I'm using D&D 1st Edition rules including UA with the differences below.

For stats, please use the dice roller: 4d6 drop lowest and re-roll 1's.  Include Comeliness as a 7th stat.  Reroll any stats <= 7.  Organize as you will then modify for race.  Please roll 1d100 once for psionics and once for clan status (a lower roll is higher status).  Please select your god.  Based on this, I'll give you a bit more about your character.

Clans are families of families with largely heriditary rights to segments of commerce.  If nothing else, each establishes a network of support.  They also establish and protect social boundaries as well as providing guidance on where people fit into standard Yeomanry society.  Think of it as professional tendencies as opposed to rigid limitations.  As an example, a potter clan is likely to produce mostly potters and are very proud when one of theirs makes it big as a mage or clerric ... unless that person leaves to join another clan.  As a member of such a potter clan, that individual would not be allowed to open a wine retail shop, which is the province of other clans.

I will add you immediately, but insist that you write a short back story after you roll, but before you begin posting.  A paragraph or two is fine about who your character is.  Please also include a section on motivations.  Once this is approved, you select a picture, and you finish your viewcast (what others see when they click your picture), you are ready to begin.

Starting experience is the beginning of 8th level for whatever character type you select.  If playing a dual-class, please go with 7/7 beginning experience.

The party will be starting in Loftwick, Seat of the Freeholder League and Capital of The Yeomanry, a country about the size of Germany.  I am selectively using Greyhawk.

Germane Observations:

The only known pass through the Crystalmist to the Dry Steppes is in western Yeomanry.  Except during winter, caravans pass back and forth.  The Yeomanry is rich in trade.

The Yeomanry is a democracy.  They are ruled by The League of Twelve, which is composed of 12 elected Freeholders (a title) who have either served as a Yeoman (i.e., French Foreign Legion) for 20 years or have attained the rank of Guild Master.  Service begins at age 15.  Lesser offices can be held by those with less experience.  The right to vote is limited to Journeymen and above.  While many die, enough Yeoman survive their years of service that attacking an elderly farmer can be quickly fatal.

While there is a definite hierarchy, there are no nobles.  Status is based on wealth, clan status, and religious affiliation.  For the right price, you buy your way into a higher status clan.

Humans predominate, though the other races are present.  Some even choose to join clans.

While there are certainly small clans, many are quite large and enjoy clear trading rights that they protect diligently.  Clan houses can be massive sprawling affairs with literally hundreds of families.

Most clans are patriarchies, though certainly not all.

Approximately 50% of girls are "good clan girls" marrying as directed by the clan to cement alliances or move between station.  Each clan cares well for such girls.  After reaching the age of 12, any girl can declare herself Aridani my simply stating it in a public place.  From that moment on, she is equal before the law.  Waffling happens, but is strongly discouraged.

Bribery is more than common, it is expected.

In addition to their own Yeoman Legions, the Sable Guard can be thought of as a combination of the FBI and CIA.  They keep the peace, investigate crime, and gather intelligence.

Slavery is legal.

Punishment for crimes or personal offenses is based on solid precidents.  Death, if so ordered, is always the "High Ride" on a sharpened stake.  Most offenses result in fines or public punishment.  Imprisonment is rare.  Judges are elected for two-year terms.

There is a thriving Thieve's Guild.  Penalties for theft are severe.

A word of caution, to be without clan is to be "Nakome" or outside the law.  Calling someone nakome is the worst insult.  A clan is obligated to pay any fines imposed on its members who cannot pay themselves.  A clan may disown someone after such an offense.  Nakome, that person could then be sold into slavery.

The Yeomanry's large fertile planes are filled with farms.  Still, relatively poor natural resources has kept it largely peaceful for many centuries, though these were punctuated my periods of extreme conflict.  Yeoman (mercenaries of all professions), food, and spices are the primary exports.  All of the surrounding nations have large numbers of highly skilled Yeoman mercenaries.

