Player's Guide
Characters
haracters
Backgrounds and Archetypes
Begin here. The background section lists 13 questions that you must answer about your character in order to submit a background. Feel free to expand as much as you’d like however. The world was designed to be a starting point for your character’s journey. If you find something that resonates with you, take it and run with it. We want to work with you to make a character you feel both invested in and feels consistent within the setting. When you are satisfied with the result, submit it to contact@eldritchlarp.com. You can assume it is approved unless we reach out with any further comments or questions.
Lastly, review the available archetypes and choose one that best fits your character concept. Pay special attention to any prerequisites that your archetype might have, including other archetypes, as is the case for magister, noble, and others. Archetypes will be covered in more detail a bit further on.
Step by Step
Welcome to the beginning of the character creation process. This guide is structured in such a way as to walk you through the steps to the finished product and provide the need-to-know information for all characters. Before you attend your first event as a player we require that you’ve had a character approved by the Eldritch staff. We also require that you have at least cursory knowledge of the five sections listed below. This is to ensure consistency and fair play at all Eldritch events, for all players and volunteers. As such we require that you:
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Know how the skills work that you’ve purchased for your character.
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Know how the combat system works.
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Know how the death and dying mechanics work.
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Know how to roleplay the small number of effects in the common in-game effects list, at the end of this guide.
Knowing these four sections is key, as they are in-game rules that everyone will be utilizing to some extent. Without further ado, let’s walk through the steps. To create a character for Eldritch, you will need to go through the following steps:
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What is your character’s name?:
Naming conventions in Eldritch should follow a low fantasy convention. Only nobility will have a last name.
Where do they come from?:
Which part of the world do they come from? If it is not a named part of the world map, feel free to make up your own city or town, and tell us a little bit about it so we can add it to the map and canon of the world. Be sure to read over the content that pertains to this part of the world and adhere to the low fantasy setting of the world.
What is it like where your character comes from?:
What are the people there like? What did your character do there? Does your character have a family and if so, who are they? Names of parents, brothers, and sisters, or anyone they were close with are helpful. Who were they raised by?
Is there anything significant about the way your character grew up, or are there any significant events that shaped them to be who they are today?
Be sure to include the good and the bad here. Were they beset by some tragedy? Did they live a spoiled upbringing? Were they privy to some sort of trauma?
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Is your character educated? Were they trained in anything special that would inform the skill selections made on their character sheet?
Who taught them to do what they know how to do? Or, why did they choose to study what they did? Was it forced upon them?
What are some good things your character has done?
Be sure to list any little stories here about things they have done to help others.
What are some bad things your character has done?
No one in this world is perfect, and though we try we all come up short in some way to a lesser or greater degree. Has your character cheated, murdered, or stolen? Does lying come all too easily to them? Tell us about the bad things your character has done.
Does your character have any ties to any in game guild, even if they aren’t part of one?
What are these ties, and how did they establish them?
Does your character know any other Eldritch characters?
If so, how? What is the nature of this relationship? List at least five memories your character has, be they important, mundane, or otherwise. Anything goes here. These will help us to get an idea of who your character is at a deeper level.
Does your character have anyone they would call allies?
This can be good friends or people that would come to their aid in a crisis. How did they come to be so? What are the names and backgrounds of your allies?
Does your character have any enemies?
Who are they and how did they come to be so? What are the names and backgrounds of your enemies?
What are some positive and negative aspects of your character’s personality?
Are they seedy or corrupt? Do they have some hidden vice? Do they always try to do the right thing, even to a fault? Is there a code they try to live by?
Character Background Tempalte
Please answer at least the following questions when writing a background for your character.
Character Development
Next, read through the character development section, and figure out which skills you would like to buy with any remaining character points you haven't spent on an archetype or profession. To buy skills you’ll need to spend what are called Character Points. You'll accumulate a number of character points every event that you can then spend on additional skills.
Combat and Dying Rules
This system details how you will engage in simulated combat with others at Eldritch events and how to simulate dying and death. Read these over and if there’s any confusion, please reach out on our Reddit, under the Rules section. This can be found on the header section of the website. You can find more info in the combat section of the rules.
Common In-Game Effects List
These are effects that you may hear being used or with which you may be targeted during an event. You are responsible for knowing what they do, and how to roleplay them. You can find more information on the effects list on the effects list page.
