Difference between revisions of "Book:Character Creation"

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Each player needs to create a character before he or she can play the game.  One could create a one-armed, colorblind, psychic carpenter who charges into battle wielding his over-sized pipe-wrench, to a charismatic brigand, robbing from the rich, giving to the poor and wearing fantastic tights.  Characters can be classic or original, simple or complex, the choice is the player's.
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Players need to create characters before they can join the game.  One could create a one-armed, colorblind, psychic carpenter who charges into battle wielding his oversized pipe wrench. One could create a charismatic brigand, robbing from the rich, giving to the poor, and wearing fantastic tights.
  
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== The Sheet ==
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Characters can be classic or original, simple or complex; the choice is the player's.
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The Character Sheet is the central item to the Elysium game.  It is where you keep track of your character’s condition, abilities, hurts and health, weaknesses, strengths, possessions, contacts, and anything relevant to staying inside that character and playing the game.  As such, you should get to know it pretty well, as you'll need to reference it fairly often.  At the end of this book is a blank character sheet which you may photocopy or scan and make copies of.
+
 
 +
==The Sheet==
 +
The Character Sheet is the central item to the Immortal Legacy game.  It is where you keep track of your character's condition, abilities, hurts and health, weaknesses, strengths, possessions, contacts, and anything relevant to staying inside that character and playing the game.  As such, you should get to know it pretty well, as you'll need to reference it fairly often.  At the end of this book is a blank character sheet which you may photocopy or scan and make copies of.
  
 
Now let's take you through the steps of creating a new character.
 
Now let's take you through the steps of creating a new character.
 +
 +
{{sidebar|caption=Quick Start|text=To create a character for Immortal Legacy, just follow these steps.
 +
# Choose a ''Concept''
 +
# Choose an ''Alignment''
 +
# Choose a ''Motivation''
 +
# Choose a ''Personality''
 +
# Choose a ''Race''
 +
# Assign 60 points into your ''attributes''
 +
# Assign 25 ranks into your ''skills'' (don't forget ranks in Occupations, Weapons, Elements, and Motions)
 +
# Spend 15 Expoints on ''trumps'' and ''special powers''
 +
# Choose any ''faults'' and gain Expoints that can be spent however you'd like
 +
# Purchase ''equipment''
 +
}}
  
 
== Step One: The Big Idea ==
 
== Step One: The Big Idea ==
 +
Alright, this is where it all begins! Step One is all about defining your character: description and back-story, behavior, goals, and beliefs. Before you worry about any game rules or hard numbers, you should have a good idea about the narrative side of your character.
  
 
=== Concept ===
 
=== Concept ===
−
The first thing you should do when creating a character, is to come up with a Concept.  This means you need a rough idea of what kind of character you want to play.  Some example Concepts might be orphan, soldier, farmer, witch, magician, bounty hunter, or diplomat.  A Concept is essentially what the character does, as opposed to the next step, Personality, which is what the person is like.  Concept can also very easily be the character's occupation, and many times is.  Remember: most people in Elysium don’t go off slaying dragons and fighting evil — that's what makes heroes special.  So maybe your character would pick up a trade somewhere along the line; most people know one.
+
{{:Concept}}
 +
 
 +
=== Alignment ===
 +
{{:Alignment}}
 +
 
 +
=== Motivation ===
 +
{{:Motivation}}
  
 
=== Personality ===
 
=== Personality ===
−
Personality is a listing of traits that describe what your character is like, and what people might say about him or her.  Personality helps a player get a feel for how to roleplay the character’s actions and reactions, speak as the character, and represent the feel of the character.  To choose a Personality for your character is very simple.  Just choose at least one of the Personality Traits listed below.  The less Traits you choose, the more one dimensional and predictable your character will be.  The more you choose, the more dynamic and three dimensional.  Choose as many as you like, but keep in mind that it will be more difficult to accurately roleplay your character if you choose conflicting traits or too many.
+
Personality is great for describing how to role play your character. Personality is what your character ''is like''. It's a listing of traits that describe your character's behavior and what people might say about her.  Personality helps a player get a feel for how to role play the character's actions and reactions, speak as the character, and represent the feel of the character.  Choosing a Personality for your character is very simple — just choose at least one of the Personality Traits listed below.  The less Traits you choose, the more one dimensional and predictable your character will be.  The more you choose, the more dynamic and three dimensional.  Choose as many as you like, but keep in mind that it will be more difficult to accurately role play your character if you choose conflicting traits or too many.
  
 
* [[Personality Examples]]
 
* [[Personality Examples]]
  
−
=== Motivation ===
+
===Example===
−
Motivation is another integral part of defining what purpose your character has.  Motivation details what your character wants.  This serves a number of functions in the game.  First off, it lets the GM in on what you, as a player, desire out of the game.  If your character wants to become rich and make the world a better place, there are a number of ways the GM can go about challenging you with this.  Or if your aims are narrower, such as wanting to recover your ancestral sword of your forefathers' time, the GM can look for a way to slip something into the storyline.  Secondly, it helps give you a reason for playing.  There are no "winners" in roleplaying games; winning is about having fun.  But having a goal can’t hurt.  There is no list of suggestions for motivations, but here are some ideas.
+
Here are two examples of the above information for some familiar characters.
−
 
 
−
Is your character running from something or someone?  Does the character want to acquire something?  For whom will he/she acquire it?  Is the character protecting someone/something?  Is he/she hiding someone or something?  What about revenge?  This is an old classic.  Hate and Love are very strong concepts.  Who/what does the character Love/Hate?  If that is too strong, what about Like/Dislike?  Does the character have an occupation?  Is he/she happy?  What changes would the character like to bring about?  What impact would he/she like to have?
 
