Character Creation Steps
Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2019 12:07 am
Generation Steps, Ilvermorny Style
Step 1: Determine Background
Each character starts as a basic idea; in this step, you'll be determining a little bit about their life before Ilvermorny, what House they were sorted in to, and how they've done at Ilvermorny so far leading up to their fifth year.
Additionally, at this point, you must choose either a Muggleborn or Pureblood background - did your character originate from a muggle/no-maj household or a pureblood household? This does not necessarily shape their opinions of muggleborn wizards and witches, merely establishes their upbringing.
Muggleborn wizards and witches gain 1 rank in Muggle Studies. This skill may not be raised above 2 during character creation.
Pureblood wizards and witches gain 1 rank in History. This skill may not be raised above 2 during character creation.
Step 2: Pick a Stereotype
There are broad generalizations of people and, as much as people try to deny it, everyone usually falls into one. It is here that you start building the real mechanical portion of your character. Select one of the four available stereotypes - the average kid, the jock, the bookworm, or the popular kid - to serve as the basis for your character. This will give you your initial characteristics, an additional skills, a character ability, and your starting experience. From this, you'll move on from defining your character's core to selecting what they're good at.
The full list of Stereotypes and detailed information about them can be found by clicking here.
Step 3: Select Your Aptitudes
During the character creation process, you'll select your Aptitudes - skills your character is naturally good at and will progress at easier. These are a mix of your character's upbringing, things they did well before going to school, and subjects that they took well to once they arrived at Ilvermorny (and sometimes even before).
Select six Upbringing skills and four Magical Gifts to form your Aptitudes. After forming your Aptitudes, select five of those skills and gain one rank in each of those skills without spending any experience.
More information on Upbiringing and Magical Gifts can be found by clicking here.
Step 4: Invest Experience Points
At this point, you may spend experience from your Stereotype on improving Characteristics, improving Skills, and acquiring Talents. It is important to remember that this is the only step where Characteristics can be improved (barring certain Talents you may take later). You may save up to 10 experience from your starting pool to take into play.
Characteristics: Each increase of a Characteristic costs 10 experience multiplied by the rating purchased. For example, if you are increasing Brawn from 2 to 3, it will cost you 30 experience from your available pool. Each rating must be purchased sequentially - you must, for example, purchase Brawn 3 before you can purchase Brawn 4. At Character Creation, no Characteristic may rise above 5 by any means.
Skills: Each increase of a Skill costs 5 experience multiplied by the rank purchased. For example, if you are increasing Potions from 1 to 2, it will cost you 10 experience from your available pool. If you are purchasing a skill which is not one of your Aptitudes, you must spend an additional 5 experience to raise the skill (as if you were purchasing one level higher than you are). Each rank must be purchased sequentially - you must, for example, purchase Astronomy 2 before you can purchase Astronomy 3. At Character Creation, no Skill may rise above rank 2 by any means. Information about Skills not found in the GeneSys Core Rulebook or that have been altered from the Core Rulebook may be found here.
Talents: Each Talent costs 5 experience multiplied by the tier of the talent. Each Talent may have additional requirements as listed within the talent itself. There is otherwise no limits to the number of Talents you may possess.
After you have spent all your starting pool of experience, you are granted 10 experience per school year your character has completed to your experience pool (for the purposes of this game, this means each character will receive 40 experience at this point). If you wish, you may spend this experience now (along with the experience saved from your starting pool) or save it to spend later. Please note: this experience is not considered Character Creation experience and so is not limited by the skill restrictions of Character Creation; however, that also means this experience cannot be used to increase Characteristics.
Step 5: Determine Derived Attributes
At this point, we rejoin the Core Rulebook. Calculate your Derived Attributes using the values from your Stereotypes. Calculate Defense and Soak as described in the Character Creation section of the Core Rulebook. At this point, set your Popularity ranks equal to your Presence rating.
Step 6: Determine Motivations
As per the Core Rulebook, determine a Desire, Fear, Strength, and Flaw. You may use a selection from the provided charts in the Core Rulebook or, if you prefer, use them as examples from which to develop your own motivation. If creating your own motivation, the Game Masters may require you to alter it to closer fit the templates provided by the book.
Step 7: Choose Gear, Appearance, and Personality
Once more, we deviate from the Core Rulebook a bit. Due to the nature of the game, we're less concerned with specific gear - outside a few specifics, we're going to abstract most gear away into a general Wealth Rating. Describe how well off the character's family is here; this isn't something that necessarily needs to be public knowledge - a family can be ridiculously wealthy but pinch every penny and thus be wearing thread-bare but still serviceable clothes.
The one thing from gear we're going to ask you to focus on is your character's wand. Be sure to describe your character's wand - the length, flexibility, wood, core, and any other traits you think might be applicable. If you're not familiar with a lot of the details, the Harry Potter Fandom Wiki has a very good and extensive write-up. You may go into as much detail as you wish but should at least provide us with the basic information.
After that, give us a description of your character - both physically and personality wise. At this point, you're essentially finished and ready to submit to us!
Step 7 and Three Quarters: A New First Student
To help fill out the school, we're asking that everyone provide us with a new first year student who will be joining the school for the first time. Give us their name, a bit of description, and a little bit of their history. Then, at some point, tell us the wand that chose them (much like your own character's) and what statue is going to choose them for their House at Ilvermorny during the Sorting Ceremony.
Step 8: Submission!
Once you've completed everything, fill out the template found here and email it to red.rahvin@gmail.com with a subject of "Ilvermorny: <Your Character Name>". We'll take a look at it and get back to you as soon as possible.
After you've submitted, feel free to make an account with your character name - or, if you already have an OOC account made, send a PM to a Game Master asking to have your account name changed to your character name. When we approve your character sheet, we'll either activate your account or change your account name.
