You should already have your PC's biographical details, Attributes, Skills, and Aspects. This page is to fill in most of the rest - Retainers, Inventory, and Equipment.
Choose one, or roll d10
Now take your hoard, and multiply it by the gold modifier in the table below.
| Doom Path | -4 | -3 | -2 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gold | x0.5 | x1 | x1 | x1 | x1.5 | x2 | x2.5 | x3 | x5 |
| Retainers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
If creating a character at the start of a new campaign, Player Characters will 'awake' simultaneously on the first day of the Season of Chaos each year.
In the case of a PC joining the campaign at a later stage, the assumption is that they woke in the Necropolis during Chaos as normal and are still Undead. Work with the GM and 'fill in' the missing time in the backstory as needed, with as much or as little detail as feels appropriate.
Now, Roll d6
1 - Mass Grave: Your corpse was inspected, stripped by the cultists of the Endless Dream, and you were wrapped in just a thin burial shroud. You gain the Condition Exposed - a bad weather roll will lead to increased Stress. In addition, your physical attributes are at -1. You'll have to find where they put your stuff...
2 - Existential Terror: You will start Session Zero with the condition Panicked - mental attributes are -1.
3 - Picked Over: Bandits lifted what was in easy reach. You may only start with two items. Half of your leftover money was stolen.
4 - Grave-robbed: You may purchase two items, which were brought later by someone paying their respects. Any leftover gold is missing.
5 - Entombed: Equipment available is restricted to four items. One of them must be a weapon, which you will break escaping from your resting place.
6 - Heirlooms: Your starting equipment is comprised of relics and showpieces, they have Wear of 50% the normal value.
If you have been afforded a number in the table above, you may spend one gold mark per Influence level of your Retainer.
Examples of Retainers that might cost 1 Influence:
Linkboys - Unskilled children who are tasked to carry packs, torches, or look after animals in the service of an adventurer.
Thugs - Unskilled fighters or ruffians, usually armed with tattered armour and crude weapons. They will more than likely balk at the sign of any serious mortal threat. You couldn't trust them to guard your valuables, but they'd crack a skull or two for the coin you pay.
Gatherers - Common low-paid folks who'll move with the party and scavenge or search for ingredients, materials, or resources along the way. These retainers are usually quite cheap with the arrangement they'll keep a portion of what's scrounged once the job term's over.
Informants - Though they rarely accompany adventuring parties into dangerous locales, informants are an important part of any campaign's web of retainers. They'll keep their ears to the ground in their home District, and for a regular fee will relay juicy bits of gossip or local information.
Examples of Retainers that might cost 4 Influence:
In general, retainers and groups of hirelings that cost four Influence will have a degree of professionalism, loyalty, and oftentimes their own means of security. Many will have apprentices or helpers of a lower quality who 'come with the price'.
Skilled Mercenaries - Either a single individual with proven combat experience and Good (or above) equipment, or a small band of mercenary brigands who work in concert to guard a caravan or fight on behalf of the PCs. Those with martial training and a desire to get their hands dirty are hard to find - most are engaged with oaths to Guilds, High Families, or the many private armies of Carcosa.
Skilled Workers - Alchemists, Scribes, accomplished Fences - there are many niches in which a skilled worker may be engaged by an adventuring party to retain their services. On the rare occasion they accompany the group into danger, there's probablyt a specific reason you'd need them along. The rest of the time, they will require the use of an Investment location to perform their duties.
As a rule of thumb, pay 1g per Influence level. This will be a weekly upkeep cost. Retainers and their Influence cost must be approved by your GM!
The best way to generate starting Retainers is to write a few sentences describing their relationship to you and why they would have come to the Necropolis to guard your grave, pay their resepcts, etc. Starting retainers need a justification for being there during Session Zero - if you can't think of a logical one, simply fill them in your character sheet anyway, along with your home district. You'll have to pay them a surprise visit later, and hope they don't balk at your improved condition!
Using the gold you rolled previously, you may buy a number of weapons or pieces of armour equal to the 'Equipment' result on the table. Please note these starting costs are lower than what they would typically be worth from a merchant or smith. Use this opportunity wisely!
Weapons should be written under 'Attacks' - and they will also require an equipment slot in the middle of your character sheet.
Miscellaneous items as well as packs and slings can be put under one of the 'Carried' slots.
