Last Edit: 12 Jan, 2014.
Character Creation
Name your character and decide what he or she does for a living. Knowing what your character does for a living can help you decide which way to go with later steps. Additionally, it's nice to decide what your character looks like. You could just say "Blue eyes, brown hair, five feet three inches tall, 105 lbs" or you could go into a lot of detail right away and use it to decide things that relate to game mechanics later, if you do so at all.
Pick three to five motivations for your character. Motivations are broken down into four categories: Beliefs, Histories, Goals, and Fears. They give characters a connection to the game world, and help guide the story. It is the GM's responsibility to make a character's motivations into story elements. It is the players' responsibility to make these motivations specific and clear to facilitate this. Generally, no more than two motivations should be of the same type to make this easy for the GM.
Beliefs are moral or ethical values for your character (or lack thereof), like "elves are scum and don't deserve to walk the same streets as me." Beliefs should be strong beliefs, not just a phase your character is going through. A well-formed belief alters how a character is played. For example, if one was playing a character that believed elves are worthless, they won't likely kiss every elf they encounter (unless they have some sort of elf-killing poison on their lips). A belief should be able to be questioned through the plot. Maybe this anti-elf character had their life saved by an elf, or maybe they find out they have elven heritage.
Histories are personal relationships with a person, place, group, or thing, like "He was a member of the illuminati until he informally quit last year." Histories should not be wasted on saying "X character is related to Y character, also played by me." A well-formed History can lead the plot in a whole new direction, or even add an entire subplot all its own.
Goals are long-term objectives for your character, like "I will rid this city of elves and make it look like I had nothing to do with it." These goals do not have to be accomplished in one plot alone. The same character may be brought back into a campaign world and continue on their quest to kill every elf in sight. A well-formed goal should never be something easy to accomplish; if it was, the character would likely have done it already.
Fears are the opposite of goals in function; they are what your character absolutely does not want to happen. It differs from fears listed as traits, which would affect play, in that these fears affect the overall game world. These things should happen and characters should work through them to get through the plot. Any fear that would motivate a character should be allowed, but as with everything else, it's up to the player and GM to have the character act on these. An example of a well-formed fear: "I will die at the hands of someone who loves me due to a misunderstanding." It covers what they are afraid of and would alter the way the character is played.
Divide 10 points between your character's four attributes: Body, Mind, Awareness, and Spirit. For game purposes, these are treated as special traits and exist to ensure the character is never completely unprepared for a given situation. Attributes must have at least 1 point, but no more than 4.
Body is used for things that are physically stressful, when there is exertion, or anytime one would have to, say, jump from a moving beam to another one.
Mind is used for quick thinking or situations which require logic. Can be used to convince people of things IF they are very logical and you're trying to show them benefits of whatever you propose. Spirit would still be used, as well.
Awareness is used to notice sounds, objects in the distance, and lies, among other things.
Spirit is overall force of personality and passion, and is used to convince people of things, among other possible uses of a strong personality.
Divide 20 points between your character's traits and assets. These can be anything the player likes that fits the game's setting, described in at most a short sentence. Like Attributes, these should have between 1 and 4 points. Do not be ambiguous (see sample characters). Traits and assets allow the player to (A) Describe their character, and (B) emphasize their strengths and weaknesses. Traits and assets should fit a character's class and background, but that isn't to say they didn't dabble in something else in their spare time, so long as it makes sense for the character. Some equipment can have an asset attached, particularly weapons and armor. The asset represents the skill in using them, and may have other effects at the GMs discretion.
If it exists in the game world, magic is listed in this section as well. Individual spells are listed, but the rules on how they work is up to the player to describe afterward. Obviously, effects are up to the GM's approval. Alternatively, magic can simply be a single asset, though this will require approval from the GM.
Traits and assets can also be 0-ranked. 0-rank skills cannot be improved. They are typically racial abilities or things that won't be used in rolls, like if a "reformed" demon character has to spend the first round of combat focusing on not reverting back into their old ways (Combat Sickness 0). It's up to the GM how to treat these traits, but most of these are more for flavor than for an actual effect on the game.
If the GM uses the optional HP rules, roll a six-sided die and add your Body rating to it to determine your starting Hit Points. If the game uses levels, and the starting level is higher than 1, roll for each additional level, as well, adding the your Body rating for each level.
Sample Characters
Der'vasen
HP 9/9
Der'vasen is an elven Dread Knight.
Belief: "Only a coward fights with magic or with a bow."
Belief: "Only the weak talk their way out of fights."
History: "Had to watch his wife and daughters be raped and murdered by the soldiers at Fort Paladrian."
Goal: "I will get my revenge on the humans of Ivory Hill, starting with the captain at Fort Paladrian."
