Mythandar Character Guidelines
All of the traditional fantasy roles are open in Mythandar - human warriors and wizards, thieves, priests or clerics, elves and dwarves, halflings. Dragons in Mythandar are incredibly powerful and mysterious creatures, elementally linked to the world and the source of magic. They aren’t generally available as Player Characters, though they may appear as important NPCs. Also, this is not a vampire/World of Darkness type setting and those who prefer that kind of RP would be happier with another room (there are plenty of them around). Immortal PCs aren’t allowed here. The only immortals are the gods, though some characters can live for a very long time.
In general, we want Players to play the kind of characters they like, within the limitations of the setting. There are some basic character guidelines (see below). Please consult them, whether you’re creating a new C for the room or considering bringing in an old one. Transplanted characters still need to conform to this world.
Basically, if you’re used to playing characters who are invincible, invulnerable and immortal, you’re going to be disappointed.
Humans
Mankind dominates most of Mythandar, though there are regions where human beings are rare or non-existant. Humans are varied and adaptable, with expertise in a wide variety of endeavors - they are warriors, scholars, builders, farmers, craftsmen, seafarers. They can learn to use magic and there is a long tradition of arcane lore among human mages. In general, human characters specialize in a single profession or field of study or training. This means that your C can be a knight or man-at-arms with skill in weapons and warfare, a priest trained in the scholarly arts and religious rituals, a mage schooled in magic, or maybe a rogue-type with a variety of minor skills.
We intend to stay with the fantasy stereo-types here. No combo (multi-classed) fighter/wizard/rogue/werewolf/dragon-riders running around. People tend to pick a profession and work at it to become expert. They may pick up extra skills through experience, but they tend to stay with one area of expertise. That's how we're looking at characters in Mythandar.
One further note on human characters - There aren’t any mutant super-humans or psionic abilities in Mythandar, so anything resembling an X-man stops at the door.
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Non-Humans
In Mythandar, dwarves, elves, halflings and all the other strange races have their own talents and limitations. Most are partially magical in nature, which means that if magic didn’t exist in the world, neither would they. They are also influenced by culture and society (like everyone else). The elves, for example, do not have knights. There is no feudal tradition of warlords setting themselves up as rulers among elven kind. All Dwarves are warriors - it’s in their nature and they are good at it - and they do not use magic like elves or human mages. Rely on the traditional definitions of non-humans from fantasy literature (especially Lord of the Rings and similar sources) when playing non-human characters.
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Elves
Elves in this world are noble, good-aligned beings, mortal (though they live very long lives compared to humans). They aren’t as innately violent and greedy as men, but they can and will fight to protect their homelands and eachother. Elves have natural magical talents which can be enhanced through the study of magic lore. Because they live so long (up to 1000 years), elves can achieve levels of skill and power beyond human beings. Such venerable Lords of the Elder Race are rare and incredibly powerful personages and, at least for now, they aren’t available as Player Characters.
Drow
Drow are, of course, a legendary offshoot of the elven people who long ago turned to evil and went underground. And yes, they are EVIL. There aren’t any good drow in Mythandar and none who run around the surface of the world interacting with everyone else. They cannot abide the sun, for one thing (or even the light of the moon), and any drow that appeared would quickly be hunted down and eliminated by elves out of sheer embarrassment. In fact, the Elves won’t speak of the Dark Ones or acknowledge that they even exist … We’re not saying you can’t RP a drow character, just that you’re gonna be terribly lonely.
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Dwarves
Dwarves are very much like they have been portrayed in Lord of the Rings, the Forgotten Realms, and other sources. They are strong and stubborn, accomplished warriors, unequaled as craftsmen in stone and metal. All dwarves have an aversion to magic, a common distrust of humans and elves, and a pathological hatred for their racial enemies, giants and orcs. They live for centuries and think long-term, always with the good of the family, clan and race in mind. Dwarven Cs can be played as warriors (with all of the attendant dwarven skills) and that’s about it. This may limit Players’ options, but if Dwarves were more adaptable there wouldn’t be so few left in the world.
Halflings
Halflings live in Mythandar and they have for as long as men. They’ve always kept to themselves, living quiet lives as farmers and fisherfolk, always dreading the day when they would be noticed by the other races. Halflings don’t make great warriors, they don’t practice magic and their religious beliefs are simple. They are, however, naturally agile, quick and stealthy, with sharp senses and an uncanny ability to survive. As Player Characters, halfling adventurers are pretty rare, but not unheard of, and they’re generally considered insane by other halflings for willingly exposing themselves to the dangers of the big wide world.
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Vampires
As stated above, Mythandar is not a vampire room. WoD-style Cs don’t exist here. However, vampirism does. It’s not a mutation or a virus – it’s a curse. Vampires are humans who exist as the undead, sustained by evil magic and blood. Their souls are trapped in their bodies beyond death. They are monsters. In a world of sword-swinging heroes, spell-slinging wizards and priests who really do have the power of the gods behind them, the odds of survival for a vampire are pretty low. Vampires have to feed. When they do, they get noticed (most people know the signs) and when they get noticed, they’re hunted down and destroyed … We’re not saying you can’t RP a vampire, just that it’s likely to be a short career.
Weres
Again, this isn’t WoD. But, like vampirism, lycanthropy is a curse; the condition is magical in nature. In most cultures, were-creatures are considered evil monsters and they are treated that way. There are exceptions. Playing a were can be difficult because, when in beast-form, a person may not be able to control his or her own impulses. For RP purposes, the C's experience and strength of will is taken into account when determining if he or she can maintain control (there would be some dice rolling involved). Most Players couldn’t handle losing their free-form rights, even for a short time. So, consider the risks involved in playing that kind of character.
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Dragons
There is a chatroom tradition out there of dragon Cs who are intelligent and benevolent, able to take human form and live among regular people … Not in Mythandar. Here, Dragons are powerful primal creatures, inexorably linked to the elements and the very source of magic. They have existed since the Creation, legends say, and there is some mysterious relationship between the existence of Dragons and Wizards in Mythandar. They are very rare, now (some claim there are only seven left in the world) and in most lands, they have not been seen for centuries. An ancient dragon is nearly god-like it its power and totally alien in its motivations. When a Dragon appears, it is a momentous event – empires fall, destinies change and powerful people are faced with decisions that effect the fate of millions … In other words, you can ask to RP a Dragon but the answer will probably be No.
These are just some broad guidelines to give you an idea of the type of Player Characters we're looking for in Mythandar. More specific details on abilities, special talents and limitation of the various types of characters are provided. However, with the brief descriptions above, a Player could make a C and jump right in. Just keep in mind the setting and the general flavor of the game world, as well as the idea that hyper-powered Cs aren't intended to live there.
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