In order to play the game you'll need to create a character. Before you get out the pencil, first think about your character. What do you want to be able to do with this character? What kind of person is he or she? What is their background and motivations?
To create a character you will need to choose a Template or make your own. There are a couple of for creating your own characters instead of using a template.
Character Creation Methods
Templates
Templates are designed to speed up the character creation process by offering half filled out character sheet. They will already have dice distributed among the attributes according to what a character typically would have for that type of template. Seven dice to distribute to which ever skills desired.
A few starting character templates have been provided at the end of this book. (For information on reading the template, see “Try It Out!”. To get started right away, pick one and distribute seven skill dice among the skills listed; the dice for attributes have already been done for you. Note that the listed skills are the ones that type of character might typically have, though you could include others not on the list if you’d like.
For skill descriptions and details on how to distribute skill dice, see Skills.
If desired, you can fill in the other character features (such as gender, age, and so on) and provide any additional notes on the character’s history. There is no need to purchase equipment, as that has already been figured for the characters.
Defined Limits
If you wish to make your own starting character from scratch, without a template but with defined limits on what can be put into attributes and skills, use these guidelines. Here each characteristic is described in more detail, including examples on how you can split the dice.
These guidelines assume you’ll make a normal Human character. If not, talk with your gamemaster about the minimums, maximums, and other requirements for the character race you want to use. Peruse the “Non-Human Races” chapter for some sample ideas. See the various sections in this chapter for details on dice distribution and figuring out other aspects of your character.
Attributes: Distribute 18 dice among the seven attributes. The minimum is 1D and the maximum is 5D in all attributes except Extranormal attributes, which remains at 0D for most characters.
Skills: Distribute seven dice among the skills. The maximum number of dice added to any one skill is 3D.
Move: This equals 10 meters per round.
Body Points: If your gamemaster is using this characteristic, roll your character’s Physique and add 20 to the total. Ignore this characteristic if your gamemaster is only using Wounds.
Wounds: If your gamemaster is using the Wound levels option with Body Points, see the appropriate table in the “Damage and Body Points” section of the “Damage” chapter to determine the range of Body Points associated with each Wound level. If your gamemaster only will use Wounds, you don’t need to figure out the Body Points range; you can put a line through that column if you’d like.
Strength Damage: Drop the pips from your character’s Physique or lifting score (including any Special Abilities or Disadvantages that affect the die code), divide the number by 2, and round up. This is the Strength Damage die code.
Funds: Funds and Silver reveal how much wealth your character can usually get at without too much trouble. All characters start with a base Funds die code of 3D. Check “Funds” in this chapter for modifiers to this roll and how to convert this number to coins. The cash equivalent of Funds goes on the Silver line.
Character Points: Characters start with five Character Points.
Fate Points: Characters start with one Fate Point.
For equipment, Advantages, Disadvantages, Special Abilities, background, and character features, see the appropriate sections in this chapter for more details on how to fill out these optional sections.
Creation Point Pool
Those who wish to use points to create their characters, rather than following a template or being restricted in what they can put in skills and attributes, can use a point system. Each novice character receives 79 creation points to distribute among all the options. Players may only spend creation points as whole points, not as fractions.
- One attribute die equals four creation points.
- One skill die equals one creation point.
- Three skill specialization dice equal one creation point.
- Advantages and Special Abilities have their own costs associated with them; see the "Character Options” for details.
Other restrictions apply:
- Attributes have a minimum of 1D and a maximum of 5D, except in Extranormal attributes.
- The maximum starting number of dice that may be added to any one skill or specialization of skill is 3D.
- Points must be spent on whole dice, though the purchased dice may be split and distributed in their category. For instance, if a player spends four creation points to get one attribute die, the die may be split into three pips and divided among up to three attributes, but no attribute pip may be traded in for a skill die.
Players of Human characters may add up to 10 additional creation points to their totals by taking an appropriate number of ranks in Disadvantages. Non-Human species may have their own creation point totals, maximum number of points from Disadvantages, and starting Advantages, Disadvantages, and Special Abilities.
