Creating Your Hero
You can build a character at session zero, alongside the conversation about tone and safety. Start with a loose concept, such as a circus performer who uses magic or a ship captain lost at sea, and follow these steps.
Step 1: Choose Your Class and Subclass
Your class gives you two domains, your starting Evasion and Hit Points, class items, a class feature, and a Hope feature that costs 3 Hope. Your subclass gives you a foundation feature now and, if you're a spellcaster, the Spellcast trait you'll use for Spellcast Rolls.
| Class | Domains | Starting Evasion | Starting HP | Subclasses |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| @Missing file * | Blade & Midnight | 12 | 5 | Executioners Guild, Poisoners Guild |
| @Missing file | Grace & Codex | 10 | 5 | Troubadour, Wordsmith |
| @Missing file * | Valor & Bone | 10 | 6 | Juggernaut, Martial Artist |
| @Missing file | Sage & Arcana | 10 | 6 | Warden of the Elements, Warden of Renewal |
| @Missing file | Valor & Blade | 9 | 7 | Stalwart, Vengeance |
| @Missing file | Bone & Sage | 12 | 6 | Beastbound, Wayfinder |
| @Missing file | Midnight & Grace | 12 | 6 | Nightwalker, Syndicate |
| @Missing file | Splendor & Valor | 9 | 7 | Divine Wielder, Winged Sentinel |
| @Missing file | Arcana & Midnight | 10 | 6 | Elemental Origin, Primal Origin |
| @Missing file * | Dread & Grace | 11 | 5 | Pact of the Endless, Pact of the Wrathful |
| @Missing file | Blade & Bone | 11 | 6 | Call of the Brave, Call of the Slayer |
| @Missing file * | Sage & Dread | 10 | 6 | Hedge, Moon |
| @Missing file | Codex & Splendor | 11 | 5 | School of Knowledge, School of War |
Entries marked * come from the Hope & Fear expansion material in this project rather than the Core Rulebook volumes.
Step 2: Choose Your Heritage
Your heritage is an ancestry and a community. Each ancestry grants two ancestry features. Features tied to anatomy, such as wings, can be customized with the GM.
| Ancestry | Ancestry Features |
|---|---|
| @Missing file * | Hallowed Aura · Celestial Wings |
| @Missing file | Sylvan Agility (Faun) · Titan Stature (Giant) |
| @Missing file | Purposeful Design · Efficient |
| @Missing file | Scales · Elemental Breath |
| @Missing file | Thick Skin · Increased Fortitude |
| @Missing file * | Stoneskin · Immovable |
| @Missing file | Quick Reactions · Celestial Trance |
| @Missing file * | Fireproof · Ignition |
| @Missing file | Luckbender · Wings |
| @Missing file | Caprine Leap · Kick |
| @Missing file | Charge · Unshakable |
| @Missing file | Fungril Network · Death Connection |
| @Missing file | Shell · Retract |
| @Missing file | Endurance · Reach |
| @Missing file * | Nimble Fingers · Flicker Step |
| @Missing file | Surefooted · Danger Sense |
| @Missing file | Luckbringer · Internal Compass |
| @Missing file | High Stamina · Adaptability |
| @Missing file | Fearless · Dread Visage |
| @Missing file | Feline Instincts · Retracting Claws |
| @Missing file | Sturdy · Tusks |
| @Missing file | Amphibious · Long Tongue |
| @Missing file | Natural Climber · Nimble |
| @Missing file * | Gale Force · Eye of the Storm |
| @Missing file * | Amphibious · Lifespring |
Mixed ancestry. Record how your character names their lineage, then take the first feature from one ancestry and the second from another. With three or more ancestries, choose features from only two.
Your community is the culture that shaped you most. It grants one community feature and lists six adjectives you can choose or roll on a d6.
| Community | Community Feature | Suggested Adjectives |
|---|---|---|
| @Missing file * | Oasis | adaptable, centered, collaborative, devoted, cheerful, observant |
| @Missing file * | Unbound | optimistic, guarded, courageous, joyful, subversive, traumatized |
| @Missing file * | Hardy | cunning, gregarious, intrepid, purposeful, quiet, warm |
| @Missing file * | Close-Knit | careful, generous, insular, loquacious, smiley, traditional |
| @Missing file | Privilege | amiable, candid, conniving, enterprising, ostentatious, unflappable |
| @Missing file | Well-Read | direct, eloquent, inquisitive, patient, rhapsodic, witty |
| @Missing file | Dedicated | ambitious, benevolent, pensive, prudent, sardonic, stoic |
| @Missing file * | Found Family | curious, hopeful, innocent, isolated, mournful, uncanny |
| @Missing file | Steady | bold, hardy, indomitable, loyal, reserved, stubborn |
| @Missing file | Know the Tide | candid, cooperative, exuberant, fierce, resolute, weathered |
| @Missing file | Scoundrel | calculating, clever, formidable, perceptive, shrewd, tenacious |
| @Missing file | Low-Light Living | composed, elusive, indomitable, innovative, resourceful, unpretentious |
| @Missing file | Nomadic Pack | inscrutable, magnanimous, mirthful, reliable, savvy, unorthodox |
| @Missing file * | Brave Face | strategic, devastated, determined, calculating, unwavering, devoted |
| @Missing file | Lightfoot | hardy, loyal, nurturing, reclusive, sagacious, vibrant |
Entries marked * come from the Hope & Fear expansion material in this project rather than the Core Rulebook volumes.
Step 3: Assign Your Traits
Assign +2, +1, +1, 0, 0, −1 to your six traits.
| Trait | Covers |
|---|---|
| Agility | Sprint, leap, maneuver |
| Strength | Lift, smash, grapple |
| Finesse | Control, hide, tinker |
| Instinct | Perceive, sense, navigate |
| Presence | Charm, perform, deceive |
| Knowledge | Recall, analyze, comprehend |
Step 4: Record Your Starting Numbers
- Level: 1
- Evasion and Hit Points: from your class
- Stress: 6 for every class
- Hope: start with 2, maximum 6
Step 5: Choose Your Starting Equipment
- Weapons: a two-handed primary weapon, or a one-handed primary weapon plus a one-handed secondary weapon. Your Proficiency starts at 1.
- Armor: one set. Add your level to its base thresholds to get your damage thresholds.
- Inventory: a torch, 50 feet of rope, basic supplies, a handful of gold, your choice of a Minor Health Potion (clear 1d4 HP) or a Minor Stamina Potion (clear 1d4 Stress), and your class item.
Step 6: Create Your Background
Answer your class's background questions to shape your history.
Step 7: Create Your Experiences
Write two Experiences at +2 each. You use one by spending 1 Hope.
Step 8: Choose Your Domain Cards
Take two level 1 cards from your class's two domains.
Step 9: Create Your Connections
Introduce your character to the table and answer the connection prompts with the other players.