Creating a new character follows a fairly simple process: 1. The Defining Trait. 2. Choose a Lineage, 3. Assign Attributes, 4. Assign Aptitudes, 5. Choose a Class, 6. Spend Ability Points, 7. Choose Actions and Augments, and 8. Fill in the Details.
The Defining Trait
Before starting the process of creating a character, you need a primary idea for that character, who they are, what they desire. This may seem daunting, but you need only a single sentence to establish a character’s Defining Trait. Everything else flows from that and can be discovered or created naturally as the game progresses.
The Defining Trait is not a special power or unique gift that makes your character overpowered and godlike—though it could be. Rather it is the seed from which your unique story grows. You and the SysAdmin should use your character’s Defining Trait as a launching platform for story elements, figuring out how to interact with other characters, goals and aspirations, and other values your character may have.
Although you could write a lengthy description of your character, one sentence should be enough to explain your Defining Trait. Here are some good examples of Defining Traits.
- I was born in a world without magic, don’t know how I got here, and everything is brand new.
- I’m the disowned child of the king’s deceased first wife and desire my rightful inheritance.
- I was raised in a cult to a false god and secretly escaped as a teen. That cult never lets anyone leave alive.
- I am the toughest in the world. No, really, punch me. Punch me! Do it! Do it now!
- My grandmother always said we were descended from dragons. Nobody believed her until I was born with a patch of red scales across my shoulders.
- I became a priest after sneaking into a temple to steal from it, getting caught by the guards and being mistaken for the new acolyte scheduled to arrive that day. I never found out what happened to the real acolyte but still use his name to this day.
- I’ve always wanted to be recognized as a hero and have trained my whole life for it, but all my accomplishments are attributed to others.
- I was once a conscript forced into battle by my lord. My last memory is of painfully dying on a battlefield in a war that I am now told ended centuries ago.
- I am the chosen champion of the goddess! What do you mean you’ve never heard of her?!
- I am an artist, a painter by trade. The battlefield is my canvas, and the blood of my enemies the finest quality paint.
- Unlike other cultivators, the qi I gather to strengthen myself comes from a sleeping eldritch abomination rather than the Heavenly Dao.
- My great and wondrous powers must never again be used personal gain… starting tomorrow.
- I have never lost a drinking contest in my life! I just hope nobody realizes I’ve never participated in a drinking contest either.
Choose a Lineage
Every individual is a member of a particular Lineage, often also referred to as one’s race or heritage. Be they human, elf, orc, Martian, half-dinosaur/half-chupacabra, or whatever else may exist in a particular Realm, each individual will belong to one particular Lineage.
Generally speaking, this has no affect on the mechanics of the game and is purely a narrative element for the character. However, some SysAdmins may give certain bonuses or penalties to one Lineage or another, such as an orc having a naturally higher Prowess or a dwarf getting a bonus to Checks for mining and blacksmithing or a werewolf having a transformation Ability unique to their Lineage. Most Realms only have a limited number Lineages, while some others may have anything and everything you could imagine and more. Perhaps there is even a Realm where each individual forges their own unique Lineage as they grow and develop. If you choose to use such rules in your games, then the details are left up to your imagination to fill in.
Ultimately, when dealing with The System, where you come from matters less than what you choose to do with what you’ve been given.
Assign Attributes
Each character begins with 8 Attribute Points to spend on the eight Attributes: Might, Fortitude, Dexterity, Agility, Intellect, Guile, Presence, and Luck.
Each Attribute begins at 0, and each point assigned to an Attribute increases that Attribute by 1. Attributes may also be decreased, granting 1 additional point for each point by which an Attribute it lowered.
An “average” character should have no Attribute higher than 2 or lower than -2; however, some extraordinary individuals do exist. If an Attribute is raised beyond 2, each increase instead costs 2 points instead of 1. So, to get an Attribute of 4, one would need to spend 6 of their Attribute Points. (This extra cost for Attributes only applies at this step.)
Particularly powerful individuals may begin with more than 8 Attribute Points while particularly weak individuals may begin with fewer.
Details on specific Attributes can be found in Attributes and Aptitudes.
Assign Aptitudes
Each character begins with 30 Aptitude Points to spend on the eight Aptitudes: Prowess, Mana, Psi, Spirit, Soul, Qi, Aether, and Eldritch.
Each Aptitude begins at 0, and each point assigned to an Aptitude increases that Aptitude by 1. Unlike Attributes, Aptitudes may not be decreased below 0. A score of zero means that an individual absolutely cannot learn any Abilities related to that Aptitude and will perform rather poorly in those areas.
