Character design is not based on any particular rule system, though the Game Master prefers GURPS he recognizes that many people are not familiar with those rules. In general character design should address certain important points in background and description. The character should not be perfect. Everyone has faults, either in personality or in physical form. The pirates of history are a particularly imperfect lot and your concept should reflect that! Remember, no one is good at everything and it is unrealistic to describe your character as a master of everything he sets his hand to.
The Basics:
Name:
(The names many pirates are known by today are not always the names they were born with or commonly used. Edward Teach was known as Blackbeard to his victims, but the pirates called him 'Thatch'.)
Nationality:
(The major European powers are the most likely choices, but being from a European Colony, like Virginia, also qualified as being English while being of European descent in Panama made one Spanish. Race will also impact nation of origin.)
Race:
(Caucasian is the choice for most characters of European origin. Moorish is a good choice for a Barbary Corsair, Negro for an escaped slave or one from the Maroon groups on Hispaniola, Cuba or Caraccas, Indian for a character originating from one of the native tribes, etc. Mixed heritage is very common as well.)
Gender:
(The vast majority of pirates were male, virtually all the Captains were male. While playing female pirates is acceptable the GM reserves the right to limit the numbers to reasonable levels.)
Age:
(Pirates, and seamen in general, lived hard and died young. Pirates much past 40 were rare, with the exception of a few notable captains.)
Height and weight:
(People in the 18th century were not as big as modern folk. A man six feet or more in height was considered huge! Women of that size were almost unheard of.)
Appearance:
(This refers to hair color, hair length, beard or lack thereof, wrinkles, skin color, scars and general attractiveness or repulsiveness. Also note things like missing limbs, eye patches etc.)
Physical Characteristics:
(Does he walk with a limp, is the character mute, deaf or blind? Does he have an accent? Is he sickly? Does he have all his teeth? (Loss of teeth is a common effect of scurvy.) These types of characteristics help fill out a character's description.)
Religion:
(Nationality will have a big effect on religion. If you are English, Dutch, Dane or Swede you are probably Protestant. If you are Spanish or Portugese you are probably Catholic or possibly Jewish. If you are French or Austrian your are probably Catholic but some were Protestants and a few were Jews as well. If you are Moorish you are Islamic. If you are of African or mixed descent you may be Christian (Commonly the variety of your original captors or owners) or Vodoun or one of the Original African Faiths pretending to be Christian to satisfy the White Masters.)
Personality:
(This category helps define how your character acts and reacts to situations. For example, is he greedy and always anxious for more wealth? Is he a glutton who tries for a bigger share of food and drink? Is he lecherous and always seeking female (or male) company? Is he lazy or industrious? Is she honest? Truthful? A liar? Is he religious? Superstitious? Does he like to gamble? Is she a thief? A coward? Brave or even foolhardy? Is he cruel or sadistic? Ruthless and bloodthirsty? Quick to anger? Calm, patient, pacifistic? Loyal? Patriotic? Treacherous? Some characteristics are incompatible with a career in piracy, others would require some thought to make them work.)
Special Traits:
(Everyone has something special about them, something that makes them unique or unusual, for good or for bad. A talent or ability that allows them to stand out or a failing that makes them notable in a negative way. Many of these Traits tie in to the personality of an individual, some do not. Some, like reading and writing, are actually learned skills but they are an accomplishment that few have mastered. Here is a list of some possible Traits, both positive and negative. A character may have two (2) positive Traits and he or she must have at least one (1) negative Trait. For each ADDITIONAL negative Trait the character has (Up to three (3)) he may pick one (1) EXTRA positive Trait. This is a total of five (5) positive Traits and four (4) negative Traits.)
Traits
These three Traits can be either positive or negative.
Reputation. A common Trait that relates directly to a character's Personality is Reputation. A character whose Personality is to be Truthful might have a positive reputation as someone who never lies. A character who is cowardly might have a negative reputation as a coward. Reputations influence how other people, especially NPCs, react to the character and relate to them. The character must be known in the area to have a reputation. Someone who just got off the ship from England may have a reputation back in England and maybe on the ship, but he is unknown in Port Royal and therefore has no reputation, yet.
Appearance. The character is exceptionally handsome or beautiful. The reverse of this is he or she is exceptionally ugly or repulsive.
Honest. This can be a disadvantage in that it limits a character's options or a positive trait in that it enhances the character's reputation.