Standard of Dress
At the core of the Eldritch design philosophy is an adherence to defined aesthetic standards while at events and is key to achieving our goal of presenting our players with an unprecedented standard of quality in production. We strive to immerse our players in every aspect of the game, from the moment they log on to the website, to everything they hear and see while at events. To this end, we have employed guidelines with regard to character costuming. Likewise, we as Eldritch staff will ensure we do everything we can to make it feel as though you have truly stepped out of your world and into another. For inspiration and costuming suggestions please log on to our Pinterest board. The link can also be found on the main menu of our website. We encourage you to reach out to us with any questions regarding costuming standards.
None of the items below are allowed as part of your character’s costume for Eldritch, or must be suitably covered up:
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T shirts, Jeans, Khakis or other obviously anachronistic clothing.
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All footwear must be setting appropriate or covered such that any modern footwear features cannot be seen. Gaiters or boot covers are a good solution for this.
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Any visible anachronistic device such as a watch or otherwise.
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Real weapons or anything that could potentially do real harm to another player.
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We also highly encourage you to purchase a scabbard for any sword or weapon for which a scabbard is appropriate, instead of simply securing it in a belt or frog.
The character creation process has been designed to be as painless as possible, however if you need any help, please feel free to reach out at: contact@eldritchlarp.com
Backgrounds & Archetypes
Quintessential to the character creation process for Eldritch, and first on the list is the writing of a character background. The world of Eldritch is one with a rich history that spans thousands of years, and is rife with war, triumphs, tragedies, betrayal, magic, and mystery. It was the design intent that much of this history, while written, is to remain unknown, or only hinted at in legend or stories that have been handed down and changed via the process of oral tradition or human bias, through the ages. As a character in the campaign, you’ll get the chance to discover lots of this history through various in-game skills and through interactions with plot. And while there is lots of hidden or unknown content, there are hundreds of years of history with which to help inform and give context to the present age, and likewise to help give life and meaning to your character.
The background form can always be found on your Account Page.
Writing a Character
To help guide you in creating a character that feels like it came directly out of the Eldritch story we have designed the following questionnaire template. Please look over the website to help get you started with Eldritch setting content. And while this template is a great place to start building your character’s background, we encourage and will support you in creating a background in which you can invest, and that will engender a feeling of agency within the context of the Eldritch plot and setting. When submitting your character background for staff review, it is mandatory that you answer at least the thirteen background template questions about your character. But again, you are encouraged to go above and beyond these questions to develop your character. Once you have completed your character background draft, please submit it via the Background submission portal on the website.
Choosing an Archetype
Archetypes in Eldritch are your basic character background template. After getting your background approved, you can choose one from the list of archetypes below. They represent a starter background that determines your starting equipment, starting money, and some other important information which will be detailed below. When choosing an archetype, it isn't important that you choose one that matches your background perfectly, and if you still can't get close, there's a catch-all archetype available as well. The complete list of available archetypes can be found in table 1.1 below.
Table 1.1 - Archetypes
As part of the character creation process, choose an archetype with your available character points. Any excess character points may be spent on other skills to which you have access, including additional levels of any skill. Some archetypes require that you purchase another archetype as a prerequisite. This will be noted in the Notes column.
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Name - The name of the archetype.
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CP Cost - The cost of the archetype in character points.
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Starting Equipment - The items your character receives at character creation.
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Starting Coin - The coinage your character receives at character creation.
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Retainer Benefit - This is the benefit garnered by those to whom you've pledged your archetype card. These benefits will be collected every event. More information on retainers can be found in the Skills section of the player's guide.
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Salary - This is the amount of money paid to a retainer every event. Those characters with a skill that allows for some number of retainers may possess your card in order to collect the listed Retainer Benefit. The amount listed under salary is what should be paid out to the character who's card his been leveraged in this way.
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Notes - These are any special conditions for the archetype, such as prerequisite archetypes, etc...
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Starting Skills - These are the skills you get as part of your archetype purchase. Note that some require that you choose between one more skills.
