Maelstrom Rules: Character Creation - Secondary Characters

Key Concepts

Secondary characters are intended to allow you to play a character and enjoy the event without playing a major role in the ongoing campaign. A secondary character is NOT a second primary character, they are intended to allow you to play a character and enjoy the event in a relaxed manner. Secondary characters should not be actively engaged with the Maelstrom campaign. This is the preserve of a primary character and the inherent fairness of the game can be compromised if secondary characters find themselves initiating direct opposition to the goals of primary characters.

Creation Rules
You cannot spend any character points on a secondary character when you create them. You will not receive any skills or advantages for your character while they remain a secondary character. Secondary characters never receive income, starting money or starting equipment. Secondary characters do not receive any lore sheets. They do however receive the relevant cultural and religious briefing sheets. They also receive the relevant racial briefing sheet, however it will state that some special abilities are only usable by primary characters. Secondary characters never receive a downtime.

If you retire your currency primary character, then It is possible to upgrade a secondary character to a primary character. You may then spend up to five points as normal purchasing skills and advantages; you will also recive starting money at this point and may purchase equipment exactly as if the character were a new character.

You cannot play a native or magical race secondary character unless your primary character is already of that race without the prior permission from Profound Decisions.

Restrictions In Play
While playing a secondary character you are not allowed to initiate any conflict with other characters or initiate events that would significantly influence the campaign world. You should not cheat, rob or kill another character unless provoked. You are not allowed to attempt to gain information or some other advantage for your primary character. Secondary characters should have no contact or relationship with the primary character you play.

If you play a secondary character then it must be visually distinct from your primary character, so that other players can tell the characters apart at a glance. Different costume is desirable and different racial phys-reps if any are appropriate. You must have a photo of your secondary taken at GOD before you enter play.

Swapping Characters
You can book for an event with any character that you have created. If you wish to change between characters at an event then you must go to GOD and get the exchange processed. You cannot play any character at an event unless you have a valid character card for that character on your person. If you have not had a change of character approved by GOD then you are automatically considered to be playing your primary character. Under some circumstances, the referees may inform you that you are unable to switch between characters.

It is not currently logistically possible to change to a secondary character on Friday of the event. If you wish to begin the game playing a secondary character then you should book your secondary character for the event and change to your primary character after the first day.

And so it began......

Dawn breaks, war looms, the evil Lord is gathering his armies to wage a campaign of destruction upon the free peoples of the world. It is up to I, Sir Maximilan Pegasus to stop him, with my trusted band of adventurers we must gather the enchanted sword of Tek, the Shield of Way-Lem and the amulet of Subsidence and together we shall slay this abomination! “TIME FREEZE” And bam, the fantasy world fades away, the enchanted sword of Tek in my hand is a rubber sword smothered in coloured ribbons with a laminated card cable tied to the hilt, I look down and I’m wearing plastic armour and unflattering heropants, and the magical world of my imagination washes away to reveal a field in Wigan, but you know what? It’s larp and I’m a larper, it’s what I do.
I started larping when I was 17, I’d never role-played before, I’d never played D&D or Warhammer, never played WoW or any form of online game, I’d never even read Lord of the Rings, I feel somewhat privileged that I hadn’t done any of those things, I think it gave me an untainted attitude towards what larp could be, I had no preconceptions about saving the maiden fair, slaying the dragon or smiting the liche, to me it was just a new thing to try.
It was cold, really cold, 10am on a September morning, the rain was battering down and I’d been given a faux fur tunic, a mouldy old sword and been pointed towards a man and told, “You’re monstering, there’s the ref he’ll tell you what to do.” I obeyed, I played wave after wave of zombies, orcs and various line monsters and to be honest, was cold, bored and hungry. That is, until lunchtime, the teams switched sides, I got into the kit I’d scrounged up, as with most first timers, a black trenchcoat. I took the mouldy old sword, stood with my fellow adventurers and it hit me, I’m a god damn hero!
Pow, there it was, a new larper was born.