If you want to play Gemstone III you can learn a few commands

and enter a new world. If you want to have fun there are many

aspects to be learned. One of these aspects is learning how to

roleplay (get into character, use imagination, acting, and just plain ol' pretending).

This game is a fantastic way to get involved with a mystical land where you, as an adventurer, do make a difference. If not for the players than what would Gemstone III be? By the way, where did

Gemstone and Gemstone II go? Heh heh.

I'll go step by step through the role playing process. This

will be in this order:

1) Professions

a)Wizards

b)Rogues

c)Clerics

d)Rangers

e)Warriors

f)Empaths

g)Bards

h)Sorcerers

2) Races

A)Elves

1. Pure Elves

2. Dark Elves

3. Sylvan Elves

4. Half Elves

B)The Other races...

1. Dwarves

2. Giantmen

3. Humans

4. Hobbits... er, halflings.

3) Disadvantages

4) Quirks

5) Personality

6) Family

7) Final Note

Keep in mind, if you don't like reading (and that is a bad

thing) then you might want to skim through this or read part

of this and the rest later. Hopefully I'll keep you interested

in this (very helpful) guide by telling a few jokes (what did

the rolton say to gamemaster?) and being darn intelligent (why

do characters not need to eat or go to the bathroom?). Also, I

will ask simple, yet complex philosophical questions: Does a

kobold have a sense of humor?

I. Professions

Well, if you're looking to create a character this is one of

the first things to consider. In a roleplaying aspect, pick

one that you will be most comfortable with. If you like helping

people then go for clerics and empaths. If you would rather

run around and chop heads off of critters, go with a warrior

or maybe a rogue. Let's start with the profs, shall we? Good.

Good, good, good. Shut up. Okay... not yet. I'll have to admit

I haven't REALLY played all the professions... but I have

played all of them for a little bit at least. So some I will

go into more detail than others.

Wizards: These are people whom study into magic, a specific

kind of magic: the elements. Just like Merlin... Merlin the

Wizard, how interesting. Here are some options for your

character, but remember, they are just options; do not think

you have to be one of them, create your own and have fun.

1. The old, wise wizard. This is your generic wizard.

Physical aspects: Think long beard, gray hair (maybe thinning

or receding, perhaps very long to show age). For the eyes...

I don't know, go for something mystical, dark, gray (or is it

spelled grey?). Maybe you'd like to carry around a staff or

walking stick. The staff could be used as a weapon, but two-

handed weapons cost a lot. A wizard of mine I created used

a staff and trained in combat manuevers and ambushing...

odd, but very interesting. Dress in gray (grey?), white,

drab colors, I guess. Your speech should be wise. Talk like

you've studied everything and know everything, if something

should come up where you didn't know that make sure to say

how interesting it is and how phenomenal... When you cast

your spells make macros that are something like: (act flickers

his/her fingers which make you think of fire) Then you cast

a fire spell. Or a macro which says: smiles in a wise

way as he/she chants a language which you cannot quite make

out. Macros help any kind of profession's personality.

2. The young, bold wizard. You're just starting out in the

world after learning from an old, wize wizard. You plan on

making history in this new land you've ventured to. You may

know only a couple spells, or none at all, but you're head

strong! You are good, and you know it. Maybe the only thing

that stands in your way of your talented magic studies is

that nasty rat that keeps killing you... but nevertheless,

you will defeat it, and all that stand in your way! You

should dress in a nifty way that shows you're a young

wizard. Fancy boots, shiny gems in your cloak. Your

character story should be however you want, just remember:

you might be a little impulsive or cowerdice, however

you'd like. But you're out to make a mark on the world!

Rogue: These are the crafty ones, watch out! There are a

lot more to rogues than meet the eye! Most likely they've

spent most of their lives on the street doing simple jobs

and stealing when needed or when wanted. These people are

the impulsive ones and the flamboyant showoffs. They are

also the sneekiest of all professions. As a rogue you have

to make a major choice: Are you a good rogue, or a bad rogue?

If you're a good rogue you'll want to help out others by

picking locks on boxes and disarming the traps too. You won't

steal, because that's what bad rogues do (or maybe you don't

like getting caught). Maybe you're not that good or bad,

you just do your thing, you may be a loner or a group

hunter. As a loner you can take on creatures higher in

level than you are because you can knock their legs off

and stun them well with training in ambushing. As a group

hunter you'll be a gem, because you can knock something

down for a good attack by a team member or you can pick

all the boxes you come across. You're also perceptive.

