Name - This could be a real name, or an assumed one, Sellsword isn't typical a profession of renown, and perhaps certain people of certain inclinations would do certain things to certain people if certain names were revealed, if you catch my meaning, ser.
Gender - Now, okay, just tell me what's between your fucking legs, no need to make this hard.
Age - If you're old enough to carry a knife and be reasonably confident in killing something with it, you'll probably be alright.
Origin - Where are you from? See above for nation details, or make one of your own, if you don't care, you can also just put none, or Son-born! It's for flavor, really.
Background - Where'd you come from, why're you here, what do you want to do. Any shadowy nemeses, ancient prophecies, heroic lineages or thrones you're heir to or not go here as well.
Personality - Just tell me about you.
Proficiencies
What follows is a list of five skills, and they will be ranked as follows, with a brief description to give you an idea of what you'd be capable of.
With Fourteen (14) points available to you at the start.
- (0) - None, no skill at all, you're basically blindly fumbling in the dark here, the sort of person who's never picked up a sword in their life, and holds it by the wrong end, just embarrassing.
E (1) - Mild skill, you've swung a sword around, and you've a reasonable idea of your capabilities in this area, a student-level ability. You're not the worst the Sons have seen.
E+ (2) - Getting somewhere now, you can be trusted with sword in hand at this level, you're not going to stand out, but you're not 'bad'. Talented for a conscript.
D (3) - Solid knowledge, a worksman's ability, any given regulars of any military is going to be at about this level of capability, solid, not flashy.
D+ (4) - Some expertise shows itself, you're a cut above the rest of your band, and murmurs of your name and ability have begun to spread among the company, talented.
C (5) - Now this is where things get interesting, you're not just talented, you excel at your area of expertise, in swordsmanship, you'd cut down five, no, ten men for every one of you.
Here, you gain what's called your Legend, your area of focus in your given ability, it pushes ahead in leaps and bounds, and you get a Legend Perk of that skill, which grows and adapts with your character.
That's right fuckers, growth is a thing.
But now, Morm, you say, why are there no ranks beyond C, well, my good friend, that's because you can't take ranks beyond that to start with.
You're just a mercenary, if perhaps a particularly powerful one, but here in this land, you have to survive if you are to thrive.
The list of abilities are:
Physique (PHY) - A measurement of your overall capability with physical tasks, running, swimming, and, most importantly, melee combat. Characters with high aptitude with this skill are characteristically masters of some sort of martial skill, and are likely to know a good deal about the body.
Marksmanship (MRK) - The ability to hit what you are aiming at, typically from some distance away. Governs your degree of knowledge or ability to intuit about weaponry not equipped with an edge/skull interface. In addition, due to the number of factors and the degree of focus that go into such a skill, characters with high skill are typically far more perceptive and cool-headed than their comrades.
Armory (ARM) - Not only your ability and experience with armors, but your skill on the defense, shield-craft, for one. While this skill is typically associated with defensive maneuvers, it can be applied to a wide variety of uses, such as getting through defenses, or breaking through a line of men.
Leadership (LED) - Now, this, you might say, will only really be useful to those seeking to command their fellow man, and to an extent that is true, but ability in Leadership says something about a person, about their strength of Spirit, their mien and ability to sway the hearts of their fellow man, to stand staunch in the path of unspeakable horror. Leadership is not to be taken lightly, for that solidity of soul will come in handy when times are dark.
In addition they also get neato tactical moves.
Runecraft (RUN) - The magic of the setting, even a workman's knowledge won't let you say, cast fireball, this ability takes a great deal of investment, while runic fieldcraft is relatively common among the soldiery, true, earthshaking talent lies beyond, in the realms of the Speakers, those who command the universe to bend to their will, godlings in mortal flesh.
Lastly, there is the matter of:
TRAITS
Mostly an extension of your character's backstory, tell me what your character has done that makes them more than Random Grunt #5.
That is not, however, a disparagement of Sergeant Grunt, the last of his five trueborn brothers, each having heroically and valiantly given their lives for the Sons, may they rest peacefully.
Your talents, the sort of thing that, if you reach C Rank, would become your Legend, the things you want your character to excel at.
You get a maximum of three, and, by the way, Legend Traits count as one of your three, as, in backstory, they likely evolved to become Legend Traits from your basis.
Basically, as a summation of the differences, a normal trait is a description of something you're talented at, something you've worked hard at, and might eventually become something fuckin awessome.
A Legend Trait 'is' something amazing, it's wank material, it's anime bullshit, albeit low-level anime, if people see your face, or hear your name, they'll know you by that thing.