Player Character Creation

The following is a step by step guide intended to talk players through the steps of making a character for the game.

## Step 1: Ask Your Game Host About Game Expectations

The first step to making a character for a game is to check with your Game Host to see if you're following the standard character creation rules and if there aren't any restrictions on the types of characters that you can play in the session you're making a character for!

While it's generally recommended that Game Hosts do not overly restrict players there are times when it is necessary in order to simplify gameplay, allow for the group as a whole to be comfortable, and make the story work.

Here are some examples of situations that a Game Host may alter or restrict character creation options for:

* The planned session is a oneshot and the character's won't get a chance to develop. Because of this, the Game Host may allow players to create characters that are more advanced at the start of the game.
* The planned game is only going to last for a few sessions and is based on a specific continent. Because of this, the Game Host may require that all players speak the same language to simplify gameplay,
* An individual player at the table has expressed to the Game Host that they'd be uncomfortable playing in a game where a certain topic is brought up. Because of this, the Game Host may limit whether the topic can be mentioned in the backgrounds of player characters or throughout the game.
* The planned game is based on a particular historical event that takes place in the world of Feralis. Because of this, the Game Host limits the options that may be selected to those that would've been found in the area at the time.

Regardless of the alteration or the reason, bear in mind that the Game Host knows the story best and has the right to make judgements about what would be best for the health of the game. While it may be disappointing to be restricted from making something you had in mind, remember that you could always explore that idea in another session and try to remain polite and open-minded.

## Step 2: Choose Your Species

List of Species

A character's Species is their race. This determines many things about them, such as their size, diet, body type, appearance, primary senses, natural weapons, natural gifts and skills, and native homelands and habitats.

Upon choosing a Species, you should write the name of your character's species next to the Species trait.

You will then need to note or determine the following attributes:

* Appearance and Body Type - A character's species will determine their eye color, whether they have feathers, fur, scales, or skin and what color it is, their coat patterns, and other things about their physical appearance.

* Diet - This attribute determines the types of foods that the character can benefit from eating from. An Omnivorous character can gain full benefits from eating either meats or plant matter, but Carnivores and Herbivores will begin to suffer from starvation if they are unable to find appropriate foods for too long a period of time.

* Native Habitat - The type of environment your species is most at home in. You may claim your Species dice as bonus dice when making any roll while in this type of environment. If multiple options are listed, you will need to pick one of your choosing.

* Native Homeland - The various continents that the species is found on. Your native land is the place that your character is naturally from. This may be any country on any of the continents listed in this section. If there are multiple continents listed, you will need to pick one, then pick one of the countries located there. Your culture and social gifts will correspond specifically to that region unless you take the gift of Cosmopolitan. You should also choose your starting language from the ones local to the area. If you would like to play a character of a species that grew up in an area where their species is not normally found, you will need to discuss it with your Game Host and take the Gift of Exotic Native at the start of the game. Game hosts are encouraged to allow this option as long is it is feasible that the species could've been living in the area.

* Natural Gifts - Three Gifts that the character's species naturally possesses. You should list these in the Gifts section.

* Natural Skills - Three Skills that the character's species naturally excels in. You should put a small mark next to each of these skills in the Species column of the Skills section. (You will erase this later, after Step 6)

* Natural Weapons - Innate physical characteristics capable of inflicting damage or other effects during combat. For Atavists and unarmed fighters, this may be the main weapon a character uses.

* Primary Senses - A character's primary senses are the main way the observe the world. Whenever you are using one of the listed senses to Observe, you may include your Species dice with the roll.

* Size Gift - This Gift determines the character's height and weight, how much they can carry, and how far they can reach. If a character has an extreme difference from the average, it may heavily impact their ability to either evade hits or soak damage. It also determines the size and cost of their armor and equipment. All species have at least one size category listed. Some species have a range listed - in which case you may play a character of any size between the two that are listed. You may also consider taking the Unusually Small or Unusually Large gifts to make your character one size smaller or larger than most others of their kind.

