Welcome to Outland
A Guide to Outland
Races of Outland
Classes of Outland
Character Creation
Societies of Outland
Geography of Outland
Creatures of Outland
Magic of Outland

"What is a man's role in his village? To do his part, and aid his friends. What is a man's role as a citizen of Outland? To protect his home from the Savages with his dying breath. What is a man's role as child of the gods? This question is much, much more difficult to answer."
     - Potentate Gravis Tec of Arin


To roll a new character for an Outland campaign, a slightly altered statistic rolling variation is used. First, the standard six Attributes are divided into two groups - Physical (Strength, Dexterity and Constitution) and Mental (Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma). When the player rolls statistics, he rolls 4d6, and drops the lowest. Each roll is done three times - creating two groups of 3 statistics each. The Player must then decide which group is which - one group of 3 will become the Physical group, and the other the Mental. Once the statistics are placed within their group, they can be moved around within that group, but cannot be moved between groups.

For example, Bill wishes to play a Fighter in an Outland campaign. He rolls 4d6 (dropping the lowest) three times, coming up with a 12, 15 and 17. He does this again, and comes up with a 9, 14 and 16. As Bill want to be a fighter, he wants his highest rolls to go towards his Physical statistics - thus, the first group becomes Physical, and the second Mental, as shown below.

Physical Mental
12 9
15 14
17 16

Bill can now assign his stats the way he wishes, but cannot move numbers from one column to the next. Thus, he could put the 17 on Strength, but could not put the 16 (from the Mental column) on Constitution. The 16 must be applied towards a Mental attribute, as it is in this column.

Why do I run my campaigns this way? Just to stop what I call "cookie-cutter characters" - every fighter is stupid, ugly and unwise, and every mage is smart but weak. This method creates characters with some variation, allowing for expanded options in the role playing department.

New Statistics

I also use two other Attributes, which you have likely encountered before. To roll these attributes, the player does not use the above method. Instead, he rolls 3d6, once for each. The statistics stay as they are as rolled - no rerolls, and no swapping.

Comeliness: This attribute decides the physical attractiveness of the character. Using Charisma to handle both physical appearance and attitude to me limits things too much. There is such a thing as an attractive jerk, and as a charismatic ugly person. Thus, Charisma handles personal attitude, while Comeliness handles physical looks.

Perception: Perception decides how (you guessed it) perceptive the character is. I use it when people have a chance of noticing an object or situation which is not readily apparent. Using Intelligence or Wisdom in this situations is, to my way of thinking, an inadequate solution. It is possible to have an intelligent person who wouldn't notice a bus had parked on his foot (hence the whole "absent minded professor" stereotype).

Special Note

Player Characters raised in the Outland are bred to become adventurers. As such, the are unusually suited to the task, and gain a +1 bonus to their Prime Attribute. Should this bonus increase the Attribute past racial maximum, it is instead added to the next highest Attribute.

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