How to Build a Character

Your Character Idea 

Character creation starts by thinking about the concept for your character. It could be modeled after a character from a favorite novel or movie, or it could be based around some specific thing that you want to be able to do (like break boards with your head, turn into a wolf, blow things up, etc.). But what really drives a character concept forward, and creates the kind of drama that leads to riveting stories, is a combination of your character’s high concept and trouble.

Remember: when choosing your high concept and trouble, it’s critical to determine why your character does what he does; his trouble should be a prime driver of that why. PCs in The Dresden Files RPG are exceptional. They could very easily find success in less exciting situations than those that come their way in play. You must figure out why your character is going to keep getting involved in these more dangerous things. If you don’t, the GM is under no obligation to go out of her way to make the game work for you—she’ll be too busy with other players who made characters that have a reason to participate.

Because picking a template, high concept, and trouble are all linked, they’re grouped together. You’ll likely have more success coming up with a compelling character idea if you think about them as one big step rather than as separate steps. Only after you have that (and a name, of course!) can you move on to the Phases part of character creation.

That said, don’t worry too much—if during a later stage your character idea evolves into something new, that’s great! You can always go back and tinker with any of these early decisions. (In fact, you’ll see that happen in the example.)







<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Steps of Character Creation 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Here’s a quick overview of the steps you’ll go through in order to create a character.

<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;">'''<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">  <span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">1. Sketch out your Character Idea: '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:72px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Pick a template, making note of all of the things you must do in order to build a character of that type. Many templates will place restrictions on what you can do in these steps.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:72px;"><span style="font-family:Symbol;mso-fareast-font-family:Symbol;mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Zero in on the character’s high concept     <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">by picking an aspect that sums up the character in a phrase. Keep in mind that many templates require that the high concept indicate the template type.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:72px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Come up with some sort of trouble —a recurring complication or issue that makes life particularly interesting and troublesome for your character. This is an aspect as well.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:72px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Make up a name for your character.

<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;">'''<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">  <span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">2. Build your Character’s Background: '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:72px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Go through the first three phases, picking one aspect for each phase.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:72px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Work with the other players by participating in their past adventures and having them participate in yours to round out the final phases. You’ll pick an aspect for each phase here, too.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:72px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Come up with a final aspect that defines your character.

<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;">'''<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">  <span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">3. Finish up your Character: '''

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:72px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Assign your skills.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:72px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Select stunts and supernatural powers.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:72px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Determine your final refresh level and your stress and consequences.

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<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Power Level 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Of course, you’ll want to know how the power level affects your options regarding magic. After all, this is a game about werewolves and wizards—not boardroom meetings!

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">In Echoes of the Leviathan, players start with 30 Skill Points, and 10 Refresh. (Players *must* spend all of their skill points awarded at character creation on Skills, and may not spend any of them on Mortal Stunts.) The skill cap is Great, not Superb (the skill cap will raise to Superb during play).

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<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Choose a Template 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">First, you’ll need to choose a template from Templates. There, you’ll find packages that tell you what things you’ll have to do in the rest of these steps in order to build a character that matches your concept. Most templates (in fact, all but the Pure Mortal template) require a certain high concept and some supernatural powers, as well as suggesting some skills to take (For full requirements, please reference the Types and Templates chapter in Your Story, the actual rulebook). Thus, the initial template decision will impact everything else down the line. The template is crucial to creating your character.

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<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">High Concept 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Once you’ve decided on the template, you probably have a direction for your high concept (unless you chose the Pure Mortal template, in which case you’ll need to come up with a character idea now). But there’s more to this step than just saying “Oh, I’m a wizard.” (After all, your template does that!) Here’s where you start nailing down the core parts of your character that make him a unique version of that template. In short, your high concept is a phrase that sums up what your character is about—what and who he is. It’s an aspect, one of the first and most important ones for your character.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Think of this aspect like your job, your role in life, or your calling—it’s what you’re good at, but it’s also a duty you have to deal with, and it’s constantly filled with problems of its own. That is to say, it comes with some good and some bad. There are a few different directions you can take this:

