Character Lifepath (3.5e Variant Rule)

Introduction

A Character Lifepath is not a new or revolutionary idea in the RPG circles. In fact, I do believe most of us over at EN World were pretty stumped when we couldn't readily find a D&D themed lifepath table. This entry looks to build one. And if you are reading this wondering what a Lifepath is - it is simply a progression of tables, each with an assortment of events, items, attitudes and other character defining items, that one randomly rolls on to come up with a varied and fun sketch of a character's life prior to the beginning of the game. A player can then flesh this out to have a fully functioning character background. Its random nature makes for interesting, often funny twists and turns that a players sometimes has to get creative to explain away as part of his PCs life.

References

The original lifepath idea, as far as I know it to be, are the R. Talsorian books. I own and played a number of them and it is this format that will be followed when structuring the D&D themed lifepath.

Lifepath Instructions

Simply roll a d12 for each table, following your character's Lifepath. There will be times when you skip tables, or roll on additional tables as the text describes when appropriate. The Lifepath table is meant to provide a skeletal outline, a foundation for fleshing out your background. You are welcome to simply look at the tables and pick whatever you think is most appropriate for the character you intend to make but I humbly suggest trying to do it at random. Very interesting stories seem to grow out of trying to explain quite disparate results from the tables. A short description, sometimes a few examples are given with each entry, however the user of the table is by no means constrained by the few examples given.

Birth & Childhood

Place of Birth

d12	Birth Location	Sub-Tables
1	Out in the wilderness	You were born outside the confines of civilization
2	A Rural Hamlet/Village	A few houses, isolated from any one kingdom. Not on the map
3	Slave Pit	You were born amongst slaves
4	Town	Medium size town, part of a kingdom and usually on a map
5	Religious or Scholarly Institution	You were born in a monastery or university or similar setting
6	Fortress	A structure built for military use
7	Palace	Place of residence of the royal family
8	Major metropolis, Capital City	A sprawling conglomeration of residences and businesses, always on the map
9	Caravan or other mobile	You were born on the move, by nomads or on a ship, maybe the circus.
10	Alien racial environment	Raised in the forest by an elven family, or in a cave by wolves, etc.
11	Alien racial city	Raised by another race or species in a conglomeration of said species.
12	Extraplanar	Raised in a plane other than the prime material

Childhood Environment

d12	Childhood Environment	Description
1	No Adult Supervision	No one was around a majority of the time, or at all, to supervise. No real structure.
2	Abusive	Caretakers provided significant physical and/or mental abuse
3 - 4	Sheltered	Constant supervision by adults or others, kept you confined to "safe" areas.
5 - 8	Supportive	You were provided guidance and care and allowed room to grow and explore
9	Gang	You were raised by a gang, band or other group
10	Strict	Most of your care was left up to monks, military schools or other strict institutions
11	Owned	Put to work from early or outright owned, very little care given
12	Apprenticed	Given over to a Master to be apprenticed from an early age

Family History

Caretaker's Origin

d12	Caretakers	Description
1-4	Original Parents	Raised by the ones that gave birth to you
5-7	Close Family	Raised by family members, not your parents (aunt/uncle, grandfather/mother, etc)
8	Adopted	Never knew original parents. Raised by a couple not related to you.
9	Institution	Raised at an institution, be it an orphanage, monastery or other. Skip to Personal Preferences
10	Master	Sold or given or kidnapped at an early age and raised as property. Skip to Personal Preferences
11-12	On Your Own	Have had to rely on yourself for as long as you can remember. Skip to Personal Preferences

Caretaker's Background

d12	Family Background	Description
1	Homeless	Pan handling in the streets
2	Entertainers	Bards,Minstrels, Poets, Actors
3	Serfs/Servants	In service to a feudal lord
4	Free Laborers	Self sufficient farmers, fishermen or other subsistence trade
5	Monks or Scholars	Parents were immersed in a higher calling
6	Military	Career soldiers or mercenaries
7	Tradesman	Practiced a minor trade
8	Guild	Practiced a popular trade as members of a broad guild
9	Merchant	From peddlers to gypsies, trade in everything and anything
10	Minor Noble	Part of a knight's, minor liege lord or other minor household
11	Major Noble	Member of a recognized noble family with ties to dukes and barons
12	Royalty	In the same bloodline as the ruling family

