Character Creation

Creating characters is the single most time consuming activity in preparing to play in Sedena. There are a vast number of options for players to choose from, most of them both unusual and confusing. It is strongly recommended that the Gamemaster walk the players though this process, preferably after the players know who the character will be.

Select A Race

A character can be one of seven races in Sedena:

• Human - humans are the single most populous of the races. They live everywhere, are involved with everything, and have no particular disadvantages. On a roll of 16, 17, or 18 during character creation, a Human may roll one extra D6 and add the result to the Attribute.
• Wolven - are a race of giant canine bipeds, who rule a vast Empire in the north. They have +2dice for PS and PE, but cannot travel in human lands without generating considerable trouble.
• Dwarf - a short, squat race that lives in the city of Ran. There are remnants of their population scattered though out the world. Dwarves add +1dice to PS, PE, and ME, and subtract 1 dice from Spd.
• Elf - a race of tall, graceful warriors and magicians. The children of Fire are a passionate people, given to obsession and compulsive behavior. They add +1dice to PP and +2 dice to PB. Every elf, unfortunately, must also subtract 1dice from their MA roll.
• Gnome - a short, fuzzy race of humanoids, given to extremes of both laughter and contemplation. Gnomes add +1 dice to PP, PB, and MA. They also have to subtract 1 dice from Spd.
• Ogre - are a race of gentle giants, armed with fierce claws and a powerful understanding of the Pattern. They add +2 dice to PS and PE, but subtract 1 dice for PB.
• Trolloc - an immortal race of shapechangers and magicians. Trollocs add +1 dice to Perception and PE and subtract one dice from PB and MA.

Roll Attributes

The second step in creating a character is to generate the nine Attributes that define his personal make-up. These Attributes represent the character's raw potential; his native ability to accomplish things. A high Attribute represents unusual or even supernatural ability, while a low Attribute represents limited talent. All Attributes can be raised to the races Attribute limit with basic skills.

In order to determine the character’s attributes roll 3d6, modified by the character's race, for each Attribute. At the GM's discression, the player may re-roll all 1s.

The nine Attributes are:

• Intelligence Quotient (IQ) represents the characters native intelligence, memory, and creativity. IQ is probably the single most important Attribute, as it governs a majority of the skills in the game.
• Mental Affinity (MA) represents the force of the character’s personality, as it is directed at other people. People with high MA are better leaders, negotiators, and sales-men. A high Mental Affinity does not necessarily indicate a strong will.
• Mental Endurance (ME) represents the character’s strength of will. Characters with high mental endurance are better able to resist adverse conditions, retain a sense of integrity, and keep their head in dangerous situations.
• Perception (Per) is the character’s ability to notice the unseen. There are only a few skills based on Perception, but it is probably the Attribute most often checked against. It is used when there is a chance that the character might not notice something about his environment.
• Physical Beauty (PB) measures how attractive other people find the character. High Physical Beauty influences other people’s initial reaction to the character, as well as his success in various forms of seduction.
• Physical Endurance (PE) measures the character’s stamina. It is used to determine hit points, make checks against disease and fatigue, and retards the negative effects of aging.
• Physical Prowess (PP) measures the character's agility and coordination. It is used whenever the character does something that requires grace, coordination, or controlled speed.
• Physical Strength (PS) is a measure of the character’s physical lifting, carrying, and moving ability. Physical strength is one of the most obvious attributes in a character
• Speed (Spd) is an indication of the character’s ability to run or move quickly at need. A character can move a number of yards equal to his Speed in a single round if he takes no other actions.

Magical Aptitude and Potency

Every character in Sedena has some level of aptitude in the four Intrinsic magics: Elemental, Personal, Sorcery, and Wizardry. This aptitude shows how powerful the character is in that style of magic. This does not mean that the character will be able to use any of these powers without training to develop his abilities; only that he has a natural gift for them.

In order to determine the character's Magical Aptitude, roll a d30 and multiply the result by .1. The resulting number may be distributed among the four types of Intrinsic magic in units of .1. No magical type may have a total modifier over 1.

It is possible to have a 0 Aptitude in one or more forms of magic. A character with 0 Aptitude in an Intrinsic magic cannot use that style under any circumstances.

