Ultimate Character Concepts

Character concepts were developed by Mongoose Publishing in the Quintessential range of books, designed to help players flesh out their characters with a fresh range of options that could be applied to any class or race in the d20 game. They represent a vital step in character creation that every roleplayer confronts, often time and again: Where does my character come from? Without character concepts, every fighter would be much the same, even with feats and skills allowing for some customization. But what about the unique backgrounds that fantasy characters always seem to have? Not all monks are trained purely in the usual special weapons – others have entirely different training and this could now be fully reflected in choosing the relevant character concept.

Character concepts are not simply about adding to a character’s abilities. In many respects they are the character; or at least the germ of that character. Even the Man With No Name, a mysterious drifter who saves whole towns from evil, has a nugget of character that statistics and skills cannot quite capture. He is not just another renegade who can fight – as soon as he walks into play, everyone knows he has a unique, if shrouded, background. This is the core of the character concept, the reason for their success, for they are the starting point of an adventure. Even before the characters meet, each can have a core vision and attitude from the very beginning of play. Character concepts are about roleplaying – the only reason for the benefits and penalties given in every case is to properly flesh out how these particular individuals would be slightly – or substantially – different from others of their kin.

This book classifies nearly 300 character concepts into the eight categories, though there is a great deal of overlapping apparent as many different races or classes can approach concepts in many different manners. General Character Concepts detail all the backgrounds that can be chosen by any class or race; it is merely a matter of choice. The Way of the Warrior concentrates on martial and exceptionally physical concepts, often best for those who wish to get down and dirty with their characters as often as possible. Secrets of the Arcane details the numerous wizardly, sorcerous or exceptionally scholarly backgrounds available to characters. The Power of Faith deals with devout or sanctified characters, not only paladins and clerics, but also other classes that can also show a streak of holy – or unholy – power. By Wits and Skill is the section for all characters who rely on finesse and subtlety rather than brute force, containing personal histories of thieves, aristocrats and businessmen. Mind over Matter is the section for psionic characters and specific places and personalities they can represent, whether as escapees from psychic slavers or the result of a fiendish experiment. Racially Specific Character Concepts is the section for character concepts that are indelibly linked with a single race, and may only be taken by that race – unique backgrounds for all the core races and more. Finally, Special Character Concepts deal with some of the more specialized classes – the witch, the chaos mage, the samurai – and their own varied histories, as well as a few entirely unique options for staring characters.

Ultimate Character Concepts is the eleventh volume of the Ultimate series, compiling the best character concepts that have ever been produced. Designed to fit seamlessly into any fantasy-based d20 game, these sourcebooks offer the best of the best in terms of rules and options for fantasy d20 games, as well as new material that can be easily included into any campaign. Players and Games Masters will find a wealth of options to enrich their characters and antagonists.

The primary purpose of this sourcebook is to provide players and Games Masters with the widest possible options for new characters, be they for one-off Non-Player Characters or the background element for an epic campaign or character. These are the very best character concepts that Mongoose Publishing has printed in the past few years, as well as new rules and guides for choosing your character’s concept, and details on how to create your own. The classification of the concepts across eight categories is deliberately left open for interpretation, as imagination can certainly find any number of reasons why circumstances may be different for any individual character. Additionally, every single concept has been revised and updated to be compliant with version 3.5 of the d20 game – old character concepts have been revisited and revamped specifically to ensure playability and game balance.