Basic Archetypes
Name | CP Cost | Starting Equipment | Starting Coin | Retainer Benefit | Salary | Starting Skills | Notes |
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Apothecary | 4 | Apothecary Kit and 2, level 1 apothecary recipes | None | 8 Common Herbs | 3 Silver Dragons | Alchemy - 1 and Herbalism - 1 | None |
Artificer | 4 | Artificer Kit and 2, level 1 artificer schematics | None | 8 Cloth OR 8 Leather | 3 Silver Dragons | Artificer - 1, and Hunting - 1 or Farming - 1 | Retained by Cirque only |
Blacksmith | 4 | Blacksmith Kit and 4 level 0 blacksmith recipes | None | 8 Iron Ingots or 8 Leather | 3 Silver Dragons | Blacksmith - 1, and Mining - 1 or Hunting - 1 | Retained by Cirque only |
Bowyer | 4 | Bowyer Kit or Artificer Kit, 1 Level 1 Bowyer Schematic and 1 Level 1 Artificer Schematic | None | 8 Refined Wood | 3 Silver Dragons | Artificer 1, Bowyer - 1 | Retained by Cirque only |
Brigand | 2 | 4d3 Silver in gear | 10 Silver Dragons | 4d3 Silver Dragons in wares | 3 Silver Dragons | Income 1 AND Choose 1: 1-Hand Weapon 1, 2-Hand Weapon 1, Archer 1 | None |
Commonfolk | 1 | 10 resources of your choice | 10 Silver Dragons | 8 Silver Dragons | 3 Silver Dragons | 1 non-crafting, level 1 general skill | None |
Courtier | 2 | None | None | 4 Espionage Points | 1 Influence | Gain 1 character point to spend on Espionage - 1, Influential - 1, or Income - 1. | This archetype is granted by a noble only, and can take the place of any other archetype. Characters cannot start the game as Courtiers. 10% reduction on all rank increases while retained by a Noble. |
Farmer | 1 | 10 Cloth | 10 Silver Dragons | 8 Cloth | 3 Silver Dragons | Farming - 1 | None |
Feller | 1 | 10 Refined Wood | 10 Silver Dragons | 8 Refined Wood | 3 Silver Dragons | Woodcutting - 1 | None |
Gentry | 4 | None | 30 Silver Dragons | 2 Influence | 4 Silver Dragons | Either Academics - 1 or Espionage - 1, and either Income - 1 or Influential - 1 | Gentry get a 25% reduction on all rank increases. |
Gunsmith | 4 | Gunsmith Kit or Artificer Kit, 1 Level 1 Gunsmith Schematic and 1 Level 1 Artificer schematic | None | 8 Iron Ingots | 3 Silver Dragons | Artificer - 1 and Gunsmith - 1 | This archetype can only be retained by Richter nobles with the Pact of Old skill and must be retained a Richter noble with Pact of Old at every check-in. |
Herbalist | 1 | 10 Common Herbs | 10 Silver Dragons | 8 Common Herbs | 3 Silver Dragons | Herbalism - 1 | None |
Hunter | 1 | 10 Leather | 10 Silver Dragons | 8 Leather | 3 Silver Dragons | Hunting - 1 | None |
Merchant | 2 | None | 20 Silver Dragons | 8 Silver Dragons | 3 Silver Dragons | Income - 1 and Gathering - 1 | Retained by Cirque only |
Miner | 1 | 10 Iron Ingots | 10 Silver Dragons | 8 Iron Ingots | 3 Silver Dragons | Mining - 1 | None |
Physician | 2 | 1 Chirurgeon's Kit | 10 Silver Dragons | 2 Influence | 4 Silver Dragons | Diagnose - 1 and Medicine - 1 | None |
Resurrectionist | 1 | 2 Influence | 10 Silver Dragons | 8 Common Herbs | 3 Silver Dragons | Income - 1 | None |
Scholar | 2 | None | 5 Silver Dragons | 1 random Level 1 Lore prop | 4 Silver Dragons | Academics - 1 and any Level 1 Lore skill. | None |
Soldier | 2 | None | 25 Silver Dragons (20 spent on weapons/armor) | 4d3 Silver Dragons in wares | 3 Silver Dragons | Choose 2: 1-Hand Weapon 1, 2-Hand Weapon 1, Archer 1, Tough 1, Shield 1 | None |
Urchin | 1 | 2 Influence (Espionage chosen) or Lockpicking Kit (Disable Device) | 10 Silver Dragons | 4 Espionage Points | 1 Influence | Espionage - 1 or Disable Device - 1 | None |
Advanced Archetypes
Name | CP Cost | Retainer Benefit | Salary | Prerequisites | Starting Skills | Notes |
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Veteran | 1 | Rank 1: Basic + 4 resources or silver Rank 2: Basic + 8 resources or silver Influence Rank 3: Basic + 12 resources or silver | Rank 1: Basic + 2 Silver Dragons Rank 2: Basic + 4 Silver Dragons Rank 3: Basic + 6 | Any | A level 1 skill your Primary Veteran skill tree | Character Point Archetypes that cost 1 CP pay -10% on all Influence advancement costs. |
Magister | 3 | Rank 1: Basic + 4 resources Rank 2: Basic + 8 resources Rank 3: Basic + 12 resources | Rank 1: Basic + 2 Silver Dragons Rank 2: Basic + 4 Silver Dragons Rank 3: Basic + 6 | Scholar, Apothecary, Physician, Gentry, or Courtier | A level 1 skill your Primary Magister skill tree or general skills. | |
