Chapter 4: Character Creation

Step 1: Choose Race

Choose Human, Saurian, Lepid, Vulpin, or Dryad. Apply the race's Stat modifiers after rolling and assigning Stats. Race modifiers can push a Stat above 20.

Step 2: Roll Personality

Roll 1d4 for each axis. These are narrative guides, not mechanics.

Step 3: Roll Stats

Roll 5d20. Assign four results to the four Stats and discard the fifth. Then apply race modifiers.

Step 4: Record Motivation

All Contractors start with 50 Motivation.

Step 5: Record Starting Inspiration

All Contractors start with 1 Inspiration. This is usually spent to lock in the first learned skill successfully attempted in play.

Step 6: Starting Skills

Every Contractor begins knowing four basic verbs:

All other verbs must be learned through play. You cannot attack at character creation because you have not learned Strike. You cannot hide because you have not learned Conceal. You cannot cast controlled combat magik because you have not learned Channel or Surge. Starting Contractors know only these four verbs. They do not automatically know any modifiers from those trees.

Step 7: Starting Equipment

A new Contractor begins with:

• Clothes.
• 2 rations.
• No weapon.
• No armor.
• No money.
• No pack. Base carrying capacity is 3 items.

Everything else must be acquired through play.

New Contractors do not begin with Crystal Shards. Crystal Shards are a strong first-session reward when earned through danger: harvested from mutated creatures, pried from reactor leakage, recovered from Coiltech contamination, or taken from another source that makes the party pay for them in risk.

Hands are separate from carrying capacity. A Contractor with a free hand may hold one one-handed item, such as a pipe, knife, lantern, rope, tool, or broken shield, even if their carrying capacity is full. If they later want to stow that item, free the hand, climb, use a shield, use a two-handed weapon, or travel with the item secured, it must fit into capacity or be carried by an ally, Paca, cart, wagon, or left behind.

Step 8: Name

Choose a first name, then choose a last name from the pool tied to the Contractor's highest Stat at creation. If two Stats tie, choose either pool.

Step 9: One-Sentence Motivation

Write one sentence explaining why the Contractor is walking into the guild hall today. Examples:

• I need to eat.
• I owe money to the wrong people.
• The reactor poisoned my family's land.
• I got out of prison last week.

Joining an Existing Campaign

A new Contractor joining an existing campaign starts with:

• Stats rolled normally.
• Motivation 50.
• Inspiration equal to the party's average current Inspiration, minimum 1.
• The four basic verbs.
• One learned verb for every three completed contracts the campaign has run.
• Starting Scrip equal to the party's average total earnings, to spend at current prices.