Positive Traits
Literate. Being able to read and write is not a common skill in the 18th century. Most folk can, at best, sign their name. Being literate is essential to navigating a ship. Being unable to read or write is NOT a negative Trait, it is the norm.
Mathematics. Like reading and writing, skill in mathematics is unusual. While many people can count to ten, or add using their fingers, advanced math skills are rare and are essential for the skill of Navigation. To have Mathematics the character must also be able to read and write.
Gift of Languages. The character is very good at learning to speak and understand spoken languages. Reading and writing languages require the character to be literate. A character with this Trait can speak more languages then most people.
Head for Heights. The character has no fear of high places, falling or any sense of vertigo. A very useful Trait for a sailor on a tall ship!
Sense of Direction. The character rarely gets lost and can almost always pick out the compass points even on a cloudy day or night.
Keen Senses. The character has an unusually keen sense. Either hearing, smell or sight (pick one) per Trait.
Strong. The character is stronger then he or she looks or, if they are a big strong person to begin with, is exceptionally strong.
Quick. The character has fast reflexes, useful in a fight and when working in the rigging.
Healthy. The character is resistant to diseases, infections and contagions.
Rapid Healer. The character's wounds and injuries heal quickly and easily.
Resistant to Pain. Wounds and injuries do not slow or hinder the character much.
Speedy. This means the character is fast on his feet, a good fast runner, a good dancer, a useful trait for swordsmanship as well.
Strong Swimmer. Most sailors don't know how to swim. Those that do are rarely good at it. This Trait means that the character, for whatever reason (practice or a natural) is a strong, fast swimmer.
Musical Ability. The character can play an instrument and play it well.
Artistic Ability. The character can draw or paint, sculpt etc with remarkable ability.
Steady Hand. The character is good at aiming and shooting a firearm, either a rifle, musket, pistol or cannon.
Well Mannered. The character is aware of proper manners and etiquette for dealing with people of other classes.
Mechanical Aptitude. The character is good at figuring out and fixing machines and handling tools. Useful for a carpenter, gunsmith, tradesman etc.
Status. The character is privileged in some way. They may be related to an important person or family or come from a wealthier then average background. The character cannot be an oldest child or heir to a vast estate or fortune (they would probably NOT be wandering around the Caribbean unescorted) for the same reason they are NOT RELATED TO A RULING FAMILY OR KING! Status can affect the character's education, training and skills. (See the section on Skills below for more information.) Unless Status is selected as a Trait the character is assumed to be a commoner.
Lucky. The character wins more often then he looses when gambling. If some random good fortune will occur it most likely will befall the lucky character.
Animal Friendly. Domestic animals, horses, dogs, cats, etc respond well to the character, allow themselves to be petted, calmed, led, mounted, harnessed etc even under stressful circumstances. Wild animals will generally leave the character alone unless cornered or starving.
Light sleeper. The character wakes easily when disturbed.
Expert. A character has one
(1) skill
that he or she is considered expert in. It is possible to be expert
in more then one skill, but each is a SEPERATE TRAIT.
Alcohol Tolerance: It takes far more alcohol to get the character drunk then would be expected for the character's size, weight, age, gender etc...
Alertness . Character is difficult to surprise and is usually the first to notice things.
Pious . Character is very religious (as per their chosen faith.)
Light Hangover: Even if the character gets rip roaring drunk the night before, he or she has little or no after affects the next day.
Negative Traits
Clumsy. The character is a klutz. He or she drops things, trips, breaks, misses etc on a regular basis.
Fear of Heights. Gets dizzy if more then a few feet off the ground. All but useless in the rigging!
Sickly. He or she comes down with diseases and contagions easily. Usally has something running them down, may have an incurable or chronic ailment.
Superstitious. The character believes in a variety of superstitions, myths and wives tales. Behavior is affected by those beliefs. (Never walks under a ladder, throws spilled salt over the shoulder, etc.)
Psychopathic. The character is basically insane and has an irresistible compulsion to kill and hurt. He wants to kill, needs to kill, MUST kill. Some psychopaths kill in particular ways or kill particular types of people.
Klepto-Maniac. The character has an irresistible compulsion to steal. When presented with something that can be picked up the character finds it almost impossible to resist. This includes stealing from friends and associates.
Pathological Liar. The character finds it almost impossible to tell the truth at any time. Lying isn't done just for gain, but at any opportunity.
