That's you, by the way
A hero is two things. The first (and less important) is a collection of stats, abilities, skills, etc. that determine your characters abilities mechanically . The second is a life. There's no line on your character sheet for "personality" or "hopes and dreams" or "most downright cool achievement to date". All of these things are created over the course of play, not in character creation. Those things are not the focus of this chapter. We're dealing with the stats and abilities here.
At first glance, it might seem like there are a bewildering number of details to fill in on your character sheet. However, creating a character is fairly simple if you have a general plan going in. Just follow these steps in order:
And you‚ve done all the important steps. The rest just involve filling in the boxes on your character sheet for reference in game (such as Toughness and Will).
The five ability scores are, as follow: Strength, Dexterity, Endurance, Intelligence, and Spirit. These five abilities represent your character's basic strengths and weaknesses. Normal human range is between 2 and 4 for each of these. An ability of 3 is always defined as average for a human. A higher score represents natural ability in that area, as well as a knack for learning skills and techniques. So, a character with a high strength is not merely very strong, but also certain-strength based abilities (such as, say, many sports, wrestling, or fighting) come naturally to him. This is represented by gaining additional skill points (see Chapter 2: Skills for more information) in skills governed by that ability score. Ability scores increase and decrease exponentially, so strength 4 is significantly more than twice as strong as strength 2, even though the number is only double. An ability increase of +3 roughly corresponds to being four times as talented in that area.
At character creation, you have fifteen ability points to place in the five abilities. They must be between 2 and 4 before racial and other modifiers. This is your “base” ability in each of the five categories, and is used to determine how many skill points you receive every level.
The main function of each ability score is to determine how many skill ranks a character gets every level. You use the base ability (the number between 2 and 4 that you chose) for determining how many skills you learn, but for everything else you use the total ability.
Your character's strength is, well, how strong he is. It's exactly what it says on the tin. Strength is used to determine carrying capacity, damage dealt in melee, the size of weapon you can wield, etc.. Strength is your muscles, plain and simple. Players who anticipate a lot of melee combat and heavy lifting should take a high strength score. The strength ability is independent of size, so a giant human that is only proportionally as strong as an average human has strength 3, despite the fact that he could easily lift cars. See Scale in Chapter 3: Combat for more information on size.
|
Strength Score |
Description |
Example |
|
0 |
Paralyzed* |
A jam sandwich |
|
1 |
Feeble |
A very unhealthy human |
|
2 |
Weak |
A notably scrawny human |
|
3 |
Average |
The vast majority of humanity |
|
4 |
Strong |
A professional athlete |
|
5 |
Mighty |
The upper echelon of human weightlifters, a Vampire |
|
6+ |
Superhuman |
A super-powered robot |
|
*See Nonabilities, later in this chapter | ||
Your character's dexterity is a the control he has over his movement. It's his nimbleness and reflexes. A character with a high dexterity may be sneaky, good at dodging, be built like a dancer, etc.. Dexterity is also used in determining who acts first in combat. Players who anticipate a lot of ranged combat and stealth should take a high dexterity score. Wearing heavy armour or carrying heavy loads can impose penalties to dexterity skills.
|
Dexterity Score |
Description |
Example |
|
0 |
Paralyzed* |
A jam sandwich |
|
1 |
Sluggish |
A very unhealthy human |
|
2 |
Slow |
A notably slow human |
|
3 |
Average |
The vast majority of humanity |
|
4 |
Quick |
A professional gymnast |
|
5 |
Lightning |
The quickest of humanity |
|
6+ |
Superhuman |
A supernaturally fast being such as a Vampire |
|
* see Nonabilities, later in this chapter | ||
Your character's endurance is how much of a beating he can take before he goes down, how well he can survive in adverse environments, and how much it takes before he collapses from exhaustion. Endurance is added to every character's Toughness score and is used to determine how much armour he can wear. Players who want to be able to take a lot of damage before going down should take a high endurance score.
|
Endurance Score |
Description |
Example |
|
0 |
Dead* |
A jam sandwich, a zombie |
|
1 |
Sickly |
A very unhealthy human |
|
2 |
Frail |
A notably flimsy human |
|
3 |
Average |
The vast majority of humanity |
|
4 |
Tough |
A professional distance runner |
|
5 |
Invincible |
Olympic distance runners |
|
6+ |
Superhuman | |
|
* see Nonabilities, later in this chapter | ||
Your character's intelligence score represents his rational thinking and cognitive abilities. It also reflects his ability to learn new things and react to new surroundings. Intelligence determines how perceptive a character can be, how much and how quickly he can learn, and generally how 'smart' he is.
