Building the Character

Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you. (Tyrion Lannister)

OBSS is a hard, dangerous, deadly system but also rich in satisfaction. Your characters are not heroes, they are not chosen ones. They are unfortunate individuals who find themselves in endeavors where perhaps they will survive, and it will be at the expense of some companion. It’ **s not you who chooses the adventure, but it’ **s the adventure that impetuously drags you in. Be strong, brave, clever but not reckless.

Survive and claim the Law of the Prize and you will see that as you level up, you will acquire extraordinary skills and abilities! Spes ultima dea!

First of all, prepare the character sheet in front of you and a sheet where you can take notes.

To create a character, try to answer these questions, they can help you imagine and shape it:

  • Imagine what they look like

  • What is the main Trait of their character

  • What are their tics, mannerisms, habits

  • What are their primary goals

  • One curious thing, one funny thing, one embarrassing thing, and a typical expression of the character

  • What they are good at, what they work hard at, what they are bad at

  • The character’ **s three main flaws and three main virtues

Did they grow up in a family, in a clan, as a wanderer, on the streets… what brought them and what choices did they make to get to where they are now?

What is their combat style and typical strategy? Magic, Sword, from the rear… encouraging companions… running away…

And no less important: what is their purpose? What made them leave home, their securities… a normal life and embark on that of an adventurer?

Always remember that this is a cruel world, full of risks, traps, and monsters, but also opportunities that can make you powerful and very rich.

To begin, read the chapter on Races and identify that of your character.

Get a few d6 and roll!

Consult the Ability Scores chapter to see how lucky you were (p. ).

And if the Ability Score values didn’ **t come out as you expected, then let yourself be guided by chaos and create something different but equally fun and magnificent.

If you have Intelligence equal to or greater than 2, choose another language (p. ) spoken/written besides Common; if you have 3, you can choose 2 additional languages.

Choose your character’ **s Profession; Base Proficiencies are assigned based on this. Choose it carefully; in addition to the proficiencies provided by the chosen Profession, you can take a fifth one given by your background or increase by one the score in one already taken. Based on the background and chosen profession, you increase one ability score by 1, up to a maximum of 4 + racial modifier.

Move on to Active Proficiencies: here you have 1 point to distribute between Weapon Proficiency and Magic Proficiency.

Weapon Proficiency helps you hit better. Magic Proficiency is the only thing that allows you to use magic. Also remember that points in Weapon Proficiency must be declared to which Weapon List (p. ) they have been applied.

If you have no points in Weapon Proficiency, you can only use simple weapons (p. ) without incurring Attack Roll penalties and you cannot use medium or heavy armor.

Hit Points are equal to 8 + Constitution, add 3 if you have put 1 point in Weapon Proficiency (WP).

At this point, choose the Traits (p. ). Do it carefully, you are building your character and Traits outline the character with strong brushstrokes. Remember that they will be fundamental for the choice of the Patron (p. ).

In the character sheet, in the Traits box, where there is the Patron column, write the Patron that connects you to that Trait, regardless of whether you have chosen it or not.

Finally, remember that a Dissolute and Loyal character sounds good in a story where they are the only protagonist, but here you play in a group. Don’ **t take Traits in obvious opposition to others or play like a jerk, otherwise the character will naturally be pushed away by other characters and by the Narrator.

If you’ **ve put points in Magic Proficiency, also consider taking the Magic Adept Feat to enhance your magic (and learn an additional spell!).

Consult the Tome of Magic, p. , to understand how many spells you need to write in your Tome.

After choosing the spells in your Tome, you must decide which ones you have learned and can therefore cast, see Rules of Magic on p. .

Move on to Feats (p. ), at first level you choose two, pay attention to prerequisites and also to any Feats that your race grants you.

It’ **s the Feats you choose that increase the Saving Throws score. Remember that Saving Throws determine your ability to resist trauma and magic. In the sheet, indicate the single Ability Score that you want that Feat to improve (when you have four of the same).

Choose your equipment (p. ), armor (p. ), weapons (p. ), backpack, two torches, some food rations… a stuffed animal… whatever seems essential for the adventure. Then update the part of the sheet related to Defense by marking what bonus your armor and shield give you. Remember that you start with 100 gp, spend them carefully!

Get into the role, allow yourself to play this extraordinary character. If you ever get tired of playing it and want to try something different, talk to the Narrator, they will know how to advise you and suggest the best path. You have the advantage that in OBSS classes don’ **t exist, the character grows, evolves, and learns based on what you do and experience. You can prepare your build in advance but you will never have the certainty that your character will evolve as you thought. Let it live and grow!

Finally, remember the Law of the Prize. This world is fierce, often evil, and even more so will want to kill you, yet for those who survive there is the Law of the Prize, a law that not even the Patrons can violate. The Law is rather simple in its basic concept To those who survive go the treasures and glory.

