Today, I'll be covering character creation and options. I'm looking for input here regarding the process itself and suggestions as to the UI. I'll move on to gameplay soon. (Valve time.)
Difficulty selection:
Before you begin character creation, you must select a difficulty for the campaign. This cannot be change while in-game, as it impacts character creation very heavily. There are five difficulties, "Pitiful", "Easy", "Normal", "Hard" and "Sadistic". The gaps between "Pitiful" and "Easy" or "Hard" and "Sadistic" are the largest. While easy isn't much easier than normal, or even that much easier than hard, pitiful has no challenge at all and this game is supposed to be challenging. Hard isn't that much harder than normal, or even easy, but sadistic is exactly what it says on the tin. No matter how you do it, completing sadistic earns you some bragging rights. Pitiful will never earn you any.
In character creation, difficulty impacts starting character grade for your 1-16 player characters. It also impacts your budget, maximum equipment quality (in CG), starting money, and the functions of your home village.
Species:
First, select a species. There are seventeen to choose from. I had to cut three (mer, myrmidons and kobolds) for various reasons. I cut mer because as aquatic creatures they would be at a solid disadvantage for the majority of the game, although they might get added back in by DLC later on. I had to cut myrmidons because with that many seriously different castes they would be difficult to work with (although quite interesting, so they're good DLC material as well) and I cut kobolds because the RP for a creature that enslaves itself to a chosen master is hard to work with for PCs. (There will be kobold NPCs, and you can acquire kobolds as party members, they're just never playable.)
Human:
An arrogant, prolific race common in every realm of Ginnungagap. In Vanaheimr, they are a massive minority representing almost 10% of the population. The Tuathbaile Star's cities have massive human populations, although there aren't many humans outside of the cities. Humans have average stats, but are very flexible in their builds, good saving throws and excellent stamina. Humans average ~180cm and ~90kg, making them one of the largest humanoid races.
Elf:
Another arrogant, prolific race common in every realm of Ginnungagap, if to a somewhat lesser extent on the former and latter. In Vanaheimr, elves are also a massive minority, representing over 5% of the population. Common in the villages outside the Tuathbaile Star's cities. Elves exist in four varieties: village, wood, high and dark. Village elves are common in rural settlements, and are the default. Wood elves are highly reclusive and avoid larger settlements. (The sterotype about them engaging in incest is highly exaggerated.) High elves are disciplined, albeit uncharismatic, elves common amongst nobility. Dark elves are strong and disciplined elves with little charisma and only average agility, common in the lower classes of cities where they are constantly either engaging in hate crimes or being subject to them. (Pride and poor communication skills make poor traits in lower-class areas.) Elves are famous for their "androgynous" appearance, with lesser secondary sexual characteristics (and primary, if you believe the gossip) with no tertiary characteristics to be found. If they are wearing loose clothing, it can be difficult to tell their sexes apart. This is particularly true with their children, where even other children and other elves (although seldom other elven children) can have a hard time discerning their sex. Despite this and the lack of practical physical differences between elven males and females, elves actually have very strong gender identities and significant mental sexual dimorphism. Elves average ~180cm and ~70kg.
Dwarf:
Yet another arrogant, prolific race common in every realm of Ginnungagap. (There has to be some reason why all the most common races are such pricks, but I just can't put my finger on it.) In Vanaheimr, they are a fairly large minority representing nearly 5% of the population. They and the elves have a sordid history, but they're not actually either enemies nor rivals. Dwarves have very pronounced secondary and tertiary sexual characteristics and great physical sexual dimorphism, making their females very easy to tell apart from their males. In particular, dwarves have the largest (proportionate) breasts of all humanoids. Female dwarves are no more flexible than the males, but are quite a bit tougher. Dwarves average ~120cm and ~50kg.
Halfling:
Halflings are a reclusive race common anywhere humans are found. They tend to live in rural communities, usually away from humans, and in Vanaheimr are most common in villages outside of the cities of the Tuathbaile Star. They represent about 3% of Vanaheimr's population. Halflings are smaller than humans, and are even smaller than in-game human children. However, they have a slightly portly build and pronounced secondary sexual characteristics, making them easy to tell apart from children. Halflings do not get along well with larger species, although they aren't really hostile, and tend to avoid the children of larger species. Halflings steer clear of human children in particular, because human children are liable to beat them like rented mules over fairly minor offences. Halflings average ~100cm and ~25kg.
