Character Creation Guide: Ancestral History Options (439 A.D.)
To step into the harsh, grit-and-iron reality of Devonshire in our campaign, players must first look backward. Your character's family line was forged during the turbulent transition of post-Roman Britain. Use this guide to establish the name, starting Glory, and ancestral legacy of the knights who paved your path.
For character generation, we are using a mix of 4th and 5th edition Pendragon house rules, working directly from the Great Pendragon Campaign and finishing off characters using the Book of Knights & Ladies.
Historical Background: The Pre-Uther Era
Your grandfather was born in 410 A.D., the last year that Britain was part of the Roman Empire. When imperial forces departed, the nobles were instructed to look to their own regional defenses. From that moment forward, local governance fell to the native elite.
The high council of Briton nobles, the Supreme Collegium, chose a leader named Constantin to organize the defense of the realm. Constantin established a dedicated martial class, selecting regional defenders—the knights—to protect the local territories.
Among those first native protectors was your great-grandfather. His first son, your grandfather, grew up studying the ways of tactical warfare and weapons. Your grandfather was knighted in 431 A.D. by Count Reginald of Salisbury and took his place in the regional defense forces.
During these early years, your grandfather witnessed intense cultural shifts and defended the borders against external incursions while the old imperial continental structures collapsed.
Step 1: Names and Traditional Faith
Choose a name for your great-grandfather and his son, your grandfather, from appropriate literary or historical sources.
Next, select your family’s traditional religious faith, which dictates your starting alignment traits:
Roman Christian
British Christian
British Pagan
Step 2: Starting Glory Calculations
Your great-grandfather passed away shortly before your grandfather was knighted. At the time of his passing, his legacy calculation is as follows:
Great-Grandfather's Base: 1,000 Glory for earning knighthood.
Life's Work Bonus: Add $1d20 \times 100$ to represent the deeds of his life.
Next, calculate your grandfather’s starting Glory as of the year 439 A.D.:
He inherits 1/10th of his father’s total lifetime Glory, plus $2d20$ to represent his own service as a knight up to this point.
Step 3: The Prologue Year — 439 A.D.
This is a pivotal year for the province of Devonshire. Hostile regional raiders cross the borders, executing swift incursions against local manors before regional forces can mobilize near the regional center of Exetour. Of special note: an heir is born into your family during this year—your father, the eldest son of your grandfather.
To resolve how your grandfather's estate and family fare during this incursion, players use two connected mechanical steps: The Regional Manor Defense and The Battle of Exetour.
Part A: The Regional Manor Defense
While your grandfather mobilizes with the local garrison, raiders strike the surrounding countryside. To determine how efficiently your family estate secures its resources and defends its property, roll a d20 against your grandfather's Loyalty (Lord) or Selfish trait—whichever value is higher:
Critical Success: The manor defense is flawless. The family protects the entire estate and secures all property. The raiders are completely repelled, leaving your resources intact.
Success: The defenses hold reasonably well. The core estate is protected, though some peripheral fields suffer minor disruption. Core resources are secured.
Failure: The outer hamlets face disruption. The estate preserves very few spare resources, making the coming season difficult.
Fumble: The estate is heavily impacted. The defense fails to secure the property, leaving the manor entirely depleted of immediate resources.
Part B: The Battle of Exetour
Once regional forces rally, your grandfather and the armored knights of the realm execute a coordinated counter-offensive to intercept the raiders near the walls of Exetour.
Simply by participating in this tactical engagement, your ancestor gains immediate renown. Multiply 15 (the battle size factor) $\times$ 1d6 (the number of active combat rounds) $\times$ 1 (the victory condition). Record this value (ranging from 15 to 90 points) under your ancestor’s running Glory total, then roll a d20 on the Fate Table below:
1 — Fallen Gloriously: The ancestor falls in the thick of the defensive line. He gains +1,000 Glory posthumously. End his personal history entry, and proceed to the Passion Table.
2 — Fallen in Combat: Slain during the engagement. End his personal history entry, and proceed to the Passion Table.
3–20 — Survived: Fought through the defensive wall, successfully repelled the incursions from the territory, and survived the day. Continue his history and proceed to the Passion Table.
Part C: The Ancestral Passion Table
The intense conflict leaves a psychological mark on the family bloodline. Roll a d20 to determine the emotional legacy passed down:
1–15 — No Passion Gained: The engagement left no permanent psychological mark.
16–20 — Gain Passion: Hate (Saxons) 3d6: Roll 3d6 to determine the initial numerical value of this ancestral trait. The family remembers this enduring grievance across generations.
