13th Age is more complex than most of the systems I've used for this challenge so far. It's basically a D20 homebrew using elements from D&D 3e, D&D 4e, and a big pile of house rules. That puts it far closer to the modern end of things compared to Old School Essentials. 13th Age is also something that I haven't messed with for awhile, although I do have plans to run Eyes of the Stone Thief at some nebulous point in the future.
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| Sol Brightheart, Evangelical Priest of Pelor (13th Age) |
Just to be different from most of the characters I've made for this challenge, I'm using the point buy option for Brightheart's ability scores. Peeking at the appendix, I picked out this array: 16, 16, 14, 10, 8, 8. Being a dragonborn gives a bonus to either STR or CHA. Being a cleric gives a bonus to either WIS or STA. However, the bonuses can't stack, so no double dipping for STR. I boosted Brightheart's WIS and CHA while putting the other numbers where they seemed to make sense. Let's face it, this loudmouthed priest isn't among the smartest or most graceful folks around.
More modern iterations of F20 are so much more generous with bonuses and hit points than stuff like OSE.
The One Unique Thing is a wonderful way to make player characters stand out in 13th Age. Unfortunately, it can also bring character creation to a grinding halt unless a player already has a concept in mind. I decided to get a little meta with this one. "Sol Brightheart's soul is fated to go from world to world bringing the word of his god with him."
I have mixed views on 13th Age's Icons. Working them into an adventure is often a pain, but they do add to the game experience. They displace gods both mechanically and in setting while also having a more concrete presence. Brightheart has positive (1 point) relationships with the Great Gold Wyrm and the Priestess. He also has a conflicted (1 point) relationship with the Three.
Backgrounds take the place of skills in 13th Age. They do double duty in filling out a character's history and offering a flexible skill system. Brightheart was born and raised in a quaint village on the border of the Empire. He spent much of his youth as a choir singer while supposedly getting an education at a nearby cathedral. Heeding the call of his soul, he began wandering the land and spreading the word of Pelor to anybody who stood still long enough to listen.
Looking up Pelor indicates that the domains of healing, life, and the sun would be good fits. The spell selection reflects my original concept of Brightheart as a D&D 4e laser cleric. The feat that allows turn undead to be used as an additional heal instead offers a little extra flexibility. Equipment selection was straightforward given Brightheart's background.
The character sheet used in this post is by Evenglare and is available as a free download on the Pelgrane Press site.
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