03b Quick Character Creation
Use this cheat sheet to quickly roll up a first-year student. For detailed lore and full explanations of these steps, please see 03 Character Creation.
Step 1: Choose a Core Background
Choose one generic background to define your character's past.
| Background | Starting Bonus | Connection |
|---|---|---|
| Noble Scion | +3 Attribute Points | House Name (political influence, 1/session) |
| Magical Lineage | +1 free level in any core school (see 05 Magic System) | Family Mentor (magical advice, 1/arc) |
| Street Rat | Strong social adaptability in underworld scenes | Underground Contacts (black market, 1/session) |
| Scholar's Child | Strong recall for study-heavy scenes | Library Access (restricted archives, 1/arc) |
| State Orphan | +1 Willpower, +1 free level in Physical | State Network (bureaucratic blindspots, 1/session) |
| Military Brat | +1 free level in Physical, starts with weapon | Base Commander (military surplus/intel, 1/arc) |
| Prodigy | Outstanding intuitive grasp of new magic | Academic Patron (intervention, 1/arc) |
(Note: If using setting plugins like Eldemar, additional backgrounds are available).
Step 2: Choose a Playbook
Select your starting archetype. This provides your base stats and unique mechanics.
(Note: You can mix and match Backgrounds and Playbooks. E.g., Street Rat + The Prodigy).
Step 3: Attributes
If you are building from scratch instead of using a Playbook's array:
- Mundane Attributes: Base 0 levels. Spend 2 Points (1 point = +1 level).
- Magical Attributes: Base 1 level in each. Spend 2 Points (1 point = +1 level).
Step 4: Magic Schools
- Distribute 2 Points across the 8 Core Schools (or Alchemy).
- This grants school permission and tiered Technique Glyph access (see 05 Magic System and 04 Progression).
- Baseline casting starts with
Fadenplus your school-native starter glyph. - Spells Known: Choose exactly 1 structured Spell Formula per level spent using
Intent -> School -> Glyph -> Scale -> Tags.
Step 5: Playbook Moves
- Choose 2 Playbook Moves from your selected Playbook.
- These define your unique mechanical edge (combat tricks, social leverage, unique talents).
Step 6: Academy Logistics & Derived Stats
- Choose 1 Mentor Professor: Pick exactly 1 Professor.
- Physical Health: You have a track of 7 Boxes. Earning wounds inflicts ongoing penalties.
- Soul Integrity & Sanity: Each has 10 Boxes.
- Matrix Strain Threshold: Your
Calculationrating is your tag comfort limit before Pushing the Matrix. - Ready Patterns: Scene start value is
2 + highest of (Calculation, Memory). - Memorized Spells: You can memorize up to
Memoryformulas; they cast faster in fiction and reduce Mana Track cost by 1 (minimum 1).
Character Creation ===== Playbook template ===== Progression