In the world of Morrowind, your character's history, behavior, and adventures have a profound affect on the story that you create and your place in society. Choosing your character race and class are arguably the most important decisions you'll make, and as luck would have it, you'll get to do it right at the beginning of the game.

What's Your Name?
This one's easy. As soon as you wake up from a nightmare in the belly of a prison ship, a fellow prisoner named Jiub asks your name. This might have little effect on gameplay, but you'll see it on screen a lot when people you meet call you by name. Make sure it's something that won't drive you nuts.Then along comes the guard—time to trot up on deck and step out onto dry land.

You've Arrived—But From Where?
Before you can touch solid ground, an Imperial soldier asks whence you hail—in other words, it's time to choose your race! You've got three basic types to choose from; but ten races in all.

Humans
Morrowind humans come in four flavors. The unassuming Breton people have a deep connection to the magical arts. The barbarian Nord are your typical wild warrior folk of the North, the dark-skinned, while fleet-footed Redguards have an innate talent for the long blade. The Romanesque Imperials—the folks in charge of the Empire, natch—can excel in many fields, but of all the human races, they do best with diplomacy and social interaction.

Elves
The Dark Elves—"Dunmer" in their own language—are the single most common race in this corner of Tamriel (the greater world that holds the large island of Morrowind). Many Dunmer have an affinity for destructive magic and weapons of stealth. Their cousins the High Elves are likely the oldest race in all of Tamriel. They're innately magical, but these "Altmer" are also susceptible to magicka. Wood Elves usually live well outside the larger towns and cities, and in general are agile and sharp-eyed. They make excellent thieves and assassins.

Beast Peoples
Elves and humans refer to all other intelligent races as the "Beast Peoples." The reptilian Argonians can breath water like salamanders. Athletic and somewhat primitive by Imperial standards, the lizard folk fight well with the spear and also do well as alchemists. The feline Khajiit hail from the land of Elsweyr—no race is stealthier or more fleet of foot. The claws and agility
of the cat-men also make them excellent monks, a class that relies on unarmed attacks. The green-skinned, muscular Orc people are typical fantasy-setting orcs—heavy of brow and prominent of underbite. In melee combat, an orc is a walking tank.

The Choice is Yours
After you walk off the dock and into the census office, the census taker gives you three ways to choose your class. Any character of any race can do anything, though obviously not all do as well in every job. A sneaky Khajiit would be out-of-place in an armored Imperial Legion, and a gentle Breton would probably make a lousy assassin.

This method requires the least amount of planning, but can leave you with a really unbalanced character if you're not careful. Press 'Y' and the census taker hits you with a multiple-choice personality test. Your answers to these hypothetical questions determine your class. This method is for those who want to be surprised—which definitely won't include everybody—and beginners.

Choose Class

Pressing 'X' lets you choose from a long list of classes ranging from the agile Acrobat to the club-swinging Barbarian to the deadly Nightblade. This is probably going to be the method most intermediate players choose—the classes are already balanced, but you'll get more control over your destiny and have an easier time matching up your race's skills to a class.

Custom Class

Experts and control freaks alike jump at this option. Press 'A' to create your own class from scratch. You'll choose a specialty—combat, magic, or stealth—two favorite attributes, along with your hero's major and minor skills. This method lets you build a class that includes, for example, all of the skills for which your race receives bonuses. Probably not for beginners or intermediate players; it's easy to make a really unbalanced character if you're not careful.

What's Your (Birth)Sign?
Finally, the census taker asks your sign. He's not asking for a date (at least we hope not)—he just wants to know what special abilities your character has been granted by fate and astrology. A character's birthsign is the frosting on the character cake. Playing a mage? You might want to select The Mage, a sign that increases your magical ability. Assassins might choose The Shadow, which grants the power of invisibility; fighters often go for the sign of The Warrior, which increases your attack skills. Choose from thirteen signs in all.

Right, Then…
Congratulations, you're a character! You've got a few more things to do before heading out into the streets of Seyda Neen.

Leave via the unlocked door and go all the way to the end of the hall, then go downstairs and open the door. This basement, and the bedroll that somebody left in the corner, makes a good place to rest for free when you're in town—sleeping in the streets will get you arrested. Head back up and turn left into the room full of goodies. You should see a shelf full of stuff on the left, and a table covered in food, utensils, and even a dagger. Go ahead and take everything, no one's going to stop you and you'll want to sell it later. Don't miss the lockpicks under the candleholder—you can use it to open the extremely simple lock that seals the treasure chest on the bottom shelf. The gold inside will come in handy. Go out the door opposite the where you entered the room and walk through the courtyard. Be sure to take everything in the barrel beside the entry to the next building. Talk to Sellus Gravius, an Imperial Legionnaire who will take your papers and send you out into the streets. Be sure to ask him about everything—he's got a mission for you, if you choose to accept it.

…Off You Go
Congratulations, you're a free being! First things first, talk to the townsfolk, especially Fargoth the wood elf. He can help you get much better prices at your next stop—the Tradehouse—where you can sell the things you stole from the census office and buy some equipment. After that, explore a bit, build up your skills, and start with the adventuring, already. It's a big, dangerous, fascinating world out there.

Comments about this article?