The player is the protagonist of Mount&Blade II: Bannerlord.
Appearance[]
Just like in previous installments, the player's appearance is highly customizable, with face sculpting and selectable hairstyles making a return. What is new in Bannerlord is that the player's default appearance is now determined by their starting culture, so a player of Khuzait culture for example, will have an 'East Asian' default appearance. Other novelties introduced in Bannerlord were the selection of the player character's voice, body weight and build, and the ability to select facial scars or face-paint.
Early Life[]
Similar to Warband, during character creation, the player can select background details from several lists of options. These lists include: parents' occupation, childhood talent, childhood occupation, early youth occupation, a significant event in their early life, and their age at the start of the playthrough. A couple of new options are added: the establishment of the player's clan's name and banner, and the selection of difficulty options for the playthrough.
Campaign[]
In the story-driven campaign (as opposed to sandbox mode) an additional "question" appears during character creation: the player character's brother's name.
In the campaign it is established that, just prior to the beginning of the game, the player character's family has been attacked by raiders. Their parents were killed and their two younger siblings were taken away as prisoners. The player character along with their brother, who is of roughly the same age, have managed to avoid capture and must now set out in search of the raiders to exact revenge.
In Calradia[]
In sandbox mode, the player is free to do whatever they wish. They can be a merchant, a bandit, a warlord, a manhunter, a tournament participant, start a family, etc. In campaign mode the player still has the freedom to roam the world freely, but is somewhat constricted by the main quest which dictates when certain actions, such as establishing one's kingdom, are best done. Likewise, the main quest gives the player a consistent story that involves them rescuing their two captured siblings, becoming a person of high status, and either reuniting and saving, or destroying the remains of the Calradic Empire.
Both modes start the player with a banner and a Tier 0 clan that can and should be elevated over the course of the playthrough.
Considerations for the Player[]
As "the player", you are the de facto leader of your group and clan. Just like in older titles, your companions can use the skill points they earn when they level up to augment the group. Certain skills have been changed from Warband. Traits were added and these dictate certain additional talents and abilities. For example, the Roguery skill dictates the amount and quality of loot you can get after battles or raids on villages and bandit hideouts, among other things. Traits can additionally increase damage output with specific weapons, affect armor weight and protection ratings, troop wages, map speed, etc.
Starting Stats[]
(to be added)