Cirque | 3 | Rank 1: Basic + 4 resources Rank 2: Basic + 8 resources Rank 3: Basic + 12 resources | Rank 1: Basic + 2 Silver Dragons Rank 2: Basic + 4 Silver Dragons Rank 3: Basic + 6 | Any except Courtier or Gentry | A level 1 skill your Primary Cirque skill tree or general skills. | Cirque Only and Urchin Archetypes are -15% on all influence advancement costs. |
Vigil | 3 |
Rank 1: Basic + 2 Espionage point Rank 2: Basic + 4 Espionage points Rank 3: Basic + 6 espionage points | Rank 1: Basic + 2 Silver Dragons Rank 2: Basic + 4 Silver Dragons Rank 3: Basic + 6 | Courtier or Gentry | A level 1 skill your Primary Vigil skill tree or general skills. | |
Noble | 6 | Rank 1: Basic + 1 Influence OR 4 Silver Rank 2: Basic + 2 Influence OR 8 Silver Rank 3: Basic + 3 Influence OR 12 Silver | Rank 1: Basic + 2 Silver Dragons Rank 2: Basic + 4 Silver Dragons Rank 3: Basic + 6 | Courtier or Gentry | 2 level 1 skill in the General Noble skill tree and 1 from a chosen House skill tree. | |
Knight | 3 | Rank 1: Basic + 1 Influence Rank 2: Basic + 2 Influence Rank 3: Basic + 3 Influence | Rank 1: Basic + 2 Silver Dragons Rank 2: Basic + 4 Silver Dragons Rank 3: Basic + 6 | Gentry, Physician, Soldier, or Courtier | A level 1 skill your Primary Knight skill tree or general skills. | |
Auron | 3 | Rank 1: Basic + 1 Influence Rank 2: Basic + 2 Influence Rank 3: Basic + 3 Influence | Rank 1: Basic + 2 Silver Dragons Rank 2: Basic + 4 Silver Dragons Rank 3: Basic + 6 | Any except for Courtier or Gentry | A level 1 skill in the Auron skill tree. | Character Point Archetypes that cost 1 CP pay -15% on all Influence advancement costs. |
Fig 1.1 - Archetype Card
After choosing your archetype from the list you will receive an archetype card that corresponds to your chosen archetype. It contains the information for your archetype as found in the table above. You can give this card to anyone for whom you are a retainer. In this way, they can track their benefits every event, and you will know how much to be paid in salary every event.
Fig 1.2 - Dual Archetype Card
If you should enter into another archetype, you will receive a new card with an added archetype to replace your previous archetype card. This new card will contain all the information relevant to you as a player, and to anyone for whom you may be a retainer. Note that your rank is a prerequisite to buying archetype-specific skills of the corresponding level.
haracter Development
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Advanced Archetypes
Character development is the process by which you gain additional character points to spend on more skills, and potentially unlock new skills on which to spend your points. This process has two main components being archetypes and teaching. Generally, you will begin by selecting and spending character points on an archetype, as listed in the table above, to obtain your starting skills and gear, and while at events you will pursue any skills that are available only via teaching. Again, the sources of these "taught-only" skills are many and varied, and are limited to a subset of the total.
Character Point Progression
Characters will earn an amount of character points based on the event they started playing Eldritch. In general, characters will start with 4 character points, and proceed per the progression on the chart below. When joining Eldritch at later events, you'll start with the amount of character points earned up to that event.
Event I
1 CP
Event II
2 CP
Event III
1 CP
Event IV
2 CP
Event V
2 CP
Event VI
2 CP
Event VII
2 CP
Event VIII
2 CP
Event IX
2 CP
Event X
2 CP
Event XI
2 CP
Archetype Prerequisite
While all archetypes are open to all players granted you have the character points, some archetypes require that you purchase another archetype as a prerequisite. These archetypes are Magister, Fayne, Knight, Cirque, Auron, and Noble. What this means is that if you want to play any of these archetypes, you'll need to consult the notes section for these entries on what constitutes an appropriate prerequisite. Note that some prerequisite archetypes add additional cost to advancing in ranks.
