Character Creation Options

Option Points

To allow more freedom during character creation and slightly more powerful characters, give the character only 10 Skill Steps to start with and give them 3 Option points. Each Options point may be used as 1 Attribute Point, 5 Skill Points, or to buy an Extra. An Extra is anything the GM and Player conspire to design that won't upset play balance and adds to the character. It can be an unusual background (i.e. noble birth), wealth (i.e. piece of property or an inheritance), a strange ability (i.e. can see in very low light like a cat), or specific item (i.e. a magic medallion that can heal any single, non-lethal wound level once every three days). It is essentially free-license to use your imagination, with the GM establishing the limits.


Background/Profession Skill

At the GM's discretion, a character may start with 5 - 10 Steps in training for one or more professions they practice (often knowledge skills are good examples for this). These skills are the GM's choice, but the player can suggest or ask for any skills that are appropriate for the character's background. These Steps are in addition to any skill Steps the character normally has. However, the GM can state whether or not normal skill Steps for the character can be used to improve skills assigned by the GM.

Example: Arrin is a character with who lives and works as a Chirurgeon and Apothecary for a small town. Therefore the GM assigns him: Medicine (3), Surgery (2), Herbalism(2), and Poisons (1) (a lot of poisonous substances are used in small amounts for healing). Arrin's player may then spend his normal skill Steps to purchase other skills or improve the ones the GM assigned (if they allow it).



Combat Options

Limiting Actions in a Round

As an alternative for enforcing fewer combat actions, simply make the player decide beforehand the number of actions they will attempt for the current round. Then, for each action beyond the first a character decides to perform in a round, they lose a Step from ALL actions they decide to perform that round. Note that the minimum possible Step for an action is 1. If a character has zero or negative Steps in an action, they simply CANNOT attempt it in the current round (this may also mean that they can never attempt that action normally in a single round). Once a character has decided how many actions they will take, the GM sums the Step reduction for all actions and the player starts rolling for successes. If a player Fails or Critically Fails an action, some or all of the following actions the character wanted to perform may be rendered impossible.

Example: Terrax is facing a giant snake in mortal combat. He decides that for the current round, he will (1) Charge the snake's head, (2) Attack with his sword, (3) and then Dodge out of the way. Because he is attempting 3 actions for the round (2 more than the normal 1 action allowed) he has -2 Steps to all his actions. The movement doesn't require a roll. His Sword Pool is normally 8, but -2 Steps is 6. He rolls his Sword Pool and succeeds. After the GM has worked out if any Damage was done, Terrax then rolls for his Dodge Action. His Dodge Pool is 6, -2 Steps is 4. He rolls his Dodge skill and rolls low, making himself vulnerable to attack. If he had only tried two actions instead of three, he might have been more successful.




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