Post question or gameplay discussions here. It's our first time doing PBP, so let's see how it goes!
One of the main themes of the campaign will be our character's rise from obscurity. In such an 'Old England'-type atmosphere, the caste system is largely in place and upwards mobility is something that only exists in fairy tales. It is quite true in the Americas and Western culture that anyone can grow up to be anything they'd like to be. In the movies, we see it all of the time. We especially see young 20-somethings leading entire corporations or government agencies. You'll see none of that here!
CHARACTER IDEAS
Think: king's court, servants, squires, knights, guards, craftsmen, cooks, entertainers,
BARD: storyteller, actor, scribe, historian, at our low level he likely carries out menial tasks, entertain the locals, rumormonger, spy,
ROGUE: excellent skills to get around by, can get into secure places(possibly), magic traps will abound, can take nearly any role and be anything,
FIGHTER: a knight in training, a guard, a squire, the Fear bonus will come in handy and will be used,
PALADIN: holy knights to protect the king and the church and its clergy, guard clergy and nobility, fight battles, starting as one of these will mean a more advanced background... more likely to be answer to the church than the militia
WIZARD/SORCEROR: educated, destructive and Necromantic or harmful spells are likely not known or used except through some dark cause. Divination and Transmutation are popular spells. Destructive spells might require some RP'ing to attain (even while gaining a level)
CLERIC: 100% loyal to the king, who serves as the head of the religion. (Think: ruler by Divine Right...to disobey the king is to disobey God). Could minister to the people, be an emissary, be an assistant to a Bishop or important person, etc...
RANGER: typical
DRUID: lives on the outskirts, swears no loyalty to the king, more of a skeptic (probably not a good choice for the group)
BARBARIAN: much like the druid, CIVILITY is an important quality to have in the society, it'd be tough to get by without it
MONK: hadn't given it much thought, but possible to fit into a role the cleric or paladin might take up
CAVALIER: a base class that might suffice, more of a freelance horseman hired by the King's men to train knights, maybe a free agent traveler, choosing an Order will be tough, might have to create a new one
INQUISITORS: not something I am familiar with, but they definitely fit into the society where one religion is king and all others are heresies. I like the idea of a run-away clergy with the Inquisition.
WESTERN CULTURE VS MEDIEVAL CULTURE
When we look at Western Culture in recent years we see it characterized by living out the dream and being able to go from nothing to greatness. Since the 1990's we have seen 28-years old 'geniuses' running corporations and gov't agencies when, in fact, CEO's are almost always people who've put in their 30 years working their way up the ladder. Whatever influence it has had, I think it is important to distinguish between NOW and THEN.
Medieval Culture was one of Kingship, Lordship, and Serfdom. There wasn't class mobility and most people took after their family's trade. Some lived life outside the law as bandits and outlaws. One could even think of Robin Hood, although, this King Arik is generally revered and respected. (But I suppose a bandit (ranger) making a living preying on others is a possibility) Changes in leadership were not brought about by dissatisfaction with the public like they are today. Rather, you might live your whole life with one King or Queen. As it is, King Arik and Queen Theresa have ruled for as long as you can remember.
Fantasy tales are ones of breaking new barriers and being the exception to the rule. However, we'll start off in ordinary, everyday life.