Customising characters in Romance of the Perilous Land

In Romance of the Perilous Land there are six classes: knight, ranger, bard, barbarian, cunning folk and thief. But your class is just the framework to hang your character on.

So how does a player customise their hero? After all, everyone in Romance is human.

First off, there's the background system. Both your class and your background offers a selection of skills. You knight may have been a farmer, which would give them a selection of different skills than if their background is an outlaw.

Secondly, there are talents, which offer new abilities that can be selected at certain levels, including first. I firmly wrote the game as OSR, but I did want to offer some customisation with talents. It means your thief could dabble in magic, or your ranger could become a trapper. This isn't about min-maxing, but instead creating a great character you really want to play. Whether it's a monster hunting bard, a spell sword cunning folk or a healing ranger.

Thirdly, there are the factions. Romance has a narrative and history and factions have a part to play. Factions give your character a series of rules to abide by. The Knights of the Round Table have to donate treasure to Camelot and live by a code of valour, while the Order of the Fisher King must find magic treasure to heal their monarch.

Finally, there are deities. Most, if not all, characters will worship a god or goddess, whether this is the thunder god Taranis or the horse goddess Epona. Deities give the player a steer on how a character will act in a situation.


Of course, as is often the case in roleplaying games, everything from the weapon you use to the languages you speak all come together to create a unique character.