Character Creation

The following document is intended to serve as a general guide on the character creation process. You don’t have to follow this guide “to the T,” but it is intended to provide a concise overview of the steps involved in character creation. Please see the Table of Contents on the right for an overview of this document.

What kind of character do you want to play? Are they a reclusive wizard, a noble knight, a charismatic swindler? All characters within PathRunner have a single thing in common - they are an adventurer, someone willing to leave wherever or whatever they call home in the name of a better life. To this end, here are some core ideas to think about for your concept:

• What makes this character a capable adventurer - what particular skill, or set of skills, sets them apart? This is not to say that the character doesn’t have some shortcomings, but this should be their strength.
• Why is your character an adventurer - are they forced into such a life due to outside circumstances, or did they become an adventurer by choice? What goal are they trying to accomplish by adventuring?
• What does your character fight for - this question may tie closely to the previous one, depending on your concept. It could be something as simple as personal wealth or duty to a cause they believe in, or perhaps it's to protect something or someone that they love.

Once you have an idea of who your character is, you can choose your Priorities on the below chart. Each Priority Field dictates a different aspect of your character, with a rating from S to D.

All characters gain 12 points to spend across this priority chart. Each Priority field lists its tier (S through D) and the value of that tier (4 through 0, respectively). You may select any priority tier except S more than once in this manner, but you must reach a total point expenditure of 12. This total may be raised or lowered by the GM at their discretion.

When you select your first D rank Priority Field, you receive a refund of one point. Any subsequent D rank Priority Fields are worth 0.

For more information about each individual field of the Priority chart, see their individual pages linked in the table above.

Next, you should select Boons and Drawbacks for your character. Boons and Drawbacks are unique adjustments to your character which fall outside of the normal categorization field offered by Paths. Boons offer beneficial adjustments to your character, and are intended to offer a way of fleshing out a character’s design whilst also offering unique benefits. Boons may be bought with Experience - up to 35 EXP may be spent on Boons at character creation.

Drawbacks are detrimental, and often permanent effects which you also select at character creation. For every Drawback you select, you gain an amount of extra Experience as listed on that particular Drawback’s entry. You must select a minimum of 5 EXP in Drawbacks at character creation, and you may select a maximum of 35 EXP in Drawbacks at character creation, though more may be obtained during gameplay (however, you will not be granted Experience for such a thing happening, unless your GM decides otherwise!).

Next, you will need to spend your starting Experience. All new characters in PathRunner begin with 100 Experience points, which may be spent on all manner of things. Below is a brief outline of the sort of things you may buy.

Keep in mind that although making your starting character is instant, spending Experience during the game takes time, to represent your character honing and developing their skills over time rather than sporadically leveling up. Consult with your GM on whether the campaign is Fast, Normal, or Slow Paced. Each of these campaign speeds determines how long it takes to spend one Experience Point during the game, as shown below:

Lastly, you must spend your Trade Units on any desired physical goods for your character. Without any TU, your character has the rags on their back, and naught else. TU may be spent on equipment, a lifestyle, a permanent residence, weapons, armor, alchemical reagents, spellcasting supplies, and more - money makes the world go ‘round. Any unspent TU carries over into the game in a currency appropriate to the campaign setting - consult with your GM on what this may be (this is typically silver pieces). You may run into trouble on carrying it all around though!