Caretaker's Status

d12	Status	Description
1-6	Alive and well	Your parents or guardians are both doing well
7-10	Misfortune	On an even roll, only one is affected. On an odd, both. Roll on the Misfortune Table
11-12	Death	On an even roll, only one is affected. On an odd, both. Roll on the The Death Table

Misfortune

d12	Misfortune	Description
1-2	Cult	Became involved with a religious cult
3-4	Addiction	Be it drugs, alcohol or gambling
5-6	Crippled	Accident, random encounter or worse causing a partial or complete incapacitation
7	Cursed	Lycanthropy, vampirism or other such
8	Taken	Be it by roaming barbarians, organized crime or slavers
9	Indentured Servant	Bad deals or bad luck left a large debt to be paid off by labor, or outright slavery
10	Bankruptcy	Responsible, directly or indirectly, for the loss of all gold and lands
11	Crazy	Some lamentable situation caused complete mental breakdown
12	Prison	Situations led to long term incarceration

The Death Table

d12	Death	Description
1-2	Warfare	An event ranging from a raid to a siege caused death
3-5	Disease	Anything from a simple cold to a Pox caused death
6-7	Accident	Any number of random events, from a mule kicking at the wrong time to a fire
8-9	Murdered	From the random pick pocket to a planned assasination. Roll 1d12 - on a 10+, you know who did it
10-11	Unknown	Found dead under mysterious circumstances
12	Murdered by You	You did the killing

Siblings

1. Roll 1d6 to determine if you have siblings, a 6 means you are an only child
2. If siblings are present, Roll 1d12 for Number of Siblings.
3. Roll 1d12 for Each Sibling.
   1. 1-6 indicates a younger sibling. 7-12 indicates an older sibling. Odd indicates a boy, even a girl.
4. Roll on the Fate of Your Sibling Table for each sibling.

Fate of Your Siblings

d12	Fate of Sibling	Description
1-2	Lost Touch	It is unknown to you what became of this sibling
3-4	Lives with Parents	This sibling is home with your parents
5-6	Misfortune	This sibling has had bad luck in life. Roll under the Misfortune table.
7-8	Keeps in Touch	This sibling is enjoying his or her own life, apart, but keeps in touch
9-10	They Hate You	This sibling despises you for some past transgression
11-12	Dead	This sibling has died. Roll on the Death table.

Personal Preferences

Garb

Garb refers to the clothes your character prefers to wear. Most characers will have to wear armor for adventuring, or maybe their ninja garb if they are a sneaky bunch. This table represents what they wear when they can choose their garb, when they can relax and wear what they want versus what is necessary.

d12	Garb	Description
1-3	Conservative	Attire suitable to the region you are from
4	Provocative	Skimpy clothing, showing skin with the intent to be sexually attractive
5	Military	Like to keep your armor on always
6	Rags	Don't care about clothing, wear moth eaten rags
7	High Fashion/Noble	The latest fashions, expensive materials with embroidery
8	Chameleon	Changes style for whatever is the local trend
9	Ninja	Loose fitting, dark clothing good for sneaking or comfort
10	Naked	Prefer no clothes
11	Furs	Prefers pelts and animal skins for clothing
12	High Seas	Likes to wear clothing suitable for a pirate or sailor

Hair

The stuff that keeps your scalp warm.

d12	Hair Style	Description
1-2	Long Hair	Past the shoulders, as long as you'd like.
3-4	Short Hair	Cropped close to your skull, or down to the shoulder, or anywhere in between.
5	Bowl Cut	Common among monks and soldiers.
6	Thin Braid	Skinny braid of hair from short rat tail to long and luxurious.
7	Thick Braid	An elaborate, thick braid that takes up most of your hair.
8	Dreadlocks	Multitude of individual braids. Often decorated with beads or bells.
9	Bald	Either on purpose or by nature's design, you have no hair.
10	Top Knot	Shaved bald except for a single spot from which you grow hair.
11	Crazy	Radical styles such as mohawks, spikes, weird colorings, etc.
12	Wild	Unruly mass of unkept hair. A dirty, dingy bird's nest.

