Character Creation

Play by post Amber game, now in progress
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Joshua
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Character Creation

Post by Joshua »

You start with 100 points. BTW, if you don't have the rulebook, let me know. The system I am using is very rules light. If you're having trouble, I'll run you through a prelude then hand you a complete character. For "I'm late to the game, can I still join?", look at the bottom post.

Attributes: The 4 attributes are unchanged from the book. They are Psyche, Endurance, Strength, and Warfare. The auction is described here. As are the 4 attributes.
I recommend 50 points of attributes and about 50 points of powers. I will make an effort to make all 4 attributes equally important. Still, political savvy is most important.

Powers: Unlike the base game, Powers are broken up into 5 point increments. This breakdown is listed here. The list is probably sufficient if you are familiar with the game or setting. If you have questions, please ask. If you wish to be a member of one of the Amber courts, be prepared to spend 25 points for "Walked the Pattern". In Chaos, you should have some shapeshifting. Trump is fairly rare, as is Logrus. Advanced Pattern does not currently exist. (All are available, but please ask first.)

Allies: Still exist. In Amber, they are much less likely to be relatives, and more likely to be staff and such you get along with. In Chaos, there's relatives, old Clan members, new House members, etc.

Skills: Are free. If you want skills, you can have them. You have all skills appropriate for the background you submit. Per normal rules, don't submit a list of skills, submit the kind of education you received. (10 years aboard a ship. 15 years being trained as the God of a small village. 5 years as an assassin for hire in a Japanese shogun style world.)
Note: Local magic, super-powers, or psychic powers fall in this category. Without Shapeshifting or similar, they tend not to work outside th original shadow. If such powers are intended to work everywhere, you may wish to look at Creatures or Artifacts.

Creatures, Artifacts, Shadows, Constructs: Powerful things you can either conjure, or actually put on your character sheet to have regular access.

Stuff: +10 to -10 points. Represents how lucky or unlucky you are. Unlike the normal game, this CANNOT be turned into XP freely, nor is unspent XP automatically turned into Good Stuff. For an idea of what this does as bad stuff:
-5 means that things tend not to go your way.
-10 means that almost nothing goes your way and some things go out of their way to make your life harder.
-20 means if it can go wrong, it will go wrong.
-30 or higher starts looking like Final Destination, with seemingly harmless events going out of their way to build into life threatening issues.
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Joshua
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Re: Character Creation

Post by Joshua »

A minor addition to the character creation process:

Talents and Quirks:
While entirely contained in your skill descriptions and background, this is a shorthand that helps me understand your character at a quick glance.

Talents are things you are good at. Basic skills that you are particularly good at. Again, your skills background should express this. However they are a good way to make sure I'm reading your background as you intended. They are intended to be dynamic, and cost nothing to define or change.
Quirks are minor flaws, tells or calling cards. Little things you do subconsciously. They are not absolute, more a roleplaying suggestion. Again, they are things you do, and can be changed without much effort. Still, some characters have a calling card, and this is as good a place as any to declare that.

You may take up to 5 of each. One talent for each quirk.
I suspect these are best described with examples:

Talents:
The Talent to pick up chicks.
The Talent to hit a moving target.
The Talent to reload guns.
The Talent to be fashionably late.
The Talent to sing.
The Talent to pass as a dog. (With shapeshifting.)
The Talent to eat lousy food.
Gaydar.

Quirks:
Always leave riddles behind.
Plays with a trump card.
Likes carrot cookies.
Has blue eyes. (for a shapeshifter, this would be a tell. Like with Exalted.)
Can't Sing.
Can't Dance.
Absently paints with blood when available.
Womanizer.
Macho Amazon who thinks men are scum.
Flamboyant Fop.
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Joshua
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Re: Character Creation

Post by Joshua »

There's another way to make a character. Run through a prelude with me, and you'll have a complete character when we're done.
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Joshua
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Re: Character Creation

Post by Joshua »

I'm late to the game, can I still join?

First: Yes. Yes, you can. Next, the above describes what you need to do to make a character.

I do not automatically raise people up to the current XP level, but I will be giving new people some extra xp (on a regular basis) so they can catch up. That's described in a bit more detail on the XP thread.
Also keep in mind that even starting characters are powerhouses who can destroy reality. You're not at as much of a disadvantage as you think.

Can I make a new character? I don't like my current one.

Yes, you can.

You'll want to talk to me about it. I may ask things like "Why do you not like the current character?" and "How much xp do you want to carry over?", but I'm reasonable. Mostly, I want to make sure you're doing the right thing and not making the same mistake with your new character.
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