Pick A Species

First, you’ll want to pick what kind of dude or dudette you’ll be. So pick one of the following species:

1. Human

2. Krogoth

3. Lithoborne

4. Elfine

5. Alterbeast

6. Metamorph

7. Machinehead

But what does this all mean? What’s with the numbers and such? Let’s break down the Characteristics first; you know, this guy:

Here’s the down and dirty on each of these bad boys.

• Brawn - How strong you are; Used primarily for Melee combat, your starting Wound threshold, and your Encumbrance value (how much you can carry). Example skill governed is Athletics

• Agility - How nimbly bimbly you are. Used primarily for Ranged combat. Example skill governed is Coordination

• Intellect - How S-M-R-T you are. Example skills governed are Knowledge, Medicine, Mechanics, Computers, and Magic.

• Cunning - Clever girl. How savvy and quick-witted you are. Example skills governed are Deception, Perception, and Survival

• Willpower - How much mental fortitude you have. Used to determine starting Strain threshold. Example skills governed are Coercion and Vigilance

• Presence - Respect my author-aty. How charismatic you are. Example governed skills are Charm and Leadership

Values range from 1 to 5, 1 being bad/inept, 2 being your baseline average person, and going to 5 which is the best of the best. (You can never go over a 5 even when spending your XP)

Wound Threshold - This is how many hit points you have before you fall unconscious and get curb stomped

Strain Threshold - This is how much you can handle mentally before becoming stunned, dazed, or even knocked out.

Starting XP - How much experience your species gives you to spend later on; this will be for raising Characteristics (Brawn, Agility, etc), raising skills, and acquiring talents.

Special Abilities - This typically gives you a free rank in a skill associated with that Species. So an example is if you picked a Krogoth, you’d get a free rank in Discipline no matter what career you end up choosing.

Anything else listed - Anything after “Special Abilities” are typically extra unique rules for that Species and will spell out as much as possible what they do. If you’re not sure, definitely ask.

Hopefully all those descriptions are helpful enough for you to decide what you want to play or when you get to the Spend XP phase, understand what all the Characteristics do.