## Step 3: Choose Your Career

List of Careers

A career is your character's job. Any character with a career will start the game with the basic equipment and skills of a trade. Should you lose the equipment or Gifts associated with this career, you will be unable to claim the benefit of it until you regain them.

After choosing your Career you should then note or determine the following attributes:

* Career Gifts - Three Gifts that are necessary in order to be able to do your job properly. You should list these in the Gifts section. If the career you choose shares one or multiple gifts in common with your species, you may instead take an an equal amount of additional gifts of your choosing in Step 9.

* Career Skills - Three Skills that are necessary in order to be able to do your job properly. You should put a small mark next to each of these skills in the Career column of the Skills section. (You will erase this later, after Step 6)

* Trappings: - All of the equipment necessary in order to be able to do your job properly. This will make up the base of your starting Equipment in Step 13.

### Can I change Careers?

Yes. You may switch to a new career by learning the Gift of Extra Career. This will require you to obtain all of the Gifts and equipment required by the new career. Once this has been done, you may start re-training any gifts associated with your old career.

## Step 4: Choose Your Personality

A character's personality is a one to two word description of a character's most major, defining feature. In some situations, the character may be able to use their strength of personality to gain bonus dice to certain actions.

### Can I change my Personality?

As people experience new things, their personalities may change and develop over time. At any point during the Character Development phase, you may request approval from the Game Host to change your character's personality trait. There is no cost for this change.

## Step 5: Assign Your Traits

If your Game Host is following the standard rules, you will begin the game with the following dice:

* Two d8s
* Three d6s
* One d4

Each of these dice should be assigned to one of your traits: Species, Career, Body, Mind, Speed, and Will.

Once you have assigned all traits, make sure you write your Species and Career dice down in the columns you marked earlier.

### What do traits do?

Traits are six basic characteristics that define the sort of person that a character is. There are two types of traits: The core traits and the special traits.

The core traits are Body, Mind, Speed, and Will. These traits are regularly tested throughout the game, both on their own and in conjunction with skills, in order to determine how successful your character is at performing certain actions. Every roll will require the use of at least one of these traits, and if you don't have the appropriate skill for a task, your chances for success will be determined by rolling the appropriate trait alone.

The special traits are Species and Career. These traits are rarely used on their own. More commonly, they are used to grant additional dice to rolls involving the skills and other traits related to the individual Species and Career that your character possesses, giving your character a higher chance for success.

### What do the traits represent?

* The Species trait represents how typical a character is for their species. For example, where a character with a low Species trait may struggle to use the skills and abilities that their kind is generally known for, a character with a high stat in the Species trait may behave more like one of their feral cousins, relying heavily on their natural instincts and weapons to succeed in the world.

* The Career trait represents how good a character is at doing their job. A character with more experience at their job will likely have much higher dice in this trait than one who just started learning what they're doing.

* The Body trait represents a character's health and physical strength.

* The Mind trait represents a character's intelligence.

* The Speed trait represents a character's reflexes, ability to move, and overall processing speed.

* The Will trait represents a character's confidence, willpower, and charisma.

### What's the best way to assign my traits?

While it may not look that way at first glance, there is no "right" way to assign your trait dice to make a certain type of character.

For example, if you would like to make a character that does a lot of fighting, it might seem like you would need to put your highest dice in the Body trait, right? While that is a viable option, it isn't the only one. Fights aren't based solely on strength after all. The gifts you take can change the rules of the game for you.

As an alternative to a fighter that relies on their strength, you might also choose to:

* Put your highest die in Mind and take the gift of Melee Guile to make a tricky fighter that uses their wits to outsmart their opponents.
* Put your highest die in Speed and take the gift of Melee Finesse to make a speedy fighter that uses quick, precise strikes to take down larger enemies.
* Put your highest die in Will and take the gift of Melee Fervor to make a bold and enthusiastic fighter that puts the force of their entire being behind each strike.
* Or any number of other options!

Therefore, the best way to assign your traits is to base your choices on the type of character you would like to play and the story you want to tell! All characters, barring those of Mythical strength or power, are going to struggle with something or another in their life. Choose the struggles that you would like to see your character grow from.

