Creating Your Character

Creating a character is a fairly daunting process, and it must be completed before you can try Death's Omen. This guide was written to help you navigate this process. If you get stuck, try contacting a Helper.

Create an Account

Before you create a character, you will need to create an account. You will be asked to choose an account name and supply an email address. Your account name is not shown in-game to characters you meet, but is seen by staff members. You must supply a valid email address; once you finish creating your account you will be automatically emailed a computer-generated password to use for your first login once approved. If you don't receive this email, be sure to check your spam folder, and whitelist @deathsomen.org if necessary. After you log in to your new account, you will be prompted to create a new password of your own choosing.
 

After logging in, choose option 1 from the main menu to create a new character. If you need help at any time during this process, don't hesitate to ask one of our Helpers.

Name

First you will be asked to choose your character's first name. Your character should have a fantasy-oriented name to fit into the game world. Real-world names are usually not acceptable, although many players use names from other (non-Western) cultures. Avoid names like "Bob" or "Heather" that do not have enough of a fantasy 'feel'. Names should be something that parents would realistically name their child, so weird names like "Mrcool" or "Bwgqpcx" are not acceptable. Well-known fictional names (Bilbo, Gandalf, Darth Vader, Sturm, Tanis, etc.) are almost always not accepted.

If you find it hard to come up with a good name, try donjon's fantasy name generator.

Gender

Your character may be male or female. Gender determines only how others refer to your character (he/she/etc.), but it may influence how you’re perceived in the world of Athera. Unlike some modern settings, Athera's cultures reflect the traditions of an older age  where gender roles often shape expectations, duties, and rights. In Solamir or Atlaren, men commonly serve as soldiers and lords, while women are stewards, healers, or priestesses; yet history remembers many who defied those customs - queens who commanded armies, huntresses who rode with kings, and sorceresses whose power shook empires.

 

While the game world does not enforce inequality mechanically, characters and cultures may express it socially. Players are encouraged to portray the norms of their culture authentically, without using them to harass or belittle others out of character.

 

In short:

• Gender influences social flavor, not stats or skills.
• Traditions vary by kingdom and race - from the egalitarian elves of Ilthariel to the patriarchal clans of Atlaren.
• You may embrace or challenge these roles in play, as suits your story.

Advantages

During character creation, you may select an Advantage - a minor bonus unlocked through your accumulated Roleplay Points (RPP).

Advantages reflect your character's early edge in life - sharper training, natural aptitude, or a fortunate beginning. They provide small mechanical benefits such as improved skills, attribute boosts, or extra starting resources. These options are available to any player who meets the required RPP, and do not require staff approval. They are entirely optional, designed to reward veteran players while maintaining fairness for all.

 

Choosing an Advantage does not permanently spend your RPP; it simply confirms that your account has earned enough experience to qualify.

Roles

At this stage, you may be offered a Role - a special background or starting circumstance available to players who have earned Roleplay Points (RPP). Roles represent unique character concepts or pre-approved story hooks created by the game's staff to fill specific needs in the world, such as soldiers, apprentices, merchants, or members of particular families or factions. These roles may offer small starting advantages, equipment, or defined social positions that help your character begin with a richer place in the setting.

 

Available Roles change over time as the world evolves, and each reflects what the realm of Athera currently needs - both narratively and socially. Selecting a Role does not permanently spend your RPP; it simply verifies that your account qualifies. You may also choose to continue without one if you prefer to create a completely independent background.

Race

For new players, it is strongly recommended that you begin as a Solamirian, the standard human race of Athera. Solamirians are the people of Solamir, adaptable, balanced, and culturally diverse,  making them ideal for first-time players.

 

Other human lineages exist across the world, such as the Atlaren horse-lords, the southern Meltarrans of the deserts, and the distant Eastarens, each shaped by their own traditions, climates, and ways of life. These alternate human cultures - along with non-human races such as elves and dwarves - are considered advanced choices and may require Roleplay Points (RPP) to unlock.

 

Races with an RPP requirement will spend those points permanently upon character creation, reflecting their rarity and the greater challenge of portraying them authentically. If this is your first time in Death's Omen, you can only choose a Solamirian - they offer the widest opportunities for roleplay and the smoothest introduction to life in Athera.

Age

Your character's age defines their stage of life - whether a bright-eyed youth setting out for the first time, a seasoned veteran hardened by years of toil, or a weathered soul whose best days lie behind them. Most characters begin in their early adulthood or middle years, as very young or very old characters can be challenging to portray and may struggle to survive the hardships of Athera. If your concept is that of a young apprentice, acolyte, or squire, it is perfectly acceptable to begin between sixteen and twenty years of age, representing the early stages of such a life. Age currently has no direct effect on attributes or skills, but it may shape how others perceive your character - influencing respect, authority, and the expectations placed upon them.