(Note: If ancestors later receive duplicate passions from separate historical events, do not add the values together; simply retain the higher numerical value.)
Step-by-Step Character Creation Walkthrough Example
The scene is set for Year 439 and the historic regional defense at the Battle of Exetour, where your grandfather fights to drive back the fierce raiders while back home, his eldest son (your father) has just been born!
Step 1: The Event Roll
To see if your grandfather is present at the major engagement, we roll a d20.
Result: 14 (Fought at the Battle of Exetour!)
Consequence: Your grandfather rides out alongside the regional defenders to secure the province.
Step 2: Battle Duration & Base Glory
Before determining his personal fate, we determine how many rounds the engagement lasted by rolling 1d6.
Result: 4 rounds
Glory Earned: $15 \text{ (Battle Size)} \times 4 \text{ (Rounds)} \times 1 \text{ (Victory)} = 60 \text{ Glory}$ added to your grandfather's running total just for participating!
Step 3: Your Grandfather's Fate
Now, we roll a d20 on the Battle Fate Table to see what happens to him during those 4 intense rounds of defensive combat:
Result: 18
Consequence: He Survived! Your grandfather fights valiantly, witnesses the line of regional knights repel the opposing vanguard, and survives the day to continue your family's history.
Step 4: The Passion Roll
Having witnessed the fierce defense of his home territory, we check to see if this leaves a lasting mark. We roll a final d20.
Result: 17
Consequence: Gain Passion! Your grandfather gains Hate (Saxons). We roll 3d6 for its starting numerical value.
Result: 14
Consequence: He returns from the field with Hate (Saxons) 14, establishing a permanent family grievance against the border raiders.
The Battle Re-enactment
Below is the updated depiction of the Battle of Exetour (Year 439). The Saxon hordes press forward with axes and round shields, while your grandfather and the armored knights of Briton execute a glorious cavalry charge to drive them from the field.
Meanwhile, far from the blood-slicked mud and roaring chaos of the shield wall, life stubbornly claims its foothold in the smoke-scented halls of your family's estate. In a quiet, candle-lit corner of your King Arthur Pendragon manor holding, surrounded by the anxious prayers of the household retainers, your newborn father is safely watched over back home—a fragile spark of your family line born into a fracturing world while his own father fights to ensure he has a realm left to inherit.
GMs Note: Local Lord Templates & Forms of Society
When creating characters to serve as the local Lord's personal house knights, officers, and household retainers, GMs should use the following structural breakdown for the Cornwall and Devonshire territories across the eras.
Because our campaign kicks off strictly in 439 A.D. during the reign of King Constantin, we are operating in the dark, pre-Uther baseline of the realm. The official Uther Period does not begin until 480 A.D.
| Kingdom, County, or City | Uther Period (480 A.D.) | Anarchy Era | Boy King Era |
| Devon | Feudal 1 | Feudal 1 | Feudal 1 |
| Exeter (Devon) | Urban 1 | Urban 1 | Urban 1 |
| Jagent | Feudal 1 | Feudal 1 | Feudal 1 |
| Tintagel | Feudal 1 | Feudal 1 | Feudal 1 |
| Totnes (King Meirchion 439 A.D.) | Feudal 1 | Feudal 1 | Feudal 1 |
For our 439 A.D. prologue and early campaign, the social structures match the earliest tribal and post-Roman baselines. A character born into the ruins of Exeter is shaped by an Urban 1 society (holding onto old Roman civic remnants), while characters rolled up from Devon, Jagent, Tintagel, or King Mark's grandfather, King Meirchion's ancestral seat in Totnes, are strictly Feudal 1, completely bound to the raw martial hierarchy of local warlords and immediate service to the neighborhood shield.
Product Identity & Legal
The following items are designated Product Identity of Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. / The Adventures of Captain Hedges: The unique campaign elements of My Pendragon RPG Campaign of Devonshire, the Gripmen Mire and Wistman's Wood adaptations. New Unique characters of Sir Edger, His sons Miles and Virgal, Alen de Breton the Pagan Hunter, the new pagan priestess sorceress enchantress Gwyneth, King Meirchion (grandfather of King Mark) as detailed in the 439 A.D. regional timeline, and any unique magical items found during this campaign.
King Arthur Pendragon is a trademark of its respective owners. The statistics, lore, and game mechanics provided herein are designated as unofficial fan material for personal campaign use. © 2026 Arthur Earl C. Hedges Jr. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment