Character Creation Basics

Character creation involves several key choices:

• Species: Determines genetic traits and provides unique starting abilities. (e.g., Elves may have enhanced perception, while Devil-kin may possess innate spellcasting or a prehensile tail.)

• Background: Reflects a character’s pre-adventuring life and grants associated skills. (e.g., A soldier may know weapon maintenance and battlefield tactics, while a farmer may have agricultural and animal-handling expertise.)

• Linear Abilities: Universal passive bonuses gained through progression.

• Skill Trees & Classes: Define specialization and growth paths.

Skill Trees

There are five main skill trees and two unique ones:

1. Combat: Covers fighting techniques, maneuvers, and martial abilities.

2. Magic: Governs spellcasting, magical resistances, and supernatural effects.

3. Tech: Focuses on crafting, machinery, engineering, and material sciences.

4. Utility: Enhances movement, party synergy, and self-improvement buffs.

5. Social: Governs charisma-based interactions, persuasion, deception, and negotiation.

Unique Skill Trees

• Civility Tree: Split into Civil (e.g., cooking, farming, artistry) and Uncivil (e.g., feral instincts, beast-like traits) branches. Primarily roleplay-focused.

• Special Tree: A flexible category for GM-created skill trees, such as vampirism, lycanthropy, or elemental affinities.

Class-Based Skills

Classes blend linear and tree-based skills, auto-granting relevant abilities while unlocking access to certain trees. If a class skill matches a tree skill, it cannot be learned twice.

Leveling grants skill points that must be spent on eligible skills, unless an ability (or GM ruling) allows bypassing prerequisites.

Armor basics

Armor is categorized by proficiency requirements and individual piece effects. Each piece provides protection against specific damage types but may introduce penalties.

Examples:

• Leather Armor: Light, flexible, but flammable. Reduces blunt damage, but offers little against slashing/piercing damage.

• Plate Armor: Heavy, high protection against slashing/piercing but vulnerable to blunt force. Requires padded layers underneath.

Hit Location & Coverage:

Armor is applied to individual body parts, affecting defense and mobility. Additional components (e.g., besagews for armpit protection, coifs for neck coverage) can mitigate vulnerabilities but may restrict movement.

Weaponry Basics

Weapons are designed based on real-world principles, affecting performance and usability.

Examples:

• Longsword: Balanced for slashing and thrusting, with varied grips for different situations.

• Katana: Optimized for slashing but less effective at piercing.

• Mace: Heavier, slower, but devastating against armor.

Weapon Properties:

• Weight Distribution: Affects speed, action point cost, and damage output.

• Techniques: Special grips (e.g., half-swording, mordhau) can modify attacks but may require skill unlocks.

• Special Effects: Traits like serration can cause persistent bleeding.

Damage Types

• Physical Damage:

  • Piercing: Focused penetration (e.g., arrows, fangs, spears).

  • Slashing: Linear cutting wounds (e.g., swords, axes, claws).

  • Bludgeoning: Trauma-based force (e.g., maces, hammers, impact-based falls).

• Elemental Damage: Fire, lightning, cold, sonic, and other energy-based effects.

Armor and resistances interact uniquely with each damage type. For instance, chainmail reduces broad slashing but may be vulnerable to precise piercing attacks.

Gear and Object Health

Various objects have health or durability, which could be reduced over time and reduce the effectiveness of the object, for example a sword might dull, or armour might dent or tear. You can maintain the gear with tools, like using a grindstone or whetstone on a sword to sharpen it.

This rule is a rule that is very easily removed from the game, and is only reccomended for hyperreallistic games generally.

Skill trees

The linear skill tree would provide stat increases, and skill points to be used in the other trees, as well as special unlocks that may be required in that specific setting. 

When increasing a stat, you get a stat unique skill point, used to unlock sub skills in that stat. 
For example if you increase strength by 1 you may get 2 strength points, and choose to improve your character's shortsword capability, or their grappling abilities, or one in both. 

Ability Scores

Strength - Physical power, lifting, carrying, martial force.

Dexterity - Agility, reflexes, precision, and finesse.

Constitution - Stamina, durability, resistance to physical ailments. 

Intelligence - Analytical thinking, knowledge, problem-solving, spellcraft. 

Wisdom - Awareness, Intuition, survival instincts. 

Charisma - persuasion, leadership, personal magnetism, deception, social skills. 

Perception - Sensory awareness and reaction speed. 

Example Character

Here I will be designing an example character based on example skill trees, races, gear, etc.
Race: Elf
Background: Soldier
Level: 3
Class: Fighter (Combat-focused)
Skill Trees: Combat, Utility
Equipment: Shortsword, Shield, Heavy Armor

Ability Scores:

• Strength: 18 (Good melee damage and carrying capacity)
• Dexterity: 16 (Helps with finesse weapons and dodging)
• Constitution: 18 (Endurance for battle)
• Intelligence: 12 (Basic tactical knowledge)
• Wisdom: 12 (Situational awareness and survival skills)
• Charisma: 11 (Command presence)
• Perception: 14 (Elf’s keen senses help in combat)

Combat Skills (From the Combat Tree)

• Shield Mastery (Rank 1): Gain a small bonus to defense when wielding a shield.
• Sword Techniques (Rank 2): Improved precision with shortswords, dealing extra damage on well-placed strikes.
• Defensive Stance (Rank 1): Reduces damage taken when focusing on defense.

Utility Skills (From the Utility Tree)

• Endurance Training (Rank 1): Increased stamina for prolonged combat.
• Tactical Positioning (Rank 1): Allows for minor movement bonuses in combat to gain the upper hand.

Background Skills (Soldier Background Grants the Following Options)

• Weapon Maintenance: Can repair and maintain weapons and armor more efficiently.
• Battlefield Tactics: Bonus when fighting in formation or leading allies.
• Basic Horsemanship: Can ride and command warhorses.

Shortsword (One-Handed, Finesse Weapon)

• Damage: 1d8 Slashing/Piercing
• Speed: Fast (Low Action Point Cost)

Shield (One-Handed, Defensive Item)

• Bonus to Defense
• Can block attacks, reducing damage if successful

Heavy Armor (Plate & Chain Hybrid)

• Damage Reduction: High against Slashing & Piercing, Moderate against Bludgeoning
• Action Point Cost: Moderate (Slightly reduced mobility)

• Elven Senses: +1 bonus to Perception checks.
• Night Vision: Can see in low-light environments.
• Finesse Fighter: Uses Dexterity instead of Strength for shortsword attacks.