If you're a bad rogue, watch out world! You'll delight in

picking pockets as much as you do boxes. If someone catches

you, all the better, you'll teach them a lesson... All the

more fun. Probably one of the most fun aspects of being

a rogue is to be flamboyant and impulsive. Maybe you can

talk with a low class accent you got off the street. The

rogue way of life has toughened you up and you don't take

anything from anyone. Stealing is how you put bread on the

table. Remember, if you want to be a tad different then be

sure to keep it in character. Don't buy spells and say you're

one of the few spell-castin' rogues just to be unique, make

sure to explain why your rogue can cast spells and why

exactly they're a rogue-mage.

Clerics: These are the kindly people who ressurect those

crazy warriors taking on those titans at level 2... They

are usually against the undead. Their spells are very

effective against undead creatures, just a wiggle of a

finger and a prayer will destroy them. You could be a

town ressurector or a field ressurector (go out and

bring back the dead who have died far outside the town

gates). Or you can just ressurect people you find lying

about wherever. But there is a whole lot more to clerics

than raising the dead! You have so much to do, decide

which weapon to use, what deity you worship (if any..),

and say your daily prayers to boot. I think the most

important role playing element for a cleric is A)choosing

a religion and B) Ressurecting. After you choose your

religion (and other professions should too!) then you

have to get into your ressurecting... how do you do it?

Do you summon the assistance of Lorminstra? Do you have

a special item that aids in the ritual or actually casts

the powerful spell (i.e. a sacred knife). What does your

character have to do in order to bring back the dead? Do

you have to sacrifice another life (human or other), do

you have to recite a specific prayer for a specific race?

Do you use sacred or specific artifacts/items to bring

back the souls (like candles, books, crystal balls...).

There is a lot to the cleric profession, and I haven't

played too much into this, so you have to come up with

everything yourself.

Rangers: I play a ranger exclusively now. My character has

absolutely nothing to do with the common ranger character-

To tell you the truth I only chose the ranger profession

so my character could use specific spells from that circle.

But that doesn't mean I am only a ranger because I want to

go around and spike thorn or something. I made my character

(based on a character in a book I wrote) and decided that

the ranger profession was the best profession to describe

my character. I simply made him, and flagged off the

prof-flag. Now, he is not a ranger, yet still uses some

of the ranger spells. After I learn up to the spell my

character knows in my story then I will not train in

spell training (even how much better it may be) afterwards.

This is just one character example (and with a lot of

rp'ing elements taken out) for a ranger. As you can see

you can be any profession, flag it off, and call yourself

something else. For instance, if you wanted to be a merchant

then a ranger could be just the thing for you. Just put

your stats high in dexterity, train in first-aid and when

you get your skinning spell make a living off skinning and

selling pelts n' stuff to people and ol' Dakris. Let me

tell you what a ranger is supposed to be, because a lot

of people probably don't know what they are. In one fantasy

literature I've read: Lord of the Rings; Strider (Aragorn)

says he's a ranger. This is an interesting example of what

a ranger is, but not every book is right (or wrong) about

what a ranger is. If you say a ranger is just like Aragorn

then you're saying all rangers are royalty also. Rangers

are actually very much into nature. This is where all your

role playing elements will come in. Decide from there why

your character is so much into nature. Modern day rangers

would be the groundskeepers of national parks or even the

average vegetarian (like me). Mythical rangers are one with

nature, they know nature, they are a part of nature. They

can summon the help of nature (thorn spikes, vines, etc.)

and they should help nature when summoned (stop those who

attack poor animals like wolverines, rats, squirrels, etc.)

Maybe they are very much into nature, but don't care much

about the life and death of it. For instance, the skinning

spell would be for a hunter type ranger and foraging would

be for the harvester/woodcutter type character. There's

actually a lot of diversity in the ranger profession, even

though I hear a lot of people saying there isn't. If you've

got a good enough imagination then you've got a good

character concept.

Warriors: Now, I haven't really played a warrior too much,

and to tell the truth I've never gotten past level... 3 with

one. I can't say I really like them either, but I have put

a lot of effort into a character idea (actually two) and

found that the warrior proffesion would be the best for them.

Being a warrior means being something OTHER than a warrior.

You may be wondering what exactly it is that I mean... well,

what I'm saying is you should JUST be a warrior. Why is your

character a warrior? Is he a guard? A barabarian? A hunter?

A mercenary? A bounty hunter? A body guard? There's a lot

of jobs out there for a person who can swing a sword. My

best bet would be to join the town defenses so you can be

a guard or a soldier. But, if you're in it for profit then

go for bounty hunting or mercenary. A body guard would be

fun because you could offer your skills to a younger person

for a big share in the profits, if you join up with a rogue

then he could pick the boxes on your kills and give you a

big tip for your time. The character I've come up with is

a an elf who teaches the art of warfare to his companions

in the elven village. Well, when I first make him he won't

be a teacher, he'll be a student, then eventually he'll

take over at the barracks and way in the future he'll be

promoted as one of the seven elven councilors (wow!).