Gnome:
Gnomes are a small race often compared to dwarves in appearance, despite being both thinner than dwarves and having less body hair. Gnomes usually have beards, usually prefer intellectual pursuits to physical ones and usually cast spells, but they are chaotic and none of these things are universal. Gnomes, like halflings, tend to be beaten by the disgruntled children of larger species. (There HAS to be a better way to vent your frustration.) Gnomes average ~100cm and ~30kg.
Tierc:
Tiercs are larger, more muscular orcs that are never common and represent about 1% of Vanaheimr's population. Tiercs are muscular and bulky, with thick hide and an unusual development in their nervous system that leaves them in a constant, dull pain. As a result, they have grown accustomed to pain and pay it less heed than other species, but they also take longer to recover from it as it makes their own pain worse. Both sexes are quite distinct visually and have great sexual dimorphism. Their grey skin and facial characteristics make them visually unappealing to most other races, but other goblinoids find tiercs the most sexually attractive of their kind. Tiercs are the largest playable species in the humanoid creature type, averaging ~200cm and ~100kg.
Orc:
Orcs are a humanoid species with a sporadic population throughout the realms, and are actually most common in Vanaheimr. Representing about 15% of Vanaheimr's population, orcs are in the majority in most venues. They have grey skin, and their facial features are ape-like and unattractive to most species. They have some of the best attributes of any medium-sized species, with good strength, constitution and resolve, high sex modifiers and penalties only to perception and charisma, but they lack in special abilities and features, cementing them in the "boring, but practical" category. Orcs are somewhat smaller than humans, averaging ~160cm and ~60kg.
Bugbear:
Bugbears are hairy, orc-sized goblinoids. They are fairly common in Vanaheimr, making up ~3% of the population. Of all the goblinoids, bugbears are the most apelike. Bugbears are notoriously mischievous, although no more malicious than other species, and are known to pull practical jokes and scare people for no reason other than their own amusement. In particular, their children are known to go to great lengths to scare other children, usually through surprise. ("+5 points if they drop what they're carrying, +10 if they piss themselves!") Their sexes are less distinct than other species, and their females' breasts are smaller. They average ~160cm and ~60kg.
Goblin:
Goblins are small goblinoids that are simultaneously lanky and portly. They are among the most common species in Vanaheimr, at ~15% of the population. They have great senses, the best of any playable species, and high overall attributes. Like most goblinoids, however, they lack in unique abilities. They are good survivors and are hard to kill. They average ~120cm and ~30kg, and like most small species they often end up being used as punching bags for the children of larger species.
Gremlin:
Gremlins are tiny goblinoids that are common wherever goblins and humans are, and thus are quite common here in Vanaheimr, making up ~10% of the population. They appear similar to goblins, although they are much smaller, and share in bugbears' proficiency at mischief. They particularly like to hide or confiscate small objects of people they feel have wronged them (or that it would just be funny to mess with) such as car keys, pacifiers, shoes, remote controls and tools. They average ~80cm and ~12.5kg, making them the smallest player species next to the fey.
Fey:
Fey are tiny feykin, appearing as tiny winged elves, which make up ~2% of the population of Vanaheimr. Their wings can take a number of forms, including avian, mammalian, anisopteran or lepidopteron. These wings are mounted on their lower sides, just above their kidneys like a second set of arms. They are the most agile player species, and have great defensive traits in most respects they're just lacking in health. They average ~60cm and ~7.5kg.
Lizzie:
Lizzies are medium reptilian humanoids native to Muspellheimr, very uncommon here in Vanaheimr at only ~1% of the population. They are humanoid, but have the characteristics of both crocodiles and lizards, including a crocodilian tail. They are tan or light green in colour, more often light green here, and they stick towards the south end of the star and seldom venture further north. They're a bit lighter than humans, at ~180cm and ~80kg.
Sparrifiskr:
Sparrifiskr are medium aquatic humanoids native to Alfheimr, with a small presence in Vanaheimr of only ~2% of the total population. They are humanoid with both fish and amphibian characteristics. Their face is fish-like in some aspects, although their body is more frog-like and they can function on land and in water. They even have mammalian characteristics, such as multiple mammary glands. Rather than being humanoid, these are under six small dugs that lactate from birth. They are well known for their natural talent with spears and polearms, and their love for both divine magic and multiclassing. I can say with certainty that every sparrifiskr you meet will be multiclass and able to cast divine spells. They average ~180cm and ~90kg.
Froll:
Frolls are large, humanoid giants native to Niflheimr, with a small presence here in Vanaheimr of ~2% of the total population. They are large, furry, many-eyed ape-like creatures known for their regeneration, tolerance for cold and weakness to energy damage. Frolls, like most trolls, have strong sexual dimorphism but most of it is not obvious at a first glance. Their stats are pretty bad and their special abilities aren't stellar either, but their large size is a nice advantage. They average ~300cm and ~200kg, making them the largest non-aberration player species.