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">You could take the idea of “like your job” literally, <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-style: italic">as with Karrin Murphy’s high concept: Special Investigations Lead Detective.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">You could just go with the template’s requirement <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-style: italic">without further embellishment, relying on the rest of character creation to show how you’re more than just a carbon copy of that character type, as with Michael Carpenter’s high concept: Knight of the Cross.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">You could throw on an adjective <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-style:italic">or other descriptor to the template’s requirement to further define your own take on the idea, like Molly Carpenter’s high concept: Wizard-In-Training.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">You could mash up <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-style:italic">the required high concept from the chosen template with a role or profession in society, as with Harry Dresden’s high concept: Wizard Private Eye.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">You could combine the requirement from the template with how your character is connected to his family <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-style:italic">, especially if his family is well-connected or well-known. This is seen with Thomas Raith’s high concept: Fallen Prince of the Raith Family (since everyone in the Raith family is a White Court Vampire, the high concept still covers the requirement in an implied way). <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">These aren’t the only ways to play with your high concept, but they’ll get you started. As long as it gives you a good idea about how the core of your character can be a boon and a hindrance, you’re on your way to a satisfying, succinct high concept for your character. But don’t stress out over it—the worst thing you can do is overcomplicate this by trying to make it into too big of a deal. You’ll be coming up with six other aspects over the course of character creation— you don’t have to get it all nailed in one. High concepts can have overlap among the characters. As long as you have something to distinguish how your character is different from the others, you should be okay. For instance, if two wizards exist in the same game, you might have Harry’s high concept as Wizard Private Eye while Carlos Ramirez’s would be Hot-Shot Warden—they’re both wizards, but now we’re clear on how they’re different. If a high concept must be similar among all the characters (such as if the GM pitches an idea for an all-Warden campaign), it’s crucial that their troubles differ. Otherwise, you may have characters that feel too similar to each other.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">(If you’re having a problem here, read over the next section on troubles. That part might unlock some ideas for you.)

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<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">  <span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Intro to Choosing Aspects 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;margin-left:48px;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">A lot of character creation focuses on coming up with aspects—some are called high concepts, some are called troubles, but they basically all work the same way. Aspects are one of the most important parts of your character, since they define who he is and they provide ways for you to generate fate points and to spend those fate points on bonuses. If you have time, you really might want to read the whole chapter we have dedicated to aspects before you go through the process of character creation.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;margin-left:48px;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">In case you’re pressed for time, here are some guidelines for choosing aspects.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;margin-left:48px;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Aspects which don’t help you tell a good story (by giving you success when you need it and by drawing you into danger and action when the story needs it) aren’t doing their job. Those aspects which push you into conflict—and help you excel once you’re there—will be among your best and most-used.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;margin-left:48px;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Aspects need to be both useful and dangerous—allowing you to help shape the story and generating lots of fate points—and they should never be boring. The best aspect suggests both ways to use it and ways it can complicate your situation. Aspects that cannot be used for either of those are likely to be dull indeed. Bottom line: if you want to maximize the power of your aspects, maximize their interest. When you’re told you need to come up with an aspect, you might experience brain freeze. If you feel stumped for decent ideas for aspects, there’s a big section focusing on several methods for coming up with good aspect ideas in Aspects.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;margin-left:48px;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">If your character doesn’t have many connections to the other characters, talk with the group about aspects that might tie your character in with theirs. This is the explicit purpose of Phase Four but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it elsewhere as well.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;margin-left:48px;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;"> If you ultimately can’t break the block by any means, don’t force it—leave it completely blank. You can always come back and fill out that aspect later, or let it develop during play.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="font-weight:normal;margin-bottom:0.0001pt;margin-left:48px;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Ultimately, it’s much better to leave an aspect slot blank than to pick one that isn’t inspiring and evocative to play. <span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">If you’re picking aspects you’re not invested in, they’ll end up being noticeable drags on your fun.