Don't just plan your character as s/he is now, remember

the goals of your character and what they want to accomplish.

Empaths: Now this is the hardest thing for me to help anyone

with. I love empaths, really I do, and I don't know anyone who

wouldn't... maybe crazy people. But the role playing elements...

geez, I can't come up with very many. Here are some questions

to consider: How did your character gain this fantastic ability?

What did your character do after they found out they had this

talent? What does your character do with this talent?

One character I was trying to come up with was more of a warrior

type that could heal his own wounds... it didn't work out too

well, but it was amusing. That's basically all I can help you

with in this profession, but remember the basics of characters

along with the special talent empaths have and you can make

an interesting character out of an empath. This proffesion

is probably best for those of you who really like making

friends and helping people. You'll be much appreciated.

Bards: Bards are probably the most fun of the professions!

Why? Because they're very merry and share the fun of stories,

songs, poems and other such festivities. You have a big choice

as far as bards go: Is your bard the serious type or the type

who is more on the silly side? The serious types of bards will

tell stories (maybe on the tragic side) and sing serious songs

about love and tragedy; their poems will be love poems or about

war tales. Sillier bards will sing silly songs about kobolds

falling off cliffs and warriors running head first into a

swarm of ogres (with but a scratch). Their poems will usually

be of the limerick sort. Or you can be an either or bard... you

won't be too serious and you'll be silly on occassion. There

is a very special talent bards have and that is to sing to

objects, the objects will vibrate and the bard something

about itself (how much it weighs, metal it's made of, etc).

Keep this in mind, and although I don't want to get too much

into stat placement because this is about role playing: it's

usually a good idea to have a really high charisma, but this

is especially good for role playing, because if your character

is a charismatic character (charisma, by the way is the ability

to influence people, based on your voice, looks, movement, and

just that inborn charm) then you should have a high CH. One

character I made I really enjoyed and had a lot of fun making

people laugh (or I annoyed them). He was completely crazy

(doing things like using the crystal amulet to inform people

of a supposed rolton stampede south of town). Darn he was fun,

I couldn't have done that with any other proffession... banana

peels and cream pies just go with bards. One very, very

important thing you need to do before making a bard (and

unfortunatly hardly anyone does) is LEARN something about poetry!

If you don't know what limerick, couplet, stanza, simile,

sonnet and such are... well, good luck being a good bard.

One thing I can't stand are all those bards running around

and once in a while they'll sing something or recite a poem

and it will stink terribly. I don't know if I want to get into

the mechanics of poetry, but I took a class on literature and

composition so I know something about poetry, and on my spare

time I write poems. I'm not saying go out and take a class

about poetry, but that'd be great if you did. Here's a tip:

just break out an encyclopedia or dictionary and look up

those words I mentioned up there, along with metaphore,

personification, and poetry. It's also good to read poems

by Edgar Allen Poe, Emily Dickinson, John Milton, and other

well known poets.

Sorcerers: Generally I'm just a tad bit opposed to someone

going out of their way to be unique and doing something that

most other people don't do so they can claim they are good

role players... but with sorcerers I can't complain... much.

I can't tell you how sick I am of seeing dark elf sorcerers...

I can understand why people would choose that race with this

proffession (Gemstone does put survival over role playing),

and I also would understand that dark elves would produce a

great deal of sorcerers (dark elves being rather dark and

sorcerers being rather dark... plus their natural ability

to handle magic and spiritual aspects), but this is getting

about as bad, if not worse, than giantmen warriors. It's a

fun thing to see a halfling casting blood burst on a rat at

level 2 then to see a dark elf casting mana disruption at

a a great orc at level 3. Don't get so mad, it's not like

I think all dark elf sorcerers can't role play... it's just

that most of them don't (and a good deal of everyone in the

lands don't, or not well enough, that's why I'm writing this

dumb thing and spending a good deal of my time at it). So, if

you decided that your character was born under the stern eyes

of two dark elf parents and they were of a clan of sorcerers

that their family was well associated with and your character

grew up in this environment... gee, I wonder what kind of

proffession this kid is going to get into... Or, in the way

my brother did this, if you're a halfling that stumbled upon

sorcery and spent all his time studying magic... adept that

he was, he could still cast very pathetic spells, eventually

harnessing the power to cast blood burst and all this

studying sacrificed the time he could have been eating and

drinking, shrinking his belt sized (what humility this

brought to his family), then that is a good background. There

we had two different races, the halfling, and the dark elf-

both of which had good background stories. Just don't say:

"Hey, dark elves get a big bonus to AU and WI, so I'm going

to be a dark elf sorcerer and be really powerful!!!!!!!"