  
−
=== Alignment ===
+
Jack, the titular character from ''Jack and the Beanstalk''. Jack was told to go to the market with a cow and sell it. Instead he came home with magic beans which grew and allowed Jack to find the castle of a giant in the clouds, from whom he stole several things. Ultimately, Jack dispatched said giant. If your character was Jack, you might pick "poor farm boy" as your Concept. For Personality, you might put "Curious, Gullible, Opportunistic". Curious for his desire to investigate the giant's castle, gullible for being sold magic beans, and opportunistic for taking what he thought was a good haul from the giant. His Motivation might be "To attain wealth." Finally, his Alignment might be "Egoist, Supernatural", for he was a bit selfish taking from someone else and he had enough belief in magic beans to bring them home to his mother instead of cash for the cow.
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Alignment is the last of these theoretical questions you have to ask about the character. Alignment is about what the character believes. Not necessarily a concept of spirituality or religion (though these can be alignments), it’s more about the character's limitations. Alignment is probably the least important of the three, so if you can't come up with anything, don't worry, there aren't any rules that correspond to your alignment.
 
  
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Ask yourself: is the character lawful or opportunistic?  Do they believe in Government or Anarchy?  Does he/she subscribe to the idea of Good and Evil?  Now which one does he/she believe she is?  Which one is he/she really?  Spiritualist or Materialist?  Industrialist, Entropist, or Naturalist?  Animalist or Humanist?  Religious or Atheist?  Hedonist or Pragmatist?  Egoist or Altruist?  Liberal or Conservative?  Fascist?  Socialist?  Communist?  What does the character believe?  (Do you need to look up any of these?) Use some of these if you like. Also rate, on a scale of 1–5, with five being the strongest, how strongly the character feels about each.
+
King Arthur, the legendary British leader. Depending on which book you read, or movie you watch, Arthur's character differs a bit. In any case, it is undisputed he was a just, powerful ruler with knights at his command, and a drive to protect his domain. If King Arthur was your character, you might choose "destined ruler" as your Concept. His Personality could be "Charismatic, Humble, Responsible", all traits you could see in many depictions of Arthur. For Motivation, you might put "Defend Britain", for surely that was his ultimate goal. Lastly, his Alignment could be "Justice, Faith, Duty", for he was a King that ruled with the law, honored the call of his maker to find the Holy Grail, and served with a sense of duty.
  
 
==Step Two: It's Alive!==
 
==Step Two: It's Alive!==
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===Race===
 
===Race===
−
One of the most important choices a player can make about his or her character is the character's Race. With it comes possible boons and hindrances as well as a starting place for behavior, appearance, and physical traits. For more information on races, flip to the Races section located later in this book, which details many playable races for Elysium.
+
One of the most important choices a player can make about his or her character is the character's Race. With it comes possible boons and hindrances as well as a starting place for behavior, appearance, and physical traits. For more information on races, flip to the [[Book:Races|Races]] chapter located later in this book, which details many playable races for Immortal Legacy.
  
 
===Attributes===
 
===Attributes===
−
These are your character's core statistics.  Every character, regardless of race, gender, or anything else, have these 12 Attributes.  They describe your character's natural potential, while Skills, on the other hand, which come later, describe what your character has learned. Both Attributes and Skills have ranges from 1–10, with 1 being the lowest possible score and 10 being the highest.  Some races have maximums that are higher or lower than 10. Additionally, some supernatural creatures or highly advanced characters may have scores far past 10, but most Player Characters generally don't.  Any Attribute (not Skill) with a score of zero means the character is out of commission, one way or another.  So, you need a rating of at least "1" in each Attribute.  Even then, that's very low.  A character with a "1" in [[Muscle]] would be near dead and a character with a "1" in [[Intellect]] would be near brain-dead.  So it might be a good idea to have at least two in everything to start off with.
+
These are your character's core statistics.  Every character and creature in Immortal Legacy has these 12 Attributes.  They describe your character's natural potential and innate talent. Attributes have ranges from 1–10, with 1 being the lowest possible score and 10 being the highest.  Non-human races have maximums that are higher or lower than 10, so it's important to first choose a Race.
  
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At character creation, you receive '''50''' points to divide up between the 12 Attributes as you see fit, however your GM may see fit to give you more or less.  Below, Attributes are categorized into Physical, Mental, Social, and Spirit stats.
+
At character creation, you receive 60 points to divide up between the 12 Attributes as you see fit, however your GM might give you more or fewer.
 +
 
 +
Any Attribute (not Skill) with a score of zero means the character is out of commission, one way or another.  So, you need a rating of at least "1" in each Attribute.  Even then, that's very low.  A character with a "1" in [[Muscle]] would be near dead and a character with a "1" in [[Intellect]] would be near brain-dead.  So it might be a good idea to have at least two in everything to start off with.
 +
 
 +
Below, Attributes are categorized into the categories of Physical, Mental, Social, and Spiritual.
  
 
====Physical====
 
====Physical====
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====Social====
 
====Social====
−
=====Personality=====
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=====Charm=====
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{{:Personality}}
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{{:Charm}}
 
=====Presence=====
 
=====Presence=====
 
{{:Presence}}
 
{{:Presence}}
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{{:Self-Control}}
 
{{:Self-Control}}
  
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====Derived====
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===Speed===
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=====Magic Points=====
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Speed is a measurement of how many feet per second your character can easily sprint around. The Speed score is generally determined by a creature's Size. All playable races detailed in this book have a Speed of 10, which is almost 7 miles per hour. You can try to move faster than this by making a Dash check (see ''Chapter 6: Skills'')
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{{:Magic Points}}
 
−
=====Spirit Points=====
 
−
{{:Spirit Points}}
 
−
=====Reaction=====
 
−
{{:Reaction}}
 
−
 
 
−
====Advancement====
 
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As game time passes, you may feel the need to increase one or more of your character's Attributes. It also makes perfect sense in-game — a soldier would spend time working out to up his Muscle, a monk spends his life attempting to refine his Self-Control. You can buy an additional rank in an Attribute in exchange for 5 Expoints.
 
