[MM] Memento Mori - Character Generator

This is for generating system agnostic characters who've had terrible lives in a terrible world before struggling their way to a life of adventure.

After generating, look back over the events and try to develop a coherent backstory.

You'll have to excuse the formatting. Apparently blogger is rubbish.

1.1) ATTRIBUTES

Roll 1d6 for each row. You are _____, but _____.

Reroll one die if you got doubles. Or if you're feeling dour, they cancel each other out and you're completely unremarkable.

1	2	3	4	5	6
MIGHTY	NIMBLE	TOUGH	CLEVER	WISE	CHARMING
WEAK	CLUMSY	FRAGILE	DIM	FOOLISH	REPULSIVE

1.2) OCCUPATION

Roll d66 for an occupation.

Seasonal wage (in your game's standard currency) corresponds to the occupations in those rows.

d66	1	2	3	4	5	6	Wage
1	Leper*	Gong Farmer	Exile	Wildling	Bandit	Lost Astronaut†	1d6
2	Cripple*	Muckraker	Vagrant	Servant	Thug	Witch
3	Beggar	Rat-Catcher	Hermit	Serf	Reaver	Murderhobo
4	Fuller	Prostitute	Trapper	Miner	Shaman	Militia	2d6
5	Tanner	Poacher	Labourer	Trader	Houndmaster**	Guard
6	Tax Collector	Thief	Street Performer	Concubine	Cultist	Lieutenant	3d6

*Start with one injury as per the Woe event in table 1.4.1

** Start with a hunting dog companion.

† Start with one of the following (1d3): 1) Space suit with cracked helmet, 2) Malfunctioning multi-gadget, 3) Ray gun with 1d6 charge

1.3) SEASONS

• Roll 2d6 on this and subsequent tables to determine major life events.
• These are broken up in to "seasons" of 1 year. You start at age 16.
• At the end of the season, you roll for wage as per current occupation.
• Every season from 40: "Ya died" range is extended to 2-5. "Woe" is moved to 6-8.
• After resolving a season, you can choose to either roll for another season, or end the process and begin as-is.
• Unless you're imprisoned, in which case you must keep rolling until you've gained freedom.
• You begin with only the clothes on your back and any equipment/wealth accumulated during the seasons.
• Note that you don't have to keep rolling until you become a hero. It's perfectly fine to "cash out" early. The adventures you have in game will see you quickly become one through trial by fire. It's more about how much backstory you want established before beginning play.

2	3-6	7	8-11	12
Ya died. Roll a new character	Woe Go to 1.4.1	Life goes on Nothing changes.	Weal Go to 1.4.2	A Hero is Born Go to 1.5

1.4.1) Woe

2	3-5	6-8	9-11	12
Injured! You've lost the use of one of the following (1d6): 1: an eye, 2: tongue, 3: a hand, 4: an arm, 5: a leg, 6: a foot You may forego this season's wage to have a simple prosthetic/aid crafted of commensurate quality.	Imprisoned! Jailed, captured or enslaved. No wage this season. Roll below for subsequent seasons until you win freedom: 2: Executed. 3-5: Remain imprisoned. 6-11: You won freedom. 12: Freedom + A Hero is Born.	Unemployed! Lost your job and possibly social standing. Roll a new Occupation (1.2). Re-roll results of a higher wage category.	Robbed! You lost some stuff. Either sacrifice an item, or all your accumulated wages.	Struggle! Times were tough. But maybe next season will be yours. No wage this season. But on your next season roll 3d6 and take the highest 2.

1.4.2 Weal

2	3-5	6-8	9-11	12
Equipment! You've obtained a useful item. Either pick something from the standard equipment list, roll on 1.5.2 or work with the Referee to come up with a special item that you've come in to possession of.	Windfall! Some extra money has come your way. Double your wage this season.	Promotion? You've moved up in the world. Roll a new Occupation (1.2), ignoring results of a lower wage.   OR Improve the rank on your current profession or a special skill by 1 step on the chain: Novice (1) > Journeyman (2) > Professional (3) > Expert (4) > Master (5) > Grandmaster (6) Roll an extra #d6 on wage per rank.	Special Skill! You've gained knowledge or experience in a specific area. Pick a useful adventuring skill, or specific subject, starting at Novice. Or improve the rank on an existing one, as per Promotion.	Hero's Apprentice! A larger than life individual took you under their wing this season. Double your wage this season. On your next season roll 3d6 and take the highest 2. A Hero is Born on a roll of 9 or higher.

1.5) A Hero is Born

You've suffered many trials, but have finally come in to your own and obtained talents and abilities that set you apart from others, and now your legend truly begins.

Choose or Roll for a class on table 1.5.1. Or make up your own, or pick something from another game, or a movie or whatever.

Then roll on on table 1.5.2 for a special item.

