Choose age.

Age determines how much experience you start with, as well as high how your stat
s can go. Older characters get more xp, but at a certain point life in Westeros
leaves its mark. (Certain age brackets are not allowed for PC s, but can be used t
o create NPC s. These are shown in red.)
Youth (0-9)
Sometimes called summer children, youthful characters were born after the War of
the Usurper and Greyjoy s Rebellion. They have generally known peace throughout t
heir short lives. Tommen Baratheon and Rickon Stark are both youths.
Adolescent (10-13)
Like youths, adolescents were born in the peaceful years that followed the War o
f the Usurper, but were probably born just before, during, or shortly after Grey
joy s Rebellion. Example characters include Arya Stark and Sansa Stark.
Young Adults (14-18)
Young adults are entitled to the full benefits and responsibilities of other adu
lts in the Seven Kingdoms. These characters were born just before or during Robe
rt s Rebellion. A great many smallfolk of this age group are orphans of the war, a
nd many young nobles have had the mantle of lordship thrust upon them with the p
remature deaths of their patriarchs in the war. Jon Snow and Robb Stark are youn
g adults at the beginning of A Game of Thrones, while Joffrey becomes a young ad
ult later in the series.
Adults (18-30)
Adult characters are old enough to remember the mad reign of King Aerys and the
events that led up to the War of the Usurper. Even if they didn t fight in Robert s
war, undoubtedly they felt its effects. Most noble-born adults supported King Ae
rys against Robert or joined the Storm Lord in his rebellion. Though Robert pard
oned all of the lords who fought for Aerys, it is a mark that few forget.
Middle Age (30-50)
Characters of middle age have lived through much of the troubles that plague the
Seven Kingdoms to this day. The eldest of this group likely recall the War of t
he Ninepenny Kings and may have had kin who fought alongside Ser Barristan Selmy
and Brynden Tully against Maelys Blackfyre. Most of this generation recall the
reign of Aegon V, the rise and fall of Aerys, and the tragedy that led to the Wa
r of the Usurper. As with adult characters, their loyalties to the crown or the
rebel during the uprising may haunt them still.
Old (50-70)
Old characters were born during Aegon the Unlikely s rise to the throne and lived
through the War of the Ninepenny Kings and all the wars and troubles that follow
ed. Those of this generation tend to have a longer view of House Targaryen and r
ecall the honour of this ancient house. As with middle-aged characters, old char
acters may have fought in the War of the Usurper, but the eldest of them were li
kely too old to participate.
Very Old (70-80)
Rare is the individual that lives to such an advanced age, and those who have li
ved this long join Walder Frey. These characters have seen the rise and fall of
kings, numerous battles, and kingdom-wide warfare. If these characters fought in
a war, it was likely in the War of the Ninepenny Kings.
Venerable (80+)
Very few men and women live to see their eightieth year, and fewer still live mu
ch longer. Of the ones that still retain their wits, they may recall good king D
aeron II and perhaps even had parents or family who fought in the Blackfyre Rebe
llion. Maester Aemon of the Night s Watch is an excellent example of a venerable c
haracter.

Step 2: Set Status.

