Into the Unknown Character Generation

Into the Unknown uses D&D 5th Edition rules to recreate Basic/Expert D&D rules from the 1980s. It comes as five distinct booklets (harking back to Original D&D), two of which are meant for DMs. Quoting from the description:

How is this different from B/X or 5e?

Into the Unknown is based on 5th edition of the world’s most popular roleplaying game and is fully compatible with it to the extent that you can easily create a 5th edition character and use him in a game of Into the Unknown and vice versa, without any conversion.

What sets it apart from 5th edition is that this is a “non-advanced” version that hearkens back to the “B/X” version of the game. It has been simplified in many places to speed up things such as character creation; “race-as-class” is back; so are old-school mechanisms such as morale, reaction rolls, ‘random encounters’, ‘gold for XP’ and henchmen.

ItU has two separate paths for creating a character. In “discovering a character” a player rolls stats randomly then determines a class. In “choosing a character” a player determines a class first then picks attributes from a standard array. For my sample character I’ll go with random attributes. It just feels more “old school”.

Discovering a Character

Generate Abilities

In ItU players roll 4D6 drop 1, in order, to “discover” attributes. After doing that, I ended up with the following.

Once I choose a class, the Rules As Written allow me to swap any two abilities. If I wanted a Fighter, I’d swap the 16 for either Str or Dex; if a Rogue, Dex; if a Priest, Wis; if an Int-based Magic User (Wizard), Int.

Choose Class

ItU, like Basic D&D, has seven classes: Fighter, Rogue, Priest, Magic-User, Elf, Dwarf, and Halfling. (Yes, the last three are classes.)

After some deliberation I’ve decided to pick … Fighter.

Fighters have two 1st level abilities: Second Wind (regain HP as a bonus action once until next rest) and a Class Feature of Fighting Style.

A Fighter can add +1 to Strength or Dexterity and another +1 to Constitution. (While I’m at it, I’ll swap my Cha and Dex.) My characteristics are now:

Other class features give me the following:

I also have proficiency with all armors and shields and all weapons.

ItU removed skill proficiencies; proficiencies are stated in plain English and are heavily class-dependent. According to the text,

You’re proficient in every aspect of combat, from strategy, mounted combat, intimidation and weapons lore to improvised stunts.

You are also skilled in all kinds of athletic feats, such as swimming, climbing, jumping, and feats of strength.

Finally, I get the same sort of equipment I’d get in 5e, from which I’ll pick leather armor, a longbow with 20 arrows, 2 non-heavy weapons, a shield, two hand axes, and an explorer’s pack.

Choose Class Feature

Each human class has a “subclass” of sorts: Fighters have Fighting Styles¹, Rogues have Schemes², Priests have Divine Orders³, and Magic Users have Arcane Origins⁴. (The race-classes have no such choices.)

For our unnamed fighter, I’ll pick Mighty Deeds:

Add 1d8 to any physical ability check, attack roll or damage roll you are proficient in. You can use this ability before or after making the roll. You may perform Mighty Deeds a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

As this is my first Fighting Style, I get the “style focus”, which in this case means I recover Deeds per short rest as well.

Choose Background

ItU has Backgrounds similar to 5e, so from among them I’ll pick Highborn. This gives me the following:

Proficiency Area:

You are learned in the ways of the powerful, possessing both social etiquette and savoir-faire as well as knowledge of laws and customs, both written and implicit, and how to best make use of them to your benefit.

You have knowledge of heraldry from both near and far, [the] wheres and whys of society and culture and have at least passing familiarity with the personages of the major houses of the known realm and the rumors and hearsay attached to them.

Tool Proficiencies: One type of gaming set. (I’ll pick cards.)

Languages: One of my choice.

Equipment:

A set of fine clothes, a signet ring, a scroll of pedigree, and a purse containing 25 gp

Feature: Blood Will Tell

Common people greet you with polite deference and respect and other highborn treat you as an equal. You can always arrange at least a first meeting or audience with any local lord or ruler by right of blood. Provided you maintain a Wealthy or higher lifestyle, you can secure invitations to most any social function.