While purchasing armour and weapons, note down the DEF and ATK values of everything you're getting.
NB - It is not possible to start Session Zero with any equipment or weaponry at level four (Very Good) or above.
Gold Ingot (gi) = 100 gm
Gold Mark (gm) = 20 gp, or 80 sm
Gold Piece (gp) = 4 sm - the 'de facto' currency when referring to its 'gold price'
Silver Mark (sm) = 8 sp - the 'de facto' currency when referring to its 'silver price'
Silver Piece = 1 sp
All the armour types are available for eight of the ten slots: Helms, Hoods, and Coifs (Head), Gorgets (Neck), Pauldrons (Shoulder), Chestpieces (Chest), Vambrace (Arms), Gauntlets or Gloves (Hands), Greaves & Cuisses both for (Legs), Sabatons (or Boots, for Feet).
1 DEF, and 1 Wear.1 DEF. The other pieces confer 2 DEF and all have 2 Wear and are Quiet.2 DEF and can take 3 Wear before needing repair.3 DEF, 5 Wear, and have the Sturdy trait. They can take 4 Wear before being damaged. Studded Leather boots are 'Fine Leather' - with the Quiet and Sturdy traits.3 DEF, 6 Wear, and the Resilient trait.3 DEF per piece and the Flexible trait, meaning it doesn't restrict movement much in combat. Chainmail has 10 Wear.Just like armour, some weapons are unavailable at the start of the game. This includes Very Good quality weapons, like martial weapons and valuable heirlooms. It would be a waste to bury even a celebrated warrior with equipment worth a small house in the outskirts.
| Name | Cost (sm) | Attack (Type) | Traits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shortsword | 35 | +2 (Slashing) |
None |
| Rapier | 45 | +2 (Piercing) |
None |
| Longsword | 60 | +3 (Slashing) |
Two-Handed |
| Bastard Sword | 50 | +2 (Slashing) |
+1 Reach |
| Executioner's Sword | 70 | +2 (Chopping) |
Authority |
| Battle Axe | 50 | +2 (Chopping) |
None |
| Knife | 10 | +1 (Slicing) |
None |
| Dagger | 15 | +2 (Piercing) |
None |
| Hand Axe | 10 | +1 (Thrown) |
None |
| Throwing Knife | 5 | +1 (Thrown) |
Set of 3 |
| Banded Mace | 55 | +2 (Stun) |
None |
| Iron Mace | 70 | +3 (Bludgeoning) |
None |
| Flanged Mace | 80 | +3 (Bludgeoning) |
Authority |
| Pick | 80 | +3 (Piercing) |
Sundering |
| Warhammer | 70 | +2 (Bludgeoning) |
Sundering |
| Morningstar | 60 | +3 (Piercing) |
None |
| Quarterstaff | 30 | +1 (Stun) |
None |
| Flail | 60 | +2 (Bludgeoning) |
+2 Reach |
| Estoc | 50 | +2 (Piercing) |
Sundering |
| Falchion | 55 | +2 (Slashing) |
Quick |
| Zweihander | 95 | +3 (Slashing) |
+3 Reach |
| Lance | 50 | +1 (Stunning) |
+2 Reach |
| Pike | 40 | +2 (Piercing) |
+2 Reach |
| Shortbow | 40 | +3 (Ranged) |
None |
| Longbow | 60 | +4 (Ranged) |
Sundering |
| Crossbow | 80 | +4 (Ranged) |
Compact |
| Buckler Shield | 50 | +3 DEF |
Alternate |
| Crest Shield | 70 | +5 DEF |
Alternate |
| Tower Shield | 100 | +10 DEF |
Two-Handed |
| Arrows | 0.2 | Piercing | None |
| Fine Arrows | 5 | Piercing | None |
| Bolts | 0.5 | Piercing | None |
| Fine Bolts | 3 | Piercing | Sundering |
There are other things that would feasibly be available to PCs in the Necropolis, or as part of a burial cache. These might include tools of a previously held trade, food and wine left as graveside offerings, and even loyal hounds.
Consult with your GM to see if your ideas are fair and in-keeping with your character background. They may ask you to modify some aspect of your character sheet to account for it. For example, if you plied a trade or belonged to a guild or order in life, you may have some tools of the trade in your burial hoard.