Unless their table chooses to use pre-generated characters, each player creates their own PC by making a series of guided choices. Some of these decisions are purely narrative, meaning they only appear in or affect the game through roleplaying, but others are mechanical choices that affect the things their PC is able to do and which actions they're more (or less) likely to succeed at when making moves and taking action.
Note: You can fill in your character's name, pronouns, and Character Description details at any point of the character creation process.
STEP 1: Choose a Class and Subclass
Classes are role-based archetypes that determine which class features and domain cards a PC gains access to throughout the campaign. There are nine classes in this SRD: Bard, Druid, Guardian, Ranger, Rogue, Seraph, Sorcerer, Warrior, Wizard.
- Select a class and take its corresponding character sheet and character guide printouts. These sheets are for recording your PC's details; you'll update and reference them throughout the campaign.
- Every class begins with one or more unique class feature(s), described at the bottom left of each class's character sheet. If your class feature prompts you to make a selection, do so now.
- Choose a Subclass Subclasses further refine a class archetype and reinforce its expression by granting access to unique subclass features. Each class comprises two subclasses. Select one of your class's subclasses and take its Foundation card.
STEP 2: Choose Your Heritage
Your character's heritage combines two elements: ancestry and community.
- A character's ancestry reflects their lineage, impacting their physicality and granting them two unique ancestry features. Take the card for one of the following ancestries, then write its name in the Heritage field of your character sheet: Clank, Drakona, Dwarf, Elf, Faerie, Faun, Firbolg, Fungril, Galapa, Giant, Goblin, Halfling, Human, Infernis, Katari, Orc, Ribbet, Simiah. To create a Mixed Ancestry, take the top (first-listed) ancestry feature from one ancestry and the bottom (second-listed) ancestry feature from another.
- Your character's community represents their culture or environment of origin and grants them a community feature. Take the card for one of the following communities, then write its name in the Heritage field of your character sheet: Highborne, Loreborne, Orderborne, Ridgeborne, Seaborne, Slyborne, Underborne, Wanderborne, Wildborne.
STEP 3: Assign Character Traits
Your character has six traits that represent their physical, mental, and social aptitude:
- Agility (Use it to Sprint, Leap, Maneuver,etc.) A high Agility means you're fast on your feet, nimble on difficult terrain, and quick to react to danger. You'll make an Agility Roll to scurry up a rope, sprint to cover, or bound from rooftop to rooftop.
- Strength (Use it to Lift, Smash, Grapple, etc.) A high Strength means you're better at feats that test your physical prowess and stamina. You'll make a Strength Roll to break through a door, lift heavy objects, or hold your ground against a charging foe.
- Finesse (Use it to Control, Hide, Tinker, etc.) A high Finesse means you're skilled at tasks that require accuracy, stealth, or the utmost control. You'll make a Finesse Roll to use fine tools, escape notice, or strike with precision.
- Instinct (Use it to Perceive, Sense, Navigate, etc.) A high Instinct means you have a keen sense of your surroundings and a natural intuition. You'll make an Instinct Roll to sense danger, notice details in the world around you, or track an elusive foe.
- Presence (Use it to Charm, Perform, Deceive, etc.) A high Presence means you have a strong force of personality and a facility for social situations. You'll make a Presence Roll to plead your case, intimidate a foe, or capture the attention of a crowd.
- Knowledge (Use it to Recall, Analyze, Comprehend, etc.) A high Knowledge means you know information others don't and understand how to apply your mind through deduction and inference. You'll make a Knowledge Roll to interpret facts, see the patterns clearly, or remember important information.
When you "roll with a trait," that trait's modifier is added to the roll's total. Assign the modifiers +2, +1, +1, +0, +0, -1 to your character's traits in any order you wish.
STEP 4: Record Additional Character Information
- Characters start a new campaign at Level 1. Record your level in the designated space at the top of your character sheet.
- Evasion represents your character's ability to avoid damage. Your character's starting Evasion is determined by their class and appears directly beneath the Evasion field on your character sheet; copy this number into the Evasion field.
- Hit Points (HP) are an abstract measure of your physical health. Your starting HP is determined by your class and is recorded on your character sheet.
- Stress reflects your ability to withstand the mental and emotional strain of dangerous situations and physical exertion. Every PC starts with 6 Stress slots.
- Hope is a metacurrency that fuels special moves and certain abilities or features. All PCs start with 2 Hope; mark these in the Hope field of your character sheet.
STEP 5: Choose Your Starting Equipment
Choose your weapon(s):
- Select from the Tier 1 Weapon Tables. Either a twohanded primary weapon or a one-handed primary weapon and a one-handed secondary weapon.Then equip your selection by recording it in the Active Weapon field of your character sheet.