And if you have any questions about what may or may not be possible within the game, make sure to talk to your Game Host. That's what they're there for!

### Can I change my trait dice later on?

Your trait dice may be improved by taking the Improved Trait gift. They may also be lowered if you re-train an Improved Trait gift or gain a Flaw that limits the trait through the course of gameplay.

## Step 6: Assign Your Skill Marks

If your Game Host is following the standard rules, you will begin the game with 11 Marks, which you may place into any skill.

No skill may have more than 4 marks placed into it at the start of the game unless you pick up a Gift which grants you an extra Mark.

Marks in skills grant you extra dice in that skill. The amount is as follows:

* 0 Marks = No Dice.
* 1 Mark = d4
* 2 Marks = d6
* 3 Marks = d8
* 4 Marks = d10
* 5 Marks = d12
* 6 Marks = d12, d4

...and so forth.

The dice gained from Marks should be noted in the Marks column.

If you have least one Mark in a Skill, you can now declare a Favorite Use - one aspect of a skill that your character excels at. This use can be fairly general - such as using the skill in a particular environment, against a specific type of target, at a certain time or day, or with a particular type of weapon or item.

When rolling Skill Dice towards your Favorite Use your roll is Favored. This means that you can re-roll any one die that comes up as a "1". Each skill can only have one Favorite Use at a time, unless you buy the Gift of Extra Favorite.

Note that this step is optional. You do not have to determine your favorite uses during the character creation phase - you may declare them for free at any time. Changing it later will cost you 1 experience, however, so choose carefully!

### What Skills should I put Marks in?

All skills are good to have, but depending on the character, some skills may be more useful that others.

Ask yourself what you think your character will be doing often. If you expect to do a lot of fighting, it's probably wise to pick up Marks in Evasion and Fighting. If you're going to be around a lot of magic you should take some Marks in Supernatural. If you plan to fight with a bow, you should probably take some Marks in Shooting.

Another thing to keep in mind is that any roll where you're rolling only on e die is much more likely to result in a botch - a catastrophic failure that can lead to unforseeable consequences - so even one Mark can make a big difference.

### What do the Skills represent?

* Academics represents feats of book-learning, scientific theory, or even just plain life experience.
* Climbing represents a character's ability to scale objects and catch themselves if falling.
* Craft represents a character's ability to make, build, or repair things with their hands.
* Deceit represents a character's ability to lie, cheat, pretend to be something they're not, or play anyone false for any other reason.
* Digging represents a character's ability to remove dirt from the ground and shore up underground habitats.
* Endurance represents a character's ability to resist pain, fatigue, and deprivation. Given that many people have only their feet to travel on, its most common use is for hiking.
* Evasion that represents a character's ability to move with swiftness and precision to avoid attacks or being seen by others.
* Fighting represent a character's ability to engage in acts of both armed and unarmed close combat.
* Gossip represents a character's ability to gather information from others through conversation.
* Jumping represents a character's ability to leap for distance, leap for height, tumble, perform hand-stands, and perform other basic feats of acrobatics
* Leadership represent's a character ability to inspire others not to lose hope, to face dire peril, and to overcome great odds.
* Negotiation represents a character's ability to reason with others.
* Observation represents a character's ability to examine the world using their senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell.
* Presence represents a character's natural charisma and confidence.
* Questioning represents a character's ability to read people's emotions, know the right questions to ask, and determine the quality of answers they're given.
* Shooting represents a character's ability to use ranged weapons such as bows, crossbows, slings, and guns.
* Supernatural represents a character's practical knowledge of magic and how it works.
* Swimming represents a character's ability to maneuver in water and hold their breath for long periods of time.
* Tactics represents a character's ability to use numbers to their advantage in combat.
* Throwing represents a character's ability to throw things accurately across distances.
* Transport represents a character's ability to ride animals and operate vehicles.

### Can I change my marks?

Yes. During the Character Development phase marks may be retrained to gain 2 experience points. New marks may be purchased for 4 experience points.