For worlds involving more Special Abilities, gamemasters should feel free to raise the number of starting creation points and the number of possible creation points received from Disadvantages.
Characters also receive the following aspects, like those created with defined limits:
Move: This equals 10 meters per round.
Body Points: If your gamemaster includes this characteristic, roll your character’s Physique and add 20 to the total. Ignore this characteristic if your gamemaster is using Wounds only.
Wounds: If your gamemaster relies on the Wound levels option with Body Points, see the appropriate table in the “Damage and Body Points” section of the “Damage” chapter to determine the range of Body Points associated with each Wound level. If your gamemaster uses Wounds only, you don’t need to figure out the Body Points range; you can put a line through that column if you’d like.
Strength Damage: Drop the pips from your character’s Physique or lifting score (including any Special Abilities or Disadvantages that affect the die code), divide the number by 2, and round up. This is the Strength Damage die code.
Funds: Funds and silver measure how much wealth your character can usually get at without too much trouble. All characters start with a base Funds die code of 3D. Look under “Funds” in this chapter for modifiers to this roll and how to convert this number to cash. The cash equivalent of Funds goes on the Silver line.
Character Options
Selecting Character Options
Advantages, Disadvantages, and Special Abilities make the character more interesting, more (and less) effective, and more fun to roleplay (if you do it right). You know the story of your character — here’s what that story means.
Advantages are perks that the character has because of her status in society, the people she knows, or something in her background. They generally do not directly affect attributes or skills.
Disadvantages hamper the character in some way. They might affect her attributes or skills or they might mean trouble for her in certain situations. Both Advantages and Disadvantages make the character more rounded and more believable.
Special Abilities are those abilities that exceed the natural capabilities of a Human character. The character’s species, some sort of unique training, or a magical/super-science/cybernetic/other effect might explain their origin. They give the character a bonus to her attributes or skills, or they provide her with access to something that the average Human character can’t do.
Example: You decide to give your character a Special Ability that provides him with a +1 to one of three combat-related skill totals. If you don’t have any points to spend on Special Abilities, your character needs to have some kind of Disadvantage as well. The character might have to add 1 to the difficulty of all interaction-related skill totals, or you might include a totally unrelated Disadvantage (of comparative power) — like the character is afraid of the dark and has trouble acting when in the dark.
Costs at Character Creation
Each rank in an Advantage or Disadvantage is worth one creation point (or one skill die, if you’re using defined limits) per number. Advantages cost creation points, while Disadvantages give you creation points (or skill dice). Thus, a Rank 1 Advantage costs one point or die, while a Rank 4 Disadvantages gives you four points or dice.
The cost of one rank of the Special Ability is included in parentheses. Some Special Abilities, such as Ambidextrous, do not lend themselves to being taken more than once. Players may also add Limitations to their Special Abilities, which reduce their effectiveness (and the cost) or Enhancements, which increase their effectiveness (and the cost); these are described at the end of this section.
In settings where characters with Special Abilities are common, additional ranks of each Special Ability cost one point (or skill die) per rank at character creation. In settings where characters with Special Abilities are uncommon, additional ranks of each Special Ability costs the value listed with the Special Ability.
When using templates or defined limits for attributes and skill dice, players may use skill dice or dice received from Disadvantages to get Advantages and Special Abilities. Players in games using character creation point pools may use some of the points in their pool or points gained from Disadvantages to purchase Advantages and Special Abilities.
A maximum of 10 creation points or 10 skill dice worth of Disadvantages is recommended for any genre.
Using the Additional Creation Points
You may use creation points that you earn from giving your character Disadvantages to buy Advantages (at their rank cost), more skill dice (at a rate of one creation point for each skill die), or more attribute dice (at a rate of four creation points for each attribute die).
Using the Additional Skill Dice
You may spend additional skill dice gained from including Disadvantages in your character to buy Advantages (at their rank cost), add more skills, or improve attributes (at a rate of four skill dice for each attribute die).