Chapter 5: Character Creation

As with most games, Dark Passages will allow its players to explore and inhabit a fantasy world full of danger and adventure. Below, you will find the basic rules and guidelines for creating a character within the Dark Passages setting.

As of 1-1-15, for a making base starting character, you have 75 Character Creation Points (CCP) to spend as you like. You may earn up to another 30 points by taking Disadvantages and up to 35 points by exchanging Kickits from volunteer opportunities at a rate of 2 Kickits per 1 Character Creation Point (70 Kickits =35CCP). Additionally, if you turn in a character background history or a character background survey, you will earn another 5 CCP apiece to spend. Thus, at game start, the max level starting character is 140 CCP without a background history, 145 CCP with a background history or survey, or 150 CCP for both. 

Keep in mind, many of the Disadvantages have the potential to be quite nasty, so please use caution.  For this reason we discourage new players from simply loading up on Disads just to get extra points. If you are unsure of whether or not you can safely roleplay a Disad, please do not take it. You may always email plot about your concerns in advance, and we will work with you. We will always consider feedback and ideas from our players. Also, be forewarned: our plot staff will be paying special attention to tracking peoples' Disads and background stories. You can rest assured that any Disad you choose to take will eventually come into play, probably sooner than later. 

Below are the basic steps of Character Creation. Details about races, cultures, guilds, martial schools, etc can be found in the following chapters. Please keep in mind that you are responsible for your own make-up, costuming, props, weapons, etc.

1) Choose your Race (be sure to notate your Racial Advantage and Disadvantage as appropriate).
2) Choose your Calling, if you wish to pick one (be sure to notate its Perks as appropriate).
3) Choose your native Culture (be sure to notate your Cultural Advantage as appropriate).
4) Choose your character name. Think of a basic character concept and background history. This will help you to choose your remaining attributes later on.
5) Choose Advantages and/or Disadvantages.
6) Choose your Guild Membership(s) (Max 3) and/or Skills (Max of level 3 per Skill).
7) Choose your Martial School Membership(s) and Martial Skills and your Weapon/Armor/Shield skills.
8) Chose your Magic Path and Base Level-0 Spell. Purchase additional Mana if you wish (1st point is free) or leave "Undecided"
 9) Spend your Starting Coin.

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Please Note: as of 1-11-15 new players now gain access to limited magic upon character creation. Everyone starts the game with 1 Base Level-0 Spell and 1 Point of Mana. You may opt-out of choosing Magic in-play by focusing your will against the temptation, but the temptation is always there and can be chosen at any time going forward, so you should think on it even if you choose to leave it undecided at start of play. (See Chapter 14 - Magic & Rituals for more detailed information)

When making your character, please note that many of the Racial and Cultural Advantages are Guild Buy-In discounts, which may be purchased later on with EXP at the same cost. If you do not wish to take them at character creation, or even later on, you are not required to do so. The racial Disadvantages, however, impact everyone of that particular race. The degree to which and manner in which you roleplay these may vary greatly from character to character. Likewise, the perks for Cultures and Callings may be purchased later with EXP or not at all, as you wish.

Advantages and Disadvantages are labeled according to their cost or point value. Disadvantages may be bought off later on, however they cost double points to buy off. Buy-offs may only be done with plot approval, under certain conditions and circumstances. It is very difficult to buy off or work off a Disadvantage, and there are some (such as Color Blind) which may never be able to be bought off without considerable in-play research and effort.

Guilds and Skills are a little bit trickier to manage. If you choose to buy into a Guild, you must choose your Guild and "pay your dues" as they say. Being a Guild Member comes with a price, but also many perks. Buying advancement in your Guild Rank can be expensive, but it gains you access to Guild Secrets, additional production materials and more advanced opportunities for learning, training, etc. Guild buy-in cost for level one (Novice) is 10 CCP with a maximum of three Guild Memberships. Guild advancement cost is 20 CCP to advance to level 2 (Apprentice), 30 CCP to advance to level 3 (Journeyman), 40 to advance to level 4 (Master), and 50 to advance to level 5 (Grand Master). All Guild and Skill costs are the same for Experience Point (EXP) expenditures as they are for CCP (Character Creation Point) expenditures. More detailed information is available in the Guilds and Skills section in Chapter 9.

You may not begin play with any Skill or Guild Membership above level three at the start of game. Journeyman (level 3) is the max level for a standard starting character for any Guild, Skill, or Martial School. Once play has begun, if there is a current PC already in play of higher level, you may purchase up to his or her level at character creation, but not above. Guild Memberships and Skill Levels are two completely different things. Your Rank in your Guild Membership is entirely separate from your level(s) in any particular Skill(s). For example, you may begin play as a Journeyman in the Culinary Arts and yet only be considered a Novice Rank in the Artisan's Guild itself. It all depends on how you wish to prioritize your point spread.

Each Guild governs three skills, and there are 12 Guilds in all (Artisans, Athletes, Explorers, Homecrafters, Jewelcrafters, Landworkers, Patricians, Physicians, Scholars, Thieves, Tinkers, and Warcrafters). By buying into a Guild, you get 15 EXP to be spent on any Skill within that Guild. These Guild EXP may be distributed as you wish. For example, you could take a single Skill up to level 2, or three level 1 skills. The regular cost for individual Skill levels is 5 CCP per level 1 skill, 10 CCP per level 2 skill, 20 CCP per level 3 skill, 30 CCP per level 4 skill, and 40 CCP per level 5 skill. Thus, buying into a Guild at level 1 will cost you 10 CCP, or 5 CCP if your Race or Culture's advantage is a discounted buy-in to said Guild.

Buying into Martial Schools is covered in detail in Chapter 12. Purchasing initiation into a Martial School costs 10 points for your primary school. Once you reach level two, you have the option of picking up a secondary school. You can never raise an alternate school above the level of your primary school. Cost of initiation into additional Martial Schools goes up an additional 10 points for each additional school (2nd school costs 20, 3rd school costs 30, etc). Cost for individual Martial Skills is 5/10/15/20/25 for your primary school. After that, each one goes up by 5 additional points per skill (10/15/20/25/30 for 2nd school, 15/20/25/30/35 for 3rd school, etc). In order to be elevated to the next level in any Martial School, one must purchase at least 3 attack maneuvers and 3 defense maneuvers at their current level.

In order to use your Martial Skills for a particular school ,you must purchase that School's special weapon(s) in the material(s) noted. If you have multiple Martial Schools you must be using the appropriate weapon(s) and material(s) in order to call your special attacks and/or defenses. This means that having two Martial Schools also means you have to purchase two sets of special weapons. You do not have to carry both sets unless you wish to switch freely from one school's Skill set to another within the same combat session.

Armor, Shields, and all Ranged Weapons are considered special combat abilities, and must be purchased as separate skills. This denotes the simple fact that not everyone can use these items efficiently without proper practice and/or training. There are also some safety concerns and special instructions that are covered in Chapter 11.

Your character has 20 silver to start with. You may purchase anything on this list. You must spend all of your starting coin at Character Creation, as none of it will roll over into play. At Character Creation, purchasing a Firearm or Ranged Weapon will include its corresponding Ammo Pouch or Quiver.