Naga:
Nagas are large aberrations with a considerable presence here in Vanaheimr of ~5% of the population, with the lower body of an enormous snake and the upper body of a human. They are very large, but their humanoid upper body is of normal size and they perform better as spellcasters than melee combat. That said, nagas have a powerful venom, a vampiric bite, an immense constrictive tail and unhinging jaw that all make them quite dangerous to any enemy they manage to grapple. Nagas are considered extremely attractive by humanoids, and their generally laid back, gentle demeanour helps them get along with humanoids better than other aberrations can. They put a heavy emphasis on family and are very protective of children. These instinct are so strong they apply to children of other species, and even naga children get extremely protective of their friends. On that note, naga children are naturally cutesy and crave physical contact insatiably, making them the most desired adoptees in every realm. As adults, nagas average ~500cm length, ~180cm height and ~400kg mass.
Spinner:
Spinners are large/huge aberrations with their largest presence here in Vanaheimr at ~10% of the population, with the lower body of a spider and the upper body of a human. Their females are much larger than their males, although their males have overall better stats and abilities to make up for this. They are poisonous and are very mobile, capable of scaling vertical surfaces like no other species can. They lack a vampiric bite, but they can deliver a nasty (if not usually fatal) venom and swallow prey whole. (Although swallowing healthy prey is suicide, even if they pull it off.) Stereotypes to the contrary, it's actually an extreme rarity for a spinner woman to eat her mate. Spinners are very reclusive and tend to wander in nomadic family groups, only interacting with outsiders long enough to trade and mate. Their males average ~175cm tall, ~150cm long, ~350cm in legspan and ~150kg in mass. Their females average ~350cm, ~250cm, ~600cm and ~600kg.
Skor:
Skor are huge aberrations and the largest player species, although they are rare in all realms and only represent ~1% of the population here in Vanaheimr. They are the most venomous playable species, although their venom is still usually not fatal to a human. They also have unhinging jaws that let them swallow prey whole, although they need to kill or otherwise incapacitate the prey first if they aren't trying to commit suicide. They are extremely reclusive, preferring to live in solitude and only interact with other sapients when they mate. They barely even raise their young, although for a species as large and imposing as a skor that's not a big deal as most creatures wouldn't dare go anywhere near their young and if they did they couldn't do much anyway because even as babies skor are deadly apex predators. Skor average ~350cm in height and length, ~500cm in legspan and ~800kg in mass.
Ages and sexes:
There are two sexes and give ages to choose from. Age is a full template that drastically alters the performance of a character, sex is a simple statistical modifier that is dependent on age. The five age groups are "baby", "child", "adult", "elder" and "ancient".
The adult age group is the standard, with intermediate skills and neither saving throw nor attribute modifiers. Their sex modifiers are intermediate, +2 strength for males of most species and +2 agility for females of most species, although this is far from universal and many species have different modifiers. Their alignment is default. Ideally, this represents a healthy, active adult between 15 and 25 years of age, although if pressed it can represent an individual as young as 12 or as old as 35.
The elder age group is slightly stronger early game, but advances slightly slower. They have higher saving throws, more starting skill points, significant skill bonuses and high sex modifiers. (+3) Their resolve is extremely high, making them excellent divine casters, although their perception and physical stats are all slightly lower. However, they are slower, heal slower, earn slightly less experience and earn fewer skill points as they level. Their senses are also pretty bad, so keep some younger eyes around them at all times. They tend towards order, and this shifts their alignment restrictions somewhat. This ideally represents a healthy, active adult between the age of 40 and 50, although it may go as young as 35 or as old as 75.
The ancient age group is a much more extreme version of the elder age group, with all modifiers being doubled. Their sex modifiers are all the way up at +4. This age group ideally represents a healthy and active (as much as they can be) adult of 80 years or more with no upper limit other than death, although some people may count in this age group as young as 70, 60 or even 50. They have a strong lawful bent, which impacts they alignment restrictions a lot.
The child age group is weaker early game, but advances quickly. They are smaller, have lower saving throws, fewer starting skill points, slightly lower starting speed, significant skill penalties, smaller +1 sex modifiers, low strength and resolve. However, they heal faster, earn experience faster, get more skill points per level, have some significant skill bonuses (such as +2 search, spot and listen from their excellent senses), are very cute (yes, this actually has a tangible in-game effect) and higher agility, constitution and charisma. (Especially charisma.) They tend towards chaos, and this shifts their alignment restrictions somewhat. This ideally represents a healthy, active child between 6 and 10 years of age, but can go as low as 4 or as old as 12.
