Step 1: Ability Scores
Determine your character's six ability scores by rolling four six-sided dice for each one. Ignore the lowest die and add up the other three. Write down your six results on a scratch paper.
If you roll poorly and get low scores, you can roll again. Your scores are considered too low if your total modifiers(before changes according to background) are 0 or less, or if your highest score is 13 or lower. (see Table 1-1: Ability Modifiers for ability score modifiers) Don't abuse this, the GM also must aprove the scores and can force a re-roll if the stats seam to high.
Step 2: Choose Background
Where is your character from? Except for Ogier characters, all of the character in a Wheel of Time Roleplaying Game campaign are human; what sets them apart is where they grew up and their social and cultural background, in other words. Backgrounds you can choose for play are: Aiel; Atha’an Miere (Sea Folk); Borderlander; Cairhienin; Domani; Ebou Dan; Jllianer; Midlander; Tairen; Taraboner; and Tar Valoner. You can also play an Ogier. Backgrounds provide a complete description of each of these options. Information on the different backgrounds can be found here. After you select a background, write it down on your character sheet.
Step 3: Choose Class
In the next step, you choose your character’s class. A class represents the primary way of life your character has fully embraced his profession, avocation, and/or lifestyle. Since it’s such an important part of who he is, his class provides an excellent starting point from which you can define your character, it’s a hook on which you can hang the character’s abilities, personality,skills, and other traits.
The seven classes you can choose from in the Wheel of Time Roleplaying Game are: algai’d’siswai, armsman, initiate, noble, wanderer, wilder, and woodsman.
Classes describes each one in detail, including any restrictions the class suffers from. This info is found here. After you select a class, write it down on your character sheet.
Step 4: Assign and Adjust Ability Scores
Now that you know your character’s background and class, assign the scores you rolled in Step 1 to your character’s six abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.
Consider two things when deciding how to assign your scores. First, think about what sort of person your character is. What are his strengths and weaknesses? What is he like, both physically and mentally? If he’s strong and tough, that means he has relatively high scores in Strength and Constitution. A character with a wily, ingratiating personality might have high Intelligence, Dexterity, and/or Charisma abilities. A wise old man who has survived many scrapes might have high Wisdom and Constitution.
Second, think about your character’s class. It usually helps you in the game if you put high scores in abilities that accentuate your character’s class. Each class description explains which abilities are important for that class. For example, armsmen benefit from high Strength, and nobles from high Charisma. However, you should keep these class considerations secondary to your character conception. Sometimes going against the stereotype by, for example, creating a highly intelligent armsman is more fun than obtaining some game-related benefit.
After you assign your scores, record the modifier for each ability, as shown on Table 1-1: Ability Modifiers. This number tells you how far above (or below) average your character is in that ability.
Step 5: Record Background and Class Features
Your character’s background and class grant certain features special powers, feats, skills, and other benefits (and drawbacks). Most the character gets automatically, but some require you to make choices. Look ahead in the rules if you need more information to make these choices. And remember, you can always backtrack and do something over if you get a better idea.
Step 6: Select Skills
Depending on your character’s class and Intelligence modifier, you receive a certain number of skill points. You spend these points to buy skills for your character.
The rules of the Wheel of Time Roleplaying Game measure skills with ranks. Each rank adds +1 to checks (rolls) you make to use a skill. Each rank costs 1 skill point. At 1st level, you can buy up to 4 ranks in a class skill or up to 2 ranks in a cross-class skill (a skill from another class’s list of skills). Look here for a list of each class’s skills, and here
for a complete description of all skills.
A quick tip: The process of buying skills goes faster if you simply spend 4 skill points (the maximum you can spend at 1st level) on every skill you buy. You won’t end up with as many skills as you might otherwise, but you’ll finish buying them in just a couple of minutes.
Step 7: Select Feats
Feats are special features that grant a character new capabilities, or improve capabilities he already has. All 1st-level characters start with at least one feat (in addition to feats gained due to background or class). See Table 5-1: Feats for a list of available feats.
Step 8: Select Equipment
Next, you have to select equipment for your character. You have two options. First, you can select the equipment listed with the hero template most closely related to your character. If you choose this option, your character also has additional spending money equal to one-fourth (250/0) of the amount listed on the table below for his class.
Second, you can choose to buy all of your equipment piece by piece. Your character has a number of silver marks randomly determined according to the Random Starting Money table. After he buys his equipment, any
money left over becomes his spending money for the early part of the campaign. (Hopefully he’ll earn some more before he spends it all!).
Step 9: Record Combat and Skill Numbers
Based on your character’s background, class, ability modifiers, feats, and equipment, determine the following numbers: Attack bonus, Defense, hit points, saving throws, and initiative modifier (Chapter 8: Combat); skill
modifiers (Chapter 4: Skills); and weapon statistics (Chapter 7: Equipment).
Step 10: Finishing Touches
You’re almost done-just a few finishing touches left to polish up the character and get him ready to play. Come up with a name for your
character, and then devise a brief background. (Something as simple as "A wilder from an Andoran village who ran away from home to seek her fortune" will do.) You can add as much detail as you like later, or even change some details after you get a better feel for your character-
assuming your Gamemaster permits the changes, of course!