Morrowind RPS

So here they are, the long awaited character rules... or at least our latest draft of them. It you have comments, questions, suggestions please feel free to make them (it's better to hash these things out now as opposed to in session). Striker and myself do reserve the right to make final decisions on the rule.
This post is quite long, so I suggest reading the rules on characters and character changes and than skimming through the skills and races to find ones which appeal to you.

Characters (PCs):
Your characters are all members of a mercenary band. As such you are familiar with each other and have functional relationships. In other words, while not all of your characters need to be best buddies none of them will be antagonistic toward each other. Also, lone-wolf characters are HIGHLY discouraged (read: if you want to do a solo adventure contact me outside RPS time).

When writing your character sheet please begin by describing the concept for your character. Then give a brief history of the character and why he/she is with this group of mercenaries. Then list five skills your character possesses from those described below (if you can think of skill that isn’t listed below please feel free to suggest it) (please note that the different schools of magic are considered to be separate skills). For most of the skills you do not list it will be assumed that your character is familiar with them, but has not received training with them. Magic is an exception to this rule since you need to know a spell before you can cast it and it would be impossible to learn a spell without previous training in the corresponding school of magic. To prevent uber spell casters your character will have mana. Please note how much mana your character has and where it comes from (see magic rules).

Finally your character can have some quirks. Quirks include such things as ambidexterity, blindness, improved spell casting, a speech impediment, extra hardiness or strength. (Please use your imagination to create quirks not listed here. If you are not sure how appropriate an idea is just contact me and we’ll talk). As you may be able to see from this list quirks can be either a hindrance or a benefit. If you take a hindrance you will be able to have more benefits. Quirks also come in two power ratings; partial and complete. You have two quirk points, which means you can have two partial benefits or one complete. If you take a hindrance you will gain a corresponding number of quirk points you can apply to benefits. Please try and keep things balanced if you are going to use a hindrance. A full lisp does not justify a full cat-like reflexes. Please, please try and be fair I really don’t want to have to disallow a character.

Once you have created your character you can equip him/her. Your character is not rich so you do not have any exceptional arms or armour. Please limit yourself to non-enchanted steel, leather, or bonemold armour and steel weapons (you will have a chance to obtain better gear as the game progresses).

Character changes:
Your characters may not remain the same through out the game. In fact it is highly likely that at least their equipment will change as they progress through the adventure. Your characters may also have opportunities to seek out training. Actions through the game may also shape your characters. Regular usage of skills may result in their improvement. Unfortunate circumstances may result in injuries which are not easily healed. Note should be taken of these changes to your characters.

Example of a character sheet:
Name: Algra Darile
Race: Redguard
Concept: highly mobile melee combatant. Supplements fighting skills with magic.
Algra Darile grew up in Skyrim far to the north of her peoples’ ancestral home of Hammerfall. Her she learned to use her speed and wits to over come the local roughens. She never felt at home among the Nords. Thus at the young age of 18 she joined the crew of a merchant ship. She was not popular with the Nordic crew who abandoned her at their first port of call, Vivec. She traveled through out Morrowind in search of odd work and a place to fit in. In her travels she encountered the mercenary group and joined. She feels very proud of her place among the warriors, but she is suspicious that they too may abandon her.

Skills:
1   Very Long Blade:    -offensive
2         -parry
3   Light Armour
4   Acrobatics
5   Conjure
      -summon longblade (bastard sword)

all 3 additional spells are converted to mana
Mana: 7 (conjure) 6 (converted additional spells) = 13

Quirks:
Partial fast reflexes
   Partial deafness
   Full extraordinary running
Equipment:
1 bastard sword in back sheath
full suit of netch leather armour.
Satchel: - a small amount of food, waterskin, whet stone, utility knife, a few coins.

Skills:

Armour
Suits of armour come in varying weights. Typically the heavier the armour the more protection it offers. Suits of armour include a helmet, torso covering, pauldrons, bracers (or gauntlets), waist/thigh protection, and greaves (or boots). The piece of a suit does not need to be of the same style or weight class, but it is highly recommended.

Heavy: As the name says, these pieces of armour are heavy. They typically offer the best protection, but their weight at times makes them cumbersome. Heavy armour if preferred by strong warriors who expect to be in the thick of a melee. In Morrowind armour made of iron and/or steel plates and mail make up the majority of heavy armour. It is also possible to find suits left behind by the dwarves (dwemer) and the rare suit made from ebony or the hide of a Daedra.