1.5.1) Class

Roll 2d6 to determine your adventurer archetype.

2	Fister: Punching is always the answer. Sometimes kicking.
3	Thespot: You diddle a lute, wax theatrical and generally irritate everyone.
4	Tomb-Botherer: Expert at disturbing ancient places and wrecking world heritage sites.
5	Crusader: A self righteous do-gooder.
6	Scoundrel: A rougish scallywag, as deft as getting out of trouble as they are getting in to it.
7	Battleperson: A mighty warrior, steel-thewed and hot-blooded.
8	Thaumaturge: A sorcerer, able to wield magicks both fantastic and foul.
9	Zealot: All will be brought into the light. By force if necessary.
10	Animist: Really really in to Wicca.
11	Stalker: Itinerant slayer for hire.
12	Hexer: Traded your soul to hell for supernatural power.

1.5.2) Special Item

2	Sword of legend. Or an axe, or some other fancy implement of violence.
3	Spirit Bones. A pouch containing the remains of an ancestor or powerful spirit. They talk to you.
4	Tome of Mystery. An ancient book written in a lost language. Or maybe you're just illiterate.
5	Purse of holding. At least you never seem to be able to find anything in this damn thing.
6	Magic Amulet. Or so the honest looking peddler claimed.
7	Bracers of Wrestler Strength. Might be fake, but they're real to you dammit!
8	Weighted dice. Not on purpose, they're just poorly made.
9	Lucky coin. You keep telling yourself.
10	Snake oil. It definitely for real cured your aunt's gout.
11	The Cube. Engraved with strange carvings. No discernible method of opening. What secrets does it hold?
12	Chainmail bikini/loincloth. Just as effective as a full suit. Due to being very distracting.

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So, how would you use this?

Ideally, you get a character with some experience (ranks) in a profession, and maybe some adventuring skills to start with, which should give you a starting point for character that you can port in to any system, or play freeform. Being a master fuller might not be particularly useful, but you never know.

Failing that you get someone so pathetic and miserable you kinda root for them. Everyone loves an underdog. Sometimes you're a master leper that becomes a lost astronaut. I dare anyone else in your group to come up with a more interesting backstory.

If you note down the events of each season, it can be a fun creative exercise to try and reverse engineer it in to a coherent story. We'll do an example:

  

Flem the WISE, but DIM
Servant (1d6)
16: Robbed. 0cp
17: Promotion. Journeyman Servant (2). 6cp.
18: Unemployed. Servant (2). 13cp.
19: Unemployed. Serf. 18cp.
20: Nothing. 21cp.
21: Injured. Left foot. Crafted peg foot. 21cp.
22: Promotion. Militia (2d6). 28cp.
23: Promotion. Journeyman Militia (2, 3d6). 41cp.
24: Imprisoned. 41cp.
25: Freedom. 41cp.
26: Special Skill. Novice Tactician. 52cp.
27: Special skill. Journeyman Tactician. 63cp.
28: Promotion. Professional Militia (3, 4d6). 76cp.
29: Windfall. 104cp.
30: Imprisoned. 104cp.
31: Freedom. 104cp.
32: Imprisoned. 104cp.
33: Imprisoned. 104cp.
34: Freedom. 104cp.
35: Imprisoned. 104cp.
36: Imprisoned. 104cp.
37: Freedom. 104cp.
38: A Hero Is born! Thaumaturge. Bracers of wrestler strength.

From age 16-20, we see this fellow being a fickle youth, unable to hold a steady job. Until at 21 he suffers a serious injury to his foot. Farming accident.
The following year, war breaks out and all able and not-so-able bodied persons are called upon to protect their country from invaders. Being somewhat hobbled, our man is assigned guard duty at camps and villages.
As the war rolls on, Flem serves dutifully, stays out of most of the frontline combat and takes on responsibility.
At 24 he's taken prisoner during a siege, eventually freed by his countrymen. By this time, the invaders have won and now occupy the country. He becomes part of a guerrilla resistance force. Learning all sorts of tactics over the next 3 years, fighting an overwhelming force. He even commands a small unit of his own and makes a successful raid, bringing in much needed supplies (and a few more coin to stash away).
Unfortunately the next 6 years are a slug fest between the occupiers and resistance forces. Flem is regularly captured, escapes or is released, only to be captured again.
During his final dungeon vacation, he's cellmates with a dying old sorcerer, claiming to be advisor to the deposed king. The man knows he won't make it out alive, and so uses the last of his strength to - with great difficulty - impart Flem with arcane knowledge over the next two years. A week after the old man carks it, the invaders are driven out and the prisoners of war are released. Though with his dying breath, the sorcerer told Flem of a hidden nook within the castle, where he could find further magical study material, and a pair of enchanted bracers that would see him keep the strength and vigor of youth, even as his body grew old.