|
Intelligence Score |
Description |
Example |
|
0 |
Comatose* |
A jam sandwich |
|
1 |
Handicapped |
A very unintelligent human, most animals |
|
2 |
Dim |
A notably slow human |
|
3 |
Average |
The vast majority of humanity |
|
4 |
Clever |
A highly talented scientist, writer, lawyer, etc. |
|
5 |
Genius |
The very best and brightest |
|
6+ |
Superhuman | |
|
* see Nonabilities, later in this chapter | ||
Your character's spirit score is your sheer strength of will. If Intelligence is how quick your mind is, Spirit is how powerful your personality is. Spirit is the attribute for charisma, magic power, faith, and other skills.
|
Spirit Score |
Description |
Example |
|
0 |
Comatose* |
A jam sandwich |
|
1 |
Sheeple | |
|
2 |
Dull | |
|
3 |
Average |
The vast majority of humanity |
|
4 |
Vibrant | |
|
5 |
Heroic | |
|
6+ |
Superhuman | |
|
* see Nonabilities, later in this chapter | ||
An ability multiplier is calculated based off of your ability score„ so a character‚s strength multiplier is based off of his strength score. An ability multiplier is calculated as follows: =4^(Ability-3)/3) rounded to one decimal place.
|
Relevant Ability Score |
Ability Multiplier |
|
0 |
0.3 |
|
1 |
0.4 |
|
2 |
0.6 |
|
3 |
1.0 |
|
4 |
1.6 |
|
5 |
2.5 |
|
6 |
4.0 |
|
7 |
6.3 |
|
8 |
10.1 |
Ability multipliers are used to calculate things like weapon and armour effort (ie, how big of a sword you can swing), and how much a character can carry. Multipliers are used whenever a linear increase in ability scores results in a nonlinear increase in effects such as carrying capacity.
In general, bonuses from the same (or a very similar) source do not stack with each other. Penalties, however, do stack with each other. Bonuses with the same name never stack.
For example, if you have two +1 Innate bonuses to Knowledge, you only get +1. If you had a +2 and a +1 Innate bonus, you would get +2. If you had a +1 Innate bonus and a +1 circumstance bonus, they would stack to be +2.
Ability boosts and drains are usually temporary modifications to ability scores, such as Strength and Spirit. Some things cause permanent boosts or drains, particularly Innate racial modifiers. While boosts and drains modify your abilities, they do not change the skill points a character gets every level.
Some creatures have ability scores marked with an asterisk (*) instead of a number. This is because that creature has a nonability. This is different from an ability score of zero.
A character or creature with an ability score of 0 is almost always the victim of some sort of disease, curse, or special attack. Depending on the ability score, effects vary:
A character‚s race comprises two parts: the core Race and an optional racial background. Not all race and racial background combinations will be available in any campaign, check with your GM.
Bonuses from races, racial backgrounds, and character backgrounds do not stack with each other. Penalties do, however.
Ability Modifiers: Most races have ability score boosts and penalties. These are permanent changes to your abilities, and cannot be removed. They do not affect the number of skills you get per level. See: Ability Boosts and Drains in Chapter 3: Combat for more information.
Some races get an Innate Penalty to skills. At character creation or when levelling up, you can sacrifice two skill ranks from any ability (they can be from different abilities) to permanently remove this penalty.
There are seven races presented here, but the GM should feel free to introduce custom ones into his campaign. Not every race is available to the PCs in every campaign; for example one set in the modern times or the future is unlikely to have goblins, and even in a typical fantasy setting it might be wildly inappropriate for a character to play as an orc.
Physical Description: Look at yourself in the mirror. Chances are, you are a human. Humans are among the tallest of the seven races, topped only by orcs.
Personality: Humans are the most diverse and adaptable of the seven races. They are capable of learning and doing almost anything they set their minds to. They are extremely diverse in their customs and traditions
Game Statistics:
Elves
Physical Description: Elves resemble humans from a distance, although the differences become readily apparent up close. Elves are shorter and slenderer than humans typically are, with an average height of about 160 cm (5‚4”), without any noticeable height difference between men and women. They move with an innate grace that many humans find attractive, and have characteristically pointed ears. Elves are by far the longest-lived of the seven races, with an average lifespan of roughly 1,000 years, but very rarely have children. An elf is not considered an adult until she has reached her hundredth year.