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<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">  <span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Trouble 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">In addition to a high concept, every character has some sort of trouble (which is also an aspect) that’s a part of his life and his story. If your high concept is what or who your character is, your trouble is the answer to a simple question: what complicates your high concept? Trouble has many forms, though it can generally be broken up into two types: internal conflicts/personal struggles, and external problems. Both threaten the character or are difficult to contain. Whatever form the trouble takes, it drives the character to take action, voluntarily or not. A character that does not have some sort of recurring issue is going to have a much harder time finding motivation, and that sort of character doesn’t tend to have many reasons to go out and do the crazy things that make for adventure. Without adventure, things would just  be boring!

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Most characters have several troubles they have to deal with, often reflected by the rest of their aspects (which you’ll select as you create your character), but there is usually one core trouble that shapes the character. This aspect will probably be the one most thoroughly exercised during play (at least in terms of compel).

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Trouble is a potent hook for the GM and players to draw on for ideas. As you think about your character, try to figure out what kinds of problems you want your character to continually deal with. Try to pick one that has no easy solutions— many may not have solutions at all!

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Also, troubles are one of the major ways that characters get compelled, which is important for getting fate points back. So it’s to your advantage to play to your character’s troubles in the adventure as much as you possibly can. (Troubles are like giant red flags to the GM saying “Hey, pick me!”)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">To get a sense of the different forms that troubles can take, consider some of the main players in the Dresdenverse:

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Some external troubles are about the difficulties of being able to do your job <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-style:italic">or your role in the first place—the sort that you have to live with rather than beat up—like Karrin Murphy’s Unbelieving Bureaucracy. This has no easy solution, because it’s not something she can just fix by kicking ass and taking names.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Some internal troubles are about your darker side <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-style: italic">and how that interferes with what you need to be in order to live up to your high concept, like Harry Dresden’s The Temptation of Power. This has no easy solution, because it’s about an ongoing internal and external struggle, and minor victories and defeats abound.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;">'''<span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Some troubles are hard to peg down between internal and external, like those that involve loved ones. '''<span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-style:italic">Often, they don’t even seem like troubles at all, until they’re threatened. Such is the case with Michael Carpenter as a Family Man, or Thomas Raith’s True Love in My Family’s Hands. These troubles do not have easy solutions, since neither character is going to walk away from those they love in their time of need.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Sometimes the trouble is something you bring down upon yourself, <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-style:italic">which also crosses the line between internal and external. Molly Carpenter’s Doom of Damocles falls under this—it’s internal because it reflects the temptation of quick power, and it’s external because the White Council watches her with unforgiving scrutiny.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Since your trouble is an aspect, it’s something you should also be able to invoke, right? (What’s “invoke”? See page 98.) Because we’ve been so focused on how this complicates your character’s life, it’s easy to miss how a trouble also helps your character.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">In short, your experience with your trouble makes you a stronger person in that regard. Dealing with personal struggles leaves you vulnerable to being tempted or cajoled, but it can also give you a sense of inner strength, because you know the sort of person you want to be. External problems often cause trouble, but people do learn hard lessons from the troubles they deal with. They especially learn how to maneuver around many of the smaller issues their troubles present.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Here’s the “bright side” to the troubles we’ve mentioned:

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-style:italic">Murphy’s Unbelieving Bureaucracy often makes her life hard when her job comes into contact with major supernatural entities, but she can also use her experiences dealing with her superiors and fellow cops to know who will give her slack, who she can trust, and who will believe her when she says something “crazy.” Harry’s The Temptation of Power aspect represents the dark part of himself, but because he’s used magic for foul purposes, he’s in a good position to defend against forces wielding black magic, to resist temptations, and even to use some of the “greyer” magic he knows. (Same deal with Molly’s Doom of Damocles, which comes from a similar origin.)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-style:italic">As a Family Man, Michael has to deal with the allies of darkness threatening his family; but his family is also a source of strength, and anyone who sees him in action knows he will fight tooth and nail for them. (The same can be said for Thomas Raith’s True Love in My Family’s Hands.)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">When you’re setting up a trouble, it should be the sort of issue that’s not going to paralyze the character completely. If the trouble is constantly interfering with the character’s day-today life, he’s going to spend all his time dealing with it rather than other matters at hand (like, perhaps, the current adventure). There has to be some wiggle room between “continually” and “constantly.” You shouldn’t have to deal with your inner conflict or external pressure at every turn—unless that’s the core of what that particular adventure is about.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""> Let’s again consider some of the main characters who inhabit the Dresdenverse.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-style:italic">Murphy could avoid her trouble entirely if she really wanted to. There’s plenty of normal crime to deal with, and if the weird stuff slips between the cracks, who cares? (Besides the victims, of course. And therein lies the proverbial rub.) If Harry’s life was calm, it wouldn’t be too hard to stay on the straight and narrow. He intellectually knows that the power of dark magic is not worth the price, but every now and again, things get really bad and he has to make a choice. Suddenly he has to decide what’s worth more.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-style:italic">Similarly, Michael’s life is usually pretty clear cut. He goes out, fights the good fight, his family understands and supports this, he comes home, and all is well. That’s fine until his vocation threatens his family—then the decision becomes much murkier. For Thomas’ trouble, the Raiths do treat Justine well—she’s a useful agent, and she’s also a lever to use on Thomas. (Think “overhanging threat” here.)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-style:italic">While Molly is under the constant threat of capital punishment, she has friends and family (and a hell of an experienced teacher) that go the extra mile to help her stay on the right path. She is not alone in her struggle, but that doesn’t mean she’s immune to it during times of crisis.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Before you go any further, talk with your GM about your character’s trouble. At this point, make sure you’re both on the same page in terms of what it means. Both of you may want to look at how this aspect might be invoked or compelled (see “Getting on the Same Page” on page 112 in Aspects) as one way to make sure you’re both seeing the same things—or to give each other ideas. Plus, the GM will come away from this conversation knowing what you want out of your trouble, better equipped to make it an important part of the game.

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<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Characters and Betrayal 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Some players might be interested in high concepts or troubles that make their characters prone to acts of betrayal. If you want to make your character’s story and decisions about whether or not he’ll betray his friends, there needs to be some reason why betrayal is a valid option—and in a gaming group where the characters to be betrayed are played by your friends, that’s a hard one. If betrayal is being wicked just for the sake of being wicked, that’s not a compelling choice. Much more interesting is something like a trouble pulling you between two strong loyalties—say, a conflict between loyalty to the mundane mortal mafia and a responsibility to the edicts of the White Court.

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<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">  <span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Names 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">If you haven’t already, it’s time to give your character a name. You can name your character whatever you want, but often character names have a certain poetry to them. Think about other characters that are similar to the high concept you have in mind, and how their names say a little something about who they are.

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<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-size:16.0pt; font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Phases 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Important: Before moving on to the step, you need to have figured out your template, high  concept, trouble, and name.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Each phase is a section of your character’s background—the key events in his past that form who he is. There are five in total, and each gives you an opportunity to define a new aspect for your character.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">The first two (“Where Did You Come From?” and “What Shaped You?”) can be done in either order. It’s the third (“What Was Your First Story?”) that really supercharges this process, defining the initial adventure your character “starred” in and anchoring relationships with the other characters in play. The last two phases (“Whose Story Has Crossed Your Path?” and “Final Summations”) represent your character’s participation in other characters’ stories, showing how his overall story collided with the events of their stories and got him involved.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Each phase will ask you to write down two things on the phase worksheet:

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">First, a summary of the general details of what happened in that phase of your character’s life, <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">known as the phase’s summary. A paragraph should suffice, but you can write more if you’re inspired. Each phase will suggest different ideas for the summary.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;">'''<span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Second, an aspect that reflects some part of that phase. '''<span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The aspect can cover the general vibe from the summary, or it can focus on some piece of it that still resonates with your character in the present day. Some phases will suggest specific directions for their aspects. If you’re stalled on developing an aspect from the summary you’ve written, take a look at Aspects. And as with aspects, if you later come up with new ideas for a summary that you’ve already written down, you can always come back and change it. Nothing is ever written in stone.