Step 1: Determine Background
Each character starts as a basic idea; in this step, you'll be determining a little bit about their life before Ilvermorny, what House they were sorted in to, and how they've done at Ilvermorny so far leading up to their fifth year.
Additionally, at this point, you must choose either a Muggleborn or Pureblood background - did your character originate from a muggle/no-maj household or a pureblood household? This does not necessarily shape their opinions of muggleborn wizards and witches, merely establishes their upbringing.
Muggleborn wizards and witches gain 1 rank in Muggle Studies. This skill may not be raised above 2 during character creation.
Pureblood wizards and witches gain 1 rank in History. This skill may not be raised above 2 during character creation.
Step 2: Pick a Stereotype
There are broad generalizations of people and, as much as people try to deny it, everyone usually falls into one. It is here that you start building the real mechanical portion of your character. Select one of the four available stereotypes - the average kid, the jock, the bookworm, or the popular kid - to serve as the basis for your character. This will give you your initial characteristics, an additional skills, a character ability, and your starting experience. From this, you'll move on from defining your character's core to selecting what they're good at.
The full list of Stereotypes and detailed information about them can be found by clicking here.
Step 3: Select Your Aptitudes
During the character creation process, you'll select your Aptitudes - skills your character is naturally good at and will progress at easier. These are a mix of your character's upbringing, things they did well before going to school, and subjects that they took well to once they arrived at Ilvermorny (and sometimes even before).
Select six Upbringing skills and four Magical Gifts to form your Aptitudes. After forming your Aptitudes, select five of those skills and gain one rank in each of those skills without spending any experience.
More information on Upbiringing and Magical Gifts can be found by clicking here.
Step 4: Invest Experience Points
At this point, you may spend experience from your Stereotype on improving Characteristics, improving Skills, and acquiring Talents. It is important to remember that this is the only step where Characteristics can be improved (barring certain Talents you may take later). You may save up to 10 experience from your starting pool to take into play.
Characteristics: Each increase of a Characteristic costs 10 experience multiplied by the rating purchased. For example, if you are increasing Brawn from 2 to 3, it will cost you 30 experience from your available pool. Each rating must be purchased sequentially - you must, for example, purchase Brawn 3 before you can purchase Brawn 4. At Character Creation, no Characteristic may rise above 5 by any means.
Skills: Each increase of a Skill costs 5 experience multiplied by the rank purchased. For example, if you are increasing Potions from 1 to 2, it will cost you 10 experience from your available pool. If you are purchasing a skill which is not one of your Aptitudes, you must spend an additional 5 experience to raise the skill (as if you were purchasing one level higher than you are). Each rank must be purchased sequentially - you must, for example, purchase Astronomy 2 before you can purchase Astronomy 3. At Character Creation, no Skill may rise above rank 2 by any means. Information about Skills not found in the GeneSys Core Rulebook or that have been altered from the Core Rulebook may be found here.
Talents: Each Talent costs 5 experience multiplied by the tier of the talent. Each Talent may have additional requirements as listed within the talent itself. There is otherwise no limits to the number of Talents you may possess.
After you have spent all your starting pool of experience, you are granted 10 experience per school year your character has completed to your experience pool (for the purposes of this game, this means each character will receive 40 experience at this point). If you wish, you may spend this experience now (along with the experience saved from your starting pool) or save it to spend later. Please note: this experience is not considered Character Creation experience and so is not limited by the skill restrictions of Character Creation; however, that also means this experience cannot be used to increase Characteristics.
Step 5: Determine Derived Attributes
At this point, we rejoin the Core Rulebook. Calculate your Derived Attributes using the values from your Stereotypes. Calculate Defense and Soak as described in the Character Creation section of the Core Rulebook. At this point, set your Popularity ranks equal to your Presence rating.
Step 6: Determine Motivations
As per the Core Rulebook, determine a Desire, Fear, Strength, and Flaw. You may use a selection from the provided charts in the Core Rulebook or, if you prefer, use them as examples from which to develop your own motivation. If creating your own motivation, the Game Masters may require you to alter it to closer fit the templates provided by the book.
Step 7: Choose Gear, Appearance, and Personality
Once more, we deviate from the Core Rulebook a bit. Due to the nature of the game, we're less concerned with specific gear - outside a few specifics, we're going to abstract most gear away into a general Wealth Rating. Describe how well off the character's family is here; this isn't something that necessarily needs to be public knowledge - a family can be ridiculously wealthy but pinch every penny and thus be wearing thread-bare but still serviceable clothes.
The one thing from gear we're going to ask you to focus on is your character's wand. Be sure to describe your character's wand - the length, flexibility, wood, core, and any other traits you think might be applicable. If you're not familiar with a lot of the details, the Harry Potter Fandom Wiki has a very good and extensive write-up. You may go into as much detail as you wish but should at least provide us with the basic information.
After that, give us a description of your character - both physically and personality wise. At this point, you're essentially finished and ready to submit to us!
Step 7 and Three Quarters: A New First Student
To help fill out the school, we're asking that everyone provide us with a new first year student who will be joining the school for the first time. Give us their name, a bit of description, and a little bit of their history. Then, at some point, tell us the wand that chose them (much like your own character's) and what statue is going to choose them for their House at Ilvermorny during the Sorting Ceremony.
Step 8: Submission!
Once you've completed everything, fill out the template found here and email it to red.rahvin@gmail.com with a subject of "Ilvermorny: <Your Character Name>". We'll take a look at it and get back to you as soon as possible.
After you've submitted, feel free to make an account with your character name - or, if you already have an OOC account made, send a PM to a Game Master asking to have your account name changed to your character name. When we approve your character sheet, we'll either activate your account or change your account name.
