Client crashes when I create my character

I start the client, I click new character (I've never played before), and I get a brief glimpse of a window with some text saying I should speak to a man with a brown hat. There's a bell sound, then the client quietly goes away. No error message, no other bizarre behavior.
Windows 7, nvidia graphics card, java 8 build 11 (downgraded to get around a security issue with Minecraft modpacks). What else is handy to know?
- emc
Windows 7, nvidia graphics card, java 8 build 11 (downgraded to get around a security issue with Minecraft modpacks). What else is handy to know?
- emc