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<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;">'''<span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Where Did You Come From? '''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">(Background)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">This phase covers the character’s youth; if your character is older than 20 to 30 at the time the game starts, this phase expands to cover much of his young adulthood. In an abstract sense, this first phase deals with the core concept for your character as a “normal person” and is an ideal launching pad for your character’s high concept (page 54). Even a supernatural character has some strong ties to the mortal idea of free will. This is why your wizard isn’t just a wizard, since that concept exists solely in the supernatural world. He’s also a private detective, and that’s what grounds him as a normal guy.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Youth is a time of adventure and excitement, as well as the time when we are most shaped by our family and environment. This phase is a chance to talk about your character’s family and upbringing.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">When writing the summary of this phase, consider answers to the following questions:

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:120px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">What nation is your character from? What region? What culture?

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:120px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">What were his family’s circumstances like? (Rich? Poor? Scholarly? Isolated? Pious? Political?) How big is the family? (Small? Average? Large? Very large?) What’s your character’s relationship with his family? (Loving and close? Volatile? Non-existent?)

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:120px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">How was your character educated?

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:120px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">What were your character’s friends like? Did your character get into much trouble in his youth?

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:120px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">If your character is supernatural, how early in his history did he learn this? Did this cause problems? When coming up with this phase’s aspect, consider one that’s tied either to the most important or significant events of the phase or to the character’s national, cultural, or familial upbringing.

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<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;">'''<span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">What Shaped You? '''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">(Rising Conflict)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">This phase represents your character’s “middle history,” when his high concept most strongly comes to the forefront. Think about his high concept and a situation that would call it into sharp relief, forcing him to make a choice or otherwise take decisive action.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">This is also the time when your character starts coming into his own, beginning to realize his true potential. This may be when supernatural power awakens within your character, or simply when he is first faced with a difficult choice between right and wrong and he steps up to bat as a protagonist within the game’s larger story.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Some questions to consider during this period:

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:120px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Who were the prominent people in your character’s life at this point? Does he have enemies? Close and fast friends?

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:120px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">How did your character’s high concept and trouble aspects shape him and the events around him? (Assuming your character came into his high concept and trouble by this point.)

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:120px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">What were the most significant choices your character made?

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:120px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">What lessons did this time period teach your character?

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<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;">'''<span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">What Was Your First Adventure? '''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">(The Story)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">The third phase is your character’s first true adventure—his first book, episode, case, movie, whatever—starring him. You’ll need to come up with a title for this adventure. (This can be a lot of fun, but don’t burn too much time on it.) A quick way to do it is to pick an arbitrary rule to guide the selection of the title. The rule could be as simple as “two words, each with the same number of letters”—that gets you Storm Front, Fool Moon, Grave Peril, and so on. Or it could be thematic, like poker or gambling terms for a character who’s all about luck—Suicide King, Aces High, All In.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Then, you need to think up and write down the basic details of this story for the phase’s summary. The story doesn’t need to have a lot of detail—in fact, a pair of sentences (see below) works pretty well, because your fellow players will add in their own details to this past adventure in the next two phases (as you will to theirs).

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">If you find yourself stuck, look first to your character’s trouble. Find a dilemma that has a chance of throwing that idea into question or focus again. That said, you needn’t directly address the issue there—just provide an opportunity for it to be a factor.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">  <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">  

<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;">'''<span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Whose Path Have You Crossed? '''

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">(Guest Starring)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">In this phase, you tie the group together by having each character contribute a minor, supporting role in another character’s first adventure. For instance, imagine the role that Karrin Murphy, Michael Carpenter, or a pack of amazing young werewolves might play in a novel about Harry’s exploits.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">You will now give your story (which is where our index card suggestion comes in really handy) to another player. You can pass your stories to the left or right, or shuffle the stack and hand them out randomly (trading with the person to your right until you each have a title that isn’t yours).

