Character Creation Guidelines

This process should be followed for each new character that a player would like to develop, including additional Companions or Grogs.

Please provide explicit notes for point/experience allocation for each step, along with any necessary explanations, background, or other relevant details. Point allocation should be as realistic and "well rounded" as possible to reflect the life stage in question.

1: Declare concept, discuss generally with the Troupe, & (ideally) receive approval to build the character. Approval will result in the creation of an individual character creation thread to provide discrete space to work on the character. This discussion and vetting process should happen here: Character Creation: General Discussion

2: Provide Virtue, Flaw, & Attribute Build

  • Include a description, rationale/interpretation, & justification for any Virtue/Flaw that requires (or would even just benefit) from it, preferably of paragraph length.
  • For a Mage, declare House Affiliation & select House Virtue.

3: Allocate experience for Early Childhood & provide at least a paragraph describing the origin and background of the character during this phase of life.

4: Declare number of additional Later Life years.

  • For a Mage, declare number of additional Later Life years prior to Apprenticeship.
  • Include a description of at least a paragraph in length per five years or fraction thereof of time in character background for this time.

5: (For Mages) Allocate Apprenticeship experience & spell levels.

  • Include a description of at least three paragraphs in length in character background regarding this time.
  • Arts may be assigned values above 10 in this period, and arcane abilities like Finesse or Magic Theory may not go above 4 (not counting Puissant). Parma Magica, as the last thing a mage learns, may not be higher than 1 at character creation.

6: Final Details

  • Determine Personality Traits as on ArM5 pg 33.
    -- You may have more than three Personality Traits if desired however try to keep them only to things that are core elements of the personality of the character.
  • Determine Reputations, if any, as per ArM5 pg 33.
  • Determine Confidence, Points & Score, as per ArM5 pg 33. If you have a virtue that affects Confidence remember to apply it.
  • Determine Equipment, as per ArM5 pg 33
    -- (Magi & Companions) Magi have means to garner mundane wealth rather easily, and frequently share said wealth with their Companions. Characters of either tier may have nearly any personal (man-portable) mundane equipment desired. Items of exceptional quality/craftsmanship (resulting in bonuses) should be especially requested and adjudicated.
    -- (Grogs) The equipment of Grogs should be more modest. Exceptional equipment granting bonuses is usually but not always inappropriate.

Recommended minimum starting Abilities for a Magi:

Area Lore (Apprenticeship Tribunal) 1
Artes Liberales 1
Code of Hermes 1
Concentration 1
Finesse 1
Latin 4
Magic Theory 3
Order of Hermes Lore 1
Parma Magica 1
Penetration 1
Philosophiae 1
Profession: Scribe 1

This is not a mandatory list however bear in mind that meta-gaming and presuming a more general knowledge of, for instance, the Code of Hermes or the Order itself without possessing the relevant Ability for the character to be well educated on these topics will not be allowed. Purchase the Abilities that reflect the knowledge you want your character to have.

Ability Rating Relative Values

1: Apprentice
3: Journeyman
5: Professional
7: Master
9: Grand Master

Art Rating Relative Values

5: Apprentice
10: Journeyman
15: Professional
20: Master
25: Grand Master

Sanctums

Please describe your Sanctums with at least a few paragraphs. I don't want this to feel burdensome however try to provide enough description that it wouldn't be difficult to set a scene there if the occasion arises.

We should get a good sense of the basic layout, decorations, & lifestyle of those who reside and work in the Sanctum.

Laboratories

Starting laboratories have been constructed by the Apprentices (perhaps some of which constitute the newly Gauntleted members of Inchmore itself) of the Hibernian coalition that helped build and defend the founding of the new Covenant.

Labs may be designed and described as desired to suit the nature and desires of each Mage adhering to the following stipulations.

  • All labs have had the basic two seasons invested to set up a fully functional lab without penalties.
  • A reasonable selection of free virtues and flaws may be selected to suit the nature of the lab and its construction. (Please don't go overboard.)
  • All labs begin unrefined.
  • Sanctums/Labs which have a reasonably direct connection to the caves underneath the Covenant will have had the aura expand to cover them over the past year of setting up the lab and conducting magic within it.
  • Two seasons of non-magical labor may be assumed to have been spent customizing the lab to suit the Mage. This can facilitate the installation of virtues/flaws as long as the net value remains zero, as the refinement may not change during this process. This labor may be assumed to have been conducted with at least some direct involvement of the owning Mage, perhaps even having been done by them personally.