Starting Guide
We understand that making a character in Atharen can be a large undertaking! To that extent we have compiled this helpful guide in order to better assist you on your way! We hope that this proves to make the process easier whether you’re a newcomer to writerRPG formats or a veteran.
Know the Rules
It’s important to know what you’re signing up for when you register to play on Atharen. We recommend that you take the time to familiarize yourself with the rules we have established for the community. In registering on this website, you agree to those rules already in place as well as any future policies and procedures that the staff deem necessary. Please take a look at them!
They are located here.
Creating Your Character
Referred to as the Player Character, this is your avatar within the world of Atharen. They are yours to shape, to put upon whatever path you decide for them. Whether it’s a humble farmhand turned adventurous warrior or a noble in the high courts of the many sovereign states of Atharen, your character is yours. The following is information that is compiled and written to be posted to what is called a <Character Sheet>
Character Name
Accounts registered on Atharen must be the same name as that of your character. This may include a first name and a surname if so desired. Numbers and special characters are not allowed (i.e. !@#$% 12345).
- Proper: John Smith
- Improper: J@3hnSm!T#
Race, Age, Gender
This is perhaps one of the most important decisions you’ll make! The character’s race determines a lot of things about them. From special abilities, to small bonuses applied to the character at the start of play. Each of the races from your garden variety human to the oddest and most otherworldly offers something that may be of interests. Be sure to read the details of the races that catch your interest as some of them have specific requirements.
Mixed-Bloods
Players of a mixed race take on a rough blend of the physical attributes of their parent races, but can appear more of one race than the other. Additionally, rather than having dampened, diluted or mixed racial abilities, they may choose one of the racials of their parent races and utilize it with full proficiency, as if they were fully a member of that race. If a player wishes to intentionally dampen or dilute their racial ability, this is also allowed. As a requirement, in order to access a racial ability, one must have at least 50% of their genetics come from that race. This means that if you have several races, with no majority, you cannot have a racial ability at all.
Appearance
Once you have chosen your character’s race, be sure to read up on the specifics of the species in order to have an idea of how most members of that race look. Please be sure to stick to the general guidelines of what members of that race tend to appear as. Ask yourself these questions:
How tall are they?
What is the color of their: skin, eyes, hair?
Do they have any distinguishing marks?
How much do they weigh? Why? (i.e. malnourished, a well-fed knight, a plump aristocrat etc.)
And anything else that accurately represents how you see your character in your head! We love details so be as descriptive as you desire!
Personality
You don’t have to know everything about your character. Having a basic idea of how they view the world is helpful when it comes to writing them however. It will give you as a writer a foundation for how to approach the various circumstances they will be presented with in Atharen. What are some of their moral beliefs? Likes and dislikes? Do they adhere to the rigid precepts of a knightly order? Are they a rogue vigilante? A inquisitive troubadour? The possibilities are endless and while characters grow and change from their experiences, it is helpful to know where they began to serve as reference. What are their virtues? What are their vices? Atharen, despite being a high fantasy world, values realism in its characters.
Magic vs. No Magic
Atharen is a high fantasy world where most of its inhabitants will have encountered magic in some form or another during the course of their lives. Indeed, very low forms of magic are commonplace in everyday society. A fisherman might have a trinket that helps keep him dry when out on his boat. A traveler might possess a tool that can either light a fire or keep them warm. When it comes to actually wielding magic however, those individuals who can do so with any level of proficiency are decidedly less common.
Wizard, sorcerer, mage, whatever the term used to describe them these are individuals who either possess one of the Marks of Control or practice one of the various Schools of World Magic. There are many different forms of magic in the world of Atharen. If you as a player decide to bestow magic upon your character it is strongly advised that one understands the consequences and expectations that come with such a decision.
Skills
All players begin with a pool of 150 XP points to distribute across various skills. Please abide by the following stipulations with regard to starting skills.
- Please annotate on your character sheet which skills are part of your starting package. This can be done by placing (SP) next to the skill on the roster.
- Starting skills cannot begin with less than 5 XP.
- Characters may begin with one single skill at Journeyman (including magic), with a maximum of 50 XP allocated into it. No other skill may be placed above 25 XP at start.
- The Lore requirements are waived for Starting Skills. This means you can begin with [one] Journeyman skill from your starting skills, without it requiring 20 lores, and multiple Apprentice skills (if you begin with a Journeyman magic, all other magics must be Novice).
- If you begin play with a Raw Magic or a World Magic, you must explain in your history how your character came to study or be initiated into the magic.
- A player can take up to three magics to begin with, though we would recommend less. In addition, the maximum amount of each type of magic (ie Raw vs World) that can be taken by a starting PC is 2. This means you cannot begin with 3 Raw Magics, but may begin with 2 Raw and 1 World Magic. Regardless, less is recommended as a result of the risk that comes with initiation, as well as so that you may gain a clear understanding of how magic works in Atharen. Please note that you can only be initiated by NPCs up to your third Mark of Control, meaning if you already have three, you cannot be initiated into a fourth. After that, you will no longer be able to do so without regulation/approval, and will need Support Forum approval with a valid line of threads associated, such as with Blood Magic. Or, you can learn from a PC.