Status is another important component to defining your character s concept. A pers
on is judged by the quality of their birth, their legitimacy, the purity of thei
r blood, family history, and numerous other factors that are often beyond an ind
ividual s control. Those born to common parents are lumped in with the rest of the
smallfolk, rarely given a moment s thought beyond the responsibility of any lord
to attend to the people living in his domain. Thus, characters of better birth o
ften have an easier time manoeuvring in the halls of power than do their lesser
counterparts.
For all the benefits Status might bring, it also comes with great responsibility
. Characters of a higher rank must devote time and attention to the affairs of g
overning, often at the expense of developing other talents and abilities. In add
ition, characters with high Status find it much harder to move about without bei
ng recognized. In a world where enemies hide behind every corner, anonymity can
be a great asset.
As you and your fellow players are members of the same noble house, whether some
or all of you are blood relations, servants, bastard children, or allies, your
house sets the maximum Status for all its members. The lord has a maximum of 5,
the heir and lady have maximum 4, all other family members have a maximum of 3.
Retainers and servants have a maximum starting status of 2
Playing a character with a high Status brings many rewards, but it also comes wi
th a price. Since Status is an ability, you must purchase your Status from your
starting Experience before purchasing any other abilities. (You ll purchase it at
step 5)
Step 3: Choose Role.
Characters evolve in a variety of ways, and you have the freedom to create your
character in whatever way you wish, but it s often a good idea to build toward a r
ole, a game concept that helps guide your decisions about which abilities are im
portant for not only your character but also for the group. A role is a broad de
scription of what your character does in the game, giving the character a distin
ct place within the group, a function in which your character can excel. Ideally
, a group will have representatives of each role, so each player has a chance to
shine, though groups may comprise any combination of roles, with players taking
overlapping roles and other roles being absent entirely. A role doesn t have any
benefits or drawbacks; it merely acts as a tool to help you build an interesting
character, and it ensures the group is well rounded. While it s advantageous for
a group to have at least one of each role, it s not necessary. Work with your fell
ow players to see what approach the group wants to take toward the game, and fin
d a role that best fits your character concept.
Roles:
Expert
An expert is a character who specializes in a narrow selection of abilities. Suc
h characters often include maesters and septons but also cover a broad selection
of retainers, such as blacksmiths, kennel masters, instructors, scholars, heral
ds, and many other important people in a noble s house. The expert is a common rol
e for many characters, as it provides the greatest flexibility and function in t
he game.
Key abilities: Whatever abilities reflect the character s expertise
Fighter
Of all the roles, none are as ubiquitous as the fighter. Representing everything

from anointed knights and members of the Kings guard to wretched sell swords, b
andits, and hedge knights, the fighter role covers the greatest ground and repre
sents the broadest spectrum of characters. The warrior s importance to the Seven K
ingdoms cannot be understated. Brutal conflicts have shaped the history and cult
ure of the Seven Kingdoms, all the way back to the Age of Heroes, up until the r
ecent War of the Usurper. Fighters occupy a special place in the eyes of the peo
ple. They are weapons, certainly, but the greatest among them represent the idea
l male, the bold, fighting man who tempers his violence with piety, courtesy, an
d modesty, who champions the cause of king and faith, protects the smallfolk, an
d brings glory to his family. As an ideal, many men (and some women) strive to l
ive up to the expectations and stories surrounding this bellicose culture, while
others abandon the honour of being a fighter and use their power to take what t
hey want and kill any who get in their way.
Key abilities: Agility, Animal Handling, Athletics, Endurance, Fighting, Marksma
nship, and Warfare
Leader
The leader represents any character who commands and guides others toward some o
bjective. Leaders are the decision-makers, but they are equally capable of liste
ning to different opinions, even if they ignore advice from others. Leaders tend
to be the individuals who lead soldiers into war, but they may also head up oth
er groups, tending a large sept, commanding a mercantile empire, or captaining a
ship.
Key abilities: Cunning, Endurance, Fighting, Persuasion, Status, and Warfare.
Rogue
Where an expert specializes, a rogue diversifies. Encompassing a broad range of
characters from common thieves and disgraced nobles, to vicious killers, rogues
are the people who live outside the bounds of the social expectations and duties
of the Seven Kingdoms, and they are as comfortable alongside the aristocrats as
they are among the smallfolk dregs.
Key abilities: Agility, Awareness, Cunning, Fighting, Marksmanship, Persuasion,
Stealth, and Thievery.
Schemer
Masters of intrigue, schemers are as dangerous in the halls of power as anointed
knights are on the battlefield. Schemers are the negotiators, the great players
of the game of thrones, and they have as much impact on the world as the best b
attle-scarred general. With a word, a subtle lie, or a twisting of truth, they c
an plunge the lands into bloody warfare, bringing down the most beloved leaders
and raising up the most despicable scum. While most schemers use their abilities
to further their own agendas, not all are as morally vacuous as are some of the
more infamous representatives of this role.
Key abilities: Awareness, Cunning, Deception, Knowledge, Language, Persuasion, S
tatus, and Will
Mixed Roles
Roles cast the widest net possible, but when constructing your character, you ca