−
 
 
−
===Expoints===
 
−
{{:Expoints}}
 
  
−
===Action Points===
+
===Size===
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[[Action Points]] (AP) represent the number of activities you can perform in combat.  Everything costs AP, from swinging a sword, to launching a spell, to grabbing a monkey out of your pocket.  Everyone starts off with 6 AP, but more can be bought with [[Trumps]].  See the Trumps chapter for details.
+
{{:Size}}
  
 
===Health Points===
 
===Health Points===
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==Step Three: I Know Kung Fu!==
 
==Step Three: I Know Kung Fu!==
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What good is a roleplaying character without nifty powers and skills? Fortunately in the Elysium game, anything you want your character to do or have from picking a lock to hurling fireballs to poison immunity, is available to purchase ''à la carte'' with Expoints in the forms of Skills, Trumps, and Special Powers. A character can also collect extra Expoints to spend on defining features by choosing Faults.
+
What good is a role-playing character without nifty skills and powers? Fortunately, in Immortal Legacy any trait, proficiency, or ability you want for your character (from picking locks to hurling fireballs to poison immunity) is available for purchase ''à la carte''. These abilities come in the form of skills, trumps, and special powers. You can increase your spending budget in return for choosing faults, which help define the character’s limitations.
  
 
===Skills===
 
===Skills===
−
[[Skills|Skill]] ranks represent a character's expertise and experience with a given activity. The more ranks in a skill, the better the character gets.  Ranks can be bought for mundane tasks, such as climbing or hiding, weapon skills, which enables a character to better pose an offensive threat, and magic school skills which allow a character to cast spells.  You receive 50 points to buy skills when creating your character.  Regular skills and weapon skills cost 2 points for 1 rank.  Magic school skills cost 3 points for 1 rank.  See the Skills chapter for more details.
+
''Skill'' ranks represent a character’s training, experience, and expertise with a given activity. The more ranks in a skill, the better the character gets. Each of the twelve attributes are associated with three skills, meaning there are thirty-six skills to which you can add ranks. There are also three types of advanced skills: ''weapon styles'' (for training with a category of weaponry), ''magic elements'' (for practice of the arcane), and ''spirit motions'' (for manipulating life itself).
 +
 
 +
At character creation, you receive 25 skill ranks to spread out over your skills.  A full explanation of each skill can be found in ''Chapter 5: [[Book:Skills|Skills]]''.
 +
 
 +
===Trumps, Faults, and Special Powers===
 +
At character creation, you receive 15 Expoints to purchase Trumps and Special Powers.
 +
 
 +
====Trumps====
 +
[[Trumps]] can be purchased to customize your character with benefits and bonuses. Some trumps can be purchased multiple times, granting further benefits each time. Trumps are detailed in ''Chapter 6''.
 +
====Faults====
 +
[[Faults]] can be chosen to further give your character a personality, and with that come hindrances.  Because they cause your character some trouble, faults give you more Expoints to use on other things.  You can use the points from faults to buy attributes (which cost 6 points), [[skills]] (which cost 2 points), trumps, or special powers. Faults are detailed in ''Chapter 7''.
 +
====Special Powers====
 +
[[Special Powers]] are supernatural abilities your character can utilize.  Unlike trumps and faults, you purchase special powers in ranks up to a maximum of 5.  Each rank brings more powerful abilities. Special powers are detailed in ''Chapter 8''.
 +
 
 +
===Action Points===
 +
'''Action Points''' (or '''AP''') represent the number of activities you can perform during your turn in combat.  Everything costs AP, from swinging a sword, to launching a spell, to grabbing a monkey out of your pocket.  Most everyone starts off with 6 AP. See ''Chapter 10: [[Book:Combat|Combat]]'' for more details on AP and its usage.
 +
 
 +
===Magic===
 +
With the aid of [[magic]], characters can throw fireballs, breathe underwater, and fly through the skies. Once characters tap into the Sea of Thought (see Appendix III: Cosmology), they can learn its wonders by locating or researching magic spells.
 +
 
 +
====Casting Spells====
 +
[[Spellcasting]] is one of the available special powers.  Spells are powered by one or more of the twelve [[Spell Schools|Elements]], and can behave a little differently depending on which element is used.  A character has no limit to the number of spells they can learn, but specializing usually makes for a more powerful character at the expense of diversity. The rules of Magic are detailed in Chapter 13, and spells are detailed in Chapter 14.
 +
 
 +
====Magic Points====
 +
Magic spells and abilities are fueled directly by '''Magic Points''' (or '''MP'''), which represent the raw pool of magic power available to a character. A character might refer to this as ''mana''.
 +
 
 +
MP is used to power magic, much the same way as gasoline is used to power cars. Every character has an MP score, whether or not they have the ability to cast magic spells.
 +
 
 +
Characters begin the game with 10 MP. Those capable of casting spells must choose which Attribute is tied to their magical talents, and they can add the score of that Attribute to their total MP.  For example, if Lioraine chooses [[Intellect]] as her [[Casting Attribute]], and she has 8 points in it, she begins the game with 18 MP. See Chapter 13: [[Book:Magic|Magic]] for more information about MP and its usage.
 +
 
 +
===Spirit===
 +
By wielding the power of the spirit, characters can perform fantastic feats of strength, speed, or endurance. By performing spirit arts, they can weaponize the very life force within them and seek enlightenment from the ''Spirit Realm (see Appendix III: Cosmology)''.
 +
 
 +
====Performing Spirit Arts====
 +
Spirit Artist is one of the available special powers. Spirit arts are divided into one of the Five Ways based on their purpose or function. Each of the Five Ways has a positive aspect and a negative aspect. These ten aspects are referred to as “spirit motions.” Your character can learn as many spirit arts as you desire. The rules of Spirit are detailed in Chapter 16, and spirit arts are detailed in Chapter 17.
 +
 
 +
====Spirit Points====
 +
'''Spirit Points''' (or '''SP'''), are the inner reserve of supernatural power that is inherent in every being.  A character might refer to this as ''ki''.
 +
 
 +
SP are harnessed through meditation and self awareness. They are used to enable great feats of strength and bravado, and to defy what is thought normally possible.
 +
 
 +
Characters begin the game with 10 SP. Those capable of wielding spirit power (by taking the [[Spirit Artist]] special power) can add their [[Self-Control]] score to their total SP.
 +
 
 +
For instance, if Bram has the Spirit Artist special power, and he has 6 points in Self-Control, he begins the game with 16 SP.
 +
 
 +
==Step Four: Done, Done, and Done==
 +
Now there are just a few finishing touches to be made regarding your new character.
 +
 
 +
===Description===
 +
The spaces marked '''Sexuality, Age, Weight, Height, Hair, Eyes,''' and '''Skin,''' are there for you to fill in a little bit about what your character looks like.  Some players also enjoy coming up with detailed descriptions of clothes, scars, tattoos, and so on.  Your character can be as simple as you like, but the more time you spend on rounding them out, the more realized they will be.
 +
 
 +
===Name===
 +
Some players start with a name, other players end with one.  However you do it, you will need to come up with a name for your new character.  And do try and make it appropriate to the setting and maturity level of your gaming group, okay?  ''Grumblebutt the Gaseous'' might be a little silly, while ''Joe the Blacksmith'' doesn't have much flair.
  
