The origin of a player character is one of the most unusual things about Obormot's Reign of Winter (compared to other D&D campaigns).

A player character in Obormot's Reign of Winter comes from some fictional world. Almost any kind of fictional world will do—whether it's another Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting (other than Golarion), the world of some fantasy novel or movie, or even our own, real world—and the character may come from any time in that world's history.

There's only one absolute criterion for the world from which a player character can hail: it must contain Baba Yaga—either canonically, or as a natural extension of that world's canonical nature. (For example, Baba Yaga is certainly real in our world; she also exists in any fictional world which is a variant or alternate version of Earth in which Russia, or at least the Slavic peoples, exists. Baba Yaga is also assumed to be present in any fictional world which is based on real-world mythology and in which the “All Myths Are True” trope holds, unless canonically established otherwise.)

And there's likewise an absolute requirement for the backstory and motivations of a player character: he or she must, plausibly, know about Baba Yaga (or be told about her by someone who, plausibly, knows about her), and must, of his or her own free will, seek her out.

Why might someone willingly seek out the Baba Yaga?

Baba Yaga is a being of great supernatural power. It's said that she could be a goddess, if she wished, only she does not want foolish mortals to bother her with prayers, and ask her constantly for trivial things. The sorts of things she's capable of can "break the rules" of reality in ways that very few others can manage. She's also a being of great knowledge; she has lived for untold ages, and has seen more things than, perhaps, any other creature in existence. But she is also capricious and fickle, and will just as soon devour a petitioner as help them, especially if the person offends her.

The old stories tell us why, despite the danger, someone might seek out the infamous witch. A person might:

• go to the Baba Yaga for help rescuing a loved one from some villain, especially a supernatural or otherwise a very powerful one (such as Koschei the Deathless, or the great wyrm Zmei Gorynich).
• ask Baba Yaga for help defeating a villain who threatens their family or loved ones
• ask Baba Yaga for help defeating foreign invaders to their homeland
• ask Baba Yaga for guidance or help with an impossible task given by some other being, such as a divine quest, a task set by an evil king, etc.
• ask Baba Yaga for help getting revenge on those who've wronged them (especially if the transgressor is much too powerful to handle on their own)

All these are requests that the Baba Yaga is likely to grant (for a suitable price, of course—an arduous task of her own, or some sacrifice from the petitioner). The rules of thumb (well known to all who know the stories) are these: first, the request must be virtuous¹; Baba Yaga will not help someone who wants simply to conquer one's enemies or destroy someone they dislike, or whose purpose is otherwise impure or malicious. Second, the request must result in death or suffering, for someone; Baba Yaga will not grant a person help with simply growing crops to feed their people, or with curing a plague. She is a creature of spite, and has a twisted sense of justice; she will help the weak at the expense of the strong, and help the strong who are humble enough to know their weakness.

The story of each player character in Obormot's Reign of Winter begins when he or she goes to seek out the Baba Yaga. What happens when the character finds her—in the middle of some dark, forbidding forest—is the first thing a player finds out when they join the campaign.

Race and Class

Do a player character's race and class depend on the world from which he or she comes?

That is: some worlds which satisfy the requirement described above (meaning that they could potentially be worlds of origin for player characters) do not have any elves, or dwarves. Does this mean a character who hails from that world cannot be an elf or a dwarf? Likewise, some worlds which satisfy the requirement do not have wizards or clerics. Can a character not hail from such a world, and be a wizard or a cleric?

No; a player character's race and class do not necessarily depend on his or her world of origin. This is because, whoever the character was in their world of origin, when they enter the campaign world proper, they become someone different. The character is still the same person "inside"; their memories, their personality, etc. are unchanged. But their body changes²; and they gain new abilities (possibly including magic powers, depending on their class), while losing any special powers they might have had on their home world.

The relationship of a character's new "outward" identity—their race and class in the world of the campaign—to the character's old (i.e. "real") identity, is up to the player to decide. Perhaps the character's new form, and new abilities, represent their true "inner self", unknown even to themselves (until now), and the character finds their new form a surprise. Perhaps the character's new form is the way that they've always seen themselves—a true representation of their self-image. Perhaps the new form is a "translation" of who they were in their world of origin (so, in the case where the character's world of origin is a technologically advanced one, a soldier might become a fighter, or a scientist might become a wizard). Of course, if the character's world of origin is a fantasy world, with elves and wizards and the like, the character might find themselves unchanged after the transition—or not; a dwarven cleric might become, say, a human bard (and a halfling commoner would, at the least, be transformed into a rogue), for any of the reasons here enumerated. Again, all of this is decided by the player.

Background Knowledge

Player characters in Obormot's Reign of Winter find themselves in a strange new world, about which they have little knowledge. But they are not entirely clueless; the same magic that transports them from one world to another, changes their appearance, and grants them new abilities and powers, also places in their mind a certain amount of general background knowledge.

A player character automatically knows some very general facts about their new race: basic customs and the norms of expected behavior, their people's place in the world order, and the rudiments of history, in a vague sort of way, like half-remembered school lessons, learned many years ago. In the same vague way, the character knows some basic facts about the world and its peoples—in the manner of a peasant who has lived all her life in a tiny village, and heard of the wider world only through stories. This knowledge may not come all at once, but may come to light slowly, as the character spends more time in their new world.

A player character also knows how to use any new abilities they may have gained. The exact nature of this knowledge—the way it's experienced by the character—may differ between one person and another. The fighter, who in his old life had never so much as hefted a sword, may simply find, to his surprise, that the movements come naturally, almost as an instinct, the moment that he engages an enemy in combat. The wizard, meanwhile, might find that suddenly, her mind is filled with arcane knowledge; she may instantly realize that she can cast spells, and burn with excitement at the prospect. For some characters, it may feel as if their abilities are simply a part of who they are; that they've always known how to do these things. This, too, may be decided by the player.

Finally, each player character, the moment they meet any people in the new world, finds that they've gained the ability to speak the local common language—not as well as a native speaker, but quite fluently.

¹ Remember that honor, justice, and dignity are virtues.
² The character's sex and gender, both old and new, are entirely up to the player, and have little effect in practice.

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