The baby age group is a much more extreme version of the child age group, with all modifiers provided being doubled. Their sex modifiers are 0 by default, so for most species they have no effect. (Some have other sex modifiers, or intensify the default ones, and thus will have effect here.) They have a strongly chaotic bent, which shifts their alignment restrictions a lot. This ideally represents a toddler between 2 and 3 years of age, although it can represent an infant as young as a couple months or a child of 4 years or even a bit older.
Classes:
There are twenty playable classes in the game. These work in a similar manner to D&D classes, which means you can easily mix and match classes as you see fit rather than being stuck with your starting class. Starting class is used as the emblem above a sprite when not selected, although all are visible once you select them.
Soldier:
The soldier is a solid combat class, which allows itself to be fine-tuned for specific situations. They're good with cover and work best in groups. You must have at least one member different class in your party to have a soldier. Their emblem is a dead child being eaten by a dog, lying inside a black, heart-shaped box held by an iron hand.
Warrior:
The warrior is another solid combat class, built around finesse and timing. They have a number of limited-use states that, depending on circumstance, range from barely useful to obscenely powerful. Used properly, this is an extremely powerful class. Used improperly, it's not worth the party slot. Their emblem is a child bearing a sword, facing a threshold with a large horned shadow coming through it.
Martial artist:
The martial artist is a customizable class with a long list of options they can mix and match to fit their playstyle. A martial artist can unparalleled at one thing or pretty good at everything, depending on their build. They use a renewable resource called "ki" with most of their abilities. Depending on their build, this can be meaningless, the biggest factor in their effectiveness or somewhere in between. Their emblem is a child, hand up, with a velvet-gloved, iron hand guiding their wrist.
Guardian Sentinel:
The sentinel is a defensive class with defensive traits. They have the best survivability, have mild healing powers and are good at protecting their allies. Their emblem is a child clutching a heart-shaped box to their chest. Uses constitution for casting. Several adults are visible through the box's lid.
EDIT: I retconned this class's title to avoid confusion between this class and guardian deities.
Lawman/Lawwoman:
The lawman is a very finicky offensive class with good social ability. Lawmen get away with everything socially, it takes a lot of abuse for them to see punishment. They have great offensive power at the beginning of combat. Unfortunately, their defensive traits aren't the best and their offensive traits vanish once injured. Their emblem is a dead child being beaten with an iron fist.
Scout:
The scout is a great class when it comes to their senses. They have good skills, and automatically gain bonuses to search, spot and listen as they level. Scouts are also very stealthy, and although they don't get all the fancy special abilities of a rogue they do get sneak attack. Scouts have the best visual range, and have good ranged weapon proficiencies. They have mild, perception-based casting abilities. Their emblem is a child, in a tree, with a looking glass.
Bard:
Bards are a jack of all trades. They can cast spells to some extent, they have decent vitality and proficiencies, they can cast in light armour and they can use music and poetry to buff allies and debuff enemies. They are heavily dependent on alignment, as although they must be chaotic their personality determines their casting. Bards are manic depressive and can switch personalities daily, for greater flexibility. Bards are all about style, and at level 1 may choose a free combat style feat (soldiery, dueling or two-weapon fighting) to help them develop a personal style. Uses charisma for casting. Their emblem is a child with a lute, writing with a quill upon parchment.
Ranger:
Rangers are a cross between a combatant class and a divine caster. They cast spells with a wide selection but limited daily allotment, and although their combat abilities aren't stellar they are highly modular. Their emblem is a child, arm outstretched and a bird landing upon it.
Rogue:
The rogue is a stealth-based, skill heavy specialist class. Their primary combat ability is the sneak attack, a special ability of theirs that grows as they level. Unlike the scout, the rogue can improve their sneak attack with a long list of exclusive feats they can pick from for free as they level. These will either give them more opportunities to use the sneak attack or enhance its effects, or alternately increase other combat abilities and set up for an increase in usage. Their emblem is a child hiding behind a counter holding a knife and a loaf of bread, before a threshold with a large horned shadow standing in it.
Mystic:
The mystic is a gambler's class. While they are a lot like a bard in that they do a little of everything, they are more focused on casting and their special ability: the tarot deck. They carry an enchanted tarot deck they use to cast spells from. They draw a random card from the deck to produce an effect, or draw a hand to mix and match their effects. Each card has multiple options, but can only be used once daily. This is very random, but as they level they get more control by getting to draw more cards (and put back any they don't want from a particular hand without using them) and thus they gain more power. Uses charisma for casting. Their emblem is a blind child holding a hand of cards: The World, The Fool, The Tower, The Lovers and The Devil.
