Character Creation

## 1. Attributes and Characteristics

A Characters Attributes represent their most basic traits and their potential.

* **Dexterity** *represents their agility, physical precision and reflexes.* It is used for hitting or defending against targets in close combat, "physical" stealth, pickpocketing and athletics.
* **Strength** *represents their raw physical prowess, their stamina and their general fitness.* It is used to resist or cause physical damage, project force, sprint, climb or swim.
* **Charisma** *represents their force of personality, persuasiveness, leadership, manipulation and practical psychology.* It is used for most social interactions, empathy, insight into the human mind, selling elaborate lies and "social" stealth.
* **Composure** *represents their willpower, mental focus and their ability to lie with a straigth face or resist pain.* It is used to resist mental damage, telling simple lies, picking locks aswell as selfcontroll and concentration.
* **Intellect** *represents their in/deductive reasoning, cognition, memory and wits.* It is used for knowledge, investigation and efficient time management.
* **Perception** *represents the sharpness of their senses and ability to sense fine details.* It is used for shooting and using ones senses.

You may distribute 10 points on your Attributes. Note that none can be increased above 3.

The Characteristics are determined the following way:

* **Toughness** equals their Strength.
* **Impression** equals their Charisma + 1
* **Initiative** equals their Perception + Dexterity + 5

## 2. Talents and Knowledges

The character may spend 20 points on their Talents. None may increased above 5.

Afterwards the character may spend 5 points on their Knowledges; which may freely be chosen (see list of Knowledges).

Additionally, the Character gains the knowledge *Ettiquette* (of choice) at 1. Examples for an Ettiquette include *Criminal, Proletariat, Bourgeoisie, Academic* or a certain subgroup of *Undead/Mortals*.

## 3. Physique

The character has three central Physiques:

* **Health** which allows them to be survive injuries
* **Essence** which allows them to heal and cast necromantic powers
* **Binding** which allows them to invest greater mental resources into their actions and endure pain and mental attacks.

The Characters **Essence**, **Binding** and **Health** start on 3.

You may spend 12 points to increase any of them, note that nonecan be increased above 10.

## 4. Necromancy

The following Lores are practiced by any Necromancers and Afflicted:

* Resurrection- Raising and Controlling Corpses
* Distortion- Summoning of Spirits and Manipulation of the Underworld
* Illusion- Creation of Illusions, Telepathy and Manipulation of Emotions
* Prospection- Supernatural Sight, Scrying and Mental Fortitude
* Creation- Creation of necromantic Artifacts, Protective Spells
* Execration- Creation of Curses, Hexes and Death Magic
* Contagion- Creation of Supernatural Plagues

Then there are Lores only Practiced by specific groups of Undead:

* Blood Sorcery- Practiced exclusivly by Strigoi
* Metamorphosis- Practiced exclusivly by Ghouls
* Wraithcraft- Practiced exclusivly by Revenants

Vour character may spend 40 points on powers and rituals from any Lore of Necromancy. (For additional adivce consult the Archetypes article)

## 5. Backgrounds

A character may spend a number points on Backgrounds that is given by the Storyteller.

There are no official Disadvantages, as players should choose them to best suit their character. The player can freely come up with these and should consult the Storyteller to determine how many points they recieve (examples may include *a Corruption, a mental disorder, an old enemy etc.)*

## 6. Adjustments

The last step of the Character Creation is spending additional Experience to fully flesh out the character. The Storyteller may decide the amount of Experience every Character recieves.

* Increasing an Attribute requires 3 x level XP *(Increasing Strength to level 3 would require 12 XP)*.

* Increasing a Talent or a Knowledge requires 2 x level XP *(Increasing Disguise to level 3 requires 6 XP).*

* Increasing a Physique requires 1 x level XP (*Increasing Health to 11 requires 11 XP*).

Note that no **Attribute** may be raised above 4 and no **Talent** above 6, which is only possible with XP earned in game. However they may raise a single Attribute to 5 and a single Talent to 7.

* During Character Creation a character may also increase their Impression to represent an above average appereance. This requires 2 x level XP.

## 7. Backstory

You may design the characters backstory with the storyteller and freely choose their appereance. Additionally the character may have lived (alive or undead) for up to 100 years, living longer requires them to spend points on the Age Background.

Should the Storyteller choose to include themes such as sexism into their campaign, not playing as a man will grant a player additional points as a disadvantage.

Additionally every character should choose between 2 and 6 beliefs. They inform their characters choices; violating a moral belief of their character requires them to spend between 1 and 3 points of Binding (depending on the Context) since they must overcome their ideals through mental force.