To create a character in Five Oaths, you need to make some choices about who they are, what they want and what they can do. By following this step by step guide, you will create a character that has their own background and motivation, and is ready to start playing Five Oaths LRP- If you have any questions about this process, don’t hesitate to contact us.
Contents
- 1 Starting Body, Armour, and Vigour
- 2 What is your character’s name?
- 3 Is your character a Peacesworn?
- 4 Is your character a Weeping?
- 5 What Species is your character?
- 6 Where is your character from?
- 7 What can your character do?
- 8 What is your character’s background?
- 9 Are you finished?
- 10 Character Advancement
Starting Body, Armour, and Vigour
Every character in Five Oaths starts with 1 Body hit in each location (Head, Torso, Right Arm and Leg, Left Arm and Leg).
Every character in Five Oaths starts with 0 Armour hits in each location (Head, Torso, Right Arm and Leg, Left Arm and Leg).
Every character in Five Oaths starts with 1 Vigour. Swearing the Five Oaths is a powerful compact with the Shaper, and will gain your character an extra 5 Vigour, but we will come to that later!
Every character in Five Oaths starts on the same basis; now we move on to what is different and special about your character.
What is your character’s name?
Think about what your character’s name is. It could be the name their parents gave them when they were born or created, or it could be a name they’ve adopted for themselves. They could have a secret identity which they only reveal to people they trust.
Characters in Tirneach will often have Irish or Irish-inspired names, so it could be worth looking up some Irish names and seeing if you find one that you like for your character. There are other languages such as English, German and Spanish present in the game world also so you could pick a name from one of these languages, but it may seem a little out of place. Maybe that’s the point?
Is your character a Peacesworn?
Most gallóglaigh join up expecting to fight the enemies they are paid to fight, and to achieve renown as a warrior in the martial society of the Five Realms. There are others, however who swear the Sixth Oath and become Peacesworn. Peacesworn are dedicated to a non-violent existence; they travel with the other gallóglaigh and perform different missions from their warrior counterparts.
The Peacesworn are designed for players who cannot participate in roleplay combat for OOC medical reasons. Peacesworn are not allowed to participate in roleplay combat under any circumstances, or to break the Sixth Oath and commit any violent act. Players who want to play Peacesworn by choice rather than medical necessity are welcome to do so, but they must abide by the Non-Combatant Rules in Chapter 3 at all times.
If you decide that your character is a Peacesworn, take the Peacesworn Feat in Chapter 4. You will need to follow the requirements of the Peacesworn Feat when following the rest of the steps below.
Is your character a Weeping?
The Weeping are possibly the strangest and most unsettling people in the world. Every Weeping once began life like any other person, whether Creidhe, Krieger, Human, or something else. One day they died, and a short time later they became Weeping. The Weeping begin anew with no memory of who they were or how they died, with tears of blood streaming from their eyes.
If you are playing one of the Weeping, your life is one that stands out as extraordinary and is perhaps only understood by other Weeping. From the moment you woke up, the moment that Weeping generally call Atosú, you might have been regarded variously as a loved one returning miraculously from beyond the grave, as a criminal escaping just punishment, or simply as a stranger completely disconnected from the people around them. The First Réig of Tirneach decreed that the Weeping should be judged by their actions and not their origins, in what is called the Atosú Edict.
The Weeping are found all over the Five Realms, often in roles where their personal history or lack thereof is not a hindrance. They are particularly common in Bruid where folk are most likely to judge someone on what they do in the present moment. Many join the gallóglaigh, where they can make their own story, and where by ancient decree they are always welcome.
If you decide to play a Weeping, you will need to be prepared for the fact that your character will be more likely to get an odd or unsettled reception from NPCs in the setting, as well as some PCs to a degree. While there are definite downsides to playing a Weeping, we feel like this might be a rewarding option to explore for those that are interested in this style of play.
If you decide that your character is a Weeping, take the Weeping Feat in Chapter 4. You must pick a Species in Step 5, but should note in Step 7 that you have a free choice of Species and Realm Feat. You will need to follow the requirements of the Weeping Feat when following the rest of the steps below.
What Species is your character?
