Character Creation

Roll 1d4 minus 1d4 in order for each of the six core stats of Charisma, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Strength, and Wisdom. This will give a score of -3 to +3 for each. Afterward you may add +1 to a single stat.

Next, choose which class you'd like to take on at first. There are three, Fighter, Magician, and Thief.

Fighters are highly skilled in combat. Their important stats are Strength (for dealing melee damage), Dexterity (for dealing ranged damage), and Constitution (for increasing their hit points).

Magicians weave spells, research lore, and craft magic items. Their important stats are Intelligence (for learning spells) and Wisdom (for determining how many spells they can cast before collapsing from mental exertion).

Thieves are subverters of authority, skilled countercultural agents of their own whims. Their important stats are varied, since they can learn a number of skills that rely on different stats, but Dexterity, Intelligence, and Charisma are consistently useful for Thieves.

Through adventuring and gaining treasure, character accumulate experience points (XP). Once they gain enough XP, they go up a character level and become more powerful.

Whenever gaining a character level, players may choose any of the three classes in which to place that level, multiclassing as they will. Any particular class may only be increased to 5th level, and total character class may never increase above level 9. Experience points gained beyond that can be kept track of, but the character will never gain another level.

All characters are considered level 0 in all classes, and so have the level o abilities associated with each. Starting characters also have the level 1 abilities of a single class of their choosing.

The following table shows what abilities and powers the character gains in each level of each class.

The experience point requirements for each level are as follows (more on gaining experience points later):

EXPLANATION OF TERMS

HP: Hit Points, how much physical damage you can take before you start dealing with serious wounds. Only add positive Constitution bonuses to HP, the minimum for the class is the first number.

Attack: One of the numbers added to 2d6 when attacking someone in combat.

Defense: One of the numbers subtracted from an opponent's attack roll against you.

Weapons: Number of weapons you are proficient with. Proficiency allows you to use a weapon's Versatility bonus (more on that later).

Casting: The dice you roll to cast a spell. The number rolled must meet or exceed the spell's Power Level (PL) to be successfully cast. The caster may spend fatigue points to add additional dice to casting, on a 1-to-1 basis, up to double the Casting.

Threshold: The number of fatigue points the character can take before collapsing. Only add positive Wisdom to Threshold. If fatigue ever meets the Threshold value, the character lapses into unconsciousness. They can regain consciousness 2 hours later, when they lose 1 fatigue. If they rest uninterrupted for 4 hours, they lose 3 fatigue, and after 6 they lose all of it.

Spells: The types and number of Spells the caster learns by advancing levels. They may also learn spells on their own by finding books or teachers (see the spells section).

Skills: The number of Skills the character is trained in using. At second and fourth level, a Thief may Master one of his Skills.

Backstab: This is a bonus to both Attack and Damage when striking an unaware target with a melee weapon who is not currently engaged in combat. Attempting to Backstab with a ranged weapon incurs a -2 penalty. Backstab bonuses to damage do not double in the case of a Critical Hit (more on this later).

SKILLS

The following is a list of the skills that adventurers commonly use, and their associated stats in parentheses. Characters start untrained in all of these skills (thieves get 2 skills to be trained in at first level, others get 1):

Athletics (str, dex, or con depending on action)

Awareness (wis)

Deception (cha)

Decipher (int)

Heal (wis)

Lore (Int)

Stealth (dex)

Naturalism (wis)

Tinker (dex or int depending on situation)

WEAPONS

The following is a list of Weapon Types in which a character may be proficient (fighters get 2 weapon proficiencies at first level, others get 1):

Blades (swords/daggers)

Polearms (halberds/poleaxes/spears/staves)

Axes (axes/maces/clubs)

Unarmed

Improvised (melee only)

Bows

Crossbows

Thrown (slings/spears/stones/improvised)

EQUIPMENT

Adventurers start with 3d6 x 10 Gold Pieces (GP). See Equipment Lists for detailed pricing of equipment.