In the past, these Yeoman have been ordered to attack the Yeomanry with disastrous results to the nation issuing those orders.  The Yeoman fight for money, to protect their own, and in the service of righting some major injustice.  As an example, they crushed the pirate slavers of Port Toli to the southeast.

While the Crystalmist Mountains to the west and Jontens Mountains to the north are rich in minerals, the giants and ogres are sufficiently organized, numerous, and aggressive that most attempts at mining result in catastrophe for all involved.  Still, there are enough examples of prospectors who have returned from these mountains vastly wealthy that some still make the attempt.  All though avoid the Vancumar, a region of towering mountains where the Crystalmist meet the Hells Furnace that are widely held to be cursed.

By law, all mages must be members of the Mage's Guild, a secondary affiliation to one's clan.  Mages are required to perform public service for at least one week per mage circle attained (roughly one circle for every two levels).  Yes, people do die in this service.  For this service, components and research are provided, though closely monitored (no, you don't get all the spells).  While children of voting citizens can join the Mage's Guild at no fee, a non-citizen must pay a one-time fee of 10,000 GP.  A number of high-level mages from other nations have elected to pay this fee.  The Yeomanry is a wonderful place to live.  5th Circle is Guild Mastery level, though there are Circles well beyond this.

All non-evil religions are well tolerated.  However, only the Greek gods are broadly recognized (i.e., don't expect to find a clerric easily).  Human sacrifice is illegal as are any religions that sanction it.  While proselytizing is permitted, open violence over religious matters will result in increasingly severe punishments.  Eclesiastical courts rule over their flock on strictly religious matters.

Drugs are legal, with the exception of zu'ur (instant high ride for anyone in possession).

In addition to some wonderful wines, there are various refined products including tsuhoridu (literally "the essence") that can go for more than 1,000 GP per thimble full.  Some of the most expensive have very special properties.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:15, Tue 07 July 2015.

Starting hit points are maximum (i.e., just first level. If you have trouble with multi-classed hit points, I max the hit dice, add any constitution bonuses and divide by 2, then add the other class. Also works in advancement: Say we had a magic user/thief and she made a level of thief well before mage. She would roll d6 add 1 point for constitution and round UP. So, rolling a 4, adding 1 and divide by 2 gives 2.5 or 3 points.

Starting gold and magical equipment will be assigned based on profession, clan, and back story.

Starting age is per DMG + 1/level, or pick an age that suits the character as written.

Please select weapons proficiencies.

Height and Weight may be generated via DMG, but if not, please observe the general guidelines contained therein. No 7 foot Elves!

Starting level: TBD

Critical hits:
Generally a natural 20 does double dice damage and a natural 1 is a fumble which costs one full round to recover.

Mages and bonus spells:
Magic users receive bonus spells for high intel that parallel the bonus spells for wisdom Clerics receive.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:30, Sat 18 July 2009.

Meshqu (badges) and holy symbols are worn to proudly proclaim your clans and, in many cases, your professions.  Please place these on the first line of your character's Bio.  In parenthesis, please indicate your class.  For example: Mage/Azure Heights(VH).
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:31, Thu 04 June 2009.

If you're not a priest or soldier, and sometimes even if you are, you live in your clanhouse. Only a very few wealthy eccentrics have private domiciles. Clanhouses vary from small adobe houses to enormous masonry and stone palaces. Nearly all are walled, with one or more gated courtyards. Roofgardens and cellars are common.  Middle and lower clans (and a few high clans) combine working and living space, so there may be workshops, barns, or storage attached to the clanhouse. Rural clanhouses work like farmsteads, plantations, or manors.

Inside a high status clanhouse are private suites for high lineage families, clan elders, and other important people, smaller rooms for married folk (sometimes shared), and dormitories for singles. There are bathing rooms, a formal reception/dining hall, an informal refectory, probably a small library, shrine, an office/meeting room of some kind for the council of elders (perhaps the center of clan business, with scribes at hand). There are no chairs, Yeoman sit on mats on the floor, on low benches around the walls, or on daises. Particularly in formal settings, personal status is reflected in one's height above the others.