Medium: Medium armour often resembles heavy armour, but is considerably lighter. However, in lightening the pieces of armour some of their protective characteristics must be sacrificed. In Morrowind suits of bonemold armour are quite popular with retainers of the noble houses and dunmer warriors. Outlander have introduced styles of medium armour made with pieces of metal and leather, however these typically are of inferior quality. The exceptions to this rule are suits crafted by Orcish and Nordic master smiths, which are highly prized.

Light: Suits of light armour allow a maximum of flexibility while protecting the wearer. Light armour can not resist crushing blows, but diminish the nicks and burses from a scuffle and may even turn the occasional blade. In Morrowind netch leather is often used to make suits of light armour. These outfits are particularly popular with members of the ashlander clans. Bear and wolf pelts are also turned into suits of armour by Nordic craftsmen. It s possible to find suits made by master craftsmen, but these are rare and more likely than not in the possession of professional assassins and their ilk. It is more common to find suits of armour which are made with piece of the green volcanic glass native to Morrowind. These suits resemble heavier suits, but the glass plates are considerably lighter than steel, making them highly prized.

Unarmoured: An adventurer who chooses to pursue a quest without armour in Morrowind must have nerves of steel and the reflexes of a cat. These adventures typically rely on their ability defeat foes from a distance to win combats. When this fails they are forced to duck and dodge until they can bring their foe down or escape.

Weapons:
A wide variety of weapons are available to you. These skills are intended for offensive use, but may improve or even cover parrying. If the weapons skill does not cover parrying or only improves parries you may choose take a skill entitled parry (weapon type). If you want a weapon not covered in these skills, or you are not sure which skill category it would fit under please contact me.

Short Blades: Include such weapons as daggers, wakashi, short swords, sais, main-gauges, and kukri knives. This skill can be selected as either on-hand or off-hand. The on-hand short blade skill is for attacks and improves parries If the short blade is an off-hand skill it will be a parry skill with improved attacks.

Long Blades: Include broad swords, bastard swords (one handed), katanas, sabres, rapiers, and machetes. This skill is for attacks and improves parries.

Very Long Blades: claymores, bastard swords (two handed), dia-katanas, and great swords. This skill covers attacks (note: difficulties attacking frequently and parrying increase with the size of the weapon).

Staff: typically range between 5 and 7 feet (though there are some adjustments depending on race). This skill covers both attacks and parries.

Short blunt: Maces, clubs, one-handed warhammers, tonfas. This skill covers attacks and improves parries. (note: weapons with heavy ends have more powerful attacks, but are awkward).

One handed axes: This skill covers attacks and improves parries. (note: axes have powerful natural attacks, but they are awkward. This disadvantage is increased by having the added weight of a second blade.)

Flailing weapons: flails, numchuks, morning-stars. Offensive only weapons. (note: these weapons are very difficult to control when they are moving fast and can become a danger to the wielder as well as all those around them).

Polearms: halbards, guisarme, warhammers, fighting spears, Hammer of Kai, glaives, naginata, two-handed axes. This skill covers attacks using the combative ends. The staff skill can be used to get alternative performances from these weapons.

Bows: both long and short bows. This skill is for attacks. Bows count as staffs for non-projectile fighting (note: due to their delicate nature, bows are unable to stand up to prolonged use as a melee weapon).

Crossbow: for attack only. (note: crossbows take considerable effort to reload)

Thrown weapons: ninja stars, throwing knives, throwing axes. Attack only.

Hand-to-hand: covers both strikes (hand and foot) and grappling. For offensive and defensive use. (note: kicking while using a weapon and/or shield is very awkward)

Improvised weapons: This skill allows the use of random objects as effective weapons. This skill covers weapons the character has no training with, but a less proficient level than if the character had previous training. Synergy will be considered if the character has skills with a weapon which bears a resemblance to the object or if the character has the hand-to-hand skill.

Shields: this skill applies to all shields regardless of size or style. This skill is purely defensive.

Acrobatics:
Acrobatic characters are far better at jumping than most individuals. (note: the weight the character is carrying should be taken into account when jumping.

Climbing:
This skill is useful when scaling walls.

Survival:
This skill combines the various forms of knowledge useful for those who spend much of their time away from civilization. It includes first aid, shelter building, fire building, camp cooking, tracking, and basic herbology

Sneak:
Allows the character to move undetected… more or less…

Lockpick:
Allows the character to pick locks with efficiency.

