
Character Creation
My instant reaction, based only on experience of reading/watching/listening to Dune content, is that I'd like to play a bene geserit - just, yeah, that is a high level of badassery I expect I'd really enjoy. Although maybe it's going to be a bit too wild balancing the duty of service to the sisterhood with those of this House Minor. I need to read how the rulebook talks about that, I think.

Maybe a bene geserit who works for House Harkonen but actually as an agent of the House Minor? But I think that would make it too hard to keep running with the rest of the PCs.

I'll check out the rulebook on bene geserits and get back to you on this.

Otherwise I'd go for a smuggler working with/contacted by the House Minor. I like the idea of a character that has a reason to have some direct contact with the fremen.

And I'm genuienly comfortable taking on any role that the group feels like it needs. I can't imagine NOT enjoying any kind of character I might role-play in the Dune universe.
Last edited December 8, 2023 11:04 am

ForeverDED

Dec 8, 2023 3:54 pm
Dec 8, 2023 3:54 pm
Character Creation
A Bene Geserit that works in House Harkonnen? I was under the impression that HH considered all BGs to be "witches." I haven't read House Harkonnen so I don't know if they're truly as misogynistic as they appear to be in other works. However, being a BG working for a minor house seems fine. If Lady Jessica can balance serving two masters (BG and House Atreides), then I can see that balancing act as a great roleplay opportunity here. Obviously Q has final say on this. :)

I've downloaded the shared rulebook and will get to work.

GM

Qralloq

Dec 8, 2023 4:03 pm
Dec 8, 2023 4:03 pm
Character Creation
The BG are clearly options. Sisters are provided as advisors to many houses. If a BG sister is working below her station, then that's even more interesting. One would wonder why and that's an opportunity for story in itself.

BeardHareInactive for 1 months

Dec 8, 2023 4:46 pm
Dec 8, 2023 4:46 pm
Character Creation
Aye. I think Shadam, Thufir, and Duncan may all refer to the BG as witches, so that wasn't for me a reason to assume that there aren't any with the Harkonnens. And the Baron is seduced by one to father Jessica, I think?

AND indeed, I'd put her in the House Minor anyway. So, yep, will go and read character creation with a BG in mind :)

ForeverDED

Dec 8, 2023 10:38 pm
Dec 8, 2023 10:38 pm
Character Creation
Ok, read through the quickstart doc that was shared. While useful to explain what's on the pre-gen characters' pages at the back, it isn't a substitute for the chargen rules.

The pre-gen characters are: a mentat, a criminal, a servant, a Bene Gesserit, a swordmaster apprentice, and a spice smuggler (reformed). Are these the archetypes? And are they all that we have to choose from?

I can definitely see a mentat being of use to the minor house (House Helsin, right?). The mentat being necessary to calculate the odds of success of a plan, or the probability of the Harkonnens conducting certain actions, or deducing the time of the next arrival of some valuable commodity or tech.

The criminal element may be necessary to be employed to conduct certain illicit or unscrupulous activities that someone of the House would be forbidden to do, or too scandalous if caught. Same goes for the smuggler. The servant might serve as an undercover go-between for the House in dealing with these two types.

The swordmaster, or an apprentice to one, would be necessary to provide the muscle to achieve certain missions.

I do like the idea of Bene Gesserit being on board, but working for the minor house. Sure, they get called witches by many. Someone of House Atreides calling you a witch may be an insult or sign of distrust. But someone of House Harkonnen calling you a witch might be a prelude to torture.
Last edited December 8, 2023 10:39 pm

GM

Qralloq

Dec 8, 2023 11:52 pm
Dec 8, 2023 11:52 pm
Character Creation
There are lots of options in the corebook to those who have it. If you don't, then the pregens in the quickstart are all you have available.

Windyridge

Dec 9, 2023 12:40 am
Dec 9, 2023 12:40 am
Character Creation
I'm thinking about either the criminal or the servant. I have a bit of reading to do before I decide.

BeardHareInactive for 1 months

Dec 9, 2023 8:51 am
Dec 9, 2023 8:51 am
Character Creation
@ForeverDED Bene Gesserit, fremen, mentat, guild agent, and suk doctor are "factions" - they place some constraints on the talents you take (e.g. "Imperial Conditioning" for the Suk Doctor), and add an additional trait to the character (e.g. "Suk Doctor"). But any archetype is accessible to any of the factions.

