Defining a Hero

Heroes are the people at the center of the narrative in From Gods to Gold.

Step One: Create an Image

First you create an image for the hero, think of this as a line of text that best sums up who they are, what you might think after just meeting them. This could be anything from “rogue warrior without a master” to “petty thief and lover”. Let this image shape the rest of the choices which follow, take direction from it.

Step Two: Develop Traits

Second, you develop between two to five traits for your hero. Each trait is something special about your hero, these fall into the types: Virtues, Vices, and Disciplines.

Virtues are the things that make your hero something special, things that allow them to do the spectacular. Strength, Speed, and Agility are all physical virtues for instance; while Patience, Cunning, and Wisdom are mental virtues.

Vices are the things that hinder your hero on occasion, but also often inspire them to action. Vices are not always negative traits, but are sometimes valued by the community. However even these things too can hinder a hero. Its obvious that Gluttony is a vice and can hinder a hero, but its less obvious that Honor is a vice that can hinder them, however we treat it as such.

Disciplines are extensive training in some profession. A valid discipline is Blacksmith, Soldier, or Farmer.