−
===Trumps and Faults===
+
===Inventory and Wealth===
−
[[Trumps]] can be bought to customize your character with benefits and bonuses.  [[Faults]] can be chosen to further give your character a personality, and with it come hindrances.  You can use the points from Faults to buy Attributes, [[Skills]], Trumps, [[Spells]], or [[Special Powers]].  Trumps and Faults are all further detailed in later chapters.
+
Brains, brawn, and bravado might not cut the monstrous mustard by themselves, hero.  Sometimes the difference between an early grave and eternal glory is what kind of gadgets and gear your characters have on them.  This is where you write down all the things you buy, find, or maybe even steal.  See Chapter 11: [[Book:Equipment|Equipment]] for all the goodies you can acquire.
  
−
=== Special Powers===
+
===Filling in the Gaps===
−
[[Special Powers]] are supernatural techniques your character can utilize.  Unlike trumps and faults, you purchase Special Powers in ranks up to a maximum of 5.  Each rank is more costly than the previous and each rank bought further increases the attributes of the special power.  These are further detailed in a later chapter.
+
If there are things on your character sheet that are not yet filled in (possibly in the Attack and Defense sections), don't despair.  The chapters which follow will give you more detailed information regarding the game rules and you will be able to fill those empty boxes in.
  
−
===Magic Spells===
+
==Advancement==
−
One of the more popular [[Special Powers]] is [[Spellcasting]].  Once a character has access to the realm of [[magic]], he or she can learn its wonders by researching magic spells.  Each spell costs one or more [[Expoints]] to learn.  Some spells span several [[Spell Schools|schools]], and can be learned a little differently each time.  A character has no limit to the number of spells he or she knows, but specializing usually makes for a more powerful character at the expense of diversity.
+
{{:Advancement}}
  
 
__NOTOC__ __NOEDITSECTION__
 
__NOTOC__ __NOEDITSECTION__

Latest revision as of 20:36, 10 January 2021

Players need to create characters before they can join the game. One could create a one-armed, colorblind, psychic carpenter who charges into battle wielding his oversized pipe wrench. One could create a charismatic brigand, robbing from the rich, giving to the poor, and wearing fantastic tights.

Characters can be classic or original, simple or complex; the choice is the player's.

The Sheet

The Character Sheet is the central item to the Immortal Legacy game. It is where you keep track of your character's condition, abilities, hurts and health, weaknesses, strengths, possessions, contacts, and anything relevant to staying inside that character and playing the game. As such, you should get to know it pretty well, as you'll need to reference it fairly often. At the end of this book is a blank character sheet which you may photocopy or scan and make copies of.

Now let's take you through the steps of creating a new character.


Quick Start
To create a character for Immortal Legacy, just follow these steps.
  1. Choose a Concept
  2. Choose an Alignment
  3. Choose a Motivation
  4. Choose a Personality
  5. Choose a Race
  6. Assign 60 points into your attributes
  7. Assign 25 ranks into your skills (don't forget ranks in Occupations, Weapons, Elements, and Motions)
  8. Spend 15 Expoints on trumps and special powers
  9. Choose any faults and gain Expoints that can be spent however you'd like
  10. Purchase equipment


Step One: The Big Idea

Alright, this is where it all begins! Step One is all about defining your character: description and back-story, behavior, goals, and beliefs. Before you worry about any game rules or hard numbers, you should have a good idea about the narrative side of your character.

Concept

The first thing you should do when creating a character is to come up with a Concept. Concept is what the character does. This means you need a rough idea of what kind of character you want to play. Some example Concepts might be orphan, soldier, farmer, witch, magician, bounty hunter, or diplomat. Concept can also very easily be the character's occupation, and many times is. Remember: most people in Immortal Legacy don't go off to become famous or notorious — that's what makes heroes and villains special. So maybe your character would pick up a trade somewhere along the line; most people know one. More elaborate Concepts might be blind child prodigy musician, genius inventor, or daredevil archaeologist.

Alignment

Alignment is the next of these questions you have to ask about the character. Alignment is what the character believes. Not necessarily a concept of spirituality or religion (though these can be alignments), it's more about the character's limitations. Alignment is probably the least important of the three, so if you can't come up with anything, don't worry, there aren't any rules that correspond to your alignment.

Ask yourself: is the character lawful or opportunistic? Does she believe in Government or Anarchy? Does she subscribe to the idea of Good and Evil? Which one does she believe she is (and which one is she really)? Spiritualist or Materialist? Industrialist, Entropist, or Naturalist? Animalist or Humanist? Religious or Atheist? Hedonist or Pragmatist? Egoist or Altruist? Liberal or Conservative? Fascist? Socialist? Communist? Use some of these if you like. (Do you need to look up any of these?)

Motivation

Motivation is another integral part of defining what purpose your character has. Motivation is what your character wants. This serves a number of functions in the game. First off, it lets the GM in on what you, as a player, desire out of the game. If your character wants to become rich and make the world a better place, there are a number of ways the GM can go about challenging you with this. Or if his aims are narrower, such as wanting to recover your ancestral sword of his forefathers' time, the GM can look for a way to slip something into the plot. Second, it helps give you a reason for playing. There are no "winners" in role-playing games; winning is about having fun. But having a goal can't hurt. There is no list of suggestions for motivations, but here are some ideas.

Is your character running from something or someone? Does the character want to acquire something? For whom will he acquire it? Is the character protecting someone or something? Is he hiding someone or something? What about revenge? This is an old classic. Hate and Love are very strong concepts. Who or what does the character Love or Hate? If that is too strong, what about Like or Dislike? Does the character have an occupation? Is he happy? What changes would the character like to bring about? What impact would he like to have?