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">However you decide to do it, every player should now be holding someone else’s adventure. Your character has a supporting role in the story you’re holding, which you get to come up with right now. Briefly discuss the story with the player whose adventure it is and add a sentence or phrase to the summary or story skeleton to reflect your character’s supporting role. Next, write the title of this story and your character’s contribution down on your phase worksheet. This is important, because your character gets an aspect from the supporting role he plays in the adventure. The person whose story it is should also write down the contribution, if there’s room on his sheet.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Supporting roles come in three forms: they complicate a situation, solve a situation, or both.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:72px;"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">  <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Complicating a situation: <span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Your character has managed to make some part of the story you’re guest starring in uncertain. Of course, since that happened in the past, we know you got out of it all right (or mostly all right, as indicated by the aspect you take). When describing this, don’t worry about how the situation is resolved—leave that for someone else, or leave it open. Descriptions like “Trying to save a girl, Michael starts a giant monster fight” or “Thomas gets captured by the monster” are enough to get some ideas flowing.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:72px;"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Solving a situation: <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Your character somehow solves a complication that the main character in the story has to deal with, or your character aides the main character in the central conflict. When describing this, you don’t have to mention how the situation was created, just how your character takes care of it. Descriptions like “Murphy travels with Harry to the Nevernever, watching his back” or “Billy and the Alphas take on some foes to buy time for Harry” are enough to give us an idea of what happens.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:72px;"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Complicating and solving: <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Here, your character either solves one situation but creates another, or creates a situation but later solves a different one. Mash up the two ideas, using the word “later” in between them, such as: “Murphy comes to Harry, stumped by a mysterious case. Later, she helps him fight off a beast in a department store.”

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<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Final Summations 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">(What’s On the Horizon)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">In this phase, you should think on your character’s goals and why they remain in Brooklyn, why they will fight to remain where they are. You should consider who they are and what they could face.

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<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:19.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Finish Up Your Character 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">With all this background and your aspects, you have a pretty good idea of who your character is, and you can write down your final set of aspects on your character sheet. But it’ll take more than ideas to kick supernatural butt! That’s where your character’s skills, stunts, and powers come in.

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<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Skills  <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Once you have mapped out your character’s phases and chosen aspects, it’s time to pick skills.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Every character will get 30 skill points to spend. (These skill points must be spent on skills, and may not be used to purchase mortal stunts.)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">  <span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">Mediocre is the default for any skill you do not buy. You may not buy any skills at a level higher than the skill cap (cap is Great). In addition, you cannot have more skills at any level than you have one level down from that.



<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">So if you buy a Fair skill for 2 points, you need to have at least one Average skill as  <span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">well  <span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">for 1 point.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">This cascades as you go further up: in order to have one Superb skill, you’d also need to have at least one Great, one Good, one Fair, and one Average skill.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Think of skill ranks as building blocks stacked atop one another, each level representing a rank. Each block needs one below it to support it. That would look like this:

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">  <span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">So, when you’re arranging your skills, be careful that they all fit into this structure—you can’t, for example, have this:

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">  <span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">If you want the Average skill and the Good skill, you need to have a skill at Fair “between” them.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">You might want to browse the list of skills, write down the ones you’re most interested in taking, then select one of the “packages” from above that has enough total skills to cover all of them.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal">. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal">. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal">. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal">.

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:72px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-bidi-font-style:italic">30 points could be…

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:144px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">5 Good, 5 Fair, 5 Average (15 total skills)

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:144px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">2 Great, 3 Good, 4 Fair, 5 Average (14 total skills)

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:144px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">3 Great, 3 Good, 3 Fair, 3 Average (12 total skills)

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<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Stunts and Powers 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Once you have your skills, choose stunts and powers for your character. You’ll be spending points off of your refresh level, so make sure you know the base level for your game; it will vary depending on what the GM decides.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Also remember that, at the beginning of the game and at every refresh, you’ll get fate points up to your refresh level—refresh you spend now means fate points you’ll have to earn later.