Attributes

At this point in character creation, you must choose the general order of your character’s attributes. Attributes, also known as "stats," represent your character's natural abilities and potential. They are Strength, Dexterity, Agility, Constitution, Willpower, Intelligence, and Aura.

 

Your character’s attributes influence nearly every aspect of gameplay - including how much damage you deal, how often you strike, how much weight you can carry, how long you can endure hardship, how quickly you learn and improve skills, and how attuned you are to the unseen powers of Athera.

 

When prompted, type the three-letter abbreviations of these attributes on one line in order of importance - from strongest to weakest. The first attribute in your list will be rolled highest, while the last will be your lowest. Choose carefully, with a mind toward the kind of person you want your character to become, as skill caps are determined by attribute scores.

Height and Frame

Next, you'll define the physical build of your character by selecting their height and frame. Both values are relative to your chosen race - for example, a tall elf and a tall dwarf will differ greatly in actual size. The character generator assigns randomized values within your race's natural range based on the options you select. Your height and frame should reflect the description you plan to write for your character; if you want to describe them as tall for their kind, choose a height in the upper part of the range, and if they are smaller or slighter, choose accordingly.

 

Height: Short / Average / Tall
Frame: Scant / Light / Medium / Heavy / Massive

 

When prompted, type your selections on one line — for example:
average medium

 

These aspects don't change your attributes, but they influence immersion, equipment fit, and how others perceive your character's physical presence.

Short Description

You will be asked to provide a short description. Your short description is how other characters see and identify you. It is displayed whenever you use a command. For example, if your short description is 'a slender, ebon-haired woman' and you walk north into a room with other characters, they will see "A slender, ebon-haired woman has arrived from the south." Your short description also provides keywords for other characters to use when interacting with you. Using the same example, other characters might 'look slender' to see your character's main description and equipment list, or 'tell ebon Hello there, how are you?' to speak to you.

   Examples:

                - a freckled girl with golden curls
                - a weathered, hawk-faced man
                - a wiry man with a crooked nose
                - a slender, blonde-haired elf
                - a stocky, brutally-scarred dwarf
                - a spikey-haired, grey-orc

Long Description

Your long description is what other players see when your character appears in a room. It should be a simple, third-person sentence that describes your character at a glance - how they look, carry themselves, or stand within the scene. Always begin with “A” or “An”, and end with a neutral phrase such as “is here.” This keeps descriptions consistent and natural in the game’s text flow. Essentially, take your short description, place “A” or “An” at the start, and add “is here.” at the end.

 

Examples:

A freckled girl with golden curls is here. 

A weathered, hawk-faced man is here.

 

Keep it concise and neutral. This is the first impression others will have of your character when they enter the same space.

Main Description

Now you will be asked to write a few sentences describing your character's physical appearance. Your character's description is one of the most important parts of character creation. A good description gives other players a clear mental picture of the character, enhancing the roleplay for both you and them.

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Descriptions are a minimum of four lines; around 7-10 is good. You should only describe your character's physical features. You can include their gender and race in your description. You can include their body type - are they tall or short, thin or fat, muscular or flabby? You can include their facial features - their eye color and shape, the shape of their nose, jawline, or cheekbones, the color of their lips or eyebrows, etc. You can also decide your character's hair color, length, and texture, but do not indicate the hairstyle unless that is how you always want your character's hair to look. Clothing and equipment should never be mentioned in the description of your character. Items are available in the game, and since they can change over the course of play, they should not be part of the description.

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Follow basic rules of spelling and grammar, and write the description in complete sentences, in the form of a paragraph. Write the description in 3rd person; i.e. 'This is a tall and sinewy elf' rather than 'I am a tall, sinewy elf'. Don't put your character's name in the description -- it's not something a person would know just from looking at them. Do not describe how your character moves or speaks, since the viewer may be looking at them while they are asleep or knocked out, and wouldn't know how they customarily move or speak. Similarly, don't have your character performing actions in the description, such as nodding or whistling.

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Keep your lines 80 characters long or less, (more than 80 can cause scrolling problems on some people's terminals), use a spelling checker, and proofread your text. Terminate your description with a ~ on a line by itself.

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There's no need to feel intimidated by this process, or feel the need to write the greatest description ever. A few lines in plain English should be fine.

Here are some sample descriptions.