Personality

Personality is great for describing how to role play your character. Personality is what your character is like. It's a listing of traits that describe your character's behavior and what people might say about her. Personality helps a player get a feel for how to role play the character's actions and reactions, speak as the character, and represent the feel of the character. Choosing a Personality for your character is very simple — just choose at least one of the Personality Traits listed below. The less Traits you choose, the more one dimensional and predictable your character will be. The more you choose, the more dynamic and three dimensional. Choose as many as you like, but keep in mind that it will be more difficult to accurately role play your character if you choose conflicting traits or too many.

Example

Here are two examples of the above information for some familiar characters.

Jack, the titular character from Jack and the Beanstalk. Jack was told to go to the market with a cow and sell it. Instead he came home with magic beans which grew and allowed Jack to find the castle of a giant in the clouds, from whom he stole several things. Ultimately, Jack dispatched said giant. If your character was Jack, you might pick "poor farm boy" as your Concept. For Personality, you might put "Curious, Gullible, Opportunistic". Curious for his desire to investigate the giant's castle, gullible for being sold magic beans, and opportunistic for taking what he thought was a good haul from the giant. His Motivation might be "To attain wealth." Finally, his Alignment might be "Egoist, Supernatural", for he was a bit selfish taking from someone else and he had enough belief in magic beans to bring them home to his mother instead of cash for the cow.

King Arthur, the legendary British leader. Depending on which book you read, or movie you watch, Arthur's character differs a bit. In any case, it is undisputed he was a just, powerful ruler with knights at his command, and a drive to protect his domain. If King Arthur was your character, you might choose "destined ruler" as your Concept. His Personality could be "Charismatic, Humble, Responsible", all traits you could see in many depictions of Arthur. For Motivation, you might put "Defend Britain", for surely that was his ultimate goal. Lastly, his Alignment could be "Justice, Faith, Duty", for he was a King that ruled with the law, honored the call of his maker to find the Holy Grail, and served with a sense of duty.

Step Two: It's Alive!

After choosing a Concept and completing step one, which is all about who your character is, you can now move on to step two, which deals with what your character can do in the game.

Race

One of the most important choices a player can make about his or her character is the character's Race. With it comes possible boons and hindrances as well as a starting place for behavior, appearance, and physical traits. For more information on races, flip to the Races chapter located later in this book, which details many playable races for Immortal Legacy.

Attributes

These are your character's core statistics. Every character and creature in Immortal Legacy has these 12 Attributes. They describe your character's natural potential and innate talent. Attributes have ranges from 1–10, with 1 being the lowest possible score and 10 being the highest. Non-human races have maximums that are higher or lower than 10, so it's important to first choose a Race.

At character creation, you receive 60 points to divide up between the 12 Attributes as you see fit, however your GM might give you more or fewer.

Any Attribute (not Skill) with a score of zero means the character is out of commission, one way or another. So, you need a rating of at least "1" in each Attribute. Even then, that's very low. A character with a "1" in Muscle would be near dead and a character with a "1" in Intellect would be near brain-dead. So it might be a good idea to have at least two in everything to start off with.

Below, Attributes are categorized into the categories of Physical, Mental, Social, and Spiritual.

Physical

Muscle
“ Skorna gripped her battle axe and sneered at the enormous bear in front of her. The beast roared as it stood on its hind legs, towering over her. Skorna couldn't help but smile as she lunged towards the mountain of teeth and fur and buried her weapon in its flank. ”

This attribute represents a character's raw strength and power.

This affects how much damage is inflicted in combat and helps with tasks of brute force. Pull yourself up from a ledge, hold a door shut against intruders, lift a boulder above your head, or crush your opponents' skulls like little tin cans.

A strong character need not have giant, rippling muscles. One could have above-average strength thanks to genetic experimentation, cybernetic implants, or supernatural powers. A pig-tailed nine-year-old with a Muscle of 8 is a perfectly acceptable and interesting character concept.

A character with a poor Muscle score is a wimp, barely able to carry a backpack, and always needs others to open the pickle jar.

A character with a good Muscle score is a powerhouse: capable of untold feats of strength.

Some examples of muscular people include weightlifters, furniture movers, and Hercules.

Agility
“ The court minstrels played a lively tune at the palace ball. The captain of the guard found a dance partner in Cyrilla, who danced as though the wind itself carried her. When the music stopped, he bowed respectfully and walked away with a smile. She walked away with his coin purse and the keys to the dungeon. ”

Agility represents a character's physical reflexes and dexterity. In layman's terms, it is how fast and flexible someone is.

This stat comes into play during combat when dodging obstacles or blows, juggling knives, leaping a chasm, and depriving others of their wallets.

A character who is agile doesn't necessarily have to be small and lithe. A huge character that is fast with sharp reflexes is frightening indeed.

Characters with poor Agility scores are oafs: clumsy, slow, arthritic, and rigid. Characters with good Agility scores move fluidly: they're quick, graceful, and balanced.

Examples of highly agile folks include circus acrobats, contortionists, and cheetahs.

Endurance
“ The jungles of Jerothden were like soup; thick, damp, and hot. Drinnin hacked through the brush with a crude blade, blazing a trail for his weary companions. They staggered forward, drenched in sweat and gasping for air. He whistled an upbeat melody as he plowed onward like a team of oxen. ”

Endurance is basically how tough a character is.

There is a big difference between being strong and being fit. A muscular person who is not fit could lift something very heavy, but will tire easily and could not run a marathon. Meanwhile, someone who does not look very strong, but is fit, could keep on running long after the unfit person has become exhausted.

This attribute comes into play by reducing the amount of damage sustained in combat, and when testing to see if one can continue doing something strenuous like treading water or holding one's breath. It can also be a measure of one's pain threshold.

A character with a poor Endurance score is a delicate flower who tires easily, is constantly sick, and always gets nauseated on carnival rides. A character with a good Endurance score has an iron stomach, a high tolerance for pain, and an active immune system.

