Character Creation

This page details the various processes involved in the creation of a character for the First Flame RPG.

## **Step 1: Select Race and Soul Colours**

Every character upon creation belongs to a race and selects three soul colours - one primary, one secondary and one tertiary.

The race you select for your character affects their attribute score capacities and may also grant them certain abilities and weaknesses not available to other beings. In addition, it will go a long way to inform your place in the world and the way in which other player characters and NPCs will perceive and judge you. The ten most common races within Thaelis-y'aada are detailed briefly below, and in much greater depth later in this book.

**Bacchan -** pleasure-seeking goat-men possessing charm and a relaxed nature

**Dorogar -** militant and iron-fisted warriors possessing notions of honour and great loyalty

**Dreugh -** stocky but resilient folk beholden both to holy tradition and historical prejudice

**Goblin -** short and nimble creatures with a vicious reputation but interpersonal style

**Human -** adaptable and expansive conquerors whose flexibility has secured global dominance

**Kyasid -** pack-focused and ferocious fey who terrify outsiders and claim the wilderness

**Ogre -** giant and hardy barbarians of expeditious nature and an individualistic bent

**Piskie -** social and gregarious travellers who voyage afar and dream of greatness

**Solfar -** proud and devout rulers who maintain their dignity and defend esteemed values

**Talfar -** cunning and tricky schemers who use secrets to gain power over destiny

The soul colours you choose will be used to shape your character's basic personality, and aid in the creation of entertaining, believable and full-blooded characters for memorable play. Once the three soul colours have been chosen, you are free to go about creating as many quirks, nuances and other details as you wish, using the soul as a foundation for convincing role-play and worldview.

## **Step 2: Assign Attribute Scores and Ratings**

Every character possesses six attributes which represent their broad abilities in the world. There are three types of attribute - physical, mental and social - each consisting of two distinct but related traits.

### **Physical Attributes**

These two attributes represent your character's bodily capabilities, which they use to interact physically with the objective world.

**Strength (STR) -** Your strength represents your physical power and is used for bursts of effort and the exertion of explosive force.

**Vigour (VIG) -** Your vigour represents your physical stamina and endurance under extreme or prolonged stress, injury, environmental punishment etc.

### **Mental Attributes**

These two attributes represent your character's nervous capacities, which they use to co-ordinate themselves within the world and direct their mental attention and focus.

**Alacrity (ALC) -** Your alacrity represents your quickness of mind and cognition, alongside your environmental alertness and ability to elicit a response within your physical body.

**Intelligence (INT) -** You intelligence represents your analytical power of mind and also your ability to memorise and store information within your psyche.

### **Emotional Attributes**

These two attributes represent your character's emotional capacities, which they use to navigate the environmental landscape and successfully interact with other sentient beings.

**Discernment (DIS) -** Your discernment represents your environmental attunement and sensitivity to the emotions inside others, allowing your to understand their motives and psychological states.

**Presence (PRE) -** Your presence represents your charisma as well as your capacity to direct emotions creatively, evoke desired states in others and influence the social landscape.

### **Allocating** **Attribute Scores**

Every character starts play with 63 attribute points spread across their six attributes.

To allocate your attribute points, consult your primary, secondary and tertiary soul colours. The primary colour determines the placement of the first 48 points, the secondary colour places a further 2, and the tertiary colour a final 1. The attribute points placed automatically by your soul colours represent the natural capabilities which come with your temperament which were ingrained at birth. Once the first 51 points have been allocated by your soul colours, you are free to place the final 12 points as you wish - these represent your character's growth since infancy. Training, academic pursuit, world experience etc. all factor into this final stage of allocation. You may not exceed a score of 14 in any stat at this stage in creation.

The average score in each attribute for an adult human is 10.

### **Racial Attribute Modifiers**

Once attribute allocation has been completed, racial modifiers are applied to the scores. Depending upon the race you chose for your character, the modifiers to be applied will be different.