Narratore: Dysfunctional characters: the Narrator may grant, based on the type of campaign, that if the created character has all Ability Score values at 0 or less, it can be created again.

Leveling Up

But there are some things you can’ **t understand by thinking. You have to experience them. (The Neverending Story, Michael Ende)

Every time the Narrator confirms your level advancement, several operations must be performed to update the character sheet.

  • First of all, take the sheet, pencil and eraser, and dice (at least the d6)
  • Update the Experience Points
  • Update the Level by increasing it by 1
  • Distribute 1 point between Weapon Proficiency or Magic Proficiency
  • Increase the maximum and current Hit Points by 1d6+Constitution and add another 3 if you’ **ve given 1 point to Weapon Proficiency. If the die roll is less than Constitution, you can take the Constitution value as the result
  • If you’ **ve assigned a point to Weapon Proficiency, determine whether you take a new Weapon List (p. ) or deepen your knowledge of a list already learned
  • Check if you acquire a new Feat. You can take a new one or improve a Feat already learned, be careful of prerequisites. See Feats (p. ).
  • Update the Saving Throw score based on the new Feats taken.
  • Update the Attack Roll score based on the new Weapon Proficiency value, Feats, bonuses given by the Weapon List
  • Distribute (Int/2)+1, with a minimum of 1 point, among the Base Proficiencies (p. ) known or learned during adventures. Verify the Awareness score.
  • Update the Fate Points score $(20-level)/5$, rounded to the nearest integer
  • Increase the Traits score as the Narrator will tell you. Verify if you have reached a sufficient score to acquire powers related to Traits
  • Verify based on the new Magic Proficiency score and the Magic Adept Feat the maximum spell level (p. ) that can be cast and the Magic Points available (p. )
  • If you have increased Magic Proficiency, learn 1 new spell from the Magic Tome or you can learn two Cantrips (Level 0 Spells)
  • Update the second part of the sheet based on the new Magic Proficiency score

As you will have noticed, Proficiency scores are reduced; few points are taken to distribute at a time. As players, you have the opportunity to prefer a specialized approach, that is, to focus on a few specific Proficiencies, or to dilute the points across more proficiencies to know a bit of everything and not have penalties in checks (the check is only done with 2d6 + Ability Score if you don’ **t have points in the Proficiency).

A suggestion is also to use Feats, particularly Expert, which gives you a +2 bonus to Proficiency checks.

The perceived power level of characters in OBSS is lower than that of other RPGs. The character’ **s weakness is only a perception, and in fact, you will soon realize the true power of the character. Play as a group and you will survive because remember that this is a bad, spiteful, and deadly world with the selfish.

Tips for having fun and surviving in OBSS adventures

How to Survive and Have Fun

  • We need a plan.
  • Since when do heroes need plans? (Final Fantasy XIII)

I love it when a plan comes together! (Colonel John Hannibal Smith, A-Team)

  • Every combat is potentially lethal. Decide with reason and approach it with care. Learn to run away, don’ **t be afraid to survive.
  • Not everything is on the character sheet. A character’ **s sheet is its perimeter but does not define what it can or cannot do. Rack your brains and be creative, alternative, curious but not suicidal or reckless.
  • Not everything is solved with a dice roll. Ask the right questions, talk with your companions, and describe carefully what you intend to do. The Narrator rewards accurate descriptions. Describing how and what you do can avoid having to make a check!
  • Low ability scores are just low ability scores and not the character. Use proficiencies, Feats, make sure to roll as few dice as possible to solve problems.
  • Improvise, adapt, and overcome! (Tom Highway - Gunny, Movie). Or as some of my players preferred Improvise, Deceive, and overcome.
  • Live your character fully. Amplify their story, bring their past into the present. Help your companions to know you and the Narrator to build better stories around your stories.
  • One thing that no one can ever take away from you is being heroic, intelligent, resolute, determined, stubborn but not stupid.
  • Describe realistically what you do, it will help the Narrator and your companions around you. It’ **s certainly better than saying I make an Awareness check. Exalt yourself in describing the most important actions, the Narrator will take it into account.
  • Always remember that the greater the danger, the greater the experience gained. The deeper the dungeon, the greater the treasures and experience acquired!
  • The goal is to have fun, make others have fun, and savor the challenge. Don’ **t create a character that is against other characters or always causes trouble and problems. Mediate your desire with the needs of the group, because always and only as a group will you survive and never as an individual.
  • Think before you act, but don’ **t keep others waiting. Use the time between your rounds to plan how to act best.
  • If you have difficulty understanding or imagining something, ask the Narrator for more information and clarification, they will be happy to provide it.
  • Embrace failure. Failing with style is much better than a boring victory.
  • Make sure your character is always concerned with something more than just their life.
  • Don’ **t be afraid to argue with other characters, but always make sure not to get personal with the players.