Character Creation
Where to start?
The Broken Dagger is first and foremost a "low fantasy" milieu. There are fantastical elements, but they are uncommon enough to be generally regarded with awe, wonder and suspicion. For new players, erring on the side of simplicity when creating a character is best. We firmly believe in upholding the realistic tone of our setting, regardless of its fantasy qualities.
What races can I play?
Myrken Wood and surrounding regions are predominantly populated by humans. Other fantastical races - elves, dwarves, halflings, minotaurs, etc. - are known, but present as a minority. As a broad guideline the more strange, exotic or monstrous a race, the more likely they are to receive reactions ranging from curiosity and fascination to fear and loathing. Typically “villainous” races such as orcs, trolls, dark elves or vampires are unlikely to be welcomed with open arms. This doesn't preclude you from playing an antagonistic or villainous character, but we believe that even “evil” characters should have a firm sense of motivation and purpose behind their villainy. Our setting thrives more on profound interaction than outright violence.
WHY IS THIS? We prefer that characters be rooted in our setting rather than transplanted from another, which means that use of locations from Earth or from copyrighted material is prohibited. Our setting has been built up fusing the contributions of many players over many years, and we invite you to employ it as much as possible. Confining your character’s origins, history, and subsequent arrival to places within our world offers fluidity and continuity to both channel realism and character investment.
What about power levels?
Our channel has played host to a range of characters at varying power levels, from peasants to masters in their particular field of interest. So that characters with great power do not overshadow characters without, we insist that powerful characters face firm constraints and limitations to their capabilities. The more potent a power, the more difficult or demanding it should be to use. Perhaps it is exhausting or injurious; perhaps it requires very specific conditions; perhaps it requires extensive preparation; perhaps it can only be used in moments of extreme duress; perhaps it has a very tightly-defined effect. This does not mean that your character cannot have amazing powers, only that such talents and abilities should be offset by comparable constraints or consequences.
When giving your character powers beyond the realm of normal human ability, please bear in mind:
- The use of special powers should never be a casual matter.
- The use of special powers should expand story possibilities, not close them off.
- The use of special powers should be considered a narrative last resort; often, when faced with an in-character situation where that power could be administered, consider its consequences and whether or not its incorporation would be suitable.
You will find that most every extant character has an element to them which is uncanny or curious -- but these are not widely stated or commonly revealed in-character except in extraneous circumstances. Of course, characters are not required to have any secret qualities, but we recognize that characters must first be interesting for you to write before they can ever be interesting for others to interact with.
WHY IS THIS? High-power characters pose a number of concerns. In terms of storytelling, characters using fantastical powers for routine applications can dilute the sense of wonder that such powers should evoke, and the incredible becomes commonplace or even boring. Additionally, characters with such powers run the risk of overshadowing characters without, thus denying other players the opportunity for interesting roleplay. Compare “The villain is defeated with the wave of a godling’s hand,” with “The villain is defeated by commoners who rose to the challenge, embarked on a perilous quest and discovered strength and bravery they never knew they had.” Which is the more interesting story?
