Crafting your Roman Citizen
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The Beginning of a Great Adventure
Your character is the heart of your story, a unique individual whose choices will shape the fate of the Eternal City. From their social standing to their personal traits, every detail you craft brings them to life in a world of intrigue, war, and divine favor. Follow these steps to create a hero whose name will echo through history.
Determining Social Class
Your character’s social class defines their place in Roman society, shaping their opportunities and challenges. Patricians, the elite nobility, hold power in the Senate and live in luxury, but their privilege comes with political enemies. Plebeians, the working class, range from farmers to artisans, striving for greatness amidst hardship. Non-Roman citizens include Peregrini (foreigners with limited rights), Liberti (freed slaves seeking acceptance), and Servi (slaves bound by servitude), each facing unique struggles in a rigid hierarchy. Your choice of class sets the stage for your character’s journey.
Key Character Details
Define your character’s core traits to ground them in the world. Their birthdate determines their age and historical context—born in 44 BC, they might witness Caesar’s assassination. Their zodiac sign, like Aries or Scorpio, influences their personality and perceived fate, as Romans placed great stock in astrology. A character’s humor—sanguine (optimistic), choleric (fiery), melancholic (thoughtful), or phlegmatic (calm)—shapes their temperament and interactions. Stature and weight add physical realism: a towering 6’2” legionary or a slight 5’1” scribe. Health points, derived from their physical traits, determine their resilience in combat and survival, ensuring they can withstand the trials of Roman life.
Name, Upbringing, and Prestige
Choose a name that reflects your character’s heritage, using authentic Roman naming conventions for citizens (e.g., tria nomina like Marcus Tullius Cicero) or foreign names for non-Romans. Your character’s upbringing—whether raised in a bustling Roman insula, a rural villa, or a foreign province—shapes their worldview and skills. Prestige reflects their social standing and reputation: a high-prestige Patrician might command respect, while a low-prestige Servus struggles for recognition. Linguistic proficiency determines their ability to speak Latin, Greek, or other tongues, crucial for diplomacy or survival in diverse provinces.
Additional Features
Beyond the core traits, character creation in Rome offers deeper customization. Spheres of influence define your character’s connections—do they have sway with the Senate, the military, or the priesthood? Body type, such as lean, muscular, or stout, adds visual distinction and may influence their hit die, which determines health point growth: a robust character might roll a d10 for hit points, while a frail one rolls a d6. The hit die also governs recovery and resilience, used when resting or enduring harsh conditions. Name generators provide authentic options—Roman citizens get tria nomina with praenomen, nomen, and cognomen, while foreigners draw from cultural lists like Gaulish or Punic names. These details, along with other traits, ensure your character is a fully realized part of the Roman world, ready to face its challenges.
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