Magic:
Magic is divided into a number of different schools. While all magic draws on the same magicka energies within the individual the spells of each school are derived from different theoretical principles. As a result it is not possible for most people to learn spells without first learning these principles. In other words, your character will have one “pot” of mana for all your magic schools, but you can only learn spells from the schools your character knows. Beginning characters will know 1 spell in each school they select. On top of the spell which comes with their school beginning characters may learn 3 additional spells. Beginning characters have a few limits on which spells they know. To prevent uber mages characters will start with 7 mana points in their “pot” for each school they know (plus/minus racial bonuses). Additional spells may be traded in for 2 mana in the “pot” (please make a note if you are going to do this.

Destruction: The destruction skill is the mastery of the spell effects of the College of Destruction. Their spells harm living and unliving things, and include elemental damage (fire, frost, or electricity), draining, vulnerability to an element, and disintegration (of non-living objects) magical effects. All these spells will have an initial cost of mana. Draining and vulnerability spells will have a continuous drain for their duration. Spells may cast in the form of a touch or a projectile. Projectiles will have additional costs depending on their distance. Projectiles may “explode” to have an area affect. The size of the area affected also increase the cost of the spell.

Alteration: Students of the College of Alteration manipulate the physical world and its natural properties. Alteration effects include water breathing and walking, jumping, levitating, burdening, opening and locking, and creating shield barriers against physical damage. When casting any of these spells there will be an initial price for the spell and a running drain for the duration of the spell.
-locking and unlocking will only have an initial cost unless used on some magical locks.

Illusion: Spell effects of the College of Illusion alter the perceptions and thoughts of living subjects. Illusion effects blind, illuminate, paralyze, and silence, calm or enrage, charm, distract and camouflage, and render invisible. When casting any of these spells there will be an initial price for the spell and a running drain for the duration of the spell.

Conjuration: The spell effects of the College of Conjuration include the mental domination of mundane and magical creatures, summonation of otherworldly weapons and armour, and summonation of Daedric or undead servants and powers to serve and protect the caster. When casting any of these spells there will be an initial price for the spell and a running drain for the duration of the spell.
-domination: cost will increase with the mental power of the creature and the duration of the spell.
-summonation of weapons and armour: All powerful weapon or piece of armour can be summoned know as a bound (item name). The object to be summoned must be declared with the spell.
- summonation of Daedric or undead servants: will be unavailable until otherwise notified.

Mysticism: The spells of the College of Mysticism shape and focus otherworldly forces to bind souls in gems, or teleport the caster's body, or manipulate the world with telekinesis, or absorb or reflect magical energies, or sense unseen objects at a distance. The cost of these spells will depend on the distances and weights involved.

Restoration: Adepts of the College of Restoration heal, restore, and fortify the body's attributes and abilities, cure disease, and protect it from other malign influences. Restoration spells can also augment or absorb strength, endurance, intelligence, agility, and other bodily attributes. The cost of the spell will vary with the magnitude of the spell. Augmentation spells will involve an initial cost and a continuous drain of mana for the duration of the spell

Races:

ARGONIAN: Little is known and less is understood about the reptilian denizens of Black Marsh. Years of defending their borders have made the Argonians experts in guerilla warfare, and their natural abilities make them equally at home in water and on land. They are well-suited for the treacherous swamps of their homeland, and have developed natural immunities to the diseases and poisons that have doomed many would-be explorers into the region. Their seemingly expressionless faces belie a calm intelligence, and many Argonians are well-versed in the magical arts. Others rely on stealth or steel to survive, and their natural agility makes them adept at either. They are, in general, a reserved people, slow to trust and hard to know. Yet, they are fiercely loyal, and will fight to the death for those they have named as friends.

BRETON: Passionate and eccentric, poetic and flamboyant, intelligent and willful, the Bretons feel an inborn, instinctive bond with the mercurial forces of magic and the supernatural. Many great sorcerers have come out of their home province of High Rock, and in addition to their quick and perceptive grasp of spellcraft, enchantment, and alchemy, even the humblest of Bretons can boast a high resistance to destructive and dominating magical energies.
+3 mana

DARK ELF: Dark Elves are the dark-skinned Elven peoples of the Eastern Empire. "Dark" is variously understood to mean "dark-skinned," "gloomy," and "ill-favored by fate." The Dunmer and their national character embrace these various connotations with enthusiasm. In the Empire, "Dark Elves" is the common usage, but in their Morrowind homeland, and among their Aldmeri brethren, they call themselves the "Dunmer". The dark-skinned, red-eyed Dark Elves combine powerful intellect with strong and agile physiques, producing superior warriors and sorcerers. On the battlefield, Dark Elves are noted for their skilled and balanced integration of swordsmen, marksmen, and war wizards. In character, they are grim, aloof, and reserved, distrusting and disdainful of other races.
+2 mana