**Bacchan:** +1 VIG, -1 DIS and +1 PRE

**Dorogar:** +1 ALC

**Dreugh:** -1 ALC, +3 DIS, -1 PRE

**Goblin:** -1 STR, +1 ALC, +1 DIS, -1 PRE

**Human:** No modifications

**Kyasid:** -1 VIG, +1 ALC, +1 DIS

**Ogre:** +2 STR, +1 VIG, -1 INT, -1 PRE

**Pixie:** -1 STR, -1 VIG, +1 ALC, +1 DIS, +1 PRE

**Solfar:** -1 VIG, +1 ALC, +1 PRE

**Talfar:** -2 VIG, +1 ALC, +1 DIS, +1 PRE

### **Attribute Ratings**

Now that your character's attributes at level 0 have been calculated, you can calculate their attribute ratings, which will be used as modifiers to most dice rolls you make in the First Flame RPG system. To calculate the ratings for each attribute, simply subtract 10 from your score. If your INT attribute score is 9, your INT attribute rating is 9 - 10 = -1. If your STR attribute score is 13, your STR attribute rating is 13 - 10 = +3. Make sure to note whether each rating is positive or negative.

## **Step 3: Allocating Skill Points**

After your six attributes and their accompanying ratings have been finalised, you now calculate the number of skill points your character possesses at level 0 by multiplying your full INT attribute score by 5. Once your skill point total is known, your skill points can be shared between any number of skills from any number of skill sets (see the Skills page for details). Each level you gain from creation on gains you your total INT score /5 (keep the decimal) in skill points. Keep a note of your total skill points on your character sheet for the duration of play.

## **Step 4:** **Selecting Sparks and Cinders**

Sparks are remarkable abilities that your character is capable of using, and cinders are their negative counterpart - the significant infirmities which afflict them. Sparks are purchased using spark points and cinders (which can only be taken at character creation, not during play) give you extra spark points.

There are three different types of sparks: arcana, feats and talents. Arcana are abilities stemming from your spiritual nature and specialities in the Magician skill set, feats are abilities which aid you in physical combat and specialities in combat-based skill sets. Talents are specialities in the majority of skill sets which are neither magical or combat-based in nature.

Every character starts play with 5 spark points to spend upon any arcana, feats or talents that they meet the requirements for. You may take up to 10 points in cinders, and so gain this many more spark points.

## **Step 5: Calculating Statistics**

### **Health Gauge (HG)**

Your health gauge represents your ability to withstand damage in combat and from a variety of other lethal sources. It is calculated using the following equation:

**HG = VIG Score + STR Rating + Health Gauge skill ranks**

Once your HG falls below half (rounded down) your maximum total, you are Bloodied and suffer a -1 penalty to all rolls. Once you fall below one-quarter (again rounded down) your total, you are Beaten and suffer a -3 penalty to your rolls instead.

### **Defence**

Your defence is used to fend off enemy attacks made against you in combat, representing your overall ability to dodge and deflect oncoming blows and missiles. It is calculated using the following equation:

**Defence = 2d10 + ALC Rating + Evasion skill ranks + Shield bonus**

Once your Def Cap (see below) is exhausted in any given round, you no longer add 2d10 to your defence until the round is over.

### **Def Cap**

Your Def Cap is equal to 3 + your ALC Rating.

### **Armour**

Your armour is used to reduce the damage attacks deal to you once you are struck in combat, representing natural armour such as thick hide alongside worn armour such as chain mail or a breastplate.

**Armour = Natural Armour (#/#/#) + Armour bonus (#/#/#)**

Armour ratings are stacked - if your natural armour bonus is (1/0/0) and you are wearing chain mail (2/4/3), then your total armour bonus is (1+2/0+4/0+3), coming to be (3/4/3) in total. The first number within brackets is your armour against crush damage, the second is against slash damage and the third is against thrust damage.

### **Attack**

Your attack is used to hit enemies with attacks in combat, representing your overall ability to use melee and ranged weapons, and also perhaps ranged spells.

**Melee/Ranged Attack = 2d10 + Weapon Attribute Rating + Weapon skill ranks**

**Magic Attack = 2d10 + Spell Attribute Rating + Spell Working skill ranks**

### **Speed**

Your speed is the number of feet you can move at speed, while maintaining solid poise, in 3 seconds (one move action in combat). To calculate your character's speed use the following equation:

**Speed = ((ALC Score - 5) + VIG Rating - Armour penalty), multiplied by 5**