Alcoholic. The character drinks all the time. He or she is rarely sober, and if so its because the rum is gone.
Alcohol Intolerance: It takes much less alcohol to get the character drunk then would be expected for the character's size, weight, age, gender etc... A little drink is all it takes.
Delusional. The character has beliefs that are not realistic or even reality based. This goes beyond normal beliefs and superstitions and reaches the realm of things like "I am the True King of England."
Missing a Limb. Has a hook for a hand. Is missing an entire arm. Lost the leg below the knee and has a peg leg. Lost the leg above the knee and uses a crutch.
Missing an Eye. Has a patch or a glass eye. This will inhibit accuracy when shooting.
Disfigured or Scarred. Whether from disease or a wound the character's face or skin is disfigured to a lesser or greater degree.
Lousy Hygiene. Hygiene is pretty sketchy in the 18th century, but some people are noticably worse then others.
Ill Mannered. The character either knows nothing of basic manners or does not care. An issue when dealing with Social Superiors.
Weak. The character is not as strong as one would expect from their appearance.
Overweight. This slows a character down and reduces mobility as well as having a negative reaction with some people.
No Sense of Direction. The character gets lost easily, needs a compass to find north and is easily confused directionally.
Spendthrift. The character spends his or her money at a tremendous rate! Saving money or budgeting expenses is unheard of. A common trait of pirates.
Libertine. The character lives to party! Food, drink, carousing and fun are all the character cares about. He or she takes every opportunity to indulge, frequently at the expense of more important things. A common trait amongst pirates.
Ruined. A negative trait for upper class characters who have spent their inheritance, lost it in bad investments or costly legal battles or have somehow destroyed their reputation. To be Ruined means you have pissed away your wealth AND your good name, as well as sullied the family name. It is pretty serious being Ruined, its more then a mere loss of money. It affects your reputation amongst those in the know (busines people, those with money) permanently, or until you are able to restore your fortunes and name. Lots of people are poor, but a Ruined man became poor from his own incompetence Frequently associated with Spendthrift and/or Libertine traits.
Bad Sight/Hearing/no Sense of Smell. The character is limited in his or her abilities. Either hearing, smell or sight (pick one) per Trait.
Deafness. The character cannot hear at all. If this is from birth the character cannot speak any languages and communicates by gesture and lip reading. If it was from an accident or later illness the character always speaks very loudly and must concentrate on reading lips.
Jinxed. The opposite of Lucky. The character rarely wins gambling. If some random misfortune will occur it most likely will befall the jinxed character.
Frightens Animals. Even domestic animals avoid the character. Attempts to work with or control meets resistance. Wild animals will flee or attack.
Incompetent. The character is completely incompetent at something that is otherwise a common or essential skill. For example a sailor that is incompetent at knots. Or, a pirate who is an incompetent swordsman.
Transported. A character who was sent to the colonies as a result of a criminal conviction. Transported convicts were then sold at auction as indentured servants. The term of servitude was anywhere from 7 to 21 years. Many thousands of English, Scots and Irish were Transported. Transportation punished both major and petty crimes in Great Britain and Ireland from the 17th century. At the time it was seen as a more humane alternative to execution, which would most likely have been the sentence handed down to many of those who were transported.
Wanted.
There is a price on
the
character's head.
Read the section on Rewards
Press Ganged. Your character
got
drunk, was knocked out or otherwise kidnapped by a merchant ship in
need of crew. Since then circumstances have prevented the character
from getting home. Please note: Someone who has been press ganged
is there against their will. They want to go home and will jump
ship at the earliest opportunity. If the victim comes to accept
his new life style and sticks with it, then being Press Ganged ceases
to be a negative trait and merely becomes a matter of the back
story.
Phobic. The character has an unreasonable fear of something. Common examples are snakes, spiders, water, fire, cramped places, open spaces, jungles, guns, heights, etc. It is only with great difficulty that the character can act in ways that require overcoming the fear.
Intolerant. The character actively dislikes people of a certain type or group. For example a protestant may dislike Catholics. An Englishman may be intolerant of Spaniards. A Frenchman may be intolerant of Dutch. A white European may be intolerant of Moors, Blacks or Indians.
Mute. Due to birth, accident or punishment the character cannot speak. He or she can understand languages, can even learn to read and write, but cannot speak.
Lazy . The character hates doing work. Makes him or her unpopular with mates and coworkers, limits income from normal jobs.