Mark

A mark refers to a distinguishing feature of the character that is not the norm, and sets him apart from others. For some characters they may be known by this mark - Eric the Red Axe, or Beatrice Scarhand. A mark is unique, but doesn't hold any value beyond that of the basic item.

d12	Mark	Description
1-4	None	There is no one distinguishing mark that sets you apart.
5	Tattoo(s)	A tattoo or tattoos that are unique enough or extensive enough to set you apart.
6	Jewelry	A piece of jewlery that is unique or unusual such as a nose chain or rhino-head ring.
7	Scar(s)	Scar or scars savage or extensive enough to be memorable. Could also be missing part.
8	Weapon	A weapon with unusual styling such as a red axe or spear with the head carved like a wasp sting.
9	Armor	Armor with a design that sets it apart and makes it stand out in a crowd.
10	Item	Any of a myriad of things that might be memorable such as a silver flute or an elaborate plumed hat.
11	Body Paint	Pigments applied to the body in great enough quantity to seem unusual.
12	Mannerism	Any of a wide range of odd behavior such as howling at stray cats or chewing on leather belts.

Personal Treasure

Personal Treasure is something that has deep value to the character, even though it may have little to no monetary value. The character may also think the item lucky, kissing it before a bet or prior to jumping off the side of the ship, and losing it would be a bad omen. Usually these are not displayed openly, but only shared with someone that is close to you.

d12	Personal Treasure	Description
1	Item of Clothing	Your mom's scarf or similiar
2	A Toy	A childhood memory or maybe a sibling's
3	A Document	The deed to family land, proof of your noble birth maybe
4	Religious Symbol	Helped you get through tough times, or added strength
5	Item	Any random item such as a musical instrument or a carving
6	Tool	A memory of a trade left behind maybe
7	Weapon	The knife that killed your parents, or your dad's trusty axe
8	Body Part	A lock of hair, or a baby tooth, very personal reminders
9	Tattoo	Your sister's name or a monolith that is in memory of some sacrifice
10	Animal	A favorite pet, maybe one given to you
11-12	None

Significant Times in Your Life

Fate Table

Roll 1d12 Number of eventful years in your life thus far. Roll that many times on the Fate Table. The order they are rolled in is their chronological order, although years may pass between significant events.

d12	Fate	Description
1-2	Tragedy	Fate has not been kind
3-4	Windfall	Lady luck smiles on you
5-6	Made a Friend	Someone enters your life in a beneficial way
7-8	Made an Enemy	You rubbed someone wrong
9-10	Cupid Strikes	A relationship develops
11-12	Personal Enlightenment	Events unfold that help you grow as a person

Tragedy

d12	Tragedy	Description
1-2	Financial blow	You manage to lose all your gold/possessions
3-4	Debt	Financial or otherwise, you make yourself indebted to someone or some group
5-6	Imprisoned	Through crime or mistake, you end up imprisoned for 1d12 months
7-8	Accident	You have a serious accident that leaves you incapacitated for 1d12 months
9-10	Addiction	You lose 1d12 months of this year battling an addiction such as alcohol or gambling
11-12	Lose a Pet	An animal you held dear dies

Windfall

d12	Windfall	Description
1-2	Financial Boon	You nearly double your worth in lands and possessions
3-4	Someone Owes You	You managed to be at the right place and at the right time and someone owes you
5-6	Fame	Through your deeds you manage to make a name for yourself locally
7-8	Long Lost Someone	You find a sibling you never knew you had. Roll on the sibling tables
9-10	Scruffy!	You find yourself a pet
11-12	Travel	The opportunity arises to travel to far distant lands for 1d12 months

Made a Friend

d12	Made a Friend	Description
1	Like a Big Brother or Sister to You	Someone that is older and looks after you, fussing over you at times
2	Like a Little Brother or Sister to You	Someone you look after as well as tease
3	Teacher or Mentor	A sage becomes a friend that instructs you in matters
4	Partner or Co-worker	Someone you work with often becomes a close friend
5	An Old Lover	You said - I just want to be friends - and meant it
6	An Old Enemy	Bygones become bygones and old rivalries become funny stories
7	Like a Foster Parent to You	This friend regails you with advice as well as cares for you
8	Old Childhood Friend	You bump into someone you had not seen in years
9	Relative	A relative becomes a friend as well as a relation
10	Gang or Tribe	Somehow you earn the friendship of a gang or tribe of people
11	Creature with Animal Intelligence	You befriend a badger or horse, or even a random Displacer Beast you can no longer find
12	Intelligent Creature	Maybe you ran into a Sphinx or a Wemic and managed to take the proverbial thorn out of the proverbial paw

Roll on the Heft Table to see how much help your friend can be.

