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--- character_creation [2024/12/30 18:14] – created gm_mike
+++ character_creation [2025/01/30 10:24] (current) – gm_mike
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 ===== Summary =====
-To create a character, follow the guide below and submit a character using our submission form. If you have any questions about your character, feel free to come along to our character creation session (see [[when and where]]) or email the gm team at [[gm@nightknights.oxfordlarp.com]]. For players wishing to start at session 1, characters need to be submitted by Tuesday 21st January. It is possible to create a character and join the game once it's started - we ask that you try and get your character to us at least a week before the session you intend to start at, so that we can review it at the GM meeting.
+To create a character, follow the guide below and submit a character using our [[https://forms.gle/EPraQ4u1YTMRdBia7 |submission form]]. If you have any questions about your character, feel free to come along to our character creation session (7:30pm, 15th January, at the Cowley Retreat), or email the gm team at [[gm@nightknights.oxfordlarp.com]], or ask in our [[https://discord.gg/Hv8BkphaJ2|discord server]]((bear in mind anything on that server will be public, so if your question relates to secret character details, it's better in an email)).
+It is possible to create a character and join the game once it's started - we ask that you try and get your character to us at least a week before the session you intend to start at, so that we can review it at the GM meeting.
 =====Character Summary=====
 ===Name and Pronouns===
-Your character's name and pronouns. You may also want to include a nickname if that's relevant. Names can be more or less whatever you want - feel free to use the names of your own beloved childhood toys, or make up a name. As regards gender, toys are entirely sexless, and your pronouns are whatever Jordan decided they are!
+Your character's name and pronouns. You may also want to include a nickname if that's relevant. Names can be more or less whatever you want - feel free to use the names of your own beloved childhood toys, or make up a name. As regards gender, toys are entirely sexless, but you can have whatever gender identity and pronouns you wish.
 === Type of Toy ===
 What kind of toy are you? Are you a teddybear? Some other stuffed animal? An action figure? Perhaps a remote control car? Be whatever you like, but please stay within the following guidelines:
-  * No real-world brands or trademarks. You can take inspiration from the real world if you like, but you can't be an actual Barbie, or Beanie Baby, or Furby, for example.
+  * No real-world brands or trademarks. You can take inspiration from the real world if you like, but you can't be an actual Barbie, or Beanie Baby, or Furby, for example. You can also use [[pop_culture|Pop Culture]] for inspiration, but this list is not exhaustive - you can also make up your own show/brand for your toy.
   * You must have a face. We've decided this is the requirement for a toy to be sufficiently person-like to be a character. It can be abstract, but you need something that is identifiable as a face.
   * You must be some sort of toy that would be found in an 8-year-old's bedroom.
   * You may play a multi-part toy, for example a Mr Potato Head equivalent, but you must choose one part of you to be your "core", the bit that is, ultimately, "you".
-  * You may only play a single toy - you can play a single green army man, you can't play an entire squadron. It is valid to play a toy that comes as part of a set - in that case, any other toys in the set will be NPCs or other PCs.
+  * You may only play a single toy - you can play a single green army man as the representative of your squadron, but each figure is their own entity. You can't play the entire bucket of army men as a hive-mind or anything like that.
+  * You may not play a toy that is a representation of an infant or toddler.
-We will assign you some sort of positive trait or ability appropriate to the type of toy you are. We're happy to discuss this with you to make sure you're happy with it, and you are welcome to suggest what sort of ability you might like, though the final decision is at the discretion of the GMs. If it seems appropriate, some toys might instead get two positive traits and a negative trait - for example, a toy snake might have a negative trait of "you don't have arms", with the disadvantages that entails, but would have an extra positive trait to make up for it. Again, this is purely at GM discretion.
 === Background ===
-A short background of your character. Who are you as a person? How did you come to be Jordan's toy? Were you a present, were you second hand? What's your relationship with Jordan?
+A short background of your character. Who are you as a person? How did you come to be Jordan's toy? Were you a present, were you second hand? What's your relationship with Jordan? What is your character afraid of?
 This is also a good place to put any character goals you have (both IC and OC) if you have them, so we know what you or your character is hoping to achieve over the game. This of course may change completely during the course of the game, or you might not have any specific goals at game start, so no pressure to have to include anything specific.
-==== Class ====
+=== Public Bio ===
+A short (1-3 paragraphs) description of your character, which will be publicly displayed on the wiki, setting out what Jordan's other toys would reasonably know about them.  This should include some indication of what kind of toy you are, how long Jordan has owned you, and perhaps where you came from (and in particular, if you were previously owned by Kelly, Jordan's sister).
+===== Traits =====
+At game start, Traits come in two types - Advantages, and Disadvantages. Every character can have two Advantages for free. You can also take a third Advantage, but if you do, you must choose to either:
+  - Take a Disadvantage (see below), or
+  - Have the third Advantage as a "missing advantage", representing equipment that does not start play in Jordan's room. It is somewhere in the House (we will decide where), and must be located and retrieved before you will be able to use it.
+Note that if you choose the second option, the third Advantage must represent something physical that can be separated from you, rather than an innate property.
+Note that these categories of Advantages are deliberately very broad and open, with a lot of overlap. Many different categories might have the same overall result - for example, if you wanted to be able to heal other toys, that might be represented by Skill: Doctor, or Power: Life Magic, or Accessory: Healing Gun, or even Tool: Needle and Thread((though a needle and thread is likely to be less useful for repairing a plastic action figure than for stitching up a plush animal)). The categories themselves have no actual mechanical effect, and are only intended to serve as guidance to narrative flavour. If you can't decide what category something fits into, don't worry about it - just write what you'd like to be able to do, using the examples below as a jumping off point, and we'll work with you to come up with something that makes sense.
