Character Creation and Progression

Describe who your character is, choose their class with the GM, then give them attributes, feats, and equipment. Attributes are assigned, never rolled. During play, the character grows through training, discoveries, and the events of the campaign.

What Attributes Mean

Strength gives a concrete scale for reading attributes:

Strength	What It Represents
+1 to +2	an ordinary adult with no particular training
+5	a visibly powerful human: muscular, fit, and tough
+10	a Brazzant barbarian, strong enough to rival a wild beast
+15	a small giant or an ogre
+20	an average giant

Strength is the easiest attribute to increase. An effect that changes a creature's size category routinely doubles its Strength. See Size below.

Dexterity uses the same scale, but climbs it less often. A human with +5 has remarkable reflexes—an experienced rogue. At +10, they are plainly superhuman. Extremely high Dexterity is rarer than extremely high Strength. An ogre is much stronger than a human, but not quicker.

Intelligence and Charisma are the rarest and hardest attributes to increase. An Intelligence of +10 describes a mind that defines an era.

What Each Attribute Governs

Strength (STR)—muscular power.

1. HP, using the multiplier in the character's class progression.
2. Damage, both in melee and at range (see 7).
3. Grapple maneuvers, whose prescribed chance accounts for both opponents' Strength, Dexterity, size, and experience (see 7).
4. Prerequisites for feats based on raw power.
5. Physical efforts judged by the GM, such as lifting or forcing a door.

Dexterity (DEX)—speed, coordination, and reflexes.

1. The Reflex Save, which determines which action occurs first and therefore governs dodging, parrying, initiative, and spell interruption (see 1).
2. Attack damage when Dexterity exceeds Strength: a quicker character strikes with speed (see 7).
3. Speed: +2 ft per tick per point (see 6).
4. Prerequisites for feats, including those granting additional attacks or actions.

Constitution (CON)—the body's ability to endure.

It determines the Fortitude Save against poison, disease, exhaustion, and magic that attacks the body.

Intelligence (INT)—reasoning, study, and the construction of magic.

1. Spell DC: the more intelligent the sorcerer, the more tightly constructed and difficult to resist their spell is (see 9).
2. Enchanting objects (see 16).
3. Crafting objects: higher Intelligence improves the prescribed chance that completes the work, with the character's experience counting just as much.
4. Many prescribed chance checks and roleplaying situations.
5. Prerequisites for advanced feats, especially wizard feats.

Wisdom (WIS)—the mind's ability to endure and reject both magical manipulation and ordinary lies.

1. The Will Save against illusions, invisibility, fear, and domination. A wise character is less likely to fall for traps and ambushes.
2. Prerequisites for some high-level feats.
3. Roleplaying situations reserved for it by the GM.

Charisma (CHA)—the mind's ability to exist fully in its own right. Charisma influences not only other people but the universe itself.

1. Caster level and spell slots, according to the source of power. Human red mana and the Partage use Charisma as shown in the power-path table in Creation in Five Steps.
2. The ability to influence others during roleplay.
3. The potential to develop strange powers. At high levels, some characters enchant objects through their presence alone.

Attribute Affinities in Magical Progression

When the GM assigns weeks or months to develop a spell, feat, or magical technique, the relevant attribute helps determine that time. These affinities are guidance for organic progression, not automatic prerequisites or universal multipliers.

• Intelligence governs study, formulas, research, crafting, enchantment, and the deliberate design of spells. It is also strongly associated with controlling blue mana: a human Psychic uses Intelligence to organize converted blue mana and train new pathways in their cerebriles.
• Charisma is the primary affinity of human red mana. It is especially relevant when developing Metamagic and other feats that expand, accelerate, suspend, preserve, or otherwise force red mana beyond its ordinary limits. Quicken Spell, Long Spell, Suspend Spell, Grab Gold, and Additional Time are typical examples.
• Wisdom governs self-mastery: Will, meditation, Ki, resistance to mental influence, and techniques internalized through disciplined practice. It may support appropriate Monk and Barbarian feats, but does not replace the physical attributes required by feats built primarily on strength, speed, or endurance.

