Character Creation

Step-by-step guide for building a new character. See also: stats, classes, dice.

The 10 Steps

  1. Name your character
  2. Ancestry — pick one (see classes for traits)
  3. Class — pick one (see classes for abilities and gear)
  4. Background — pick one (see classes for hooks and bonus gear)
  5. Stats — roll or use the array (see stats)
  6. Training — compile your trained skills: 3 from class + 1 from background + ancestry bonus (Human gets +1 free choice)
  7. Themes — choose 2 starting Themes (1 Origin, 1 Adventure), each with 2 power tags, 1 weakness tag, and 1 quest
  8. HP — roll your class HP die. Dwerrow add +2. Minimum 1 before ancestry bonus.
  9. Starting Gold — roll 2d6 gp. Refugee, Prospector, and Exile add +1d6. Buy extras from the gear table.
  10. Gear — record class starting gear + background gear + purchases
  11. Currencies — Mettle: 0, Threat: 0, Stress: 0. Set up countdown dice for torches, rations, and ammunition.

Stat Generation

Choose one method:

Array: Assign [4, 3, 3, 2, 2, 1] to your six stats in any order.

Roll: Roll 1d4+1 six times (range 2–5). Assign freely. If no stat is 4+, reroll all six.

See stats for the DC derivation table and probability reference.

Training

Your trained skills come from three sources:

  • Class grants 3 (e.g., Scout: Stealth, Survival, Awareness)
  • Background grants 1 (e.g., Refugee: Survival)
  • Human ancestry grants 1 additional free choice

Training increases effective stat by +1 for DC calculation. A Reflex 3 character trained in Stealth rolls at effective stat 4 (Weak DC 12 / Strong DC 16).

If class and background grant the same skill, you're still only trained once — ask the GM about swapping.

Starting HP

Roll your class HP die: Warden d10, Scout/Surgeon/Rogue/Seer d6, Invoker d4. Dwerrow add +2 after rolling. Starting HP is always at least 1 before ancestry bonuses.

Starting Gold

Roll 2d6 gp. This supplements your class gear, crawling kit, and background gear. Use it for extras — healing herbs, a lantern, additional torches.

Three backgrounds add +1d6 bonus gold: Refugee (hidden coins), Prospector (savings), Exile (foreign coins).

Countdown Dice

Convert starting resource quantities to countdown dice:

QuantityDie
1cd4
2cd6
3cd8
4–5cd10
6+cd12

Most characters start with: torches cd6 (2 from crawling kit), rations cd8 (3 from crawling kit). Ranged classes start with ammunition cd8 (20 arrows or bolts).

Currency Tracks

TrackStartWhat It Does
Mettle0Spend on Reactive, Proactive, Narrative, or Identity actions. Gained on Strong Hits (+1), Weak Hits (+1), Nat 20s (+2), Deep Cuts, conditions, weakness invocation.
Threat0GM spends at 4 tiers: Free (0), Soft (1), Hard (2), Dire (3). Gained on Weak Hits (+1), Misses (+2). Spending floor at 4+.
Stress0Mental wear. At 2+: position drops. At 4+: Mettle costs double. At 6: breaking point.

All three reset at the start of each session (Mettle to 0, Threat to 0, Stress cleared on long rest).

← All Rules