Some examples of highly endurant people include soccer players, masochists, and Atlas.

Mental

Intellect
“ Beneath the light of a brass oil lamp, Lioraine pored over ancient tomes in the vaults of the Congress Arcanum. She had worked through the night, meticulously recording formulae and deductions on sheets of parchment. Finally, Lioraine set down her quill and beamed. The secrets of an ancient ritual were now hers to command. ”

Intellect is a character's raw brain power.

Call it IQ, learning curve, or smarts, an intellectual character has an easier time remembering information, thinking in abstract ways, analyzing data, learning new things, and solving puzzles or mysteries.

Intellect is used to tinker with machinery, perform surgery, and create works of art.

A character with a poor Intellect score is a buffoon for whom learning and problem solving is impossible, and who rarely gets a punchline. A character with a high Intellect score is possessed of an active mind which analyzes situations and information with frightening speed.

Some examples of highly intellectual people include detectives, scientists, artists, and Merlin.

Insight
“ Phineas sat in the solar of his manor house with an old friend. They watched a fire crack and pop in the hearth as they exchanged stories. A servant ferried two goblets of wine over to Phineas and his guest. As he was about to enjoy his first sip, Phineas noted an unusual look in his friend's eyes. He tossed the assuredly poisoned goblet aside and withdrew his dagger. ”

This attribute is essentially a mix of wisdom, experience, foresight, and empathy.

A character who can do complex calculations in their head may not have the chops to tell when someone is lying to them. Where Intellect is book smarts, Insight is street smarts.

Insight helps characters understand what others are feeling, planning, or trying to communicate. It also lets characters call on their vast stores of knowledge.

A character with a poor Insight score is a naïve, dense, gullible sap, and is the first in line for a fraud's snake oil. A character with a good Insight score is a fountainhead of wisdom, able to read others like books, and is always the first person friends call for advice.

Among Insightful people are numbered bartenders, diplomats, psychologists, and Odin.

Cunning
“ Crouched on a thick tree bough, Akare lurked above the forest road, obscured by foliage. He sat motionless, waiting. A pair of soldiers on horseback trotted up the road. Akare wondered to himself if his quarry would be able to deliver any last words before his short swords found him. He smiled to himself, drew his swords, and dropped from the tree. ”

Ever hear of a villain in a story who was "cunning?" This means that person could seize opportunities and could decipher how to plot and scheme to make things work.

Cunning helps in aiming attacks during combat. Cunning can be used for hearing, seeing, or finding what others might not. Cunning allows you to leverage all the good hiding places.

A character with a poor Cunning score is oblivious, easily-surprised, and has to stare at those 3D optical illusions for hours. A character with a good Cunning score is a cognitive master who can identify important minutia at a glance, eavesdrop on distant conversations, and never loses his car keys.

Iago from Othello is one of the most cunning characters ever. Also numbered among the cunning are hunters, lawyers, and Loki.

Social

Charm
“ With a gentle shake of his spice mill, Tolgo's preparations were complete. He carried the aromatic bisque to the dining table where the ambassador had been waiting in candlelight. Tolgo ladled a serving into the porcelain bowl before his rosy-cheeked guest. She smiled intimately at him. The quickest way to the heart is through the stomach, which meant those state secrets were as good as his. ”

Charm is the measure of a character's likeability.

If you're benevolent and charming, you can carouse with the best of them and make good first impressions. If you're nefarious and charming, you can bribe the pants off a politician and make people offers they can't refuse.

Charm helps with getting others to follow your lead, seducing the king's daughter, and herding cats.

A character with a poor Charm score is a real drag: unlikable, bashful, boring, or annoying. Characters with a good Charm score are the life of the party: amicable, sociable, and guiding.

Those with great charm: sterling conversationalists, courtesans, animal trainers, and Hathor.

Presence
“ The raucous tavern brawl came to an abrupt end as Celeste raised her voice in song. It rang out melodic and beautiful. Combatants began to relax and put down their makeshift weapons. All eyes turned their gaze to the songstress, whose otherworldly voice drew out a serenity in the hearts of those listening. She took a small bow and breathed a sigh of relief as her spell activated. ”

Presence is the measure of how striking a figure you present to the world.

This has a lot to do with physical appearance and body language, but quite a bit to do with how one speaks as well.

Having a good Presence allows a character to deliver flawless performances, intimidate opponents, and assume the guise of another.

A character with a poor Presence score is overlooked, easily-forgettable, completely nonthreatening, and makes a bad public speaker. A character with a good Presence score is always noticed, always remembered, excels at acting and orating, and brings saloons to screeching halts with a step through the door.

Some examples of folks with a strong presence include models, gladiators, motivational speakers, and Zeus.

Persuasion
“ Lagash glanced across the room. His friend was overwhelmed by a pair of armor-clad soldiers — two against one; hardly fair. He put his fingers to his lips and trumpeted a shrill whistle. The soldiers snapped their heads in his direction just in time to see Lagash raising a blatantly obscene gesture. He dug his hooves into the ground and brandished his horns while they charged in his direction. ”

Persuasion is, quite simply, the ability to get people to do what you want them to do.

This does not necessarily have to do with how one speaks or acts, but encompasses everything about how someone pulls others' strings.

Persuasion comes in handy when trying to haggle for a better price, planting rumors, teasing opponents, or trying to convince the king he'd be better off naming you as heir.

Characters with poor Persuasion scores can't lie to save their lives, rarely get what they want, and fall short at good come-backs. Characters with a good Persuasion score are manipulative and convincing: they make great liars, negotiators, and insult comics.

Persuasive people are those such as politicians, diplomats, con artists, and The Sirens.

Spiritual

Courage
“ It was more mist than creature, and it seemed to ooze from the open sarcophagus. The specter raised spindly digits and its mournful eyes seemed hollow. Gwen didn't run, in fact, her demeanor barely changed. She closed her eyes and recited a silent prayer. Her sword was readied in an instant. To grant such a spirit rest would be a great honor. ”

This one is self explanatory. Bravery, valor, morale, guts.

