Making a Character

 

Ready to design your PC for Seven Virtues?  Here’s how:


1. Decide Whether to PC


We’re really excited about Seven Virtues and can’t wait to share it with you.  But as with any larp, 7V isn’t for everyone.  Make sure this is the right game for you before you sign up to PC.


7V is probably NOT the right game for you if any of the following are true:


  1. •You larp primarily for fighting and aren’t that interested in roleplaying

  2. •You want a strong PVP element in a larp

  3. •Acquiring Stuff (game items, magic items, boons, hidden skills, money) is your big goal in a larp

  4. •You really want/need to feel safe from combat in “in-town” areas

  5. •You don’t like being in character all the time

  6. •You really want to play an evil character or one who works against the common interest

  7. •You think PCs should always win

  8. •You require a relaxing, slow, low-key pace to your larps and/or don’t really want to get involved in any plot


On the other hand, if you enjoy immersive roleplaying, character development, a world you can sink your teeth into, mysteries to unravel, a strong story you can really affect, and mortal peril, this may be just the game for you.  In that case, read on!


2. Read Up on the Game


Let’s be frank.  Seven Virtues is not a game where you want to skip reading the campaign information before you play.  You don’t need to read everything, by any means, but take some time to read up on key aspects of the game before you design your character concept.


At the very least, read the information in the Overview section and the writeups on your character’s Nationality, Religion, and Race.  You may want to also read whatever subsections of the World section interest you (the School and Cosmology sections might be particularly useful).  The Philosophy page may also help you get a sense of the sort of game Seven Virtues is.


Feel free to delve as deep as you like into the other material, but don’t feel that you need to memorize it all!  That would be crazy.


3. Choose Character Basics


Every character has a Race and Nationality; most have a Religion.  You’ll want to choose these for your character fairly early in the character design process.


Race


Your character can be a Changeling, Elf, Wyr, or Human (of which there are two ethnicities: Armandine and Vahrenden).  Your Race can have a major roleplaying impact on your character, so choose it carefully.


Bear in mind the following breakdowns of ethnicity by Nationality:


Native Scarthans and Vorticans are Armandine.

Native Albions and Torhi are Vahrenden.

Native Braefolk are both Armandine and Vahrenden.

Native denizens of the Lostwood are Nonhuman.


While there are certainly those living in each of those countries who are of other races or ethnicities, they can eventually trace their descent back to other nations.


Nationality


Your character can be from Albion, Braemoor, the Lostwood, Scartha, Torheim (before the Mahori invasion), or Vortica.


Nationality is a matter of personal identification.  While your character’s national identity may be complicated (an elf of Lostwood descent and with a human/Vortican parent born in Torheim and currently living in Albion, for instance) or simple (an elf born and living in the Lostwood), the Nationality that counts in game terms — the trait on your character card — is the Nationality your character has identified as most strongly for the longest time.  For instance, if you are from Torheim but have recently become conflicted about your loyalty to Torheim because you feel they brought on the Mahori breakthrough, and have been posing as an Albion for two years, you would still have the Torheim trait rather than the Albion trait, since you identified as Torhi for your whole life up until your recent uncertainty.  On the other hand, if you were born in Torheim and your parents and all your ancestors were Torhi all the way back in your family tree, but you moved to Albion when you were five and have thought of yourself as an Albion culturally for your whole life, then you have the Albion trait rather than the Torheim trait.


Essentially, your race and ethnicity are in the blood (Nonhuman or human, Elf or Wyr, Armandine or Vahrenden), or the genes; your Nationality is a cultural thing.


Religion


Most people in Armandy have a religion.  PCs can be Aetherialists, Ancestor Worshippers, or followers of the Philosophy of the Seven Virtues.  It is not uncommon to be rather secular and not give much thought or attention to religion (especially in the cities), but almost everyone at least has a family religion with some faint cultural presence in their lives.  It is just as common to be quite devout.  Your character can even have multiple religions — in fact, in places with mixed heritage like Braemoor, this is quite common.  Aetherialism is identified with Armandine and Nonhumans, while Ancestor Worship was brought to Armandy from Vahrende.  While religion sometimes comes into cultural clashes between these peoples, religion itself is not usually a major point of conflict in Armandy, and most countries have a mix of religions (save the Lostwood, where virtually everyone is an Aetherialist, though some small number also practice the Philosophy of the Seven Virtues in additon to Aetherialism; this is easily attributable to the high level of Aetherial activity in the Lostwood).


Starting Headers


You get one Core Header for free (you can buy a second one if desired) and can also purchase Add-On Headers.  Since the headers you start with may help define your backstory, it’s a good idea to get a sense of what headers you want your character to start with early in the character design process.  Bear in mind that you do not need to have a particular Add-On Header to write certain kinds of activity into your backstory or to get involved in certain kinds of plot — for instance, your character can be a politically active member of a noble house without being a Courtier, and you can get involved in political plot without being a Courtier.  Similarly, your character can be a teacher at a university and get involved in geek plot without being a Scholar, be a musician or storyteller without being a Bard, be a deeply religious Aetherialist and get involved in Aetherial plot without being a Mystic, and so forth.


4. Ask Permission (if Needed)


When you submit your character history, campaign staff will read it and approve it as is or ask for changes before approval.  For some concepts, you may want to check certain aspects of your character idea with campaign staff before writing up a detailed history.


For instance, you need campaign staff approval to play a Touched (and, hence, a Warlock).  You also might want to check with plot in advance before sending in a history with such things as unusual, makey-uppy magic effects; any kind of connection to people, groups, or events mentioned in the rulebook; or any details you think might be overly ambitious or not cosmologically correct.  Always read our character history guidelines before submitting!  It’s pretty typical to have us request a tweak or two to bring your history more in line with the cosmology or game flavor, so it’s better to ask about chancy parts up front before you write a long history or get too invested in your character concept.


You can ask any character concept related questions at characterhistories@sevenvirtueslarp.com.


5. Submit your Character History


You must have an approved character history on file before you can register for a Seven Virtues event.  We highly encourage you to submit your history well before your first event, so that we can have you in mind as we write the plot for that event.  If you don’t like writing out a full history until you’ve played a few events, or don’t have time, a comprehensive set of bullet points will probably be enough.  We just want to know at least the key information about your character.  Long histories are just dandy, too!


Please read our character history guidelines before submitting.  Then send your history to us at characterhistories@sevenvirtueslarp.com.  You should hear back from us within a week or two.  If we ask for changes, you must resubmit the history with the changes before we can give you approval and clear you to register for events.  Once your history is approved, you will get 2 CP for it.


We love getting character histories, and are always happy to answer questions!


6. Submit IG Application Form


Once your character history has been approved, you should fill out an in game school application form.  You should fill out the form in character; it’s an in game document which you can assume teachers and school staff may read.  This form helps us keep it very clear what the School knows and doesn’t know about your character, and gives us the answers to some key basic questions (like what Virtues your character hopes to pursue).  It can also be a fun way to feel your way into your character’s head before you even play them.


When we receive your filled out application form, we award you 1 CP for it.  If we have to request changes (unlikely, but possible if you put something on your form that would mean the school woudn’t accept you), then you get the CP once your form is approved.


You must fill out this form before you can play a Seven Virtues event.  If you haven’t filled it out when you check in, we’ll make you fill it out at the door.


7. Buy Headers and Skills


Once you have an approved character history, you can spend your starting CP to build your character, buying headers and skills.  (More information on this process forthcoming as we finish preparing things on our end!)


We can’t wait to see your characters in action!