The character stats screen. After the choices are made these stats are predetermined to match that background.
The left eye of the third skin on With Fire & Sword appears to have a glass eye.
In Mount&Blade, you are given the opportunity to create for yourself a history, a past that occurred before your player starts adventuring in Calradia. Your character is a foreigner to Calradia, though this background has little influence on gameplay, mainly only affecting how certain lords regard you in the early game.
These factors, like the reason for adventuring, affect your starting skills and attributes, as well as equipment and renown value. These values, however, won't make anything impossible, so their impact to later adventuring is significantly diminished. The only choices with any noticeable impact on your chances of success are your gender and your nobility, both of which relate to how willingly nobles accept your presence in the game. Gender can affect how much renown you need for fiefs and kingdoms, whereas nobility only affects their early opinion of you. A male commoner, for example, may find some lords accusing him of being 'another vulture, come to grow fat off of the land,' or claiming that they have no time for common soldiers of fortune. Even these opinions have little effect in the long run; it should be noted, however, that lords expressing these opinions will have a negative relationship with you right from the start.
Once you have chosen your background and proficiency, you will see the character creation screen. First you have to decide whether you want to be allowed to quit without saving. Enabling this will allow you to quit and reload your game to undo a disastrous battle or otherwise experiment with things. You can distribute the skills and attributes, as well as the weapon proficiencies as you like, and as you want your character to be like. You can customize your character more when you gain more skill points during gameplay. You will always gain an additional attribute point when you level up.
After choosing your history, you will then progress to a screen to create you characters face. Along with age and facial hair, there are advanced options for minute facial features like eye depth and face width. These options have sliders bars, allowing you to adjust the characters face to great detail. Age can make one's hair nearly white and adds wrinkles. There is a randomize button as well in case one cannot decide what aesthetics they want for their adventurer. Features can be changed at anytime during game by clicking on your avatar on the Character Screen.
Base character
| Attributes | Proficiencies | Skills | Gender |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
Your father was...
| Father | Attributes | Skills | Proficiencies | Equipment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noble (base) |
INT +1, CHA +1 | Riding +1, Leadership +1 | 1H +2, Pole +7 | Battered Old Round Shield, +100 Denars, +50 Renown, Banner |
| Noble (male) |
CHA +1 | Power Strike +1, Weapon Master +1, Tactics +1 | 2H +15, Pole +14 | +50 Renown, +3 Honor |
| Noble (female) |
INT +1 | Riding +1, Wound Treatment +1, First Aid +1 | 1H +12 | |
| Merchant | INT +2, CHA +1 | Riding +1, Inventory Management +1, Leadership +1, Trade +2 | 2H +15, Pole +7 | +250 Denars, +20 Renown |
| Warrior | STR +1, AGI +1, CHA +1 | Ironflesh +1, Power Strike +1, Weapon Master +1, Trainer +1, Leadership +1 | 1H+2, 2H +23, Pole +33, Throwing +15 | Battered Plain Kite Shield, +50 Denars, +10 Renown |
| Hunter | STR +1, AGI +2 | Power Draw +1, Athletics +1, Tracking +1, Path-finding +1, Spotting +1 | 2H +15, Pole +7, Archery +49 | +30 Denars |
| Nomad (base) |
STR +1, AGI +1, INT +1 | Riding +2, Path-Finding +1 | 1H +2, Pole +7, Archery +32, Throwing +7 | Battered Plain Cavalry Shield, +15 Denars |
| Nomad (male) |
Power Draw +1, Horse Archery +1 | Archery +17, Throwing +8 | ||
| Nomad (female) |
Wound Treatment +1, First Aid +1 | 1H +3 | +5 Denars | |
| Thief | AGI +3 | Power Throw +1, Athletics +2, Looting +1, Inventory Management +1 | 1H +14, Pole +7, Throwing +31 | Throwing Knives, +25 Denars |
Early Life
| Early Life | Attributes | Skills | Proficiencies | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Page | STR +1, CHA +1 | Power Strike +1, Persuasion +1 | 1H +8, Pole +3 | |
| Apprentice | STR +1, INT +1 | Engineer +1, Trade +1 | ||
| Assistant | INT +1, CHA +1 | Inventory Management +1, Trade +1 | ||
| Urchin | AGI +1, INT +1 | Looting +1, Spotting +1 | 1H +8, Throwing +7 | |
| Steppe Child | STR +1, AGI +1 | Power Throw +1, Horse Archery +1 | Archery +24 | +5 Renown |
Adulthood
| Occupation | Attributes | Skills | Proficiencies | Equipment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Squire (male) |
STR +1, AGI +1 | Power Strike +1, Weapon Master +1, Riding +1, Leadership +1 | 1H +23, 2H +38, Pole +22, Archery +16, Crossbows +16, Throwing +14 | Ragged Leather Jerkin, Tattered Leather Boots, Swaybacked Saddle Horse, Rusty Sword, Hunting Crossbow, Bolts, Smoked Fish, +20 Denars |
| Lady in Waiting (female) |
INT +1, CHA +1 | Riding +1, Wound Treatment +1, Persuasion +2 | 1H +8, Crossbows +24 | Sturdy Woollen Hood, Sturdy Woollen Dress, Spirited Courser, Dagger, Hunting Crossbow, Bolts, Smoked Fish, +100 Denars |
| Troubadour | CHA +2 | Weapon Master +1, Path-finding +1, Persuasion +1, Leadership +1 | 1H +19, Crossbows +16 | Sturdy Tabard, Ragged Leather Boots, Swaybacked Saddle Horse, Rusty Sword, Hunting Crossbow, Bolts, Smoked Fish, +80 Denars |
| Student | INT +2 | Weapon Master +1, Wound Treatment +1, Surgery +1, Persuasion +1 | 1H +15, Crossbows +32 | Sturdy linen tunic, Woollen hose, Swaybacked saddle horse, Rusty sword, Hunting crossbow, Bolts, Smoked fish, Book (random), +80 Denars |
| Peddler | INT +1, CHA +1 | Riding +1, Path-finding +1, Inventory Management +1, Trade +1 | Pole +11 | Fur Hat, Leather Jacket, Ragged Leather Boots, Leather Gloves, Saddle Horse, Staff, Hunting Crossbow, Bolts, Smoked Fish, Linen, Pottery, 2x Wool, Sumpter Horse, +90 Denars |
| Smith | STR +1, INT +1 | Weapon Master +1, Tactics +1, Engineer +1, Trade +1 | 1H +11 | Coarse Tunic, Ragged Leather Boots, Saddle Horse, Balanced Sword, Hunting Crossbow, Bolts, Smoked Fish, Tools, +100 Denars |
| Poacher | STR +1, AGI +1 | Power Draw +1, Athletics +1, Tracking +1, Spotting +1 | Pole +7, Archery +57 | Rawhide Coat, Hide Boots, Heavy Sumpter Horse, Chipped Axe, Hunting Bow, Barbed Arrows, 2x Dried Meat, 2x Furs, +10 Denars |
Reason for adventuring
| Reason | Attributes | Skills |
|---|---|---|
| Revenge | STR +2 | Power Strike +1 |
| Loss | CHA +2 | Ironflesh +1 |
| Wanderlust | AGI +2 | Path-finding +1 |
| Forced out | STR +1, INT +1 | Weapon Master +1 |
| Money | AGI +1, INT +1 | Looting +1 |