n meld roles together, functioning as a leader-warrior, like Stannis Baratheon a

nd Eddard Stark, or a diplomat-leader like Grand Maester Pycelle. The more roles
you try to encompass, however, the more generalized you become until you truly
become a jack-of-all-trades and master of none.
Step four: Background.
Goal
Next, you should think about what your character wants most. A goal is what your
character works toward, and it informs your character s choices and actions. A go
al should be something big, broad, and nebulous. Work with your Narrator to come
up with a suitable goal that fits with the campaign and will be fun for you to
play.
Motivation
Now that you know what you want, you need to decide why you want it. Unlike the
goal itself, the underlying motivations should be specific and tied to that sign
ature event in your background. Your motive should stem from the event and provi
de a reasonable justification for chasing after your goal. For example, a charac
ter who fought for Robert during the war probably saw that power could be attain
ed by those with the strength to hold it, and thus, such a character might crave
power. The character s motivation might be because he witnessed what happened to
the powerless in the war: the scorched fields, the strung-up smallfolk, and the
widespread misery. The character, then, fears being powerless and is ambitious a
s a way to ensure survival in a world where life is short and often ugly.
Virtue
With your character s personality congealing, come up with at least one favourable
character trait, some personality aspect that people would describe as a virtue
. During game play, let your virtue guide how you portray your character when at
his or her best.
Vice
With every virtue comes a vice. Your character should have at least one vice, so
me personality flaw or weakness of character that gives him or her humanity. You
r vice should surface when your character is at his or her worst.
Step 5 Assigning Abilities.
With a clear idea of your character in mind, you re ready to improve your abilitie
s. All characters begin with rank 2 in each ability. Using the starting Experien
ce determined by your character s age, you can improve an ability by purchasing ad
ditional ranks. The higher you improve an ability, the more Experience it costs.
During this step, you must spend all Ability Experience, and you must purchase
your Status rank first. (Which you likely decided at step 2)
Starting ability XP per age:
Age
Starting XP
s Status)
Youth
120
Adolescent
150
Young Adult
180
Adult
210
Middle Age
240
Old
270
Very Old
330
Venerable
360
Cost for upgrading XP (Total, not cumulative)
Ability level

Maximum ability (exclude

4
4
5
7
6
5
5
5
Cost

1 -50
2 0
3 10
4 40
5 70
6 100
7 130
Step 6 Assigning specialties.
Once you have allocated all of your Experience for abilities, your next step is
to invest Experience into specialties. Specialties are areas of expertise within
an ability, places where your character can develop a specific training to impr
ove your chances on tests related to the specialty by granting one or more bonus
dice. Remember, bonus dice are not added to the result; they let you roll more
dice and take the best dice from the bunch. No specialty can offer more bonus di
ce than your rank in the attached ability, so if you have Fighting 2, you can t ha
ve any more than 2B in any one Fighting specialty. Your age determines how much
Experience you have to acquire specialties. Each bonus die of a specialty costs
10 Experience.
Age
Youth
Adolescent
Young Adult
Adult
Middle Age
Old
Very Old
Venerable
Bonus Dice
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Specialty Experience
40
40
60
80
100
160
200
240
Experience Cost
10
20
30
40
50
60
70

Abilities:
This section provides an overview of the various abilities and specialties used
in SIFRP.
Agility
Agility measures dexterity, nimbleness, reflexes, and flexibility. In some ways,
it describes how comfortable you are in your body, how well you master your mov
ement, and how you react to your surroundings.
Specialties: Acrobatics, Balance, Contortions, Dodge, Quickness
Animal Handling
Animal Handling addresses the various skills and techniques used to train, work,
and care for animals. Whenever you would regain control over a panicked mount,
train a dog to serve as a guardian, or train ravens to carry messages, you test
this ability.
Specialties: Charm, Drive, Ride, Train
Athletics
Athletics describes the degree of training, the application of physical fitness,
coordination, training, and raw muscle. Athletics is an important ability in th
at it determines how far you can jump, how fast you run, how quickly you move, a

nd how strong you are.

