Book:Character Creation
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.
Contents
The Sheet
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.
Now let's take you through the steps of creating a new character.
Step One: The Big Idea
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.
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.
Motivation
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 I can throw some ideas out there for you.
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
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.
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? Bwahaha. Spiritualist or Materialist? Industrialist, Entropist, or Naturalist? Animalist or Humanist? Religious or Atheist? Hedonist or Pragmatist? Egoist or Altruist? Socialist, Communist, or Free Democracy? What does the character believe? (Do you need to look up any of these?) Use some of these if you like. Oh, and also rate, on a scale of 1–5, with five being the strongest, how strongly the character feels about each.
Step Two: It's Alive!
Race
For more information on races, flip to the Races section located later in this book, which details many playable races for Elysium.
Abilities
These are your character's core attributes. Every character, regardless of race, gender, or anything else, have these 12 abilities. They describe your character's natural potential, while Skills, on the other hand, which come later, describe what your character has learned. Both Abilities and Skills have ranges from 1–10, with 1 being the lowest possible score and 10 being the highest. Some supernatural creatures or highly advanced characters may have higher scores than 10, but this is extremely rare. Any Ability (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 Ability. 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. At character creation, you receive 50 points to divide up between the 12 abilities as you see fit, however your GM may see fit to give you more or less. Below, Abilities are categorized into Physical, Mental, Social, and Spirit stats.
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
Personality
| “ | 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.
Derived
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.
MP is used to power special abilities, 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 spells, or any other special abilities. Characters begin the game with 10 MP. At character creation, a mage can choose the Attribute used to cast spells (see Casting Attribute, below). A mage can add their score in this Attribute to their MP total. As the game progresses, a mage can further increase their MP total by purchasing the Mystic trump.
The term mana refers to the physical embodiment of consumable MP in various states of matter. Mana can be found as a raw material in either gaseous, crystalline, or liquid forms. Such sources of mana are highly sought after by mages and merchants alike, since they allow magi to call upon extra reserves of Magic Points. The physical mana is consumed in the using of it. It is simply held in the hand of the mage during the casting of a spell.
Spellcasters refer to the use of Health Points in exchange for Magic Points as lifemana. If a character has depleted their reserve of mana, they can use the very life force in their body in its place. By expending a Fate point, a mage can exchange Health Points for Magic Points at the rate of 5 HP per 1 MP received. For example: a character can exchange 20 Health Points for 4 Magic Points, by spending a Fate Point.
Spirit Points
Every living creature possesses an inner well of energy represented by Spirit Points (or SP). Performing spirit arts drains this well. Meditating and resting replenishes it.
Characters begin the game with 10 SP. A practitioner of spirit arts can add his Self-Control score to his total SP. As the game progresses, a spirit artist can further increase his SP total by purchasing the Enlightened trump.
Reaction
Typically used with Courage.
In short: get ready. Characters with ranks in Reaction are top of things and ready to take immediate action. This skill represents your ability to call upon your bravery and charge into danger with a clear head instead of being startled by it. When a potentially hazardous situation arises, a Reaction roll is used to determine in what order each participant can act.
Joining Combat
When combat begins, your GM will tell you to roll Reaction. The higher the roll, the sooner you can act. The character with the highest Reaction check result gets to review every other combatant's plans and then act first, the character with the second highest acts second, and so on down the line. More information about the involvement of Reaction in combat order can be found in Chapter 10: Combat.
Acting Quickly
Reaction is also used to respond quickly enough to confront some sort of danger. This isn't the ability to move out of the way, that's what Dodge is for. Quite the opposite; this is the ability to endanger yourself for some kind of benefit. The faster you need to act, the higher the DL. The consequences of failure are often high, but the rewards are often worth it.
Let's say your adventuring party is scaling a cliff wall and someone above you drops an important item. If you succeed on a Reaction check, you gain a brief moment in which you can make a Grip check to catch it. Here's another example: some scaffolding falls from a high place and plummets toward a child on the street below. With a high enough Reaction check, you get the chance to make a Dash check to snatch her up and deliver her to safety before the laws of gravity spell her doom.
If you fail a Reaction check, time runs out and trouble befalls you, and the GM should be creative with the consequences. For instance, if you fail the check to save an old man from an oncoming horse, you don't reach him in time. On the other hand… if you roll a Critical Failure, maybe you can manage to push him out of the way only to get trampled yourself.
Advancement
As game time passes, you may feel the need to increase one or more of your character's abilities. 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 ability point in exchange for 5 Expoints.
Expoints
Short for Experience Points, Expoints are a measure of how your character has evolved. What pitfalls have they overcome? What monsters have they slain? What villains have they defeated?
At the end of every game session, the GM should decide how many Expoints to award each player, with variance depending on how well each character did.
Action Points
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 and Faults and Special Powers chapters for details.
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 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.
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.
Trumps and Faults
Trumps can be bought to customize your character with benefits and bonuses. Faults can be bought to further give your character a personality, and with it come hindrances. You can use the points from Faults to buy Abilities, Skills, Trumps, Spells, or Special Powers. Trumps and Faults are all further detailed in a later chapter.
Special Powers
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.
Magic Spells
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 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.