An “average” character should have no Aptitude higher than 8 with few having an Aptitude higher than 5; however, some extraordinary individuals do exist. If an Aptitude is raised beyond 8, each increase instead costs 2 points instead of 1. So, to get an Aptitude of 10, one would need to spend 12 of their Aptitude Points. (This extra cost for Aptitudes only applies at this step.)
Details on specific Aptitudes can be found in Attributes and Aptitudes.
Choose a Class
The System offers the same four basic Classes across most Realms. While there are a few exceptions, these four Classes are the only options that the vast majority of individuals will have available at first choice: Warrior, Mage, Scout, and Laborer.
Each Class offers a selection of three Abilities from the list of Abilities exclusive to that particular Class or preferred by that Class. Most individuals end up with two Class-Exclusive Abilities and one Preferred General Ability available to them. These are randomly selected from all Abilities available for their Class, but you’re free to just choose which ones are available to you if you want to be boring about it.
While it is possible to change Classes, an individual loses access to all Abilities exclusive to their Class and gains access to new Abilities exclusive to their new class. (Abilities gained through other means aren’t affected by changing Class.)
Details on specific Aptitudes can be found in System Classes.
Spend Ability Points
As a brand new character, an individual gains 1 Ability Point which can be spent on any of their three granted Abilities. This raises that Ability to Rank 1 and officially makes the person 1st Level.
Further details on how Abilities work and on specific Abilities can be found in Abilities, Actions, and Augments.
Choose Actions and Augments
Each starting Ability has possesses a total of three randomly assigned Actions and Augments. Once an Ability Point is invested in an Ability, the Ability Point transforms into an Augment Point which can be spent on any of the three Actions and Augments available for that Ability.
Finish the Details
There are a number of other small incidentals that will also need to be determined before you are ready to play the game. These steps are handled automatically within the narrative of the stories and largely go unnoticed by the characters in the books. However, they are important when using this to play an actual game.
Vitality
This is a measure of how much physical punishment an individual can endure before succumbing to their wounds. It takes into consideration their physical resistance to damage as well as their ability to evade damage or turn deadly attacks into glancing blows and how long they can continue to exert themselves before being overcome by exhaustion.
A person’s Vitality is equal to the sum of their physical Attributes (Might, Fortitude, Dexterity, and Agility), their Prowess Aptitude, and twice their total Level.
Defenses
An individual has four forms of defense: Evasion, Toughness, Psyche, and Resilience. In general, only one pair of these Defenses will apply against an attack—Evasion and Toughness against physical attacks and Psyche and Resilience against nonphysical attacks.
Evasion
This is a person’s ability to dodge or evade attacks. Ducking and weaving through melee, sidestepping arrows, or leaping out of the way of an explosive magical fireball are all forms of Evasion. When making an attack, your System Check for that attack must overcome the target’s Evasion to successfully hit them.
An individual’s Evasion is equal to their Agility plus any bonuses from equipment, magic, or other effects.
Toughness
The ability to sustain damage and withstand attacks is called Toughness. This number is subtracted from any amount of physical damage an individual takes, whether that’s from a weapon, a spell, or simply falling and scraping a knee. For attacks which don’t deal damage, Toughness may reduce or negate the effect.
An individual’s Toughness is equal to their Fortitude plus any bonuses from equipment, magic, or other effects.
Psyche
This is a person’s ability capacity to safeguard their mind and spirit against non-physical attacks, such as mental manipulation, psychic intrusions, and spiritual harm. Psyche is representative one’s inner strength, resilience, and mental fortitude, serving as a vital shield against esoteric and metaphysical dangers.
An individual’s Psyche is equal to their Guile plus any bonuses from equipment, magic, or other effects.
Resilience
The measure of an individual’s ability to endure mental and magical attacks is known as Resilience. This number is subtracted from any amount of non-physical damage an individual takes, such as from many forms of magic, psychic assaults, and certain energy attacks. For attacks which don’t deal damage, Resilience may reduce the duration or lessen the severity of the effect.
An individual’s Resilience is equal to their Presence plus any bonuses from equipment, magic, or other effects.
Esoteric Abilities
Numerous Abilities exist which harness magic spells, psychic might, or call upon supernatural beings. All such Abilities are called Esoteric Abilities and often have their own Details associated with them.
There is not one single rule that governs all of these Abilities, but they generally all use a pool of resources based on the related Aptitude. For the most common Esoteric Abilities, the size of this resource pool is equal to Aptitude plus bonuses from any related Augments.