For the Monk of Kaz'Nakaram, Wisdom governs the implant's Ki reserve and the blue mana the Monk can direct. Use the specific class or power-path rule when it differs from these general affinities.

Creation in Five Steps

1. Concept, origin, and class. Write a few paragraphs about who the character is, where they come from, and why they became an adventurer. Add a defining anecdote or a few lines of dialogue. These give the GM something to draw on when deciding how the character progresses. Choose a class that fits their background and way of acting. Every character has one.

2. Attributes. Assign the six modifiers with the GM. Match the numbers to the person: a sickly scholar has high Intelligence and low Constitution. See What Attributes Mean above.

3. Starting feats (2 to 4). Give the character feats rooted in their history. A horseman's technique might work from the saddle; a veteran might gain an advantage by studying an enemy. A feat can modify a spell or rule, grant a bonus, or provide a technique. It may be passive or cost actions.

A feat's specific rule takes precedence over a general rule.

4. Power path, if any. Red magic, blue psychic magic, divine magic, alchemy—or none. Record the caster level, DC, regeneration rate, highest spell level actually mastered, and starting spell list.

Every character begins play at caster level 1. What a character adds to that base comes from their source of power:

Power path	Caster level from attributes	Slots
Human, red mana	+1 CL per 2 points of Charisma	4 per spell level + ½ CHA
Human, power of the Partage	granted by rank, capped at 7 × CHA (6)	6 per spell level + ½ CHA
Dwarf, Valerium implant	none—experience and story only (8)	4 per power level + ½ WIS
Drow, psychic	none—experience and story only	4 per spell level + ¼ INT

A human with +10 Charisma therefore opens at CL 6 at Level 1: the base of 1, plus the 5 granted by Charisma. Everything above that is earned in play and awarded by the GM. A class can improve the racial ratio (Using Classes); none of them lowers it.

Drows and Monks of Kaz'Nakaram gain caster level through experience and the story. Their attributes govern other parts of their magic, as shown in the table.

The GM may open a character higher still when the story already accounts for it: a prodigy, an apprenticeship served before the campaign, an implant installed years earlier.

Caster level alone does not unlock complex spells. A character needs both the minimum CL required by the spell level and the corresponding level of mastery in the story. At creation, a Level 5 Wizard or Cleric can normally be considered to have mastered spells through Level 5, but not Level 6 spells. An unusual history may justify slower mastery.

5. Derived values and equipment. Calculate everything that follows from attributes and level:

• HP = Strength × the multiplier given by the class at the character's level.
• Saves = 1d20 + attribute + the class's level bonus: full level for a good Save, half level rounded down for a standard Save. Use DEX for Reflex, WIS for Will, and CON for Fortitude.
• Speed = the class's base Speed +2 ft per point of Dexterity, then modified by race, size, feats, or spells.
• Jumps: horizontal distance = 1× Speed; height = ¼ Speed.
• Action reserves and dedicated dodges: use the class tables at the character's level.

Choose starting equipment that fits the character's history and circumstances.

Example: Creating Osseur the Barbarian

This example uses Barbarian of Brazzant, at Level 1.

1. Concept and class. Osseur the Steady is a young barbarian of Brazzant's Feather Clan, known for his resolve. He once went an entire month without eating chicken to test his mind.

2. Attributes. The concept demands an overwhelming physique and extraordinary willpower. The GM assigns WIS +10, his famous resolve; STR +8; DEX +8; CON +5; CHA +5; and INT +2. Osseur is an exceptionally gifted beginner. Most start one step lower.

3. Starting feats. Mental Stability gives his resolve an effect in play. I Love to Fight grants an additional melee attack and Action Board slot when at least two enemies can reach him without moving. The feat entries give their complete rules.

4. Power path. Osseur has no learned spells. As a human with CHA +5, he still has CL 3: 1 + 5/2, rounded down. His tree leaf will later grant him a minor mist spell.