- At Level 1, your Proficiency is 1; write this number in the Proficiency field on your character sheet, then calculate and record your damage roll by combining your Proficiency value with your equipped weapon(s) damage dice. Example: If your Proficiency is 1 and your weapon's damage dice is d6+1, your damage roll is 1d6+1. Proficiency only determines how many damage dice you roll, and does not affect any flat damage modifiers.
Choose and equip one set of armor from the Tier 1 Armor Table, then record its details in the Active Armor field of your character sheet.
- Add your character's level to your equipped armor's Base Thresholds and record the total for both numbers in the corresponding fields. At character creation, your level is 1.
- Record your Armor Score in the field at the top left of your character sheet. Your Armor Score is equal to your equipped armor's Base Score plus any permanent bonuses your character has to their Armor Score from other abilities, features, or effects.
Add the following items to the Inventory fields on your character sheet:
- A torch, 50 feet of rope, basic supplies, and a handful of gold (mark one box in the left-hand column of your character sheet titled "Gold > Handfuls")
- EITHER a Minor Health Potion (clear 1d4 Hit Points) OR a Minor Stamina Potion (clear 1d4 Stress)
- One of the class-specific items listed on your character guide
- If applicable, whichever class-specific item you selected to carry your spells
- Any other GM-approved items you'd like to have at the start of the game
STEP 6: Create Your Background
Develop your character's background by answering the background questions in your character guide, modifying or replacing them if they don't fit the character you want to play.
Note: Your background has no explicit mechanical effect, but it greatly affects the character you'll play and the prep the GM will do. Throughout character creation, you can adjust choices you made in earlier steps to better reflect this background as your character takes shape. If you wish, you can leave your character's past more ambiguous for the time being and discover their backstory through play.
STEP 7: Create Your Experiences
An Experience is a word or phrase used to encapsulate a specific set of skills, personality traits, or aptitudes your character has acquired over the course of their life. When your PC makes a move, they can spend a Hope to add a relevant Experience's modifier to an action or reaction roll.
- Your PC gets two Experiences at character creation, each with a +2 modifier.
- There's no set list of Experiences to choose from, but an Experience can't be too broadly applicable and it can't grant your character specific mechanical benefits, such as magic spells or special abilities. For example, "Lucky" and "Highly Skilled" are too broad, because they could be applied to virtually any roll. Likewise, "Supersonic Flight" and "Invulnerable" imply game-breaking special abilities.
EXAMPLE EXPERIENCES
Backgrounds: Assassin, Blacksmith, Bodyguard, Bounty Hunter, Chef to the Royal Family, Circus Performer, Con Artist, Fallen Monarch, Field Medic, High Priestess, Merchant, Noble, Pirate, Politician, Runaway, Scholar, Sellsword, Soldier, Storyteller, Thief, World Traveler
Characteristics: Affable, Battle-Hardened, Bookworm, Charming, Cowardly, Friend to All, Helpful, Intimidating Presence, Leader, Lone Wolf, Loyal, Observant, Prankster, Silver Tongue, Sticky Fingers, Stubborn to a Fault, Survivor, Young and Naive
Specialties: Acrobat, Gambler, Healer, Inventor, Magical Historian, Mapmaker, Master of Disguise, Navigator, Sharpshooter, Survivalist, Swashbuckler, Tactician
Skills: Animal Whisperer, Barter, Deadly Aim, Fast Learner, Incredible Strength, Liar, Light Feet, Negotiator, Photographic Memory, Quick Hands, Repair, Scavenger, Tracker
Phrases: Catch Me If You Can, Fake It Till You Make It, First Time's the Charm, Hold the Line, I Won't Let You Down, I'll Catch You, I've Got Your Back, Knowledge Is Power, Nature's Friend, Never Again, No One Left Behind, Pick on Someone Your Own Size, The Show Must Go On, This Is Not a Negotiation, Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
STEP 8: Choose Domain Cards
Your class has access to two of the nine Domains included in the core set. Choose two cards from your class's domains, which are listed in the upper left of your character sheet. You can take one card from each domain or two from a single domain, whichever you prefer.
STEP 9: Create Your Connections
Connections are the relationships between the PCs. To create connections, follow these steps:
- Go around the table and have each player describe their characters to one another—at a minimum, their name, pronouns, character description, experiences, and the answers to their background questions.
- Discuss potential connections between the PCs using the questions included in the "Connections" section of your character guide as inspiration.
- Suggest at least one connection between your character and each other player's PC. Accept any suggested connections you want to explore, reject any you don't.
Note: A player can reject a suggested connection for any reason, and it's okay if there isn't an established connection between every pair of PCs—you can always discover and develop those relationships through play.