(notice all the exclamation marks? Can't wait to see that

in my poor, dizzy mind when I'm using that crystal amulet...)

II. Races

Elves:

The pure elf is generally taller than a human, has pointed ears

(I like to think of the ears as REALLY long and pointy). They

are more nimble than humans and can handle magic better...

but they do lack the brute strength humans have developed.

They usually stand a few inches taller than an average human

(no, they're not short things that make toys with santa, those

are more like gnomes). I generally think of elves as elegent,

they have that certain savoir fair that a lot of humans lack.

They bow deeply, with a sweep of their capes, never put their

elbows on the table and mind their p's and q's (whatever that

means). Ah, they're a lot like the exact opposite of dwarves

(just joking...). Now, in Gemstone there are certain types of

pure elves, and I have not really read into that, but I would

suggest reading that if you're going to be a pure elf. From

what I remember there's actually a clan of pure elves that

are very snobby, warrior-like, and almost racist. These are

actually not different races, but think of them as clans.

I think one name is Faendryl or something like that. And

another (I think this is the racist type) Vaalor. I usually

picture most elves with bows and arrows and a few that would

brandish swords. For Gemstone pick a clan of elves that you

would like to play or identify with and work their history

in with the history of your character.

Dark Elves: Are just that. They are... elf noir. Ha ha. These

are actually not a different race... kind of a different...

religion almost. From what I've learned about these in other

role playing games and such is that they are the ku klux klan

of elves. They absolutely hate other races other than pure

elf. They will not tolerate dwarves and will kill orcs on

sight (some will probably attack dwarves on sight too, but

that's not such a good idea in this game). They can't even

tolerate the elf in half elves, they consider this a blemish

on the elf race. Their big goal in life is to benefit the

elven race and make sure they are the dominant one (like

their creator intended). Usually I would suggest if a dark

elf came across a dead dwarf and the soul was lingering

around and begged for help the dark elf would laugh and

say the land was better off without another dwarf... but

again, this is not a good idea. A better thing would be

to laugh and say that, the dwarf would beg for mercy

(which would undoubtly get another laugh) and then the

dark elf would rub his chin and say that it would cost

the dwarf a lot... a whole lot, then they could help.

It's probably best to put a little scare in someone anyway.

If other people are there helping the dwarf out, insults

would quickly come and then the dark elf would put up

his/her nose and walk off.

Sylvan elves: Again, I'm not sure of the gemstone history,

but I would think these are a lot like pure elves, only

they are very in tune with nature. They make the perfect

ranger, one would suppose. I think the general concensus

is these elves generally dress all in green and dwell in

trees... (?). I think of them as wood elves that usually

don't mind to help the occassional lost warrior find their

way. Although, if you mess with nature then you're in big

trouble. When I first started playing gemstone all I saw

for the race was Sylvan... and I was wondering what kind of

sylvan race it was. Was it a leprechaun, a sprite, a pixi,

a faun... sylvan races are pretty much any race that lives

primarily in the forest. But, I guess it means a wood elf.

Half elves: I hear people saying they're half elf and half

dwarf or something... the truth is in this game only an elf

and a human can produce offspring. It is impossible for an

elf and a halfing, dwarf and giant to bear offspring. To

hear someone say they are half elf and half giant is just

being silly... or sillier yet, half elf and half halfling.

Only the Vaalor pure-elf and dark elves really give a care

about half elves, the rest of the races don't mind...

unless there's a bit of roleplaying involved, there are

quite a bit of racist other races. Half elves have a lot

of consideration... what kind of elf? As I stated above

with the elf clans you have a choice as to where the elf

side of you came from... just don't choose vallor, that

would be quite odd. You can also claim where your human

half came in. Claiming your father was a lord and your

mother was a barmaid could lead you to get into quite a

lot of trouble... and that would be a good background

story to have.

The other races:

Dwarves: Dwarves are short, stocky and hairy. They usually

live in caves or fortresses near or in mountains. In these

mountain ranges they dig for their precious gems and metals

(they use these metals to forge fantastic weapons!) Dwarves,

by nature, are usually blacksmiths or craftsmen of that kind.