A sidebar advises players to “choose a narrative” to tie one’s background to the campaign world. I haven’t decided on a campaign world yet, but let’s assume it’s a sprawling, decaying empire with a barony called Elterra. Then our fighter might be a “Middle Child of Baron Elterra”.

Finishing Touches

Name

While mentioned next to last, let’s start calling this character Gyles, which I just randomly generated.

Alignment

I’m not keen on alignment in general, but for the sake of argument let’s call Gyles Neutral: not quite Lawful, not truly Chaotic. Like most of us.

Languages

In addition to Common, let’s say Gyles speeks Dwarvish. There’s a sizable population of Dwarves in Elterra.

Personality Traits

I already have a picture of who Gyles is, so I don’t need to roll a d30 for random traits. He’s the middle child of a locally influential baron, which has made him eager to stand out in some way. That makes him impulsive and at least a little reckless.

On the other hand, he has the noblesse oblige of the best of his social class, so he always acts honorably and chivalrously, if a little unpredictably.

Finally he was raised on stories of heroes and derring-do, so that and his other traits make him a bit quixotic, leaping into a situation to right a wrong even before he’s fully aware of what’s going on. His high Int means he can improvise his way out of trouble, however, and if nothing else he can use his agility and speed to escape.

In short, Gyles is a wannabe swashbuckler. Alas his status and responsibilities prevent him from swashing his buckler to his heart’s content.

Encumbrance

Weight is measured in items; five items of weight is called a stone. A character may carry up to ⅓ their STR score (rounded down) stones without being encumbered, and up to ⅔ STR without being encumbered. Light encumbrance reduces movement speed by 5’; heavy encumbrance reduces movement by 10’. Characters trying to carry more than STR stones cannot move at all and must drop something.

Gyles

Proficiencies

• All arms and armor.
• All aspects of combat.
• Athletics
• Highborn social etiquette and customs.
• Heraldry
• Noble families and domains
• Cards

Languages

Common, Dwarvish

Features

Blood Will Tell

Common people greet you with polite deference and respect and other highborn treat you as an equal. You can always arrange at least a first meeting or audience with any local lord or ruler by right of blood. Provided you maintain a Wealthy or higher lifestyle, you can secure invitations to most any social function.

Mighty Deeds

Add 1d8 to any physical ability check, attack roll or damage roll you are proficient in. You can use this ability before or after making the roll. You may perform Mighty Deeds a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus per long rest.

More Deeds: You replenish your uses of Mighty Deeds with a short rest as well as a long rest.

Second Wind

On your turn, you can use a bonus action to regain 1d10 + fighter level hit points that you lost during the current Segment. You may do this once per rest.

Weapons

Armor

Equipment

Gyles’s first action in combat will be to drop his pack at his feet. This will bring his Encumbrance to None and his movement back to 30'.

Bonus Character: Daladhriel

For fun I decided to “choose” a second character, an Elf. Here’s the final result.

Proficiencies

• Light and medium armor
• Shields
• Simple weapons
• Martial finesse weapons
• Longbow

You are skilled in poetry, guile and wit, faerie lore, woodsmanship and knowledge both arcane and druidic.

Languages

Common, Elvish

Features

Darkvision

You can see in dim light within 60 feet as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness.

Fey Ancestry

You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed. Magic can’t put you to sleep.

Trance

Elves meditate instead of sleeping, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day, and gain the same benefits from this a human does from 8 hours of sleep.

Elven Archery

Foliage and woodland obscuration does not count as cover for your archery. Whenever you have advantage on an attack roll made with a bow, you may roll three d20s instead of two.

Spells

Cantrips Known: 3

Spells Known: 4

Spell Save DC: 12

Spell Attack Modifier: +4

Cantrips

• Mending
• Minor Illusion
• Prestidigitation

Level 1 Spells

• Charm Person
• Entangle
• Expeditious Retreat
• Faerie Fire

Weapons

Armor

Equipment

Daladhriel’s first action in combat will be to drop his pack at his feet. This will bring his Encumbrance to None and his movement back to 30'.