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<h5 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Choosing Stunts 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Stunts allow you to use your skills in ways that go beyond the typical skill rules; they’re  discussed in full in Mortal Stunts. You should usually choose stunts that are associated with your character’s supernatural powers or most highly-ranked skills. That said, you can take stunts tied to any skill—even ones left at default—if you want (provided you meet any other prerequisites).

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Every two stunts you take reduces your character’s refresh level by one (or alternatively you may pay three Skill points to purchase one). In general, a character with a non-supernatural high concept should consider spending close to half of his refresh allotment on stunts. Non-supernatural characters who go beyond that point tend to have made a lot of compromises and sacrifices to be who they are and those who fall short of that point may feel like they’re not getting enough bang for their buck.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">All players of Echoes of the Leviathan may choose one stunt for free at character creation.

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<h5 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Choosing Powers 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Supernatural powers are similar to stunts, but far more potent. Because of that, some powers cost more than one point off your refresh level. You can read all about them in Supernatural Powers.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">You must take all of the powers that are mandatory for the character template you’re using, so make sure you have those figured out first. After that, you may only take powers that fit your character template and the high concept selected for your character—a vampire can take powers that would give him supernatural strength and speed, but a wizard cannot.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">(Players may not spend more than 8 Refresh before the first Chapter of the game, [meaning that for Chapter 1 you will have a minimum of 2 Refresh]. This restriction is lifted after the first Chapter.)

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">  '''<span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Important: PCs may not reduce their refresh rate below one. '''<span style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;">This is the line dividing a mortal’s free will from a monster’s unnatural compulsions. (Even non-supernatural characters cannot cross this line, lest they become the kind of “human monster” that haunts the worst events of our history.)

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<h4 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Final Refresh Level, Fate Points, Stress, & Consequences 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">With your stunts selected, determine your final refresh level. Your starting refresh is determined by the GM and is reduced by each stunt or power taken. No PC should be allowed to have a refresh level below one (see above), so make sure the simple arithmetic works out!

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:48px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">Finally, you should calculate your character’s stress tracks and determine how many consequence slots they start with. All characters have a physical, social, and mental stress track. (Some characters also have a hunger stress track; see Feeding Dependency.) By default, each stress track has two boxes, but this number is modified depending on your skills. The Endurance  skill adds boxes for physical stress, Presence adds boxes for social stress, and Conviction adds boxes for mental stress. (Discipline is used for the hunger stress track.) Consult the individual skill descriptions to see how many boxes you should add to each track. Each character also has one mild, moderate, and severe consequence by default. You can take these in response to any kind of attack (physical, mental, or social)—that’s what “ANY” means on the sheet. Superb skills, certain stunts, and certain powers will give you additional consequence slots, but only for a specific kind of attack (physical or mental or social). If you have a skill, power, or stunt that does this, make sure you write down the type of consequence you get on your sheet under the appropriate column.

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<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none"><span style="font-size:19.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Conclusion 

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"">At the end of the character creation exercise, each player should now have a complete character with:

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:96px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A summary of his early history.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:96px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A summary of his rise to power and call to action.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:96px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">His first story and two other past adventures he appeared in, establishing ties to the characters of at least two other players.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:96px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Seven aspects (one for the high concept, one for the trouble, and one for each of the five phases).

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:96px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A number of skills (depending on the number of skill points, ranging from the upper single digits into the teens in quantity).

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:96px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">His mortal stunts and/or supernatural powers.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:96px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">His base and final refresh level.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:96px;"> ·          <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Fate points based on his final refresh level.

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<h3 class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height: normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">Extra Notes

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;line-height:normal;margin-left:24px;"> In addition to all of the above, players for Echoes of the Leviathan must also make sure they do the following:

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:96px;"> ·           <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Fill out this Questionaire.

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:96px;"> ·           Write up a history (just collecting what you write on the questionaire and the character sheets into one place is also fine).

<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom:0.0001pt;text-indent:-0.25in;line-height:normal;margin-left:96px;"> ·           <span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Write up a Soulgaze for your character, so that if you are soulgazed, you may simply hand it over and recieve on in turn.

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