Skill Debt
If your character is sufficiently aged, typically from early-middle aged to that of an elderly individual for their race, they may begin with higher lever skills so that their age does not make them appear to be exceptionally unskilled for their level of experience. The XP allotted to fulfill this function is known as Skill Debt.
A player may add up to 300 points of additional XP, as long as it makes sense for their character's age and backstory, to their starting amount. This additional XP may be utilized to bring up a variety of skills, with their starting highest skill being increased to 75, with up to two more skills that may begin at 50 or lower. You may not begin with a magic at above 50, or more than two at 50. This includes World Magic. All other skills cannot exceed 25 points.
Skill Debt must be paid off. All XP earned until a character's Skill Debt is paid off must be put into paying it, without any exceptions. Additionally, while a character has Skill Debt, the player may not make a new character with Skill Debt until it is paid off. If players abuse this option, it may be individually revoked for their new characters.
Skill Debt can be as low as 50 points, and as high as 300. You do not need to specifically apply for it, and can include it in your Character Sheet during creation, so long as you mention it in the 'Skill Debt' area of the Skills section. A moderator has the ability to deny Skill Debt or negotiate it with a player if it is seen as excessive or nonsensical.
Lore
Lore is the record of knowledge that has been accumulated by the player across their roleplay. Lore is specific to certain techniques, facts, traditions, beliefs, cultural norms etc. for that which they are awarded. An example might be of a character who is a baker. They grew up around baking and have helped in their family’s business. As a result they know the specific techniques and knowledges required to run a successful bakery. A lore for them might look like this “Baking: How to Infuse Rolls with Honey” or “Baking: How to Fry Donuts”. From a management standpoint they might also possess a lore that looks like this “Business Management: Accounting For Supplies and Equipment”.
Social lores tend to lend insight into something specific and unique about the character or social situation wherein the lore was learned. There is an endless amount of customization possible for lore. Players are encouraged to be creative but should remember that a Lore is unchanging. It is a specific piece of knowledge learned from a specific set of circumstances.
- Characters begin play with up to 20 Lores, with players able to take less if they wish. These can be either generic or regular lores, and can be divided as the player sees fit.
- Characters are NOT permitted to begin play with Lores that would be considered secret knowledge.
Languages
Players all begin play with fluency in the Common language. Additionally, they may choose one other language to be fluent in, so long as it makes sense within their backstory that they would know this language.
Bonus Experience and Lore
Upon having their Character Sheet reviewed by a moderator, players can be awarded Experience Points and Lore beyond the initial starting amount. This is at the discretion of the moderator reviewing the character sheet. This bonus XP and Lore will be awarded for displaying in-depth creativity and is a reward for characters that go above and beyond the bare minimum of what is required to play.
Starting Package
Please refer to the Starting Package guide once you have hashed out the details of your character!
The Starting Packages are located here.
Choose a Starting Location
Where a character begins their journey can often define them just as much as where they came from. In the link below is a list of locations to be found across Atharen and a brief synopsis of some of them. Some of these locations may not be open for play as we have a limited number of staff members to oversee them. While your character can be from anywhere across the continent of Atharen, they can only be active in the locations marked as “Open for Play”. Currently, these locations are: Daravin, and Lorien.
Begin Playing
Players do not need to wait for their character sheets to be approved to begin playing. They must however make any corrections brought to their attention by a staff member in order to continue playing. If at any point in time you feel lost, have questions or are confused you are more than welcome to post in the Discussion Forums or reach out on our friendly neighborhood Discord chat!
Once you decide where you want to begin playing, it’s a good idea to research the general lore of the location. Each area of play has lore forums where players can read up on what life is like in that particular area. We encourage every newcomer to read up on these articles as often as they feel the need! Sometimes the information contained within them can change depending on the progress of on-going plots.
Be sure to make your first post in that particular area’s Character Registry. This lets people know that you’ve brought your character to that place to begin writing. Once this is done, you can make your first post and either join or begin your very first thread!
Thread Tags
Tags are used to notify players and staff members of the type of thread that is being written either by an individual or by multiple people. The following are the most common types.
Solo- A thread consisting generally of at least 1500 words wherein the only writer is the individual player. They may incorporate NPC’s but they are the only actual contributor to the thread.
Open- A thread that is open to any who desire to participate in it.
Closed- A thread that is open only to specific individuals.
Dream- A thread wherein the characters are asleep and the activities taking place occur in the dreamscape of the Land of Nod.
And that’s that! Go forth and have fun! We hope this small guide for how to get started has been helpful! Please feel free to reach out whenever you feel the need if you have questions. Our community is more than happy to assist you!
