Character Creation Method

Creating Characters in T13 is a fairly simple process. I should warn you that some adding up will be required and so you should get your calculating head on (or start an app/calculator – I am working on an automated system for generating Characters and Descendants, but its nowhere near ready yet, until it is…). We are going to create a Child Grunt character (creating an Adult Mercari is just as simple – your Referee will tell you extra Sway that you may have to generate a more advanced Character).

Scale

Firstly we decide the Age and therefore Scale that the Character is starting at…

So choose your Characters Age and note down the Scale. If you are building an experienced Character with more Handicaps then you may increase Scale, by paying additional Chi (your Ref should tell you how much Chi/Yarn you have available to spend during Character creation. You may have a Scale no greater than your number of Handicaps (including any resolved Handicaps that may have become additional Personalities or Cores.

Geometry

Next you need to know the Character’s name. This should be the name they use, rather than perhaps a full-name, so since Desiree Clary is known as Desi, she uses Desi to work out her Geometry. Open the Geometry guide and do the Math, look up the Geometry and then write the details down.

Facets

There are twelve pairs of Facets in T13 and each one has a Boon. Normally for a starting Character they begin with Boon 13 (modified by Scale – so a 16 year old has all Facets at Boon 12). You can modify these Facets by increasing a Facet (up to 26) you decrease the Anti-Facet (down to 1), so if you move Awe up to 14 then you move Jeer down to 12 (which are then adjusted by Scale – so a 16 year old would have 13 and 11).

Formation Facet (Incarna)

Next you need to pick a Formation Facet and therefore Incarna for your Character, normally Characters use the Flesh Incarna which is a Nature Formation Facet. The Reduced Boon of your Formation Facet governs the number of Wounds of each level that the Character may store, ie a Nature of 13 grants a Fleshy Desi an ability to store 4 Distract wounds before the next Distract wound is automatically upgraded to a Flesh Wound.

Personality Annex

Next we need to build the Character’s (first) Personality Annex. Since normally we are building Grunts we only worry about one Personality, but other Character Types can have more Personality Annexes and swap and change between them. We start with the Personality and Core Facets. Then we add a single Handicap (based on a single Handicap Facet) which may be given a Boon up to the Character’s Facet Boon for a normal Handicap. This Handicap’s Value is added to the Values of the Personality and Core Facets and that gives you a Personality Value, which can be looked up here to produce a Boon, Reduced Boon and Dice-roll. More advanced characters add more (and sometimes larger) Handicaps, each Handicap adds its Value to the Personality Value of the Personality Annex. The Personality Annex then grants a number of abilities to that Character (or Alternate in the case of more advanced Characters).

• Proficiencies – The Personality grants Boon Reduced Proficiency Slots.
• Annexes – The Personality grants Boon Reduced Annex slots (which can be used to hold Proficiencies too)
• Sway gained – When a Grunt/Goblin Character gains Sway from I-Ching, Geometry, Personality or Core they gain Personality Boon Double Reduced each time, a Mercari/Demon gains Boon Reduced and Solos and their ilk gain Personality Boon at a time.
• Chi stored – Grunt/Goblins can store up to their Personality Boon Chi, Mercari/Demons can store Personality Value Chi and Solo level Characters may store Personality Super-Value Chi

Initial Proficiencies

Normally you get to choose a single Proficiency that the Character has (don’t worry you can buy more with Sway pretty quickly), advanced characters may fill their Proficiency Slots automatically. It is worth noting that each alternate cannot have more Proficiencies from a single Facet than the alternates’s Facet Boon Reduced so a 13 grants you at most 4 Proficiencies from that Facet.

Initial Annexes

Normally a starting Character does not begin play with any Annexes, they are purchased during play, when the Character has enough Sway or during Crisis moments that occur when making Tests. An advanced Character will normally have some (or all) of their Annexes defined, but these will have to paid for from the Chi the Referee grants them (and count as extra costs when summoning Characters).

Too Much?

Well, if a normal character is too much work for you why not try the simplified Lite Character

Begin having fun

Your Referee can now begin plotting an adventure for your Character so that you can play through the Character’s Framing Story (which may or may not include the other Characters in that Ref’s game. You’ll be gaining Sway pretty slowly to start with, but you will want be spending it pretty quickly.