Specialties: Climb, Jump, Run, Strength, Swim, Throw
Awareness
Awareness measures your senses, how quickly you can respond to changes in your e
nvironment, and your ability to see through double-talk and feints to arrive at
the truth of the matter. Whenever you perceive your surroundings or assess anoth
er person, use Awareness.
Specialties: Empathy, Notice
Cunning
Cunning encapsulates intelligence, intellect, and the application of all your co
llected knowledge. Typically, Cunning comes into play whenever you might recall
an important detail or instruction, work through a puzzle, or solve some other p
roblem, such as researching and deciphering codes.
Specialties: Decipher, Logic, Memory
Deception
Deception measures your gift at duplicity your ability to lie and deceive. You use
Deception to mask your intentions and hide your agenda. You also use Deception
to pretend to be someone other than who you really are to affect a different accen
t or disguise yourself successfully.
Specialties: Act, Bluff, Cheat, Disguise
Endurance
Endurance measures your physical well-being your health and hardiness. Your Endura
nce determines how much punishment you can take, as well as how quickly you reco
ver from injury.
Specialties: Resilience, Stamina
Fighting
Fighting describes your ability to wield weapons in combat. Whenever you would a
ttack unarmed or use a hand-held weapon, test Fighting.
Specialties: Axes, Bludgeons, Brawling, Fencing, Long Blades, Pole-Arms, Short B
lades, Spears.
Healing
Healing represents skill with and understanding of the accumulated medical knowl
edge throughout the world. Rank in this ability reflects an understanding of hea
lth and recovery; the highest ranks represent talents held only by the greatest
of maesters.
Specialties: Diagnose, Treat Ailment, Treat Injury
Knowledge
Knowledge describes your general understanding and awareness of the world in whi
ch you live. It represents a broad spectrum, ranging from history, agriculture,
economics, politics, and numerous other subjects.
Specialties: Education, Research, Streetwise
Language
Language is the ability to communicate through speech or, among the best educate
d, through the written word. The starting rank you have in this ability applies
to your knowledge of the Common Tongue spoken throughout Westeros. When you impr
ove this ability, you may improve your ability with the Common Tongue or choose
to speak other languages.
Specialties: Differing languages
Marksmanship
Marksmanship represents your skill with ranged weapons, to use them appropriatel

y and accurately in combat. Any time you make an attack using a ranged weapon, y
ou test Marksmanship.
Specialties: Bows, Crossbows, Siege, Thrown
Persuasion
Persuasion is the ability to manipulate the emotions and beliefs of others. With
this ability, you can modify how others see you, shape their attitudes towards
others, convince them of things they might not otherwise agree to, and more.
Specialties: Bargain, Charm, Convince, Incite, Intimidate, Seduce, Taunt
Status
Status describes the circumstances of your birth and the knowledge those circums
tances grant you. The higher your rank, the more likely you will be able to reco
gnize heraldry, the better your reputation, and the stronger your knowledge of m
anaging people and lands.
Specialties: Breeding, Reputation, Stewardship, Tournaments
Stealth
Stealth represents your ability to creep about unseen and unheard. Whenever you
would move without being noticed, you test Stealth.
Specialties: Blend In, Sneak
Survival
Survival is the ability to get by in the wild hunting, foraging, avoiding getting
lost, and following tracks. The Survival skill is important for a variety of peo
ple in that hunting remains an important method of providing food for one s family
, especially in the more remote corners of Westeros.
Specialties: Forage, Hunt, Orientation, Track
Thievery
Thievery is a catchall ability for any skill involving larcenous activities. Exa
mples include picking locks, hand tricks, and general robbery.
Specialties: Pick Lock, Sleight of Hand, Steal
Warfare
Warfare describes a character s talents at managing the battlefield, ranging from
the ability to issue commands and possessing strategic knowledge for manoeuvring
armies, to tactical knowledge for dealing with small engagements.
Specialties: Command, Strategy, Tactics
Will
Will is your mental fortitude, reflecting the state of your mind s health and endu
rance. It represents your ability to withstand fear in the face of appalling vio
lence or supernatural phenomena and also serves as the foundation for your abili
ty to resist being manipulated by others.
Specialties: Concentrate, Coordinate, Dedication
Step 7 Destiny points, Benefits, Flaws and Drawbacks.
Destiny Points and benefits are next. As with other aspects of character creatio
n, age determines how many Destiny Points with which you start the game. Younger
characters have less experience and fewer opportunities to lose Destiny Points
by escaping danger and death. You can invest some of your starting Destiny Point
s into benefits, though there are limits. Starting Destiny Points and the maximu
m number of starting benefits are shown below. Benefits and drawbacks are shown
in the qualities document
While it may be tempting to use up all of your Destiny Points on benefits, resis
t this impulse. Destiny Points are an important part of the game, and they impro
ve your chances for survival. Conversely, be sure to pick up at least one benefi

