Rather than having classes to choose from, Mount&Blade instead lets you decide elements of your past which help determine your starting abilities and equipment and acts as a sort of difficulty setting. Unlike some RPGs your starting stats are not "rolled" for you, so every time you choose a particular background element the base stats will be the same.
Once you have chosen the aspects of your background you move onto point distribution.
The information below is applicable for v1.011. For earlier versions see Mount&Blade/Character creation/pre1.011
Base character
| Attributes | Proficiencies | Skills | Gender |
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Your father was...
| Father | Attributes | Skills | Proficiencies | Equipment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Noble (if male) | INT +1, CHA +2 | Power Strike +1, Weapon Master +1, Riding +1, Tactics +1, Leadership +1 | 1H +2, 2H +15, Pole +21 | Battered old round shield, +100 Denars, +100 Renown, +3 Honour, Banner |
| Noble (if female) | INT +2, CHA +1 | Riding +2, Wound Treatment +1, First Aid +1, Leadership +1 | 1H +14, Pole +7 | Battered old round shield, +100 Denars, +50 Renown, Banner |
| 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 (if male) | STR +1, AGI +1, INT +1 | Power Draw +1, Riding +2, Horse Archery +1, Path-finding +1 | 1H +2, Pole +7, Archery +49, Throwing +15 | Battered plain cavalry shield, +15 Denars |
| Nomad (if female) | STR +1, AGI +1, INT +1 | Riding +2, Path-finding +1, Wound Treatment +1, First Aid +1 | 1H +5, Pole +7, Archery +32, Throwing +7 | Battered plain cavalry shield, +20 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 | Profiencies | 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 only) | STR +1, AGI +1 | Power Strike +1, Weapon Master +1, Riding +1, Leadership +1 | 1H +23, 2H +38, Pole +22, Archery +16, XBows +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 only) | INT +1, CHA +1 | Riding +1, Wound Treatment +1, Persuasion +2 | 1H +8, XBows +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, XBows +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, XBows +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 |
Point distribution
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.
Once you have decided on a saving mode you get to distribute points to your skills and attributes (see those pages for more information on what each does). Before you can continue you must distribute all skill, attribute, and weapon points, and also give your character a name.
Face generation
Next you get to customise your face. You can rotate the face by holding 
and dragging around, and you can customise various features by moving the sliders or clicking the buttons. You can also click Randomize to have the game create a face (which you can then tweak if you wish). Once you're happy with your face, click Done to finish your character. You may change your looks later on, through the character page.