Attributes: Body 4, Mind 2, Awareness 1, Spirit 3
Traits and Assets:
Darkly Charismatic 4 (People are more likely to follow him out of fear)
Silent Step 2
Greatsword 4
Intimidation 3
Tactician 1
Hatred for Humans 3
Armor Piercing 1 (Deals 1 point of additional damage after damage reduction from armor)
Warped Honour 2
Equipment: Greatsword, leather-reinforced clothing
Avenya
Avenya has pale blond hair and even lighter skin. She has heterochromia, with one blue eye and one green eye. She is a spy and mercenary who operates under the guise of a seller of an ambiguous product that she insists no one buys.
Belief: "There's nothing that money can't buy."
Belief: "If they can't be swayed by words or money, shoot them."
Goal: "I will earn my own ship and a home for my mother, Erynn, and my sister, Leigh, so they at least have a home on the moon."
Fear: "My family will be killed before I can achieve my goal."
Attributes: Body 2, Mind 3, Awareness 4, Spirit 1
Traits and Assets:
Former Mechanic 3
Deceptive 4
Pistols 4
Rifles 3
Intimidating 3
Family-Sensitive 1
Utilitarian 3
Equipment: Light Pistol, Communicator
Nelei (pronounced "Neh RAY")
HP 26/26
Nelei is a nyane hybrid, but doesn't know what kind as she is unsure of what her non-nyane parent was. She doesn't look like a child, instead looking like a preteen. Her arm and leg fur is softer and only half as long as a normal nyane and has streaks of violet in it. The parts closest to her hands have bloodstains from her trade as a blood apothecary, but she tries to keep the fur as soft as she can. She has one violet eye and one mango orange one, which is unnatural for any race. Her ears are smaller than a normal nyane and her head hair is nowhere near as exotic in color, simply being a shade of brown. It should be noted that while she has a knife with which to draw her blood for magic, she prefers to use her teeth.
Belief: "If a few people have to die to make me stronger, they're going to be remembered as martyrs for a good cause."
History: "She has never met her own parents, and doesn't know whether she was abandoned or orphaned."
Goal: "I will be known as a nyane when history remembers me, and not as a human."
Attributes: Body 2, Spirit 2, Mind 3, Awareness 3
Traits and Assets:
Heterochromia 0
Outcast of Her Own Race 2
Blood Sacrifice (spell) 4 (Sacrifices owns blood to heal another or vice versa. If casting on an unwilling target, the chance of success is penalized by target's Spirit score. The penalty is cut in half (rounding up) if Blood Control is used prior to casting. Requires the one sacrificing to have blood, but not the one being healed. The total HP transferred (in a 1-to-1 ratio) is no more than (rank)d6, so right now: 4d6 (4-24). Causes the one to sacrifice to lose (rank)d2-(rank) HP per turn from bleeding (4d2-4, 0-4) until the wounds are treated)
Knives 1
Blood Control (spell) 4 (Controls the flow of blood in the target. Doesn't do much on its own, but can be used to temporarily prevent or cause bleeding, doing (rank)d2-(rank) damage per turn: 4d2-4 (0-4). Obviously, the target must have blood.)
Hiding 2
Secretive 1
Appearance of Innocence 3
Flesh Mending (spell) 3 (Stops bleeding if successful. If used right after Blood Control, automatically succeeds. Only works on fleshy creatures. Blood is not necessary; however, this spell is purely cosmetic if the target has no blood.)
Blood Slave (spell) 3 (Only works on creatures with blood. Chance of success is a normal pass/fail roll with a penalty equal to the target's Mind score. If no Mind score is presented, it is assumed to be 2. Can only have one slave at a time, and control only lasts until the caster sleeps. The slave can think and remember what they've done while enslaved, and if it goes against their wishes, can fight back against the control (Mind check, penalty equal to the caster's rank in this spell). Success of this spell causes both the target and the caster lose blood at a rate of (rank)d2-(rank): 3d2-3 (0-3))
Equipment: A jagged knife, the robes of a priestess, an apron, and all the tools and herbs necessary to make common, non-magical salves and poultices.
Tir'vanil
HP 6/6
An elven wilder; a magic user who does not believe in the magic academies, and whose very existence is illegal because of this. To her, an assassin is a weapon, and no longer alive, so she feels no more sympathy for one she kills than she would for a broken sword.
Belief: "Mages should all be free, but those that prove dangerous should be contained."
History: "Fled the forest when she was nearly killed by Red."
Fear: "I will be forced into the bondage of magic-fearing humans."
Mind 4, Spirit 2, Awareness 2, Body 2
Charismatic 4
Poison Dart (spell) 4 (deals 3 poison damage per turn (5 seconds) for a minute (12 turns). Target gets a new body roll to resist every turn. Effect ends when target either succeeds or dies.)
Restoration (spell) 4 (heals 4 HP and removes poison)
Chain Lightning (spell) 4 (deals 4 damage to the target, then passes to the nearest creature or conductive surface, dealing 3, then bounces again for 2, then again for 1)
Dagger 2
Dagger 2
Equipment: Two daggers, a robe, and a backpack.
