Character Creation Basics
The following are the steps for creating initial or starting characters. You will need a copy of the character sheet, which can be copied from the back of this book. You will also need a pencil, scratch paper, and at least one deck of regular playing cards.
Step One: Check with GM[]
Your Game Master (GM) may have some helpful information for you to know before making a character, and help you to allocate points or aid in creation in some way. You may also need approval for certain aspects of your character.
Step Two: Attributes[]
Your character has seven main attributes: Might, Agility, Constitution, Charisma, Intellect, and Wisdom. How you distribute points will influence what your character is naturally better at. You have a set amount of points you may distribute to your character’s attributes. You character’s main attribute starts at four, two attributes start at three, two at two, and two at one each.
· Attribute points:1(4),2 (3), 2 (2),2 (1)
Attributes can be raised with build points, but may not be raised above five without the aid of a merit.
Step Three: Skills[]
Skills are useful knacks your character has some form of training in to help them make their way through life. You have twenty five skill points (25) at creation to place in your character’s skill categories. If your character is extremely intelligent at creation they gain bonus skill points.
· Intellect 3: +2
· Intellect 4: +3
· Intellect 5: +6
At creation, no skill score can be higher than 4 without spending build points. Also, no skill may be raised above five without the use of a merit.
Step Four: Inventory[]
Your character’s inventory is whatever they have on their person. This includes weapons, armor, gadgets, Elixirs, and artifacts. At any time your character may only carry ten items in their inventory, unless they have a gadget that allows them to carry more. A starting character gets three starting items, which must follow the rules for initial items (found in their respected sections of this handbook).
Step Five: Faction and Position[]
There are technically four factions to choose from in Skullduggery: Order, Coalition, Renegades, and Neutral. Each has their own benefits and drawbacks, most of which are played out socially in-game. Your character may belong to any of these factions, and their position within it is determined by their charisma.
Charisma/2 (rounded up) – starting position
Step Six: Wealth[]
ainWealth is the amount of credits (money) your character has to spend at any point. Initial wealth is determined by Intellect and Charisma and allows your character to buy additional items or upgrades.
· Wealth: (Charisma + Intellect) x 100
Step Seven: Health[]
Your character starts with thirty health levels. They have ten health levels that suffer no penalties, ten that suffer a minus three to all actions, and ten that suffer a minus five. Your character also has dying health levels equal to his/her full stamina. Additional health levels may be obtained by raising a character's Constitution to three or above. At level three your character gains anadditional ten minus five health levels. At level four your charter gainsan additional ten minus three health levels. At level five your character gains an additional ten minus zero health levels. If your character has a merit or flaw that allows her/his Constitution to six or above they gain an aditional ten minus five health levels.
· 10: -0
· 10: -3
· 10: -5
· Dying: Full Stamina
Step Eight: Merits/Flaws[]
Merits and flaws are the additional aspects of your character that makes him or her unique. They add or take away from your character’s skills or attributes, and can give additional abilities. You may take up to ten points in flaws initially, and use them to buy up to ten points in merits. They are listed in their own section later in this handbook.
Step Nine: Build Points[]
At creation you have an additional fifteen build points to use to raise your character’s attributes, skills, and artifacts. Below is a chart for spending build points. Additional build points are awarded to people who are airship captains (+5) or characters over forty (+5). You must have a crew to back this up, or actually portray your character as over forty.
| Build Point Cost | |
|---|---|
| Attrubute | Next Level x 3 |
| Skill | Next Level |
| Artifacts | Check Section |
Step Ten: Rates[]
Rates are the useful shorthand for some of the repeatedly used skills and actions. This includes all defensive actions. Below is chart that includes all your rates. A better description of each rate will be listed in the Combat section.
Lagniappe[]
At creation, a GM may reward up to ten build points for extensive back stories, costume, or props. This is completely up to your GM. So work hard on your character to get just a bit more to play with.