Your character must be one of the nine playable species. There is a brief description of each species below, along with the costume requirements to play them. There is more detail available on each species on our website.
| Species | Costume Requirements |
| The Creidhe are renowned menders and tinkerers, with an insatiable curiosity for how things work. | Gold coloured nail polish, alternatively all exposed skin on fingers covered in gold face paint or make up. |
| The Drakeblooded are descendants of powerful creatures that once guarded the land. | Exposed skin covered in scale patterns of Green, Purple, and/or Silver. |
| The Fathach are beings made of stone animated by magic to serve a purpose for the Vartach. | All exposed skin must look like stone. |
| The Firetouched are passionate recent arrivals from a faraway shore, with a reputation for music and trade. | Make up or face paint evoking the theme of fire. |
| Humans are infamously reckless crafters and innovators. | None |
| The Krieger are warriors from across the sea to the west, famed for their joy and love of battle. | Must have tusks, and all exposed skin must be blue. |
| The Leasiar are the longest lived species, often reputed to be the greatest diplomats, artisans, and farmers. | Pointed ears. |
| The Vartach are underground-dwelling mages and scholars with a rigid caste system. | Must have one of five symbols on their face. The symbols are the Sunspear, the Line Breaker, the Breaker of Chains, the Hook and the Clashing Swords. |
| The Wildlings are those with the strongest connection to nature in all of its forms, with a reverence for stories. Most Wildlings are attached to either Field or Forest. | Either facepaint/make up evoking the verdant and gentle aspect of nature, OR fangs and facepaint/make up evoking the brutal and vibrant aspect of nature. |
Bear in mind when picking your character’s Species that not all Species have the same reputation, whether deserved or otherwise. Our setting contains characters who are prejudiced against or in favour of some Species, and will treat characters of that Species accordingly.
When you have picked your character’s Species, you must also pick a Species Feat from the list in Chapter 4 for your character. Most Species only have one choice for this, but some Species have different choices depending on whether your character is Peacesworn or not (see Step 3 above).
Where is your character from?
Once you know what Species your character is, the next choice is to pick where they are from. This can be where they were born or created, but it could also be where they made their home most recently. More detail on each Realm is available on our website.
Some Species make their home most often in a particular Realm, and are seldom seen in other Realms. Each Realm below has a listing for Common, Uncommon and Rare. You can still choose any Realm you like, but if your character’s Species is Rare in your chosen Realm, you should be prepared to justify how and why they made their home there in your background.
| Realm | Species Distribution | |
| Baol is to the west; it is divided both in its terrain and its people, and is called the Proud Realm. To represent the division between highlands and lowlands, there are two different Species charts for Baol.
|
Highlands
Common: Drakeblooded, Humans, Krieger, Wildlings (Forest) Uncommon: Creidhe, Leasiar, Wildlings (Field) Rare: Fathach, Firetouched, Vartach |
Lowlands
Common: Creidhe, Firetouched, Humans, Wildlings (Field) Uncommon: Krieger, Leasiar, Wildlings (Forest) Rare: Drakeblooded, Fathach, Vartach |
| Bruid is to the south; there settlers dare to challenge the Great Forest, it is called the Hardy Realm. | Common: Humans, Krieger, Wildlings (Field & Forest)
Uncommon: Creidhe, Drakeblooded, Fathach, Firetouched, Vartach Rare: Leasiar |
|
| Draíod is in the centre; with its true heart hidden deep below the earth, it is called the Learned Realm.
|
Common: Fathach, Humans, Vartach
Uncommon: Creidhe, Firetouched, Leasiar Rare: Drakeblooded, Krieger, Wildlings (Field & Forest) |
|
| Siabhal is to the north; with its ancient legends and great cities, it is called the Heart of the Realms.
|
Common: Creidhe, Leasiar, Humans, Drakeblooded,,Wildings (Field)
Uncommon: Fathach, Firetouched, Vartach Rare: Krieger, Wildlings (Forest) |
|
| Uasa is to the east, where the Réig rules in majesty, it is called the Crown Realm.
|
Common: Creidhe, Humans, Drakeblooded
Uncommon: Fathach, Firetouched, Krieger, Leasiar, Vartach, Wildlings (Field & Forest) Rare: None |
|
Players who wish to make characters that are from places other than the Five Realms should contact the Event Team before submitting their character. Since characters need to be somewhat established in Five Realms society before joining the gallóglaigh, a character from outside the Five Realms will still pick a home Realm.