Courage helps in deciding initiative in combat, or if a character can react quickly enough to avoid some nasty pitfall. When a character comes up against something truly frightening or dangerous, their Courage will be tested to keep from running away or being paralyzed with fear. Courage can also help keep a character safe from vile curses and from the attacks of ghostly foes.

Characters with low Courage are cowardly, nervous, trembling shells of human beings, always afraid of what's around the next corner. A character with a high Courage score is heroic, tenacious, and laughs in the face of certain death.

Some who might be thought courageous are enlisted soldiers, firefighters, exorcists, and Thor.

Psyche
“ Brem stood face to face with the eldritch thing from the Deep Worlds. Boy, it was certainly weird-looking. His pals writhed around on the floor gibbering some nonsense about the end of days. The creature cocked what passed for a head to the side quizzically, then loosed a maddening howl. Brem snarled, unimpressed, and howled right back. ”

Psyche is a term for the mental and spiritual clarity of a character.

Whenever a character experiences something horrific or traumatic, Psyche is what keeps them grounded and rooted in reality. Psyche also aids in seeing through illusions and detecting supernatural phenomenon.

A character with no Psyche has gone (or maybe always has been) completely raving mad. A character with a poor Psyche score is mentally fragile, easily unhinged, and a prime target for madness. A character with a good Psyche score is mentally stable, able to withstand the freaky and unnatural as if it were commonplace.

Some examples of people with high Psyches include counselors, oracles, mediums, and Odysseus.

Self-Control
“ A beam of light shot from the end of the sorcerer's crooked wand and struck Grek with a thud. It was the strangest sensation; he could feel the spell trying to shape his body like clay. With a grimace of effort, Grek flexed his scaly muscles and broke free of the vile magic — he liked his body just the way it was. ”

Self-Control represents a character's spiritual discipline.

If someone loses control of themselves, they usually end up in trouble. Self-Control may be called on when a character is taunted, presented with temptation, or are trying to "put the gun down." It also aids in resisting supernatural compulsion such as mind control, teleportation, or being turned into a pig.

A character with a low Self-Control score is unable to resist temptation: easily persuaded, addicted, angered, or dominated. A character with a high Self-Control score is a moral powerhouse: calm, behaved, steadfast, and restrained.

Popular self control gurus include anyone who walks on hot coals for fun, ascetics, marital artists, and Ma'at.

Speed

Speed is a measurement of how many feet per second your character can easily sprint around. The Speed score is generally determined by a creature's Size. All playable races detailed in this book have a Speed of 10, which is almost 7 miles per hour. You can try to move faster than this by making a Dash check (see Chapter 6: Skills)

Size

A creature's Size represents its mass and how much space it occupies. The table below lists the Size levels, as well as some typical weights (in pounds), and typical heights (in feet). Size is more about a creature's mass than its dimensions, therefore there are examples which may fall outside these ranges.

The Size gets subtracted from Attack Rolls and Evasion Rolls. Therefore, a positive number is a penalty and a negative number is a bonus. When creatures of different sizes engage in combat, the smaller one is harder to hit and inversely, the larger one is a bigger target. Your Size is also used to calculate your Weighted Damage score, since an attack from a larger creature deals more damage than one from a smaller creature. See Chapter 10: Combat for more information about attacks and damage.

You must also apply your Size score to a few skill checks, such as certain uses of Stealth, Perception, and Search. In feats of strength, larger creatures are many times stronger than smaller ones, so certain uses of Might, Grip, and Gymnastics allow larger creatures to add a bonus for each point in Size difference. See Chapter 6: Skills for more information about the involvement of Size in various skill checks.

Size MUS HP Typical Weight Typical Height Example
−6 −30 1 0–0.5 0–0.25 Toad, mouse
−5 −25 3 0.5–2 0.25–0.5 Bat, gray squirrel
−4 −20 5 2–10 0.5–1 Human infant, brown rat, cottontail rabbit
−3 −15 10 10–25 1–1.75 Human toddler, falcon, house cat
−2 −10 20 25–50 1.75–3 Lynx, beaver, border collie
−1 −5 25 50–100 3–5 Firna, grey wolf, cheetah
0 0 30 100–250 5–7 Human adult, mastiff, wild boar
1 5 35 250–500 7–9 Kulgeri, Gorilla, black bear, bull shark
2 10 40 500–1,000 9–11 Grizzly, tiger, bottlenose dolphin, alligator
3 15 55 1,000–2,500 11–13 Horse, bison, tiger shark
4 20 75 2,500–5,000 13–16 Hippopotamus, white rhino, great white shark
5 25 100 5,000–10,000 16–20 Juren, elephant, stegosaurus, colossal squid
6 30 200 10,000–25,000 20–25 Tyrannosaurus rex, triceratops, orca
7 35 350 25,000–50,000 25–30 Apatosaurus louisae
8 40 675 50,000–100,000 30–40 Sperm whale, humpback whale
9 45 1250 100,000–250,000 40–60 Argentinosaurus, fin whale
10 50 2500 250,000–500,000 60–90 Amphicoelias fragillimus, blue whale
11 55 5000 500,000–1,000,000 90–150 Rampaging radioactive reptilian monsters

Health Points

Health Points (or HP) are a measure of a character’s very life force. You have a maximum number of HP and a current number of HP. When you raise your maximum, you become harder to kill (see the Advancement section later in this chapter).

A creature’s Size determines its starting maximum HP. Most characters begin the game with 30 HP, so long as they’re about human-sized. Smaller characters get fewer; larger characters get more.

Injuries lessen your character's current HP. Rest and healing restore them. When your character's current HP reach zero, they become unconscious. When current HP drops below zero, the character dies. It's curtains, ya hear? Curtains!

See both the "Damage" and "Healing" entries in Chapter 9: Life and Death for more information.

Step Three: I Know Kung Fu!

What good is a role-playing character without nifty skills and powers? Fortunately, in Immortal Legacy any trait, proficiency, or ability you want for your character (from picking locks to hurling fireballs to poison immunity) is available for purchase à la carte. These abilities come in the form of skills, trumps, and special powers. You can increase your spending budget in return for choosing faults, which help define the character’s limitations.

