Character Creation & Advancement

Creating a Character

Concept

• Start with a general idea of what you want to play. Your setting book likely provides many ideas.

Ancestry

• Choose your character’s ancestry (race) and apply any bonuses or special abilities it grants.

Hindrances

• Select up to four points of Hindrances (Major Hindrances are worth 2, Minor are worth 1).
• For 2 Hindrance points you can raise an attribute one die type, or choose an Edge.
• For 1 Hindrance point you can gain another skill point, or gain additional starting funds equal to twice your setting’s starting amount.

Attributes

• Attributes start at d4. You have 5 points to distribute among them. Each step costs 1 point.
• Attributes may not be raised beyond d12 unless your hero’s racial bonus states otherwise.

Skills

• Athletics, Common Knowledge, Notice, Persuasion, and Stealth are core skills and start at d4 for free.
• You have 15 points to put into these or any other skills.
• Each die type costs 1 point up to and equal to the linked attribute; then 2 points per step after that.

Derived Statistics

• Standard Pace is 6″ and your Running die is d6, but these may be changed by racial abilities, Edges, or Hindrances.
• Parry is 2 plus half of Fighting.
• Toughness is 2 plus half of Vigor, plus any Armor.
  • Note the amount of armor in parentheses like this—Toughness: 11 (2). This means 2 points of the total 11 Toughness comes from Armor. An Armor Piercing attack could bypass those 2 points but not the other 9.
• If using the Wealth setting rule, starting Wealth is d6. This can be changed with the Poverty Hindrance or the Rich Edges.

Edges

• Use any leftover Hindrance points to take Edges if you like.
• Each Edge costs 2 Hindrance points.

Gear

• Purchase up to $500 worth of equipment.

Advancement

You will periodically receive "Advances", which are used to improve your character's statistics. The frequency of Advances will depend on the nature of the campaign. In short campaigns, an Advance might be given every session, while in long-term campaigns they might come every few sessions, or only after certain objectives are reached.

Spending Advances

An Advance lets a character do one of the following. Remember that no Trait may be raised above an Ancestry's maximum (usually d12).

• Gain a new Edge.
• Increase a skill that is equal to or greater than its linked attribute one die type.
• Increase two skills that are lower than their linked attributes by one die type each (including new skills the character didn’t have before at d4).
• Increase one attribute by a die type. This option may only be taken once per Rank (see Rank, below). Legendary characters may raise an attribute every other Advance, up to the racial maximum.
• Permanently remove a Minor Hindrance, or reduce a Major Hindrance to a Minor (if possible). With the GM’s permission, and if it makes sense, two Advances may be saved up and spent to remove a Major Hindrance. The player and GM should work out how and when this happens. Perhaps the shocking death of an ally triggers a change in attitude, the hero puts real effort into improving harmful behavior, or might even seek professional help during downtime between missions.

Rank

As a character gains Advances, they go up in “Rank.” This is a rough measure of how powerful they are. Each Rank allows access to more powerful Edges and certain abilities (such as powers)!

Advances	Rank
0-3	Novice
4-7	Seasoned
8-11	Veteran
12-15	Heroic
16+	Legendary