## Step 7: Choose Starting Gifts

List of Gifts

If your Game Host is following the standard rules, you will begin the game with three starting Gifts of your choice. These may be any gifts as long as you meet all of the requirements for them.

### What are Gifts?

Gifts are special abilities that a character may have which change the rules of the game for them and allow them to perform actions that characters without them simply can't. They can represent physical abilities, such as a greater resistance to injury or an uncanny knack to avoid a fatal blow, social aspects, such as increased wealth or influence, mental abilities, such as improved senses and heightened awareness, or supernatural abilities, such as an understanding of magic or the ability to cast spells.

### What are requirements?

Some Gifts are more advanced than others. Some Gifts require that you have other Gifts or a certain level of skill in a certain trait before being able to learn them. If a gift has multiple requirements, you must have **all** of the requirements before you can take it.

### What gift should I take?

This depends heavily on the type of character you want to play and the type of things you expect that they will need to face! The world of Feralis can be a dangerous one, so anyone who intends to adventure it should be well prepared.

That said a few gifts you should consider:

* Birthright Gifts may only be taken during character creation, so if you want to take any of them, now is the time!

* Saving Gifts can reduce the amount of damage a character takes or allow them to avoid dying from a blow that would otherwise kill them.

* Improved Trait - If you're unsure what Gifts to take, then making your Trait Dice bigger is always a good bet.

* Literacy - The world of Feralis is a primitive one and there's no popular education in most of the world. A few Careers start with Literacy, but most don't. If you want your character to be able to read or write, you'll need this gift.

* Brawling Fighter OR Weapon Proficiency - These Gifts are the fundamental stepping stones for learning any form of armed or unarmed martial art. If you think your character may ever be involved in a fight, it's not a bad idea to start them with the basics.

### Can I change my gifts?

Yes. At any time during the Character Development phase, you may re-train your gift to gain 5 experience points. You will no longer have any access to the gift after that. The only Gifts that may not be retrained are your Combat Save, Size Gift, and Gift of Personality.

Note that if you retrain a Species Gift, your maximum die size in the Species Trait will be limited to the following maximum amounts:

* 1 Gift Retrained = Maximum of d8
* 2 Gifts Retrained = Maximum of d6
* 3 Gifts Retained = Maximum of d4

If you retrain a Career Gift, you will lose access to the benefits of that career entirely until you have regained it.

New Gifts may be purchased for 10 experience points or gained by achieving Goals.

## Step 8: Choose Starting Flaws

List of Flaws

If your Game Host is following the standard rules, you will begin the game with three starting Flaws of your choice. These may be any flaws as long as you meet all of the requirements for them.

### What are Flaws?

Flaws are a group of in-game mechanics that represent a character's biggest disabilities, struggles, and general hinderances. These can include Physical Flaws, such as a bad eye or leg, Mental Flaws, like trouble paying attention or a bad sense of direction, Social Flaws, like an issue with authority or an existing enemy, and Supernatural Flaws, such as curses or other magical issues. Flaws are only chosen by players during character creation however characters may gain additional flaws a result of serious injury or other events that happen over the course of a story.

Every flaw is a hinderance that could lead a character to make a bad decision, take additional damage, face a status effect, struggle with a task, or face new consequences for situations outside of their control. While this is generally a bad thing, dealing with their flaws gives characters the opportunity to learn and grow from their failure, earning up to 1 additional Experience per flaw, per chapter in the process.

### Can I get rid of my Flaws?

Some flaws may be removed over the course of the game. For example, Typical Flaws may be removed after a successful learning experience. Other flaws, however, can be much more difficult to remove, such as Plot Flaws, which require the player to resolve them through gameplay before they can be removed, and Persistent Flaws, which are permanent unless a character is able to get major magical or surgical intervention.

## Step 9: Choose Name

Every character in the world has at least one common name. Different regions of the world have ways of handling names. Check the Culture section of their Native Land's page for more information on that country's naming conventions.

## Step 10: Choose Motto

Your character's Motto is a short phrase which represents their personal outlook on life. Whenever you're not sure what a character would do, you should be able to read the motto again, and then act accordingly.

