04 Night's Watch.pdf - Chaos Bleeds

CHAPTER 1: The Night’s WatchCreating Night’sWatch CharactersAs with the SIFRP core rules, archetype characters are available onpages 25-28 for you to select should you prefer not to create a characterfrom scratch. Obviously, with so many reasons to come to the Wall,these archetypes can’t begin to encompass the types of characters thatcan be created, but they provide a fast way for you to get started playingand also serve as useful Narrator characters should your Narrator needthem to flesh out a scene.If you do choose to create your own character, you will find that theserules work alongside those established in the SIFRP core rules to helpyou create a complex character, with his own motivations, drives, andflaws. Where appropriate, this book will refer you back to the SIFRPcore rules so that between the two books you will have all the informationyou need to bring you characters to life.Step One: The WatchThe most obvious difference between creating characters for the Night’sWatch and those intended for a standard SIFRP campaign is the absenceof a noble House and lands. The Watch, and the castle where thestories are set, replace these elements in the standard campaign. If youhave not already done so, reading the Sworn Brothers section startingon page 13 will give you some insight into the black brotherhood andthe men who compose it. Chapter 2: The Wall and the Gift willgive you additional insight into the remaining occupied castles alongthe Wall, and the areas they control both along the great fortificationand within the Far North.Step Two: Character ConceptJust as with a regular SIFRP chronicle, the background of your characteris the most important part of character creation in a Night’s Watchgame. These are the experiences, drives and motivations that set yourcharacter apart from the other men of the Watch. What happened tobring him to the Wall? Is he running away from something? Or towardssomething? While every moment of your character’s history andconcept doesn’t need to be fleshed out, a character’s drives are muchmore central to the stories told on the Wall, so you should at least havea rough sketch.Determine AgeThe men of the Watch are generally older than the average in the restof Westeros. With the exception of the occasional wildling orphan adoptedby the Sworn Brothers, there are no Youths or Adolescents on theWall. A boy cannot officially declare for the Watch until he has reachedthe age of majority (16), as before then their oaths are not binding.You can either select an age for your character or use Table 1-1: RandomAge (Night’s Watch) if you prefer random selection.Set StatusTable 1-1: Random Age (Night’s Watch)3d6 RollStarting Age3-5 Young Adult (16-18 years)6-10 Adult (18-30 years)11-13 Middle Aged (30-50 years)14-16 Old (50-60 years)17 Very Old (70-80 years)18 Venerable (80 or older)Table 1-2: Status Within the WatchStatus Available Examples6 1 Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch5 5Castle Commanders, First Builder,First Ranger, Lord Steward4 25 Other senior members of the Watch3 100Veteran members of the Watch,Master of Arms, Maesters2 250 Established members of the Watch1 unlimited Standard Brother of the Night’s WatchA Sworn Brother’s status is a somewhat nebulous thing, especiallycompared to the greater political landscape of Westeros. With the exceptionof a handful of brothers (the Lord Commander, and the commandersof the Shadow Tower and Eastwatch-by-the-Sea) a brotherof the Night’s Watch has a status of 1 when dealing with the outsideworld: most assume that the men of the Night’s Watch are tainted byshame, defeat, or crime. A player character who chooses to begin withthis rating of Status should gain the standard bonus Experience forpurchasing Abilities.The Wall, however, has a pecking order which status does well toreplicate (See Table 1-2: Status Within the Watch). Likewise, thosehigher-ranked members of the Watch have more of their time eaten upby the responsibilities of their position. This status, however, is not staticand is not awarded simply as birthright. On the Wall a man earns therespect of his peers through deeds alone.Talk to your Narrator if you want to play a character with a higherstatus within the Watch than 2. Such characters are already notablewithin the structure of the Watch, and your Narrator may wish yourcharacters to achieve those ranks within the course of the campaign. Ifyour campaign won’t stray far from the Wall, then it is easiest to denoteyour character’s status within the Watch as his status, and mark 2 inparentheses afterwards to remind you of his status in the rest of theSeven Kingdoms.Determine RoleJust as in the standard campaign for SIFRP, your character’s role helpsyou define what your character does in the context of the game. It describeshis place within the greater body of characters in the campaignand helps you as a player to focus how the character grows and develops.In the case of a Night’s Watch game, a character’s role also helps todefine a little of what sort of person he was before he came to the Wall.29