Personality: Elves, due to their incredibly lengthy lifespan, tend to look at the world in a very different way from humans. They are much more conservative in their thinking, and while they don‚t necessarily dislike new ideas, it frequently doesn‚t occur to them that there might be a better way to go about it than they have been for the past several centuries. Elves tend to take the long view in thinking, remaining aloof from what they view as minor squabbles (a decades-long war is the blink of an eye to them). Their long lives result in incredibly deep relationships between elves, who have known their friends, and family for longer than most human nations exist. This results in what to a human might seem disproportionate rage at the death of a loved one. Despite this, elves take lives only on very rare occasions because, to an elf, a life cut short is a horror unlike any other. For this reason, their behaviour can, again to a human, seem cowardly at times „ they have much more to lose if they die in a meaningless battle.
Game Statistics:
Physical Description: Halflings get their name from being much shorter than a human, with an average height of about 100cm (just over three feet), and an average weight of about 15-20 kg. They more than make up for their small stature in verve, however, and are known to (when absolutely necessary) show extraordinary resolve. Halflings are much more likely to have curly hair than straight, and Halfling men rarely have facial hair.
Personality: Halflings are, generally calm and conservative folk. However, they have been known to push themselves to accomplish feats of bravery that stagger the larger races. Halflings are rumoured to have a loose view of the finer points of property ownership, a fact which they fervently deny. Halflings are known for their upfront honesty, which may only be because they are so rarely caught lying.
Game Statistics:
Dwarves
Physical Description: Dwarves are short, stocky humanoids with well-developed muscles and a tendency to grow long beards. Dwarves rarely grow more than four feet tall, but make up for their lack of height in thick muscles and tough hide. Dwarf females are almost identical appearing to dwarf males (they have beards, too), leading to rumours that there are no dwarf women.
Personality: Dwarves are generally honest and conservative, and tend to dislike new ideas. They have a deep hatred of goblins caused by generations of war, and frequently attack them on sight. Outside of their homes in the mountains and underground, dwarves are rarely seen unarmed.
Game Statistics:
Orcs
Physical Description: Orcs are massive, slow-witted, green-skinned humanoid creatures. Their tall bodies are covered in rippling muscles, and their teeth are long, pointed, and fanglike. Orcs, when standing straight, would be more than seven feet tall, though they usually walk in a lazy slouch.
Personality: Orcs love violence, and they love it up close and personal. Generally, they avoid ranged combat ƒ although whether they avoid it because they are terrible shots, or whether they are terrible shots because they avoid it is unclear. When they do use ranged attacks, they like to find the largest, flashiest weapon they can get their hands on.
Game Statistics:
Physical Description: Goblins are slightly shorter than humans. They are quick and have a knack for moving around completely silently. Goblins have disproportionately large eyes for seeing in the dark.
Personality: Goblins have a tendency towards cruelty and violence. They are fairly cowardly at heart (though not so cowardly as Gretchin, who are famous for it), and will generally not fight to the death.
Game Statistics:
Gretchin
Physical Description: Gretchin are even smaller than Halflings, and always seem to be moving slightly. They never stand perfectly still. Gretchin have remarkably good posture to maximise their minimal height. Despite their size, they are deceptively tough and quick.
Personality: Gretchin are clever and skilled with machines, but due to their lack of size they are frequently captured and enslaved by Orcs and Goblins. This has led Gretchin, as a species, towards a cynical and cowardly way of life.
Game Statistics:
All bonuses and penalties from racial backgrounds are Innate bonuses and penalties, and therefore do not stack with bonuses from race.
Forest
Mountain
Tundra
Nomadic
Nocturnal
If the background has a separate listing for modern starting gear and wealth, use that in a modern or futuristic setting. If it has only one listing, use that in both.
“Starting Conditions” refer broadly to the state of a character‚s wealth at the beginning of play. This includes residence, on-hand clothing, and social status. These conditions are relative to the setting, and can be voluntarily lowered by the player (for example, a player may wish to play a destitute, out of work performer instead of a successful one). For example, in a modern setting, an upper class character might have a fancy downtown suite or a large suburban residence and a luxury car, a middle class character might have a small house or apartment and a decent car, a lower class character might have no car or an old beaten up one and a small apartment in a bad district, and a destitute character would have no car and probably be homeless. In a fantasy setting, an upper class character has a manor and possibly a title, a middle class character has a small house, a lower class character might have a tiny cottage, and a destitute character would probably be homeless.
Athlete
Religious
Performer
Dealmaker
Medical
Drifter
Covert