At the beginning of each play session, you and your fellow players will read your character’s Motto out loud. Be enthusiastic! It’s time to get into character.

At the end of the play session, you and your fellow players will once again read your Mottos, and then it’s up to the Game Host to decide if your character lived up to the Motto. If your character kept to the spirit of their Motto, the Game Host will award 1 Experience Point.

### What are some sample mottos?

* “All for one and one for all.”
* “Deeds, not words.”
* “Discretion is the better part of valor.”
* “Duty first.”
* “Failure is the mother of success.”
* “Fortune favors the bold.”
* “Get them before they get you.”
* “Honor in all things.”
* “Justice will prevail”
* “Keep your faith alight, but keep your powder dry.”
* “Know no fear, serve with joy.”
* “Knowledge is belief, belief is power.”
* “Many can hide, but few can stand.”
* “No one is above the law.”
* “No one punishes me with impunity.”
* “Nothing is done in this world until men are ready to die for it.”
* “Peace to all good people.”
* “Success is the nobler brother of revenge.”
* “There’s always something new beyond the horizon.”
* “When good folk do nothing, evil prevails.”

## Step 11: Choose Starting Goals

Each character starts the game with two Goals that you get to pick - a long-term goal and a short-term goal. Should you manage to complete these goals, the Game Host will reward you with a gift of their choosing.

Your long-term goal is the first goal in your goal list. It should be, possible, if difficult, to achieve and may require you to complete a large number of smaller tasks to accomplish it it. This represents your character's largest current driving motivation, something that will mark a major milestone for the character when it's been completed.

The short-term goal should be something your character wants to accomplish in the very near future. Examples of suitable short term goals include:

* Getting a job
* Rescuing the princess
* Winning the favor of the duchess
* Stealing the royal jewels

### How do I get new goals?

You may obtain a new long-term goal by changing or completing your old one, with the approval of the Game Host.

After character creation, you will only be able to obtain a new short-term goals by accepting those that are offered by the Game Host.

### Can I ever get rid of a goal?

Yes. In fact, several situations may require you to do so. A character may never have more than four Goals at one time, so if you want to add a Goal when your sheet is already full, you'll need to give up on one of the goals you already have.

The Game Host may also tell you to remove a Goal from your character sheet if the Goal becomes impossible to achieve.

## Step 12: Choose Equipment

List of Items

You begin the game with the following:

* All of the Equipment listed in the Trappings section of your career
* Up to 50D worth of Common and Uncommon items, based on the prices and rarities from your Native Land
* Money equal to your maximum career die x5. For example, if your Career Die is d8, you start with 40D.

### What if I want something that's not listed?

If you would like to start the game with an item that is not in the list of items, make sure to talk to the Game Host about whether it's a possibility. You might also consider exchanging one of your gifts for the Gift of Signature Item if you want something truly unique and extraordinary.

## Step 13: Fill Out Battle Array

The last step in Character Creation is to fill out the battle array. It’s best to take a few minutes to fill this out before a fight starts, to avoid delaying the game.

* Your Initiative is your Speed & Mind Dice. You roll these dice at the start of the battle to see how ready you are.
* Your Stride is usually 1. Gifts can improve this.
* Your Sprint is your Speed die, with a +1 if your Body trait is greater than your Speed Trait. If you carry too meach gear and become Burdened, your Sprint drops to zero.
* Your Run is the maximum you could roll on your Body die, plus the maximum you could roll on your Speed die, plus your Sprint. For example, if your Body was d8 and your Speed was d4, and you rolled a 4 on your Sprint rolle then your Run would be 8+4+5, or 17.
* Your Attack dice vary from weapon to weapon. Check the individual weapon listing for more information. List each weapon with its attack dice.
* Your Defenses also vary, but everybody gets at least a Dodge defense, which is your Speed die and any Evasion Dice you have from Skills.
* Cover can be gained through the use of shields, cloaks, magic, or the environment you're in.
* Your Soak is your Body die.
* Your Armor is determined by your equipment. Check the individual armor listing for more information.
* Money equal to your maximum career die x5. For example, if your Career Die is d8, you start with 40D.