Heft Table

d12	Heft	Description
1	Peon	This person has no real pull, only has himself
2	Clan	Close family ties translates into an extended family all willing to lay their lives for this individual
3	Gang	A small (1d12x5) group of like minded individuals
4	Tribe	A large group of individuals tied by culture
5	Minor Figure	A local hero or minor noble that can pull on the resources of a single town
6	Major Figure	A famous hero or major noble that can pull resources over an entire province
7	Military Connections	Someone that is part of a mercenary outfit or part of the guard
8	Black Market/Underground	Powerful connections with the black market and the criminal world
9	Powerful Individual	Someone who is a power unto himself, like a mage or a powerful priest
10	Connected to the Light	Angelic forces or extra planar due gooders with wide ranging reach
11	Connected to the Dark	Demonic forces, or connections with Abyssal entities or other such nasties
12	Royalty	A member of the ruling family with pull anywhere within the kingdom, some beyond

Made an Enemy

d12	Made an Enemy	Description
1	Ex-Friend	You use to have lunch together and the like, but things went sour
2	Ex-Lover	All that love turned to hate
3	Relative	Family bonds cut by strife
4	Childhood Enemy	An old face you hoped you would never see again
5	Person You Worked For	One overtime too many
6	Person That Worked for You	You should have paid for that overtime
7	Ex-Partner	A working or adventuring relationship turns to arguments
8	Gang or Tribe	You managed to step on the really wrong foot
9	Authorities	There are those amongst the law that dislike you
10	Dark Powers	Somehow you've come to the attention of dark forces, and they know your name
11	Creature with Animal Intelligence	You kicked that mule one time too many, and now it hates you to the bone
12	Intelligent Creature	You have some creature like a beholder or dragon angry with you

Roll on the Heft Table to see how much trouble you are in. Roll on the Animosity Table to see how this enemy and you are connected.

Animosity Table

What caused the animosity? Then roll on the Intensity Table to see how bad it is between you. After that roll to see Who Hates Whom? , to establish how things stand.

d12	Animosity	Description
1	Humiliation	Caused the loss of face or status publicly
2	Rift	Caused the loss of a friend or lover
3	Busted	Truly or falsely brought criminal charges against the person
4	Betrayed	Left the other out to dry or outright backstabbing
5	Cold Shoulder	Turned down for a job or turned down romantic advances
6	Rival	Had been competing for a job or romantically and won over the other
7	Foiled	Caused the failure of some plot, quest or undertaking
8	Sore loser	Defeated this person in combat or game/gamble
9	Bigotry	From race to religious beliefs, the hatred stems from stereotype
10	Murdered	Convinced this person killed a friend/relative/lover
11	Jealousy	This person's looks/life/luck/wealth bother you
12	Took Advantage	Took economic advantage by scam, or physical advantage through force

Intensity Table

How intense are the bad feelings?

d12	Intensity	Description
1-2	Annoyed	It rubs you wrong to be around this person, but you can control it
3-4	Bothered	You can't restrain quips and cut downs when you are around this person
5-6	Angry	Proximity to this individual leads to arguments, shouting, yelling
7-8	Ignore	This person doesn't exist to you
9	Violent	A fight will erupt when you are around this person, if you have to start it yourself
10	Hot Murder	All bets are off and so are the gloves - if the two of you are in the same room, Thunderdome rules apply
11	Cold Murder	If you catch sight of this person, your head starts drawing up schemes for death
12	Ruination	Whatever you have to do to bring this person down, her personal life, her job, family, etc

Who Hates Whom?