In-Game Teaching
Even if you do not want to pursue additional archetypes, there will be opportunities to gain archetype-specific skills what at events. There may be cases where an Eldritch NPC (non-player character) will teach one of their known, archetype-specific skills to a character not of that archetype. Of course, it may take bribery or other method of persuasion though this is simply to say that you should not necessarily treat the skills available in this guide as the complete menu of skills available to your character. It should be noted that NPCs are not the only source of learning new skills. All players will have plenty of opportunity to learn new skills as long as they're interacting with any facet of entertainment at Eldritch events, whether it's NPCs or something else.
Training and Advancement
Advancing in an archetype that has ranks (as will be noted in the table entry) can be an important part of many players' experience at Eldritch and other live roleplaying games. When first purchasing one of the additional archetypes, such as Auron for example, you'll be considered to be at rank 0, as listed in the table below. You may advance to rank 1 as quickly as you are able - that is, as soon as you have the influence, though after that must wait at least three events to gain any subsequent levels. In addition to the time requirement, advancing in your archetype is done through the spending of influence. Influence can be acquired in lots of different ways, whether at Eldritch events, or via purchased skills. For more information on Influence, please see the corresponding section on the Skills page. Refer to the chart below for archetype advancement costs. When you're ready to advance, simply turn your influence in to staff and you'll be cleared for additional benefits per your new rank.
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Note that you should clear your entry with game staff as well. It's important to maintain a fair distribution of these archetypes, given how entertainment is planned for Eldritch events.
Rank
Cost
Benefit
0
Archetype CP Cost
One, level 1 in Primary tree
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12 Influence
Access to level 1 archetype skills.
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16 Influence
Access to level 2 archetype & signature skills.
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20 Influence
Access to level 3 archetype skills.
Apotheca
An ancient order of doctors, alchemists, and scholars. Their sprawling Apotheon in High Court is the oldest institution of higher learning in the kingdom.
The Aurorym
The Aurorym is a new army in the silent and unending struggle for power in Arnesse. They represent a religion built upon the tenets of personal power and inherent strength. Certainly, a frightening notion to any noble of the kingdom.
Nobility
The nobility of Arnesse administrate and rule over their own corners of the kingdom, all of them gears in a machine greased by their own cunning and coffers.
Knights
Knights are the specialized martial force for the nobility and high houses of the kingdom. Proficient in all manner of weapons and armor, they are a terrible sight to behold on the field of battle.
The Vigil
This ancient organization has long stood at the side of the nobility of Arnesse. Consisting almost exclusive of unlanded and untitled nobles, this organization serves as bodyguards, advisors, and lawgivers, often wielding a great deal of power on a lord or lady's behalf.
The Cirque
The Cirque are the economy of Arnesse. Once a traveling band of performers and entertainers, the Cirque and its many gangs hold sway over all trade that takes place throughout the kingdom, from the Everfrost to Tarkath.
eneral Character Interactions
General character interactions entail those that do not require that you buy a skill or otherwise, in order to represent them. The actions detailed in this section cover how to respond or engage in the corresponding situation or circumstance. The actions detailed below all correspond to their in-game execution, and are as follows:
Theft
Characters may only steal the tags that represent an item that belongs to another character, and nothing else. If any player is caught stealing a physical prop of another player, they will be in violation of our code of conduct. Likewise, a player may not use any items for which they don’t have a tag or carry any tags for an item not on their person for the sake of preventing theft. This is considered cheating. Please do not steal items from of out-of-play spaces, such as shared bathrooms.
In order to prevent other players from rifling through your personal items, you may designate a container in your at-event lodgings as “out-of-play” by noting it on the container or wrapping the container with an orange band. During your mandatory NPC shift, you may store any costuming or equipped items in the logistics building, with Eldritch staff.
Searching
A character may search another dead or otherwise incapacitated NPC or character by miming a searching motion on a three count. No personal contact should be made with the character or NPC being searched.
Carrying Other Characters
In certain situations, it may become necessary to carry the body of another character. In these situations, you may simulate this action by wrapping the arm of the other character over your shoulder and walking slowly with them to the desired location. Note that permission to do so must first be obtained by the target character.
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Binding and Restraints
Characters or NPCs If you wish to bind another character, you may only do so with their permission, or you may invoke the Fade to Black. If using a rope, you must loosely bind them such that they can remove the rope themselves if necessary. If you are bound and left unattended for more than an hour, you may remove them, taking further actions as you wish. It is recommended that you use the plastic manacles that are popular Halloween props. These are both aesthetically correct and are easy to remove.
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