Skills

Skill ranks represent a character’s training, experience, and expertise with a given activity. The more ranks in a skill, the better the character gets. Each of the twelve attributes are associated with three skills, meaning there are thirty-six skills to which you can add ranks. There are also three types of advanced skills: weapon styles (for training with a category of weaponry), magic elements (for practice of the arcane), and spirit motions (for manipulating life itself).

At character creation, you receive 25 skill ranks to spread out over your skills. A full explanation of each skill can be found in Chapter 5: Skills.

Trumps, Faults, and Special Powers

At character creation, you receive 15 Expoints to purchase Trumps and Special Powers.

Trumps

Trumps can be purchased to customize your character with benefits and bonuses. Some trumps can be purchased multiple times, granting further benefits each time. Trumps are detailed in Chapter 6.

Faults

Faults can be chosen to further give your character a personality, and with that come hindrances. Because they cause your character some trouble, faults give you more Expoints to use on other things. You can use the points from faults to buy attributes (which cost 6 points), skills (which cost 2 points), trumps, or special powers. Faults are detailed in Chapter 7.

Special Powers

Special Powers are supernatural abilities your character can utilize. Unlike trumps and faults, you purchase special powers in ranks up to a maximum of 5. Each rank brings more powerful abilities. Special powers are detailed in Chapter 8.

Action Points

Action Points (or AP) represent the number of activities you can perform during your turn in combat. Everything costs AP, from swinging a sword, to launching a spell, to grabbing a monkey out of your pocket. Most everyone starts off with 6 AP. See Chapter 10: Combat for more details on AP and its usage.

Magic

With the aid of magic, characters can throw fireballs, breathe underwater, and fly through the skies. Once characters tap into the Sea of Thought (see Appendix III: Cosmology), they can learn its wonders by locating or researching magic spells.

Casting Spells

Spellcasting is one of the available special powers. Spells are powered by one or more of the twelve Elements, and can behave a little differently depending on which element is used. A character has no limit to the number of spells they can learn, but specializing usually makes for a more powerful character at the expense of diversity. The rules of Magic are detailed in Chapter 13, and spells are detailed in Chapter 14.

Magic Points

Magic spells and abilities are fueled directly by Magic Points (or MP), which represent the raw pool of magic power available to a character. A character might refer to this as mana.

MP is used to power magic, much the same way as gasoline is used to power cars. Every character has an MP score, whether or not they have the ability to cast magic spells.

Characters begin the game with 10 MP. Those capable of casting spells must choose which Attribute is tied to their magical talents, and they can add the score of that Attribute to their total MP. For example, if Lioraine chooses Intellect as her Casting Attribute, and she has 8 points in it, she begins the game with 18 MP. See Chapter 13: Magic for more information about MP and its usage.

Spirit

By wielding the power of the spirit, characters can perform fantastic feats of strength, speed, or endurance. By performing spirit arts, they can weaponize the very life force within them and seek enlightenment from the Spirit Realm (see Appendix III: Cosmology).

Performing Spirit Arts

Spirit Artist is one of the available special powers. Spirit arts are divided into one of the Five Ways based on their purpose or function. Each of the Five Ways has a positive aspect and a negative aspect. These ten aspects are referred to as “spirit motions.” Your character can learn as many spirit arts as you desire. The rules of Spirit are detailed in Chapter 16, and spirit arts are detailed in Chapter 17.

Spirit Points

Spirit Points (or SP), are the inner reserve of supernatural power that is inherent in every being. A character might refer to this as ki.

SP are harnessed through meditation and self awareness. They are used to enable great feats of strength and bravado, and to defy what is thought normally possible.

Characters begin the game with 10 SP. Those capable of wielding spirit power (by taking the Spirit Artist special power) can add their Self-Control score to their total SP.

For instance, if Bram has the Spirit Artist special power, and he has 6 points in Self-Control, he begins the game with 16 SP.

Step Four: Done, Done, and Done

Now there are just a few finishing touches to be made regarding your new character.

Description

The spaces marked Sexuality, Age, Weight, Height, Hair, Eyes, and Skin, are there for you to fill in a little bit about what your character looks like. Some players also enjoy coming up with detailed descriptions of clothes, scars, tattoos, and so on. Your character can be as simple as you like, but the more time you spend on rounding them out, the more realized they will be.

Name

Some players start with a name, other players end with one. However you do it, you will need to come up with a name for your new character. And do try and make it appropriate to the setting and maturity level of your gaming group, okay? Grumblebutt the Gaseous might be a little silly, while Joe the Blacksmith doesn't have much flair.

Inventory and Wealth

Brains, brawn, and bravado might not cut the monstrous mustard by themselves, hero. Sometimes the difference between an early grave and eternal glory is what kind of gadgets and gear your characters have on them. This is where you write down all the things you buy, find, or maybe even steal. See Chapter 11: Equipment for all the goodies you can acquire.

Filling in the Gaps

If there are things on your character sheet that are not yet filled in (possibly in the Attack and Defense sections), don't despair. The chapters which follow will give you more detailed information regarding the game rules and you will be able to fill those empty boxes in.

Advancement

As game time passes, you may feel the need to beef up your character. It also makes perfect sense in-game — a soldier would spend time working out to bolster his Muscle, a monk spends his life attempting to refine his Self-Control.

Expoints

The previous chapter explained that characters progress through the story and gain experience, represented in this game as Expoints.

Your character sheet has an entry for Expoints Earned and Expoints Spent. Add the Expoints awarded to you by the GM to the Expoints Earned box at the end of every session. Once you’ve decided how to invest your Expoints, add them to the Expoints Spent box and revel in your newfound abilities.

Spend Them!

You can spend your awarded Expoints to increase your statistics and augment almost anything about your character.

Attributes
Adding a point to an attribute costs 6 Expoints.
Skills
Adding a rank to a skill costs 2 Expoints.
Trumps
You can spend Expoints to gain a new Trump.
Special Powers
You can spend Expoints to gain new Special Powers or to upgrade existing ones.
Health Points
The Tempered Trump allows you to increase your maximum HP.
Action Points
The Nimble Combatant Trump allows you increase your AP.
Magic Points
The Magic Point Trump allows you to increase your MP.
Spirit Points
The Spirit Point Trump allows you to increase your SP.


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