What can your character do?
When you have picked your character’s home Realm and Species, you should also take the corresponding Realm and Species Feats from the list in Chapter 4 for your character, unless you are a Weeping in which case it is a free choice. Each Species and Realm has one Feat associated with it, that represents the common cultural attributes of the Species and the steadfast attributes of the Realm.
After selecting your Species and Realm Feats, now you have to choose the remaining Feats for your character to start with. Refer to Chapter 4 for a full list of Feats.
As a starting character, you pick nine Feats from the Open Feats list in Chapter 4. Some Feats have requirements which must be met before your character can take them, and some have no requirements. You must ensure your characters meet all requirements of a Feat before taking it.
At character creation, you can only take up to three Feats from any one Way. You can tell what Way a Feat belongs to by its keywords. If you decided that your character was a Peacesworn at Step 3, your character will not be able to take any Feats that have the Combat keyword. If you decided your character was a Weeping at Step 4, your character will not be able to take any Feats that have the Quiescent keyword.
Bear in mind when picking Feats that your starting character will by default have 1 Body hit per Location, 0 Armour hits per location, and 6 Vigour once they have sworn the Five Oaths.
What is your character’s background?
Now is the time to bring the details you have decided about your character together and tell the Event Team who they are and why they are joining the gallóglaigh.
There are three ways to join the gallóglaigh, and you should choose how your character joined:
- Members of the High Families, the Leasiar species, and the children of the Tiarnaí
are allowed to join by birthright.. - People who were fostered to another household as the result of a treaty are always allowed to join.
- People who are sponsored by another gallóglach are always allowed to join.
- Weeping are always allowed to join the gallóglaigh, following the ancient Atosú Edict.
More details on each of these methods of joining the gallóglaigh are available on our website. It is worth noting that joining the gallóglaigh is never used as a punishment in the Five Realms, instead it is seen as an opportunity to prove yourself and achieve greatness.
A background can be up to 500 words long, and it should include the following information:
- How your character is joining the gallóglaigh (as above);
- How your character learned the Feats they already have;
- Any friends and enemies your character already has before becoming a gallóglach;
- Any great deeds or accomplishments your character has already done before becoming a gallóglach.
All of this information is subject to the approval of the Event Team, who may ask you to change or remove aspects of your character background to fit in with the setting of Five Oaths.
Your character can be whatever gender you want them to be; in the world of Five Oaths all genders have the same opportunities and rights. The Fathach Species do not have gender at all, although some of them choose a gender for themselves.
In addition to the information above, it might be helpful for you to consider the following questions as part of your background, as they can help you flesh out who your character is:
- What is your character’s primary motivation for joining the gallóglaigh?
- Is your character typical of their Species?
- What kind of family does your character belong to, if any?
- Is your character skilled in fighting, magic, or both?
- How would others describe your character?
- Who is the person your character trusts most in the world?
- What is your character’s greatest strength and weakness?
- What does your character think of the Five Oaths?
- Is your character proud of their home Realm?
- Does your character have any enemies?
- Does your character have any prejudices?
- To whom does your character owe the most loyalty?
- What are your character’s favourite and least favourite things?
- Does your character have any recurring mannerisms?
- What is your character’s greatest fear?
- How would your character handle a personal insult?
- Who has had the biggest impact on your character’s life?
- What is your character’s highest ambition?
- How religious is your character?
- How will your character die (This is how you *think* your character is likely to die, your actual experience may vary)?
Are you finished?
Once you’re happy with all the choices you have made for your character, you should submit it to the Event Team for approval using our player database. The Event Team will notify you by email when your character has been approved, and then they will be ready to play!
If you are stuck for ideas for a character, you can take a look at the sample starting character templates we have provided here.
Character Advancement
The power of the Five Oaths means that the gallóglaigh are constantly increasing in power and acumen. For each event you attend with your character, your character will earn 1 XP which can be used to purchase an additional Feat. Your character will need to meet any requirements for a new Feat that they take.