#theclarke

Because of EffusiveEunoia's question I decided to write up a description of the walls separating the biodomes.

Every biodome is surrounded by a protective glass-plastic composite bubble. At the bottom of this bubble is a metal rim approximately 30 feet (9 meters) tall. The styles of these walls are different in each biodome, but each is mostly smooth and is separated from the actual biome by a small flowing moat. These moats tend to flow in a clockwise direction and have a variety of aquatic wildlife. If a biodome has any rivers or creeks, they almost assuredly empty into one of these moats. The biodomes are connected via airlocks found within the walls. Access to these airlocks, or gates, is reached by metallic bridges. Some countries protect their outer borders by constructing gatehouses on these bridges. The airlocks are approximately 60 feet (18 meters) wide, and almost half a mile (800 meters) long, and 15 feet (4.5 meters) tall. The airlocks are rather spartan inside, mostly consisting of vents that access the pressurization system, as well as a smooth floor. Both doors can be open if the pressure on both sides of the airlock is roughly the same. In addition, there are four control panels, 1 on the inside and 1 on the outside of each door. No one has been able to lock these doors, as it requires authorization by “The Captain,” an Ancient who may have ascended to godhood.

We are going to look at how to determine attributes for your character. We have a big section explaining the process as well as an example showing the character Kayla becoming more fleshed out.

After you have chosen your character’s Kith traits and helped determine what kind of person they are, you can then choose your character’s attributes. It is important to do them in this order as certain traits might influence the way you distribute your attribute points.

There are a total of six attributes, Finesse, Intellect, Perception, Strength, Toughness and Willpower. All six of these are described in more detail in the attribute section of the text, but here is a quick reminder.

Finesse: Speed and precision, physical attribute.

Intellect: Memory and logic, mental attribute.

Perception: Attention and accuracy, mental attribute.

Strength: Power and force, physical attribute.

Toughness: Stamina and fortitude, physical attribute.

Willpower: Patience and control, mental attribute.

Normally, characters start with a total of 21 points to spread between them, with each attribute needing at least one point. Some GMs might decide to instead give the players a few more points or a few less in order to affect the type of story or characters that are being made. An 18 point spread is for characters that are rather average in their capabilities. 21 points are for characters who have something special but still have a lot of room to grow. 24 is for prodigies and those chosen to accomplish a great task. It is not recommended to go beyond these numbers, but feel free to experiment.

Alright, that seems pretty good. When combined with the earlier attribute description section, this will help cement what is considered normal or average. I am taking an idea from Dungeons and Dragons and making the normal character type be more amazing than the average person. I think it helps makes characters feel interesting, but it is also possible for the GM to change things around. Now lets look at the example creation session.

Beth has decided that she likes where Kayla is heading and now wants to move on. She decides to look at all of the available attributes and put at least the minimum 1 point in each of them. This leaves her with 15 points to spread around. She figures that her character would benefit from a high Toughness and puts 3 more points into it. Her Toughness is now 4 and she has 12 points left. She figures that a monster hunter also needs to be strong, and decides to put 4 more points in Strength. Her Strength is now 5 and she has 8 points left. Perception and Willpower are also relevant to her, but not quite to the same extent. She decides to put 2 points into both, resulting in her have 3 points in Perception and Willpower. She has 4 points left. Finesse and Intellect aren’t a huge priority for her, but she decides to still put 1 point in each. Her Finesse and Intellect are each at 2 points, and she has 2 points left. She decides to spend those two points increasing Strength and Toughness both by 1. She ends with a stat spread of Finesse 2, Intellect 2, Perception 3, Strength 6, Toughness 5, and Willpower 3.

So Character Creation is a little hard to grasp without a lot of the other rules and mechanics, but some of the other mechanics are hard to understand without knowing how you make a character. Well, I am hoping that the explanations of the core mechanic earlier will give a general idea of how the game works, and that this won't be too confusing. So let's look at the summary for character creation.

When making your character you must choose a combination of characteristics. These should help you feel like you are part of the world; how you were born into it, how you move in it, and how you thrive in it. These include your character’s kith(s), your attributes, your skills, your goals, and your specialities. Sometimes those details can be a little bit complicated, such as your kith traits, or simple, such as your attributes.

Alright, the most important part, in my opinion, is feeling like a character and not a collection of stats. So when creating your character it is important to reflect on how these various bits make your character fleshed out. Alright, now to look at the first step.

Step 1: Choose your Kith traits

There are a total of twelve kiths that come in three categories. The categories are the biological humans and beasts, and the mechanical clankers. The humans and the beasts, since they are both biological, can be mixed and matched, but the clankers must stay within their very specific list of kith traits. Biological characters can choose a total of 5 kith traits from any of the biological kiths. Mechanical characters can choose a total of 6 traits from a single kith trait list. Whichever kith you have picked the most traits from you gain the kith trait “the (kith) look” as a free trait. The section of kith traits are found in the upcoming section after a short description of their respective kith.

So I will dump all of these right together in one last post on attributes, and also give a bit of foreshadowing on a future mechanics post. So lets start with Strength.

Muscle mass allows a person to deadlift doors, strike through armor, and even intimidate those with weaker wills. If a character needs to rip a phonebook in half, or simply climb more quickly, they want to have a high Strength score. Strength is important for soldiers, pilgrims, enforcers, and athletes. Strength is used to help determine speed, and is often used for melee attacks. 1 point in Strength represents a puny weakling. 3 points in Strength is for people with average muscles. 6 points in Strength implies a major contender for weightlifting competitions. 9 points in Strength is for those who want to wrestle a rampaging bull, and win.

So high levels in Strength aren't always represented by Schwarzenegger levels of muscles. Bruce Lee would likely be somewhere around 4 points, but his Finesse would be through the roof. Kareem Abdul Jabar however might be closer to 6, or at least his character in The Game of Death is. That being said, if you want to play as a cyborg with robotic parts who dresses like Trinity from the Matrix, you can totally have a lean muscle character throw other characters around the room.

When push comes to shove, even those who can physically handle the most can become terrified and broken. Willpower helps the tough stay tough and the strong stay strong. Willpower is important for spies, enforcers, con artists, and leaders. Willpower is used to help determine how long you stay standing before you’re even hit. 1 point in Willpower implies someone who folds like paper. 3 points in Willpower is for those who deal with everyday hardships. 6 points in Willpower is for those with a complete control of their emotions. 9 points in Willpower implies someone who can sweat on command.

Alright, I skipped Toughness because I want to end on that. Willpower is all about how you mentally stay together. It is for facing down snarling beasts and drill sergeants alike. Now, just because your character can stare down the barrel of a gun and not flinch doesn't mean your character has to have equal resolve in every situation. Characters can have flaws, and we will go into more detail about that later.

All of your other stats mean nothing if the second you eat bad food you get too sick to move. In the Underside, you can’t rely on someone who will start to bleed out from a scratch. Toughness is important for those who want to live. Toughness is used for resisting physical ailments as well as determining how long your death spiral lasts. 1 point in Toughness is for those who bruise at a touch. 3 points in Toughness implies someone who can eat spicy foods with only mild discomfort. 6 points in Toughness shows someone who can sleep on a bed of broken glass. 9 points in Toughness is for someone with diamond skin, maybe literally.