Harry
Belief: "I will not accept my common ancestry, because my family is all weak!"
Belief: "Rage in battle is all that is important. And bloodshed."
Goal: "I will kill every last person who stands in my way as I hunt the person who turned my family against me."
History: "Harry was born into a perfectly normal rich family, but when he was sold out to save the family from taxes, he went into a rage and slaughtered those who came to take him."
Body 4, Mind 1, Spirit 4, Awareness 1
Greatsword Training 4
Not Afraid To Kill 4
Easily Angered 4
Bloodlust 2 (Unlikely to stop killing once he starts)
Greatswords 4
Light Armors 2
Equipment: A greatsword carved with primal designs, lightweight and low quality leather armor, furs
Character Advancement
Whenever a character does something spectacular, or when the story reaches certain GM specified checkpoints that would warrant it, he or she gains 1 point to spend in traits and assets. This point is spent immediately upon gaining the level. It cannot be used to gain equipment, but if the character has an appropriate related asset or trait, it can be used to improve existing equipment. It can also be used to raise HP, if that system is used. The player may be rewarded for playing negative traits well, which is why even negative traits have a positive value.
Action Resolution
Whenever an action being taken matters to the events of the story, the GM may ask the players involved to roll a d20. The base goal for success is 10, but this will be increased by the Difficulty trait of the task at hand, or anything else the GM sees fit. The player then adds appropriate traits and assets to his or her roll. The player's roll needs to exceed the target number for success. Only the players roll; if they are being attacked by an enemy, the enemy is treated as any other task. The GM may lower the target number if an applicable trait would do so, and the players are encouraged to do so as well. The GM may also penalize characters for a task for other reasons, like trying to jump from rooftop to rooftop in heavy plate armor, penalizing the score by the rating of said armor.
Examples:
Player: "Avenya shoots the elf in the face with her pistol." [Body 2, Pistols 4; +6 to the roll]
GM: "Roll it. You need a 16." (10 + Body 4 + Evasion 2)
Player: (rolls 11, then adds the 6 from Body and Pistols to get a 17.)
GM: "Avenya attempts to shoot the elf in the face, but misses. Luckily for her, she did hit his ear, suddenly making him a half elf."
Player: "Avenya jumps from the collapsing tower to the ship."
GM: (Rolls a 20-sided die, adding Avenya's Body score of 2. This is not enough to succeed, but she notices the Utilitarian asset and adds it to the score.) "The tower collapses a little too far to the left for Avenya to make it to the door of the ship, but she catches onto the wing as she passes it, avoiding the 400 foot drop."
Players can volunteer to fail a roll, as well. This provides no special benefits. However, the GM should take note of times when they volunteer to have traits or assets work against themselves, as they may be rewarded for it later with an advancement point.
Hit Points (HP)
Hit points are optional, so if the GM or players want to do away with this rule, they are free to. Instead, the GM can have the players roll against the attribute (the attribute would depend on the source of the damage) or take some effect from it. Alternatively, the GM may decide not to use either system, instead using logic to determine the outcome.
How a gunshot to the chest can play out:
HP system:
GM: "He shoots you in the chest, dealing 32 damage. You have 1 HP remaining."
Attribute Save System:
GM: "He shoots you in the chest."
Player: (rolls against character's Body attribute and fails)
GM: "You go into shock and soon die from blood loss."
Storytelling:
GM: "He shoots you in the chest."
Player: "Edward feels immense pain, then quickly bleeds to death. As he is dying, he tries to throw his magic dagger to Lyna."
GM: (Makes an attribute check for Body and Awareness, and a trait check for Juggler, failing with the first two, but succeeding with the last, implying the gun does not go skittering away on the floor) "Edward tries to throw the dagger to Lyna, but he's grown too weak. Instead, it ends up being caught by Sir Jarvis in the hand that's not holding the gun."
Did your HP reach 0? Don't worry, it's not over right then. Your character will remain alive, but unconscious, taking one point of damage each round. They are only dead if their HP reaches its negative maximum. For example, if Tir'vanil were to fall in combat, she could drop to -6 HP before she would be dead. Unconscious characters cannot avoid being hit while unconscious, and take 50% more damage. Damage is not reduced except by armor, whether natural or synthetic. The Body score does not reduce damage when unconscious.
Things Not Covered Elsewhere
Things not covered, like money, are either determined by traits and assets ("Wealthy 3") or by whatever is most convenient to the plot.
The rules do not cover damage, defense, or evasion in detail, nor should they. These are campaign and genre-specific, if they're included at all. All rules concerning them are up to the GM.
Remember that story trumps rules, and the GM has the final word. Starting points are up to the GM, as well. The numbers given here, however, are likely to balance play more than higher numbers, but different stories have different requirements. For example, a survival horror campaign will likely start with fewer points in order to increase the risk, while a superhero campaign may have double or even triple the points.
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