CHARACTER CREATION

When creating a character, players decide what race and class they want their character to be, roll attributes, and then choose primary and secondary attributes. Characters can be either male or female. The character's name, class, ability scores and other information is recorded by the player on a separate sheet of paper or other record. The player is responsible for keeping a record of the character's bonuses and penalties, any damage he takes, how much gold he owns, what weapons and other items he carries, etc.

Your character’s class is his or her profession or vocation. The class you select determines much of what your character can do in the game. Your character’s combat prowess, magical aptitude, skills, and other qualities are defined and given boundaries by his or her class.

Your character’s level shows how much experience and training he or she has acquired. A 1st-level character, for example, appears extremely green next to a 10th-level character.

When you’re creating a character, the class you want to play suggests where you should assign ability scores and even hints at which races are most appropriate to play. In all cases, however, these are only suggestions. ODD is a game about choices and options, not restrictions. You can always play against type if that better fits the concept you have for the character you want to play

GENERATING ATTRIBUTE SCORES

Attribute scores are generated by rolling 3d6. The player adds the results of the three dice together to create a total score that ranges between 3 and 18.

This process is repeated six times. Once the six scores are generated, each score is assigned to one attribute, in any order the player chooses. When assigning attribute scores, the player should consider the race and class of the character being created. A character’s race may raise or lower an attribute score, and certain attribute scores may affect a character’s class abilities.

Normally, attribute scores only increase or decrease during the course of a game as a result of magic, poison, curses or other extraordinary events. Should an attribute score change during game play, the modifier changes to correspond to the new score, if applicable. It is possible for an attribute score to fall below 3 or exceed 18 during game play. However, attribute scores for characters that fall outside of this range are rare, and are usually associated with monsters, powerful magical items or other entities controlled by the Referee.

THE SIX ATTRIBUTES

STRENGTH: This attribute reflects physical strength, including the ability to lift or move heavy objects and make powerful attacks. The modifier affects melee combat and damage, and all checks for which strength is the primary influence. Characters can military press 10x their strength and dead lift 15x their strength score.

DEXTERITY: This attribute represents a character’s reflexes, manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination, including the ability to dodge and defend against attacks. The modifier affects armor class, ranged combat and all checks involving dexterity.

CONSTITUTION: This attribute reflects overall health, and also represents a character’s ability to withstand pain, suffer physical damage, avoid fatigue and fight off sickness or poison. The modifier affects hit points, and it applies to all checks involving constitution as the prime influence.

INTELLIGENCE: This attribute reflects mental aptitude. It represents a character’s ability to learn quickly, apply that learning effectively and use deductive reasoning. The modifier affects the number of arcane spells a character can cast each day, the number of languages a character can learn and all checks involving intelligence as the prime influence.

WISDOM: This attribute reflects depth of personal experience, the ability to make well-considered decisions or judgments, and represents a spiritual connection to a deity. The modifier affects the number of divine spells that can be cast each day, attempts to turn the undead and all checks involving wisdom as the prime influence.

CHARISMA: This attribute represents strength of personality, willpower, leadership and attractiveness. It is the degree to which a character is able to influence others. The modifier affects other creatures’ loyalty and reactions to the character, the number of undead the character can turn and all checks involving charisma as the prime influence.

ATTRIBUTE MODIFIERS

Each attribute score has a corresponding modifier that can alter die rolls in the game. The modifier is a number added to (or subtracted from) a roll of the dice when a character uses an attribute to take an action, make a saving throw or use a class ability. For example, a character attempting to bend the bars of a prison cell would have his or her strength modifier applied to the roll.

The amount of damage delivered to a foe is likewise affected by the attribute modifier. A positive modifier is called a bonus and a negative modifier, a penalty. Higher attribute scores have higher bonuses, and lower attribute scores have larger penalties. So, whether fighting a nasty troll, a hungry wyvern or avoiding the gaze of a gorgon, attribute modifiers play a decidedly important role in the game.

TABLE: ATTRIBUTE MODIFIERS

   1  2-3 4-5 6-8 9-12 13-15 16-17 18-19
  --------------------------------------
  -4  -3  -2  -1   0    +1    +2    +3  

SELECTING PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES

Players next choose which attributes will be designated as "Primary" attributes. These represent the characters areas of specialization and natural talent. Human characters get to select three attributes and all other races select two. All other attributes not selected are considered "Secondary" attributes.

Characters get to add +6 to any roll, check, or saving throw based on a primary ability. Secondary attributes confer no special bonus or penalty to rolls, checks, or saving throws.

« Index