BeardHareInactive for 1 months

Dec 9, 2023 8:54 am
Dec 9, 2023 8:54 am
Character Creation
I'm still thinking BG and have my eye on the following archetypes

- envoy (representative of the house in negotiations and diplomacy)
- courtier (advisor)
- protector (bodyguard for a nobel in our party?)
- empath (not full truthsense but good at spotting motives of others).

BeardHareInactive for 1 months

Dec 9, 2023 8:56 am
Dec 9, 2023 8:56 am
Character Creation
@Qralloq do you want to do collaborative House-building as in the rules, or will you present us with the details of the house already fixed (which would I expect make things a whole lot quicker).

Both totally work for me - I enjoy world-building, collaborative making-stuff AND look forward to getting stuck in with in-character play.

BeardHareInactive for 1 months

Dec 9, 2023 9:04 am
Dec 9, 2023 9:04 am
Character Creation
@ForeverDED if you'd like to flex into something not covered by the Quickstart or pregens, and don't have the full rule-book, happy to talk with you through the kind of things you were thinking of playing and collaborating with you to put together a character that works better for you. If so, and if that works also for @Qralloq, just hmu in PMs.

C1NDER

Dec 9, 2023 9:14 am
Dec 9, 2023 9:14 am
Character Creation
If nobody else is calling dibs, I think I would like to play a mentat serving the House Minor, sounds fun to me! I'm reading through the rules to familiarize myself over the weekend.

GM

Qralloq

Dec 9, 2023 1:41 pm
Dec 9, 2023 1:41 pm
Character Creation
The House creation rules are simple enough, and we can use them if you all decide to work directly for the house. With a BG and a mentat that seems the meaning of half the group.

The Roles on page 92 are a good place to look for ideas, but aren't exhaustive. Also, a small house may not have all of those roles covered by individuals.

For @windyridge, a criminal type could easily slide into one of those roles. A Spymaster could still have those criminal dealings. Any of them at all would be a servant.

For @ForeverDED, those are:
Ruler
Consort
Advisor
Chief Physician
Councillor
Envoy
Heir
Marshall
Scholar
Spymaster
Swordmaster
Treasurer
Warmaster

Windyridge

Dec 9, 2023 4:01 pm
Dec 9, 2023 4:01 pm
Character Creation
I've decided to go with the criminal archetype pregen. He has a contact on Arrakis who leads a gang of criminal thugs and a friend within the Arrakeen underworld.

For connections, maybe due to my PC's friends in the underworld in both Arrakis and Carthag, our house would get the jump on any developing threats. He could feed any rumors to both the mentat and the BG. In the case of the BG this would help in their capacity as advisor, protector or envoy (for example knowing ahead of time what the various positions are before any negotiations) and similarly to the mentat, perhaps using the info presented to them by my character to conduct their analytical assessments of potential threats.

As ForeverDED suggested above, my PC could engage in activities that the house would disapprove of and never conduct through normal channels.

GM

Qralloq

Dec 9, 2023 4:14 pm
Dec 9, 2023 4:14 pm
Character Creation
If you do use a pregen from the Quickstart, we can certainly adapt those for this adventure.

I've built a character sheet as well but need to check the automation in it before I share it. That will be later today.

Also, I updated some information in Carthag in the Locations thread.

ForeverDED

Dec 9, 2023 6:39 pm
Dec 9, 2023 6:39 pm
Character Creation
C1NDER says:
If nobody else is calling dibs, I think I would like to play a mentat serving the House Minor, sounds fun to me!
Go for it! :)
BeardHare says:
ForeverDED, if you'd like to flex into something not covered by the Quickstart or pregens, and don't have the full rule-book, happy to talk with you through the kind of things you were thinking of playing and collaborating with you to put together a character that works better for you. If so, and if that works also for Qralloq, just hmu in PMs.
Thanks, BeardHare. I appreciate that. I'm going to compare the list of roles that Qralloq provided and compare it with the pregens and mull it over.

GM

Qralloq

Dec 9, 2023 6:51 pm
Dec 9, 2023 6:51 pm
Character Creation
ForeverDED says:


Thanks, BeardHare. I appreciate that. I'm going to compare the list of roles that Qralloq provided and compare it with the pregens and mull it over.
If you have another idea, there are quite a few sample NPCs to use as a base. Mostly need your idea and we can find a template that gets us close.

BeardHareInactive for 1 months

Dec 9, 2023 7:50 pm
Dec 9, 2023 7:50 pm
Character Creation
Best for me to wait to pick from BG envoy, courtier, protector, empath until @ForeverDED knows the kinda character they want to play, I think. Although if you'd rather I just go ahead and pick now, just let me know.
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