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These rules are for the character you create, your PC (playable character).
Every character has a species. Pick one for your character. If you want to make a non-standard species for your character, the rules won't hinder you. The system is designed to be flexible enough to allow for improvisation.
Each species provides a +2 bonus to one of your ability scores.
Note: Your species ability score bonus cannot be the same as your class ability score bonus.
Every character has a class. Pick one of these too.
Each class provides a +2 bonus to one of your ability scores.
Note: You might want to define your One Unique Thing and Relationships first before determining your class talents.
Your character can be assigned ability scores in various ways. Here are two ways.
You can allocate the score values 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, and 10.
You get 16 points to buy your abilities using the chart below.
| Ability | Cost |
|---|---|
| 18 | 14 |
| 17 | 11 |
| 16 | 8 |
| 15 | 6 |
| 14 | 4 |
| 13 | 3 |
| 12 | 2 |
| 11 | 1 |
| 10 | 0 |
| 9 | -1 |
| 8 | -2 |
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For details on how combat works, see Combat Rules.
Although Armor Class, Physical Defense, and Mental Defense are based on a single ability score, the score each defense uses depends on the character. In each case, you look at three ability modifiers and use the middle value (not the highest or the lowest). If two or more modifiers are tied, you use one of those tied scores as the middle score.
- Find the base value for your class (6, 7, or 8) in the Starting Stats for 1st Level Characters chart.
- Add your Con modifier to get your "hit point value."
- Multiply your hit point value by 3 to get your total hit points at 1st level.
- Find the base AC value for your class (10 to 16) in the Starting Stats for 1st Level Characters chart.
- Find the middle value among your Con modifier, Dex modifier, and Wis modifier. That value is your AC modifier.
- Add the AC modifier to your base AC value.
- Add +1 at 1st level (and increase by +1 at each additional class level).
- Find the base PD for your class (10 to 12) in the Starting Stats for 1st Level Characters chart.
- Find the middle value among your Str modifier, Con modifier, and Dex modifier. That value is your PD modifier.
- Add the PD modifier to your base PD.
- Add +1 at 1st level (and increase by +1 at each additional class level).
- Find the base MD for your class (10 to 12) in the Starting Stats for 1st Level Characters chart.
- Find the middle value among your Int modifier, Wis modifier, and Cha modifier. That value is your MD modifier.
- Add the MD modifier to your base MD.
- Add +1 at 1st level (and increase by +1 for each class level).
- Start with your Dexterity modifier.
- Add +1 at 1st level (and increase by +1 at each additional class level).
Most characters start the game with 8 recoveries. Some classes and talent choices may give you more recoveries.
Each class also has a different recovery die, usually a d6, d8, or d10, as specified in the class write-up. When you roll a recovery, you'll roll a number of recovery dice equal to your level and add your Constitution modifier.
You calculate attack and damage rolls based on the ability scores favored by your class or by the specific powers you choose within your class. Most classes use one specific ability score for most of their attacks. See Classes for more information.
Your character's One Unique Thing (their unique) is a special feature invented by you, the player, which sets your character apart from every other hero. It is a unique and special trait to your player, and markedly unusual. The intent is that it provides a special flavor to the campaign and can assist the GM in determining how your character can interact with characters and story in the campaign.
Your character's unique should not provide general practical value in combat. That is not the intent. The intent is to open up story arcs and fun roleplaying opportunities.
Your character's relationship with people, organizations, and entities gives you benefits.
At 1st level, each character gets 3 relationship points.
The number of points you invest in a relationship doesn't necessarily correlate with the closeness of the connection or the strength of the relationship. It does correlate with the utility of the relationship. It's not necessarily about how well they know you or how strong they feel about you. Instead, the points reflect the amount of sacrifices they will make to accommodate, sponsor, and/or worship you.
When your character achieves champion tier, you gain an extra relationship point. Use it to increase an existing relationship or gain a new relationship to match your character's story thus far. You can save the extra relationship point and decide to apply it later.
At champion tier, or any time thereafter, you can switch an existing relationship point from one to another, including to a new relationship. You owe the GM and other players an entertaining explanation of what this big change represents for your character personally, of course.
When you reach epic tier, you gain another relationship point, which you can use to increase an existing relationship by one, including up to 1 point over maximum. As at champion tier, if switching a relationship point from one to another makes sense for your epic tier character, go for it.
Skills represent pieces of your character's history that contributes to your character's history as well as their ability to succeed with non-combat skills.
Each character has a number of points to allocate to a set of skills. These are broad categories of generic skills.
| Skill Name | Ability Score |
|---|---|
| Acrobatics | Dexterity |
| Arcana | Intelligence |
| Athletics | Strength |
| Craft | Wisdom |
| Endurance | Strength |
| History | Intelligence |
| Insight | Wisdom |
| Intimidate | Charisma |
| Investigation | Intelligence |
| Mechanics | Intelligence |
| Nature | Intelligence |
| Perception | Wisdom |
| Performance | Charisma |
| Persuasion | Charisma |
| Sleight of Hand | Dexterity |
| Stealth | Dexterity |
| Streetwise | Charisma |
| Survival | Wisdom |
Each character gets skill points based on what their class awards, some class features and talents award additional skill points. Assign your skill points to as many skills as you want after first level. You can assign a maximum of 5 points to a single skill (and minimum of 1).
| Level | Skill Points |
|---|---|
| 1st | 2 |
| 2nd | 2 |
| 4th | 2 |
| 6th | 2 |
| 8th | 2 |
When you roll a skill check to find out if you succeed at a task or trick, the GM tells you which ability score is being tested. Then you choose the skill you think is relevant to gain the points you have in that background as a bonus to the skill check.
Most skill checks require you to equal or beat a Difficulty Class (DC), set by the environment you are operating in, to succeed.
To make a skill check, use this formula:
D20 + relevant ability modifier + level + relevant skill points Vs. DC set by the environment
You can't apply multiple skills to the same check; the skill with the highest (or tied for highest) bonus applies.
To help another character with their skill check describe how your character helps them and then roll against the same or similar DC. On a success reduce the DC difficulty tier by 1 for the skill check of the helped character.
When a PC rolls a natural 20 with a skill check, the GM should feel free to give that character much more success than the player expected.
When a PC rolls a 1 with a skill check, the skill check fumbles and fails, perhaps in a particularly bad way. But a failure isn't always entirely terrible….
Outside of battle, when failure would tend to slow action down rather than move the action along, instead interpret it as a near-success or event that happens to carry unwanted consequences or side effects. The character probably still fails to achieve the desired goal, but that's because something happens on the way to the goal rather than because nothing happens. In any case, the story and action still keep moving.
All your skill points increase by 1 when you level up, before you allocate new skill points. If you want even better skill checks, take the Skilled feat.
If you just want to move around the bonuses you already have to show how your character is changing, you can move one skill point around among your current skill pool each time you gain a level, or swap the point into an entirely new skill, with the GM's permission.