HIGH ELF: In Imperial speech, the haughty, tall, golden-skinned peoples of Summerset Isle are called "High Elves," but they call themselves the "Altmer," or the "Cultured People." In the Empire, "High" is often understood to mean "tall," "proud," or "snobbish." The High Elves confidently consider themselves, with some justice, as the most civilized culture of Tamriel; the common tongue of the Empire, Tamrielic, is based on Altmer speech and writing, and most of the Empire's arts, crafts, and sciences are derived from High Elven traditions. However, the High Elf's smug self-assurance of his superiority can be hard to bear for those of other races. Deft, intelligent, and strong-willed, High Elves are often gifted in the arcane arts, and High Elves boast that their sublime physical natures make them far more resistant to disease than the "lesser races."
+5 mana
-physically weaker than most other races

IMPERIAL
Natives of the civilized, cosmopolitan province of Cyrodiil, the Imperials are well-educated and well-spoken. Imperials are also known for the discipline and training of their citizen armies. Though physically less imposing than the other races, the Imperials have proved to be shrewd diplomats and traders, and these traits, along with their remarkable skill and training as light infantry, have enabled them to subdue all the other nations and races, and to have erected the monument to peace and prosperity that comprises the Glorious Empire.

KHAJIIT
Khajiit hail from the province of Elsweyr and can vary in appearance from nearly Elven to the cathay-raht "jaguar men" to the great Senche-Tiger. The most common breed found in Morrowind, the suthay-raht, is intelligent, quick, and agile. Khajiit of all breeds have a weakness for sweets, especially the drug known as skooma. Many Khajiit disdain weapons in favour of their natural claws. They make excellent thieves due to their natural agility and unmatched acrobatics ability. Many Khajiit are also warriors, although this is less common among the suthay-raht.

NORD
The citizens of Skyrim are a tall and fair-haired people, aggressive and fearless in war, industrious and enterprising in trade and exploration. Skilled sailors, Nords can be found in seaports and settlements along all the coasts and rivers of Tamriel. Strong, stubborn, and hardy, Nords are famous for their resistance to cold, even magical frost. Violence is an accepted and comfortable aspect of Nord culture; Nords of all classes are skilled with a variety of weapon and armor styles, and they cheerfully face battle with an ecstatic ferocity that shocks and appals their enemies.

ORC
These sophisticated barbarian beast peoples of the Wrothgarian and Dragontail Mountains are noted for their unshakeable courage in war and their unflinching endurance of hardships. In the past, Orcs have been widely feared and hated by the other nations and races of Tamriel, but they have slowly won acceptance in the Empire, in particular for their distinguished service in the Emperor's Legions. Orcish armorers are prized for their craftsmanship, and Orc warriors in heavy armor are among the finest front-line troops in the Empire. Most Imperial citizens regard Orc society as rough and cruel, but there is much to admire in their fierce tribal loyalties and generous equality of rank and respect among the sexes.
-4 mana
+ improved heavy armour

REDGUARD
The most naturally talented warriors in Tamriel, the dark-skinned, wiry-haired Redguards of Hammerfell seem born to battle, though their pride and fierce independence of spirit makes them more suitable as scouts or skirmishers, or as free-ranging heroes and adventurers, than as rank-and-file soldiers. In addition to their cultural affinities for many weapon and armor styles, Redguards are also physically blessed with hardy constitutions and quickness of foot.

WOOD ELF
The Wood Elves are the various barbarian Elven clanfolk of the Western Valenwood forests. In the Empire, they are collectively referred to as "Wood Elves," but "Bosmer," or "the Tree-Sap People," is what they call themselves. "Tree-Sap" suggests the wild vitality and youthful energy of Wood Elves, in contrast with their more dour cousins, the Altmer and Dunmer. Bosmer reject the stiff, formal traditions of Aldmeri high culture, preferring a romantic, simple existence in harmony with the land, its wild beauty and wild creatures. These country cousins of the High Elves and Dark Elves are nimble and quick in body and wit, and because of their curious natures and natural agility, Wood Elves are especially suitable as scouts, agents, and thieves. But most of all, the Wood Elves are known for their skills with bows; there are no finer archers in all of Tamriel.