This game promotes complete roleplaying freedom and thus there are no classes which are commonly found in other games. Instead, you can choose from a wide range of options to develop your very own unique character! While your choice of Feats and Themes are important in defining your character, the best role-playing experience comes from a character with depth—one who has personality and builds close relationships with those around them.

Level 1

When creating a character you must determine your character's Race (see Races) and their Ability Scores (see Ability Scores). Your character should also have at least one Defining Statement and one Trouble.

Additionally, every character gains:

◇ 2 Themes (one must be a Non-combat Theme)

◇ 1 Feat

◇ 14 Background Points to spend

◇ Proficiency in 1 Charisma based Skill

◇ 3 Knowledge Proficiencies

◇ 1 Language

Character Concept

What is your character like? This question is always considered when creating a character, but is also important to ask throughout your time playing them. Because the characters we make up are abstract and only exist in the collective fantasy of the group, I find it helpful to view playing a character as both an effort to play them a certain way and a discovery of what the character is really like as they react in various situations.

Personality is a great place to start when building a character. Are they extroverted, cautious, stern, companionate, or impulsive? You can also start with their backstory and motivation. What is their family like? Why are they traveling in a party? What do they despise?

You can get inspiration for your character anywhere, but here are a few things you might want to consider, which may help you decide who you want to play:

◇ What is your education Level? This will affect the kind of language you use.

◇ What is your general attitude? Are you generally amiable or sullen? Gullible or suspicious?

◇ How might you interact with your companions? Are you eager to help, out to prove yourself, socially awkward, well-meaning but clumsy, longing for attention, a teacher, a bully?

◇ What harmless quirks or ticks does your character have? A slight stammer, tapping finger, stroking mustache, repeating a phrase, tagging a word at the end of sentences, snorting laughter, cleaning dagger, whittling, smoking, biting nails, twirling hair, frequent drooling, jingling purse, clapping hands?

Every character is required to have at least one Defining Statement and one Trouble. However, multiple of each are encouraged. Troubles can lead to very fun role-playing experiences. Note that even each Defining Statement below could get the character into some trouble.

Defining Statements

A phrase that describes your character.

Examples of Defining Statements:

◇ Alisa, the daring Halfling captain of the Sunwave Galley is always eager to put on a show!

◇ “I never back down from a fight when someone else needs protecting!”

◇ Robbed of family and home, Erwin tames an insatiable thirst for the blood of evildoers.

◇ "The survivors aren't the strong, no, throughout history it's the adaptable who triumph!"

Troubles

A phrase that describes a difficulty your character faces.

Examples of Troubles:

◇ “It doesn’t take much for me to lose my temper.”

◇ “The Sicilio Vanguard wants my head on a pike.”

◇ “I have to take care of my sickly sister.”

◇ “Ever since the curse, my vision clouds beyond my outstretched arm.”

Ability Scores

A character’s Ability Scores represents their strengths and weaknesses in certain areas.

Strength represents how physically strong, fast, and fit a character is. A strong character may be brawny or sinewy.

Constitution represents how healthy a character is, their body's resistance to stress and disease, and their general level of energy and stamina. A character with low constitution may be seen as frail, tired, or sickly.

Dexterity represents the physical skill of a character including their hand-eye coordination, sense of balance, and ability to move smoothly. Dexterity is bodily know-how.

Intelligence represents the accumulated knowledge of a character, their ability to retain information, and capacity to use their knowledge to come to logical conclusions.

Wisdom represents a character's instinctive and intuitive sense of how the world works, their mindfulness, and their knack for making good decisions. Wisdom generally increases with age as more life experience is gained and the capriciousness of youth is cast off.

Charisma represents a character's communication skills and thus their ability to convey their thoughts in an effective way and control the outcome of an interaction.

Note that an Ability Score of 8-12 represents the typical capabilities of humans. Though someone who loves to learn and studied in higher education for years would be expected to have an Intelligence of 14-18 and similarly, someone who loves wrestling and has done body building for years would be expected to have a Strength of 14-18. Those with a score of 19 or 20 are usually in the top 5% of their field. Those with a score of 5-7 would stand out as deficient and anyone with a score of 4 or lower is considered handicapped.

With regards to Intelligence, animals typically have 0-2, semi-sentient creatures typically have 4-5, and sentient creatures typically have 7 or above. However, Intelligence is not the sole determinant of sentience.

Determining your Ability Scores

When creating a character, you may roll for Ability Scores or use the point-buy system. Your Ability Scores are also affected by your Race. Every third Level, you may increase two of your Ability Scores by 1. No Ability Score may be increased above 20 in this way.

When determining your character’s Ability Scores, you may either roll for them, or use the point-buy system.

Rolling for Ability Scores

Roll an 8-sided die 6 times. Add 6 to each of the results and distribute the results as you wish among your Ability Scores.

Alternatively, for more variability, you may roll a 10 sided die 6 times and add 5 to the result, and then distribute the results as you wish among your Ability Scores.

Point-Buying Ability Scores

You have 26 points to spend. The costs of an Ability Score is as follows:

Spending Background Points

Every character starts out with 14 Background Points and may spend them in multiple ways, as shown in the table below. Your DM may approve other options for spending Background Points.

Gaining Background Points

You may also give your character certain disadvantages that give you extra Background Points. You must have a rational explanation as to why your character has this penalty (for instance, if you have Disadvantage on Slight of Hand Checks, it might be because you are missing several fingers, and if you have -1 Will it might be because you are easily distracted). It’s a good idea to choose your disadvantages based on your Troubles. Your DM may approve other options for gaining Background Points.

Examples

You are poor, starting with 50% less gold: +1

An injury earlier in life has left you with chronic back pain making you afraid to overexert yourself so you have -1 Fortitude: +1

You are scatterbrained and forgetful so you have -1 Will: +1

You are clumsy and ungainly even on the battlefield, so you have -1 Evasion: +1

You are so frightened of the dark, you will resist ever going into a dark place, even if it's partially lit: +1

You are a very heavy sleeper and it takes physical shaking or the like to awaken you: +1

You have a wooden leg and thus have -2 Speed: +2

You are myopic and can't see clearly beyond a meter: +4

You were born deaf: +6

You had a terrible accident in which you lost an arm: +8

Note: To gain Background Points, you must experience the full disadvantage of the penalty. If you are nearsighted, but have superb hearing and smell, you shouldn't get the full +4 Background Points. If you are deaf, but have telepathy, or can speak perfectly fine and read lips, you shouldn't get the full +6.

Character Advancement

Every 3 Levels, you get to increase two Ability Scores of your choice by +1. Your Defenses, Aura, Stamina, and Spell Bonus are also increased every 3rd Level.

You gain two Themes at Level 1, one of which must be a Non-Combat Theme. Additionally, you gain a Theme every 5 Levels.

Your Tier of play increases every 5 Levels, giving you access to more Feats.

On all Levels which are not multiples of 5, you gain a Feat. At least 1/3 of your Feats gained this way must be Non-Combat Feats (1 by Level 3, 2 by Level 7, 3 by Level 11, 4 by Level 14, and 5 by Level 18). Note that no Feats gained through other means such as through your Race, a Theme, or by spending Background Points affect this requirement.

Every time you gain a Level, you may swap a single Feat you gained through Level progression (not from your Race, Themes, etc.) with another of its Tier or lower. You must still adhere to any Feat requirements you have, such as the minimum number of Non-Combat Feats.

Ability Formulas

The following is a list of formulas used in this game which use Ability Scores. They are compiled here for convenience, but also appear on other pages where their use is described.