Where is the bad blood coming fom?

d12	Who Hates Whom?	Description
1-4	You towards the other person	The animosity is from you for them
5-8	The other person towards you	The other person has the strong feelings, not you
9-12	Mutual	You both feel strongly about each other

Cupid Strikes

d12	Cupid Strikes	Description
1-2	Casual	The year is marked with relationships. You date several people throughout the year, each for about 1d12 weeks
3-4	Serious	You find a certain someone whom you date for 1d12 months
5-6	A Good Thing	A serious relationship has lasted into this year. Roll 1d12 - On a 1-5 it ends, on a 6-11 it continues through the year, on a 12 you marry
7-8	Dog	You find someone else, while dating someone seriously. Roll 1d12 - odd they find out and dump you, even they never find out
9-10	Heartbreak	Someone whom you'd been dating cheats on you. Roll 1d12. Even, you find out, odd they dump you and you don't know why
11	Tragic	Someone whom you'd been dating for over a year dies
12	Even More Tragic	Pregnancy. Roll 1d12; 1-3 You leave, 4-6 He/she Leaves You, 7-8 You Marry, 9-12 Crossbow Point Wedding

Personal Enlightenment

d12	Personal Enlightenment	Description
1-3	Attribute Improvement
4-6	Skill Learning
7-9	Magical Ability
10-12	New Feat

Attribute Improvement

d12	Attribute	Description
1-2	Strength	Heavy labor and little rest develop your muscles
3-4	Dexterity	Running with a band of rogues or maybe at the circuit with the jugglers sharpen your reflexes
5-6	Constitution	Training under a veteran or ex-mercenary, or time spent in harsh terrains, toughens you
7-8	Intelligence	Time spent at an university or with a scholar teaches valuable skills and how to apply rational thinking
9-10	Wisdom	A sage or priest schools you in the benefits of faith and strength of mind
11-12	Charisma	You meet a very charismatic leader or powerful entertainer who teaches you the strength of assertiveness and charm

Skill Learning

d12	Skill Improvement	Description
1	Strength Skill, New	You are able to learn a new Strength-based skill.
2	Strength Skill, Improvement	Through lots of practice or much use, one of your Strength-based skills improves.
3	Dexterity Skill, New	You are able to learn a new Dexterity-based skill.
4	Dexterity Skill, Improvement	Through lots of practice or much use, one of your Dexterity-based skills improves.
5	Constitution Skill, New	You are able to learn a new Constitution-based skill.
6	Constitution Skill, Improvement	Through lots of practice or much use, one of your Constitution-based skills improves.
7	Intelligence Skill, New	You are able to learn a new Intelligence-based skill.
8	Intelligence Skill, Improvement	Through lots of practice or much use, one of your Intelligence-based skills improves.
9	Wisdom Skill, New	You are able to learn a new Wisdom-based skill.
10	Wisdom Skill, Improvement	Through lots of practice or much use, one of your Wisdom-based skills improves.
11	Charisma Skill, New	You are able to learn a new Charisma-based skill.
12	Charisma Skill, Improvement	Through lots of practice or much use, one of your Charisma-based skills improves.

Magical Ability

d12	Skill Improvement	Description
1	Abjuration	You learn a new Abjuration spell.
2	Conjuration	You learn a new Conjuration spell.
3	Divination	You learn a new Divination spell.
4	Enchantment	You learn a new Enchantment spell.
5	Evocation	You learn a new Evocation spell.
6	Illusion	You learn a new Illusion spell.
7	Necromancy	You learn a new Necromancy spell.
8	Transmutation	You learn a new Transmutation spell.
9-10	Spell-Like Ability, 1/day	You somehow gain the ability to use a Spell-Like Ability 1/day
11-12	Supernatural Ability, 1/day	You somehow gain the ability to use a Supernatural Ability 1/day

New Feat

d12	Skill Improvement	Description
1-2	Weapon Proficiency	You learn how to use a weapon.
3-4	Armor or Shield Proficiency	You learn how to handle a type of armor or shield.
5-6	Skill Feat	You gain a feat (for which you meet the prerequisites) which only improves skill(s).
7-8	Basic Feat	You learn a new Feat that has no prerequisites.
9-10	General Feat	You learn a new General Feat for which you meet the prerequisites.
11-12	Feat	You learn a new Feat for which you meet the prerequisites.

---

Back to Main Page → 3.5e Homebrew → Rules