The clanhouse and its members are typically governed by a council of elders, who in turn are led by a chief elder. The method of choosing of elders and chief varies among clans, but they are persons of experience and influence. Each clanhouse is fairly independent of others within the clan, and may have its own customs. Only rarely do the elders of the clan meet in a "Grand Council". Clan elders represent the clan in formal dealings with government officials and other clans as well.

To the extent possible, every effort is made to throw business towards clan members.  The Temple of Ares is frequently subcontracted to provide clan security/guards.  Similar arrangements exist with different clans for warehouse work, portage and maintenance.  These contracts are periodically renegotiated.  Every effort is made to set one clan off against another to get the most favorable terms possible for your clan.  For servant services, this can be subcontracted, though many higher clans prefer consciously not to.

To round out your backgrounds, for every 10 years old your character is rounded up, you get two secondary skill points.  Anything that is a major profession requiring multiple disciplines requires three per proficiency (e.g., weaponsmith, engineer, cartographer).

If you have any questions, please ask.

Bribery and blood-money (called "shamtla") are fundamental parts of Yeomanry society. It is entirely licit and expected that officers and administrators must be provided with "inducements" in order to get them to do anything. Bribes are the lubrication that allows society to run smoothly.

Similarly, crimes that are not against the Yeomanry, or within the domain of the temples, are often resolved by payment of shamtla. A person who has been assaulted, or even just sufficiently offended, can demand shamtla from the offender, and usually, their respective clans will negotiate a settlement. If a mutually agreeable settlement cannot be reached, the matter may go to a civil court, but this is a time-consuming and expensive affair (see inducements, above). Theft, even petty theft in the marketplace, is brutally punished, often by impalement.

Crimes against the Yeomanry (assaulting a soldier or official, theft of state property, interference with state agents) are also harshly penalized. Convicts are frequently impaled, only occasionally imprisoned and set to hard labor for years. If a convict escapes and flees, his family is punished in his place.

There is a separate Ecclesiastical Court system for dealing with offenses by priests against their religious rules, and resolving conflicts between temples.

There is also a dueling code, sometimes preferred by warriors and those who value prestige and honor highly. Duels are fought in the city's gladiatorial arena (every town and city has one). The participants choose the extent of the conflict (to first blood, first one down, to death), and the challengee gets choice of weapons and armor. The winner claims only the items on the person of his defeated foe, and if he wishes, may take his opponent as a slave (with the understanding that the loser's clan can ransom him back for a reasonable fee). Additional arrangements between the combatants ("if I defeat you, you must give me your gilded houseboat") are not allowed, and considered ignoble.

A couple of additional observations to keep things in perspective.  The Yeomanry is much like India from many perspectives.  Having visited that part of the world, a small gift will place you at the head of most lines and result in any number of benefits.  The average family might make 200 Kaitar (gold) a year with the poor well below that.  There is almost an inconceivably vast economic difference between Very High clans and Very Low.  Being Nakome (clanless) and, arguably Very Low, is much like being an Untouchable.

As is generally the case, money is a much more powerful demotivator.  By this I mean, if you don't get a salary raise, you're more likely to be demoralized radically degrading your performance than that you'll work much harder for more money.  Most people won't.  In game terms, it would be much worse not to give expected compensation than to give a huge gift.  The up-side is limited.  Much though is based on expectations.  As an example, a much more substantial gift would be appropriate to influence someone of higher rank or status.

Based on Clan:

VH: (2d6 * 1000) + 1d100, Monthly allowance: 5d10*100, 1d6 guards, 2 personal slaves
H: (3d6 * 100) +  1d100, Monthly allowance: 5d10*10, 1d2 guards, 1 personal slave
M: 5d100
L: 10d10
VL: 6d10

Start with whatever normal equipment you would like.  Please write it down though.  If there is anything truly unusual, please PM me.

Melee Round = 10 seconds
Round = 1 minute
Turn = 10 minutes