+Note that toys run on imagination - when choosing Advantages and Disadvantages, don't feel constrained to only what your actual toy can do in the real world. Instead, think of what a child playing with you would imagine you can do. It doesn't matter if you're "not a flying toy", wings can still let you soar. A ray gun is a perfectly valid weapon. A domino mask can make you unrecognisable.
+====Advantages====
+===Weapon===
+You have something that helps you fight. It might be a sword, a gun, or your own claws and teeth. When the monsters attack, you have a way to fight back.
+===Tool===
+You have something that allows you to make things, to craft. Maybe it's a forge that can build weapons, or a potions kit that can transform flowers and leaves into wondrous elixirs. Maybe you have a needle and thread, and can sew up new clothes out of fabric, and repair soft toys. Tell us what your tool can make, and what raw materials it requires to do so.
+===Companion===
+You come with a second figure - perhaps you are a forest ranger action figure with a pet wolf, or you're a princess doll with a butler to pour the tea at your tea parties. Your companion can be anywhere from animal to human in intelligence, and will generally be disposed to do what you say, but will be an NPC under the control of the GM team.
+===Skill===
+A mundane skill you're expert in. Maybe you're Heart Surgeon Sally and are trained in medicine, or Mountaineer Adventure Man and you're an expert climber. Or perhaps it has nothing to do with your theming as a toy, and you're a fish that just got really into mechanical tinkering.
+===Power===
+Something you can do beyond the norm. This can be any "more than human" ability, regardless of the cause - maybe you can fly because you're a stuffed bird and birds fly, or maybe you can fly because you're a superhero. Do you glow in the dark, and can channel your light to banish shadow monsters?
+===Squad===
+You're the leader of a small troop of near-identical toys - think Army Men, for example. By yourself, you're definitely smaller and weaker than the average toy, but quantity has a quality all of its own, and you can bring the numbers to bear when you need to.
+===Vehicle===
+You have a toy vehicle of some sort, useful for getting around quickly. It could be a car, a stealth jet, or whatever else is appropriate to your character.
+===Playset===
+You have a Playset - a building, a base of operations. Maybe it's a toy castle, maybe it's a doll house, maybe it's a pizza restaurant. Your Playset makes up part of the [[Room|Town]], and is a little part of it that you get to define and own.
-Every toy has a Class. Your Class determines what you can do with one of your actions every turnsheet. The following classes are available at character creation, though more classes may become available over the course of play.
+===Accessory===
+You have a thing! Some piece of equipment that does something useful. Maybe you have X-ray goggles, or a magic key that can open any door. Perhaps a magnifying glass that can unerringly find clues. Accessories can do many things, what does yours do? Note that you can have [[Toys|accessories]] that have no mechanical impact (e.g. clothes), and you don't need to take an Advantage for that.
-=== Crafter ===
+====Disadvantages====
-You know how to build things, you're good with your paws. Each night you may choose to:
-  * Craft equipment - build weapons, armour, or useful gadgets out of household materials
-  * Build defenses - work to fortify Jordan's room against monsters, by building booby traps, walls, or anything else you can think of to help
-  * Repair toys - with the proper materials, you can repair damaged toys if they've taken wounds from monsters
-=== Adventurer ===
+If you wish to begin play with three Advantages, you will either need to take a Disadvantage, or choose for that advantage to start play somewhere other than Jordan's room (so you don't have immediate access to it). Disadvantages are properties that make your character's life harder. We are not providing an exhaustive list of available Disadvantages, you are free to make up your own. They should be roughly as impactful as the examples below, and again, we are happy to work with you to decide the details.
-You are on the front lines against the monsters. If they want to hurt Jordan, they're going to have to go through your fluffy body first. Each night you may choose to:
-  * Defend the room - stay in Jordan's room to guard them from the monsters that would invade
-  * Search for reinforcements - mount an expedition into the Attic to retrieve supplies that haven't been unpacked from the move yet
-  * Go on the offensive - delve into the realms of the monsters, taking the fight to them
-=== Dreamweaver ===
+===Example Disadvantages===
-You are a mystic, skilled at guarding the dreams of sleeping children. Each night you may choose to:
+  * You have no arms, and struggle to manipulate objects
-  * Soothe Jordan's sleep - weave yourself into Jordan's dreams to walk them and protect from nightmares
+  * You have a short battery life and need regular recharging
-  * Weave magic - using Imagination harvested from dreams, create fantastical effects in the real world
+  * One of your Advantages is powered by the sun, and only functions during the [[turnsheeting|Day action]]
-  * Consult the Seer - learn answers to questions about the future
+  * You have lights on, are scented, make noise while moving, or otherwise are very easily noticeable - hiding from monsters is super hard
+  * You have a programmed dance routine that can randomly get set off, rendering you helpless for the seconds it takes to run through
+  * You're a paper doll, and extremely susceptible to water damage - getting wet will be a major problem
-=== Scout ===
-You are the eyes and ears of the bedroom. You provide the information that lets everyone else do their job. Each night you may choose to:
-  * Scavenge - explore the rest of the house to find useful materials for the Crafters to use, and maybe more
-  * Scout the monsters' realm - delve stealthily under the bed to learn more about what's under there, and find out where the Adventurers need to go the next night
-  * Gather information - spy on documents around the house to learn more about Jordan's life and the things going on in it
 ==== Stats ====