5. Derived values, at Level 1:

• HP = 12 × 8 = 96
• Saves, attribute + level: Reflex +9, Will +11, Fortitude +6
• Speed = 40 + 2 × 8 = 56 ft per tick; horizontal jump 56 ft, vertical jump 14 ft
• 3 attacks, 2 spells, 1 dodge, and 3 general actions per round
• Equipment: his village's axe (1d12), a bow too weak for his Strength, leather armor, and barbarian clothing

Progression after creation. The rest of his current sheet came from play: the +2 Strength gained by eating the tree leaf, the mist spell unlocked by the same leaf, additional feats, and reaching Level 2, which grants +1 to Saves but leaves his action economy unchanged. None of these elements can be purchased during creation.

Progression through Play and Levels

Organic progression (continuous). The GM grants advancements as direct consequences of play: +2 Strength for eating the tree leaf, a spell unlocked by an artifact, or a feat earned through an exploit or training. Tie each advancement to what the character did or experienced.

Level progression (discrete and slow). Level governs general elements: HP, action economy, Save progression, and feat thresholds. It never changes attributes, which belong exclusively to organic progression. The GM grants a level at major campaign milestones. As a guideline, grant one level every three to five sessions. Level 10 is epic. For encounter planning, a Level N+2 character is worth roughly two Level N characters.

Reading Class Progression

Use the tables in the character's class. Each value applies from the listed level until the next threshold.

HP. Multiply Strength by the class's HP value at the character's level. A Level 1 Barbarian with STR +8 has 12 × 8 = 96 HP. At Level 3, with the same Strength, they have 24 × 8 = 192 HP.

Actions. The class lists attacks, spell actions, general actions, and dedicated dodges available each round. Each point is an action token. The reserves refill at the start of the next round. Feats, spells, and equipment can increase them; conditions can reduce them.

Use Reactive Combat to build the Action Board and determine how many actions fit into each tick. Martial Combat and Defenses explains how attacks can be spent on parries.

Choosing a Class

A class defines action reserves, HP, dodges, Saves, and base Speed. It may improve the Charisma-to-caster-level ratio or provide a signature mechanic. See Using Classes for a comparison of the classes and their shared rules.

Available classes are Fighter, Barbarian of Brazzant, Rogue, Ranger, Wizard, Cleric of Archon, Psychic, and Monk of Kaz'Nakaram. The epic Lazy Wizard uses its own progression.

Improving Combat Abilities

Characters improve their damage through attributes, equipment, feats, and spells:

• Strength and its enchantments. Every point of Strength gained through a leaf, ring, potion, or training increases damage alongside HP.
• Magic weapons. A higher-tier weapon deals more damage and penetrates DR more effectively (see 13 and 16).
• Number of attacks. The class's progression, feats, and transformations can grant more attacks per round.
• Size. Enlargement spells and animal or colossal forms raise Strength, HP, and weapon damage at the cost of Reflex. Each spell or form defines the magnitude.
• Combat styles. Feats such as Osseur's Fighting Style provide bonuses that grow with the character.
• Spell scaling. Each spell defines how its damage grows with caster level.

The GM awards these improvements through the events and opportunities of the campaign.

Size

Some effects—Giant Form, a Polymorph form, or a naturally colossal creature—change a character's size category. The entire game uses one scale:

Medium · Large · Huge · Gargantuan · Colossal. Some effects extend it to “Colossal+.”

Increasing size by one step raises Strength, HP, Speed, and weapon damage. Reflex falls in exchange, through Dexterity. Reflex governs dodging, parrying, priority contests, and avoiding areas of effect. A colossus is devastating but vulnerable to quick opponents.

The effect granting the size defines the exact magnitudes: increased Strength, reduced Dexterity, and the form's abilities. See Giant Form, Polymorph, and the creature templates. The GM adjudicates anything the effect does not specify: a colossus cannot hide or fit through a narrow door and may sweep allies aside in melee.

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