Deep Sleeper . Character is very hard to wake up, even in the event of an emergency.
Coward: The character is afraid of being hurt or harmed. He fears violence or dangerous situations.
Compulsive Behavior . Pick one: Gambling, Cursing, Fidgeting (drumming fingers, tapping feet, playing with knives etc....)
Bad Temper: The character angers easily and can hold a grudge. Shouting, fisticuffs or worse often accompany temper flares.
Stubborn: Once the character has made up his or her mind, it is VERY difficult to change it.
Gullible: The character is easily swayed and tends to believe what he is told.
Greedy: A greedy character tries to squeeze every penny and can be more easily swayed by offers involving large sums of money or wealth.
Sea Sickness: Most people become accustomed to being at sea after a few days, but some unfortunates never do.
Glutton: The character is obsessed with food and always tries to get an extra share or another serving...
Lecherous: Character is obsessed with sex and the opposite gender. (Or same gender.)
Homosexual: At this time in history being homosexual is a negative trait in the eyes of society. Some stories not withstanding, most sailors and pirates were particularly intolerant of homosexual activity.
Fanatic: A more extreme version of Pious, often coupled with intolerance to other faiths.
Weak Stomach: In an age where food spoilage is common people often find themselves eating food that is a bit 'past it' or worse. Being unable to stomach such fare is a disadvantage to a character.
Vow: Usually religious in nature and affects a character's actions. Example: Chastity, Poverty, Temperance (no alcohol) Duty (to a cause, group, leader etc)
(The most common are European languages. They are English, French, Spanish, Portugese, Latin and Dutch.
Gaelic, both Scott and Irish, is common amongst the English groups since many were sent to Jamaica and the Caribbean as indentured servants. Less common European languages include Danish, German, Swedish, Russian, Italian and Greek. Of the native tongues Carib is rare at this point since few of the tribes are left except in the remote hinterlands of Cuba and Hispaniola. Arawak is the dominant Amerindian tribe and native language group in the Caribbean area. Various African languages are used amongst the slaves and related groups, but this is actively discouraged by their owners and some dialects are known to pirates and traders who have had dealings with groups in Africa. Arabic is used by Barbary Pirates and some Europeans who have had dealings with them. Hebrew is known to those of Jewish faith. If you are European and can read and write you also know Latin.
Most people in the 18th century Caribbean had their native language and some knowledge of French and at least a smattering of Spanish. Educated people had some Latin skills. Four languages, including the native language, is about average for a well traveled sailor or pirate. If your character has a gift for languages then he or she can have six languages. When picking them rate them 1 to 4 or 6 with 1 being your native language, 2 being the one you know next best, 3 the next and 4 or 6 your worst language.)
History and Present Circumstances:
(At this point some details of the character's history needs to be considered. How did they come to be in the role they are today? Did he turn to crime? Was he or she Transported? Press Ganged? Voluntarily Emigrate? Runaway? Work for a Merchant Company? Work for the Government? Enlist in the Army or Navy? Go to sea in the Merchant Marine? These decisions will affect the Skills that the character will have acquired in life. What is the character doing today? If he or she is not following their Trade or Profession, what are they doing?)
Skills:
(There are a wide array of skills and abilities. The list is by no means complete. (If you think of something I missed feel free to contact me) Weapon skills and seamanship usually came later in a character's life. As a child the character would have been trained in other types of skills. All characters are assumed to have General Knowledge concerning their country of origin and society.
A character that comes from a commoner/lower class background would have learned a trade skill (Some are valuable on board a ship) and they are less likely to be Literate. The character should pick one (1) trade as his or her childhood training and one secondary skill.
A character with some status,
upper
class, is usually better educated and is more likely to be a
Professional in training. The character should select the Profession
that his or her family chose for them.)
A character with a criminal
background is usually lower class or commoner, but not always!
Clothing and Equipment:
(A character's clothing, weapons (if any) equipment and money at the start of the game largely reflects his or her class and past history. Several examples are listed but in general if the character is on the run from authorities, like an runaway servant, escaped slave etc, he or she has very little to start with. About $75. If the character is a lower class but otherwise 'normal' citizen he or she starts with about $500. If he or she is upper class then the character starts with about $1,000. This starting wealth is not all cash! Much of it is in the form of clothes, tools, weapons and equipment.
The player should decide what the character has and then write up a description of the character and his clothes and items carried. Essentially what some one meeting the character for the first time will see.)