Example:
This is a young human girl with a neatly groomed mane of golden hair,
falling in curls to her thin shoulders. Strands of her fringe often droop
across her forehead, partly shadowing a pair of bright blue eyes. Her
cheeks carry a natural rosiness, and faint freckles are scattered across
her face. She stands somewhat short for her age, with a frame that appears
underfed but otherwise unmarred. Her skin is fair and smooth, showing no
visible scars or blemishes.

 

Example:
This is a wiry human man in his thirties, with sun-darkened skin and tired
brown eyes. His hair is coarse and black, falling to his shoulders in
uneven strands. His jaw is angular, marked by a faint scar running from
chin to cheek. Though lean, his frame carries the tension of a survivor
hardened by the desert. His nose is slightly crooked, as if it had been
broken long ago. Calloused hands and rough knuckles speak of labour and
hardship. Dry lips and a thin mouth are set beneath heavy brows, often
furrowed.

Keywords

Your keywords are the words other players use to interact with or look at your character. Think of them as search terms that represent who you are in the world. Choose simple, relevant words drawn from your short and long descriptions, such as your character's notable features, race, or gender. You may also include a nickname or alias if your character is commonly known by one.

 

Examples:

- golden-haired emerald-eyed lass Laera
- towering raven-haired man

Professions

To help guide you through character creation, Death's Omen offers a selection of professions - templates that suggest fitting skills and attributes for different backgrounds and playstyles. Choosing a profession is optional and has no direct impact on gameplay. It simply provides a balanced starting point for new players, automatically assigning reasonable skills and attributes that suit your chosen path - whether a scout, farmer, criminal, or hunter. Often there are still one or two skill choices to make to complete.

Skills

Your skills represent the practical abilities your character has learned before the story begins - from swordsmanship and survival to stealth, trade, and craft. If you did not select a profession, you'll begin with the opportunity to choose six starting skills from the list provided. These form the foundation of your character's experience and can be expanded later through roleplay and training in-game.

 

If you did choose a profession, several skills will already be pre-selected based on that background. You can freely add, or remove these before finalizing your character. Skills improve only through practice and experience within the world. Progress is intentionally gradual - patience and consistent roleplay will yield far better results than grinding or repetition.

 

When selecting skills, focus on your character's story and background, not just their mechanical strengths. To learn more about any specific skill, type help <skillname> during creation (for example, help hunt or help hide).

Comment

Once again you're asked to write four or more lines, this time describing your character's background. This can include their history as well as their personality. Other players do not see your background; it is a tool for you and for staff to better understand your character's motivations. You do not need to write a novel - just a few thoughtful paragraphs will do. Consider what drives your character: what events shaped their life, what they want, fear, or love. Although your character's family usually doesn’t exist in-game, that doesn't mean they must be dead - you can reference them in roleplay for flavour, such as visiting your parents' home or recalling a sibling in conversation.

Take time to flesh out who your character is and how they became that way. How did they acquire their skills? Who taught them to fight, to trade, or to pray - and why? Small, personal details go a long way in making your character believable.

With your first character, it can be difficult to write a long or detailed background simply because you may not yet know the world well. Don't worry - it's perfectly acceptable to be unfamiliar with the cities and regions at first. Focus on describing your character's personality, goals, and defining experiences, and let the rest unfold naturally through play. The What You Know page will give you a brief overview of life in each kingdom and may inspire ideas for your character's origins and family.

Privacy

The Privacy flag ensures that only Administrators can review your application, rather than the broader team of player Guides. While Guides are trusted and experienced members of the community, they are still players - and some character concepts benefit from a little more discretion. For example, if you're applying for a secretive or morally ambiguous role, keeping your application private helps maintain both in-character and out-of-character anonymity.

 

If you choose not to mark your application as private, your submission may be reviewed more quickly, as a larger group of staff will be able to assist.

 

Note: If your application involves spending Roleplay Points (RPP), it will automatically be private regardless of your selection.

Review and Submit

You've created your first character, congratulations! You will have a chance to review the choices you've made and to edit anything you're unhappy with. Type the section if you wish to modify it. Once you're pleased with your character, type SUBMIT to add your character for review. Staff members will review your character for typos, text formatting, and to make sure your character will fit into the gameworld. Your character should be approved within 24 hours (typically in the 1-8 hour range). You will receive an email letting you know when your character is approved and ready for you to log in.

Quick Tips

• Do you have questions? Do you want to get involved in the community? The Death's Omen Discord is where you can interact with the Death's Omen player community; we highly recommend that new players get involved there!