Multiply the character's Aptitude with the attribute that governs the magic to determine the character's base Potency in that style of magic. Roll all fractions down. The governing Attributes are:

• Elemental - Perception
• Personal - Mental Endurance
• Sorcery - Mental Affinity
• Wizardry - IQ

Personal Pattern Powers

All beings in Sedena are able to draw some powers from their Personal Patterns. For more information about how to determine what Pattern powers the character possesses, please refer to the Personal Pattern document.

Vocations

All characters in Sedena have a Vocation, a place and a purpose in the Pattern. Although each character's Vocation is unique, all Vocations fall into one of five classes. The class that a character's Vocation belongs to gives the character certain bonuses. Over time, as the character grows and becomes more powerful, his Vocation becomes more and more important to him, giving him correspondingly greater advantages.

The Vocations

The five Vocations are:

• Adept - is an individual who chooses to master one or more of the Eight Powers, gaining terrible powers over the world and their fellow beings. An Adept's pursuit of personal power may be altruistic or purely selfish, but it is never the less a drive that many people find to be unusual. The Adept Vocation has the following advantages:
• Character may select one of the Eight Powers (Elemental, Personal, Sorcery, Wizardry, Pattern, Star, Shadow, or True). He gains +1 maneuver to the base maneuvers per skill level in the skills of that magic. He also may add his Vocational Level to his Potency in any magic that relates to that kind of power.
• 6 Vocational Skills
• +400 ticks to distribute among existing skills when the character raises his Vocational Level.
• Artisan - is an individual who focuses on a particular craft or profession, attaining a deep knowledge and skill in a narrow field. Artisans are not as broadly educated as Scholars, but within their area of skill are able to perform feats that are beyond anyone else. The Artisan Vocation has the following advantages:
• +4% per Vocational level to all Vocational skills
• 6 Vocational skills
• Access to the Legendary <Skill> level based skill
• +500 ticks to distribute among existing skills when the character raises his Vocation Level
• Priest - is an individual who lives and dies by the principles embodied by one of the Gods. Priests are always the direct servants of one of the twenty Gods of Sedena; carrying out the God's commands no matter what the personal danger. For more information about the Gods of Sedena, please refer to the Gods and Religion section. The Priest Vocation has the following advantages:
• +4% per level to all available prayers
• Character may add his Vocational Level to his Servant Potency
• 6 Vocational Skills
• Servant of <God> skill is considered a Vocational skill, without using one of the Priest's 6 Vocational slots.
• +400 ticks to distribute among existing skills when the character raises his Vocational Level
• Scholar - is an individual who dabbles in a lot of different areas, refusing to limit themselves by dedicating their lives to any one principle, power, or pursuit. Most 'scholars' are not academics, but rather people who sample deeply of many fields of life. The Scholar Vocation has the following advantages:
• +1 Vocational skill per level
• +600 ticks to distribute among existing or new skills when the character raises his Vocational Level.
• Warrior - a Warrior is someone who expresses himself though conflict and battle. Warriors are the most deadly of the four Vocations, as they specialize in personal conflict. The Warrior Vocations has the following advantages:
• Character possesses the Heroics special skill.
• 6 Vocational Skills
• 400 ticks to distribute among existing skills when the character raises his Vocational Level

For more information about a particular Vocation, follow the link embedded in the Vocation's name.

Vocational Skills

A character can advance to any level and up to any percentage in a Vocational skill.

Characters may advance to a maximum level of 5 and a maximum percentage of 50% in a non-vocational skill.

Vocational Levels

All characters start at level 1 in their Vocation. It is possible, although unusual, for a someone to have a level of 0, indicating that he has no Vocation, and therefore little interaction with the Pattern of Sedena.

Every time the character goes up in level, he may roll 1d6 and add the value to his Hit Points.

Select Skills

All beginning characters may select twelve skills to start out with. These skills have the following level distributions.

• 3 skills at level 3
• 3 skills at level 2
• 6 skills at level 1

Success based skills have a beginning chance of success equal to the attribute they are based on multiplied by the starting level. Thus, a character with a skill in Animal Husbandry starting at level 3 would multiply his IQ by 3 to determine his starting chance of success.

Odds and Ends

The character's Hit Points is equal to his Physical Endurance.

His ISP is equal to 2x his Personal Potency.

Select a name for the character, based on his starting culture and location.