Creating Characters

Initial Character Points

The GM specifies the sort of age PCs will be at the start of the game giving them an idea of their level of experience; that is in game terms whether they will be novices, journeymen or experts. Players may negotiate with the GM to play at a preferred level of experience but the GM has the final word. Next, the players individually create characters in co-operation with the GM. Finally, the GM may modify his plot to involve the characters the players have created and find a reason for them to come together, taking note of their individual motivations. Some players may be given additional background information at this point as appropriate to their PC description.

There may not be a common goal but there should be some pretext for the players exhibiting some co-operation as a party. A game is very difficult to run if the PCs are very seldom acting as a group. If one PC is a spy, thief or assassin working with a generally law-abiding party (there is no need for the players to know of each other’s hidden agendas) the GM may well have to play many situations with that player in private. Some of this sort of play may be fun and add to the atmosphere but too much becomes annoying for other players. Different groups will prefer a different level of party co-operation and this needs to be evolved through play. No single player’s agenda should be allowed to dominate the play. New players are advised to develop a group of characters that have strong reasons for cooperating as a party.

The GM must not have fixed outcomes for plotlines in mind. There must be room for the players’ actions to make a difference. The GM should strive to create several opportunities for players to make significant choices that will change the outcome of events. Players should not act mischievously to test the boundaries of the created world. The GM cannot possibly have detailed all options and everyone will have more fun if players go along with some of the plot ‘hooks’ that draw them into more detailed parts of the scenario.

Name

up to 2 CPs are awarded if the character’s name fits the GM’s world description well. That is, it is original, blends into the setting and adds colour to the character. Epithets may be used creatively.

Physical description

a unique, imaginative physical description that allows the GM and other players to visualise the character earns up to 4 CPs.

Motivation

up to 6 CPs are awarded for developing the character’s motivation, what drives them on, what they want to achieve, is it duty, honour, wealth, power, redemption, lost love, or acceptance? How will this help the GM to hook the character into the plot and help them work with a party? How does this motivation tie in with the character’s life events? Although the initial motivation may evolve it will govern the character’s actions throughout the game.

Character flaw

up to 4 CPs are allocated for rounding out the character with a personality flaw, arrogance, cowardice, greed, envy, lust, alcoholism or any other addiction, uncontrollable anger, obsession, blind faith and so on. The flaw should ideally impose a limitation or weakness on the character and fit in with the character’s life events, personality and motivation. How will this weakness help the GM to prevent the character from overshadowing the other players? How does the flaw impose limitations on the character?

Life events

up to 10 CPs are allocated for filling in the character’s back story. Where did he come from? How did she acquire the skills that she has? Why is he doing what he is doing at the start of the game? How did she acquire her motivation, character flaw, equipment and so on? How has his life history impacted on his personality? Life events are divided up into three stages. Depending upon the GM’s setting the characters are classified as novice, journeyman or expert. Novice characters may have started training but are likely to have little experience. Journeyman characters are likely to have completed their training and gained some experience in a chosen career. Expert characters are likely to be at the height of their powers. There may be variations to this. For example, a street urchin may have acquired a great deal of early experience pick-pocketing and breaking and entering without having any training in her novice stage of life. She may then acquire training and new skills during the journeyman stage after being accepted by a thieves’ guild. Life events should not merely be a thin excuse for acquiring a range of unusual skills. An excellent description of life events should provide several plot possibilities for the GM and should tie into the GM’s description of the Game world.

Personality

up to 6 CPs are awarded for describing a personality consistent with the rest of the character description. Are they unpredictable, reckless, orderly, hostile, friendly, grim, laconic, garrulous, morose, bitter, brooding or happy-go-lucky? This should be fleshed out sufficiently to give a clear steer as to how they would be likely to act in a variety of situations.

Edge

Finally, a player may give their character an Edge. This could be anything that is outside of the usual realm of skills or Attributes (see below) or alternatively, it could be a refinement of an Attribute. A character’s Edge may be triggered at any time by the player or the GM but typically should be used in a crisis situation to give a character a better chance of success.

An example of an Edge outside of the realm of skills and Attributes might be that the character may have an extensive range of contacts, they may be very wealthy or have a title.

An example of an Edge as a refinement of an Attribute might mean that as an addition to Glamour, the character is exceptionally physically attractive. A refinement of Vigour might be that they are exceptionally strong, exceptionally fast or have an amazing sense of balance. A refinement of Wit might be a remarkable sense of smell.

Wyrd

For the most part, the GM controls the story but the players may have an influence on the story depending on how well they play their characters. The players do this by using Wyrd Points. The object of Wyrd Points (WPs) is to promote good role-play to ensure the longevity of fully developed characters and to allow them to achieve extraordinary things at a crucial moment. If a player has taken time and trouble to generate and expand on a character the use of Wyrd Points should give them a longer life than a poorly played stereo-typical character who is essentially only a collection of statistics. Wyrd points represent the deus ex machina of a character’s luck. In worlds where the supernatural is a feature, for the non-magic-using characters Wyrd is the unconscious ability to influence fate and for magic users the conscious ability to manipulate the supernatural.

The number of WPs a PC starts the game with is equal to the Character Points that they were awarded for their character description.

Attributes & Skills

Character Skills...Character Attributes...When a player has created a character to interact with the world some aspects of the character must be quantified. Each character is therefore further defined by five Attributes and a range of skills. Attributes are generally natural inherited abilities, measures of a character’s talent or potential in various areas. Skills are learned and depend upon the character’s training and experience and may develop in the course of playing a character. Attributes and skills are quantified for use in the game mechanics.

Initial equipment

A Character’s life Events should give good indication of how wealthy they are and therefore what equipment they are likely to have access to at the start of the game. The GM should be fairly tolerant in allowing players to have what they need. However, players should bear in mind that if they set their background as wealthy and privileged they will have difficulty in establishing a motivation that will allow the GM to include them in some adventures and the GM may well penalise them in initial Character Points for making his job more difficult. The game is not a power race. The GM should feel free to disallow such things as a ‘magical heirloom’ that unbalances the game. Such an artefact may form a useful part of a character’s motivation or a plot device for the GM (a sword that was broken and needs to be re-forged or an amulet with an inscription that needs to be deciphered) however it should include a requirement of effort on the player’s part to bring the artefact into play. The GM may set a Wyrd Point price to allow such artefacts.

Creating Non-Player Characters

Creating Non-Player Characters...The GM creates all the Non-Player Characters (NPCs) that populate the world and may set their attributes and skills at levels appropriate to their role in the scenario. Important NPCs may be fleshed out almost as thoroughly as PCs but minor NPCs need little more than basic information.