The warrior profession is a good choice for a dwarf because

they are folly with magic and their strength and endurance

are great boons when you're a mercenary or soldier. Most

dwarves are greedy, gluttonous, and stubborn... that's just

the way they are, go figure. A lot of them are hot tempered

(kind of like their weapons), but few are berzerk. A dwarf

will tell off a snobby, pointy-eared elf who can't hold his

liquor, but few will actually outright attack an elf. The

only thing they hate worse than orcs are dragons. Although

I never came across a dragon in Gemstone, dwarves hate how

these dragons nest in their caves, eat their cattle, and

steal their gems. They see them as beasts of terror and

should be exterminated as quickly as possible.

Giantmen (or as I usually refer to them, Giants): Let's get

one thing straight right now: Giants are not a)bloodthirsty

b)increadibly stupid c)bullies or what people generally

think of them. Giantmen are usually woodsmen, living in

their cabins off in the hills (where those hill trolls

pester them...), well, that's how I think of them. Giantmen

are actually friendly folk and, although they aren't the

smartest of the races, they aren't more stupid than the

backside of a rolton. They will kindly take in a stranger

and give them some warm mead and biscuts for the night.

But if they get riled up then they are increadibly fearsome

foes! They tower over humans, and usually find a halfling

on the bottom of their boot... well, maybe not that tall.

They usually stand about eight feet tall, or there abouts.

Their hefty size and large arms let them swing axes fairly

well so they chop down trees and build houses and such out

of them. They are pretty much like humans would be if they

were a lot taller, a little slower (moving and thinking).

Humans: look in the mirror; look at society.

Halflings: These are pretty much exactly like the hobbits

in J.R.R Tolken's THE HOBBIT. They are about the size of

dwarves, a little shorter, but can't be mistaken for a

dwarf because they can't grow a beard (and they're not

smelly, ha ha). They almost never wear shoes because their

feet are naturally tough and have a tuff of curly hair on

their toes and insteps, therefore you will hardly ever see

a halfling shoemaker because centuries of shoeless people

will do that. They usually have curly hair and chubby

faces. They love to eat and drink and be merry. Most of

the halflings want nothing to do with adventure and fame,

they only want to live in their homes (usually a hole

in the side of a hill) and be happy and comfortable. They

generally don't bother anyone because they farm a lot

of their food (a whole lot) and are independent. There are

a few families of halflings that have an itch for adventure

and such, and these are the kind you'll find chasing after

an invasion of kobolds. Halflings are very rarely found

practicing magic - the only bit of magic they have in them

is the unusual way they can hide in the wink of an eye

and make absolutely no noise when they walk (hence a good

choice for rogues). There's a saying in Icemule: "where

you find a tart, you find a halfling." I'm not sure this

is entirely true, but I do see quite a few halflings with

tarts, so you may like to have a few tarts (along with

loads of other food and drink) on you if you're a halfling.

Disadvantages: You may be wondering why you would want to

give your character a few disadvantages. Well, here's the

reason: It's fun! Why would you be a warrior killing those

orcs when you can say "A long time ago an orc got in a

lucky blow and took out my left eye, now I wear an

eye-patch; not only does it keep the unsightly view of

a lost eye out of sight, but it's also stylish."

Have fun thinking of disadvantages for your character,

just don't take it too far, being fearful of bladed

weapons and refusing to use them is fun, especially when

a creature is swinging a scimitar at you! But attacking

someone for using a bladed weapon is just annoying and

will get you locked out of the game.

Think of disadvantages in these terms:

Physical: blinded eye, limps, color blind, obese, ugly,

mute.

Mental: phobias, insomniac, bad temper, delusions, miserly,

greedy.

Social: social stigmas, bad breath, intolerent,

kleptomaniac.

Quirks: These are like disadvantages, only not very severe.

These range from always chewing gum, to vows of silence

during daylight hours. These are loads of fun and makes

your character stand out from all those giantmen warriors

and dark elf sorcers. Have fun coming up with these,

remember to make them personal.

Personality: What is your demener? Are you generally happy,

sad, grumbling, sadistic, psychotic, megalomanic? Don't take

it too far, hee hee.

Family: Does your character have family members? Parents?

Siblings? Cousins? It's best to have a little family tree

planned out.

Final note:

Just remember these quick points to make your character:

Race: Why is your character what he/she is? You have to think

a lot about your parents and other family member on this one.

Profession: Why did your character get into the job they

have? Come up with a little story for this.

Distinguishing features: Eye colour, hair colour, etc.

Think this through, it could explain a lot about your character.

And lastly: Your character will change in the game. When

something happens, make a note of it. When you're at the

bar telling stories tell about that funny little dwarf

that wore a dirty patched hat, or that halfling that wouldn't

leave you alone until you gave him a bite of your muffin.

Have fun with your character.

-T0MMY