t since these qualities can provide a significant advantage in game play.

Flaws represent the ravages of time, the accumulation of nasty wounds, and the e
ffects of life on your character as he ages and develops. To reflect the dangers
and perils of the Seven Kingdoms, characters accumulate flaws and drawbacks. A
flaw imposes 1D on one ability. You may burden the same ability with multiple fla
ws, but the penalty dice cannot exceed your rank in the ability 1. Thus, if you h
ave 3 in Athletics, you couldn t take more than two flaws in Athletics.
Drawbacks, on the other hand, are less painful to a specific ability, but they i
mpose challenges that affect many aspects of your character.
Age and Destiny Points
Age
Destiny Points
Youth
7
Adolescent
Young Adult
5
Adult
4
Middle Age
Old
Very Old
Venerable

Maximum Benefits
3
6

3
3
3

3
2
1
0

3
2
1
0

Age
Flaws
Youth
Adolescent
Young Adult
Adult
Any one
Middle Age
A flaw for any of the following abilitie
s:
Agility, Athletics, or Endurance
Old
Any one plus a flaw for any of the following abilities: Agility, Athleti
cs, Awareness, Cunning, Endurance, Fighting, or Marksmanship
Very Old
Any one plus a flaw for any two of the following abilities: Agil
ity, Athletics, Awareness, Cunning, Endurance, Fighting, or Marksmanship
Venerable
Any one plus a flaw for any three of the following abilities: Ag
ility, Athletics, Awareness, Cunning, Endurance, Fighting, or Marksmanship
Step eight: Starting equipment.
Determining your starting possessions comes next. All characters begin play w
ith a set of
common clothes appropriate for their gender, boots or shoes, and a dagger. Heirs
also begin
play with a signet ring. Record these possessions on your character sheet.
Next, roll a Status test. The result is how many gold dragons you begin with to
purchase
your starting possessions. Obviously, you don t begin with a sack full of gold; ra
ther, this
starting fund reflects your accumulated possessions. You must spend at least hal
f of your
starting coin. You may keep the rest in reserve or invest it into your house as
you wish.
Equipment is shown in the equipment document.
Step nine: Derived stats.

You re nearly there. Now that all of your equipment is listed, your abilities and
specialties
purchased, benefits and drawbacks selected, and Destiny Points recorded, you are
ready to
fill out the derived statistics.
Two important statistics exist for intrigue: Intrigue Defence and Composure. You
calculate each
as follows. Record the totals in the space provided on your character sheet.
Intrigue Defence = Awareness + Cunning + Status
Composure = 3 Will
There are four important statistics for combat: Combat Defence, Health, Armor Ra
ting (AR), and
Damage. You calculate each as follows. Record the totals in the space provided o
n your character
sheet.
Combat Defence = Agility + Athletics +Awareness + Defensive Bonus (from shields
or parrying weapons)
Armor Penalty
Health = 3 Endurance
Armor Rating (AR): Your AR is determined by the type of armour worn.
Damage: Based on weapons.