Creating a character for The Lurker in the Crypt primarily follows the process outlined in the 7th Edition Call of Cthulhu Keeper Rulebook.

The investigators will be engaged to examine the facts and circumstances surrounding a recent murder, so each character should possess a background that would provide them with the kind of skills that would be useful in such an inquiry.

Some potential professions include:

• Doctor of Medicine
• Author
• Journalist
• Lawyer
• Private Investigator
• Professor
• Psychologist/Psychoanalyst
• Researcher
• Scientist

This list is certainly not exhaustive. Feel free to consult the Call of Cthulhu Investigator Handbook for additional inspiration. If you have an idea that you feel would be a good fit for the expedition, please don’t hesitate to share it.

It might prove helpful for one or more of the investigators to have some points invested in the Occult skull.

The following steps should be followed for the mechanical portion of character creation. These steps are taken from pages 34 and 35 of the 7th Edition Call of Cthulhu Keeper Rulebook. All dice rolls should be made with the in-game RPOL Dice Roller.

• Roll 3d6 for the following characteristics: Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Appearance, and Power. Each roll should be multiplied by 5.
• Roll 2d6+6 for the following characteristics: Size, Intelligence, and Education. Each result should be multiplied by 5.
• Decide on the character’s age. Consult page 32 of the rulebook for any improvement checks or deductions that should be applied as a result of the selected age.
• After characteristics have been finalized, divide each total by 2 and by 5. The full, half and fifth totals for each characteristic should be entered on the character sheet.
• The number of Sanity points your character begins play with is equal to the Power characteristic.
• The number of Magic points your character begins play with is equal to one fifth of the Power characteristic.
• Roll 3d6 and multiply the result by 5 to determine your Luck score.
• Determine your Hit Points by adding your Strength and Constitution scores and dividing the total by 10 (round down).
• Your character’s Movement Rate is determined by a comparison of Dexterity, Strength, and Size and can be further modified by your age. Find your Movement Rate by utilizing the information given on page 33 of the Keeper Rulebook.
• Determine your character’s occupation. The occupation selected will determine your character’s Credit Rating and the number of Occupation Skill Points available to them. Information for both will be listed with the specific occupation’s entry, either in the Sample Occupations section on pages 40 and 41 of the Keeper Rulebook or in the Call of Cthulhu Investigator Handbook.
• Invest points in your Occupational Skills.
• Determine your Personal Interest skill points, which are calculated by multiplying your Intelligence score by 2. Personal Interest skill points may be invested in any skill.
• The combat values Damage Bonus and Build are calculated based on your combined Strength and Constitution scores. The table on page 33 of the Keeper Rulebook will provide both values.
• Look up your character’s Credit Rating score on page 47 of the Keeper Rulebook to determine his or her Cash, Assets, and Spending Level.
• Choose any equipment you would like to have on hand at the scenario’s beginning. Please be reasonable where this is concerned and make certain that what you select is consistent with your character’s occupation and financial means. If I find something like a Lamp of Alhazred listed among your possessions, you can bet that I’ll veto its inclusion. Keep in mind that some equipment needs won’t become clear until certain portions of the scenario unfold and that many of those requirements will ultimately be provided by the expedition’s sponsor.
• Create your character’s backstory utilizing the prompts on your character sheet. You don’t have to have all of this created at the start of the game, but try to establish some of your character’s history. Of prime importance, in terms of mechanics, is your persona’s key connection which can be utilized to restore a certain amount of lost Sanity. Be sure to identify your key connection on your sheet.

I recognize that in any system where characteristics are determined randomly, the dice can occasionally be cruel. Should they be unkind in your case, you have two options:

• If one of your rolls is glaringly bad among a set that is otherwise acceptable, you can make a reroll for the characteristic in question. Please be sure to alert me to the reroll you made.
• If your entire set of rolls is hopeless, you can reroll the whole set from scratch. If you do this, make sure you drop me a PM so I know that’s what you’ve elected to do.

If you’re still unhappy after taking one of those steps, let me know and we’ll figure out how to proceed. In the end result, the goal of this whole process is to produce a character that you’ll be pleased to portray.

In addition, should you have any questions during any part of the character creation process, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will be glad to help in any way that I can.