Savant:
The savant is a mediocre, skill heavy, non-caster jack of all trades at first glance. Upon closer examination they are the most flexible non-caster class in the game and they advance very quickly. They get the most skill points and every skill is a class skill. They get an experience point bonus right off the bat, and the experience point bonus provided by their perception is vastly increased. They even get bonus feats to help them out, and they have good starting proficiencies. While they are weak early on, with the right build they progress faster than any other class and they can be tailored to fill any combat role. Their emblem is a child sitting on a chair in an empty room, reading a book by candlelight.
Artisan:
The artisan is the class for crafting and repair. They have no magic and only decent combat ability, but they can craft things no other class can, enchant things without meeting the spell prerequisites, improve gear much more, repair things better and even fix things quickly in combat and without relying on magic. An artisan is a valuable asset to any team, although any team only needs one. Their emblem is a child sitting at a desk, sketching. Adults are faintly visible, obscured in the background, quarrelling with one another.
Noble:
The noble is a social class like no other, capable of getting away with almost anything, getting better prices than anyone else and earning more money than they deserve. The noble can only be taken as a starting class. Their emblem is a child wearing a black coat, with a red right hand clutching green paper to their abdomen, fingers in their coat.
Worker:
Workers are tough jacks of all trades, with good skills and starting proficiencies. They get bonus feats, tire less easily than other classes, do good work in their chosen profession, have survivability and improve somewhat faster in their physical stats. Their emblem is a child, holding a pickaxe, being struck with a whip.
Shaman:
Shamans are excellent healers, with great casting power and two animals that can also cast spells of their own. Between their companion, their familiar and their own casting power, they can cast more often than any other class. However, their combat abilities are awful and they resent advanced technology, limiting what resources they can use. Uses resolve for casting. Their emblem is a child sitting against a tree watching a dog, while the dog watches an owl and the owl watches the child.
Priest/Priestess:
The priest is the alternative to the shaman. They have better personal casting power and combat ability, complete with special abilities that impact the undead. That said, they don't have any animals to add to their casting power so they overall are not as good in that role. Uses resolve for casting. Their emblem is a pile of burning books and an iron fist beating a dead child with a rod.
Physician:
The physician is a healing class. Great casting power, doesn't prepare spell slots, charisma rather than resolve, excellent with wands, staves and scrolls. Very good in defensive situations, damage control and healing. Their emblem is a headless child kneeling next to a beheaded adult, trying to put the adult's head back on.
Wizard/Witch:
A highly modular arcane caster class that learns spell easily for its selection and is very good with wands, staves and scrolls. Better at non-casting roles than other arcane casters. Uses perception for casting. Their emblem is a child wearing goggles, holding a vial and a quill.
Sorcerer/Sorceress:
A very flexible arcane caster class that cannot learn spell easily and doesn't get many per level nor has a larger daily allotment than the wizard, but doesn't need to prepare spell slots and is better with both wands and staves. Uses charisma for casting. Their emblem is a child, arms outstretched like wings, flying through the sky.
Mage:
The mage is a very powerful caster class that learns spells easily, has a good selection and doesn't need to prepare spell slots. Worst proficiencies, vitality and skills of any class, and other than magic has no real class features. They use perception for casting. Their emblem is a child with a looking glass, sitting on the crescent moon.
Attributes:
The next thing you do is place points in your attributes. Your six of your attributes all have a minimum (before modifiers), a maximum (before modifiers) and you can set them to anything between them. When you open this part up, it shows your attributes at their average after the modifiers from your previous selection. The minimum and maximum are listed below for each difficulty, along with the total your attributes can reach. (Before modifiers)
Pitiful: Average 18, minimum 9, maximum 27, total 108
Easy: Average 16, minimum 8, maximum 24, total 96
Normal: Average 14, minimum 7, maximum 21, total 84
Hard: Average 12, minimum 6, maximum 18, total 72
Sadistic: Average 10, minimum 5, maximum 15, total 60
Skills:
Now assign your skill points. You start with a number of skill points equal to one level of your class, plus your age modifier (if any), plus your perception rank (if any) and your age-dependent starting skill value. Difficulty does not impact this, except in it likely lowering your allotted amount of perception. Your class skills determine how high you can go at any particular level, but do not increase the number of points required to increase them. You may train class skills up to 10+1/2 level, but cross-class skills only up to 5+1/4 level. These are rounded down, so for now 10 and 5. There are 30 skills in the game. (I'll list them later. It's 5:00 and sunday or not I'm exhausted.)
Starting equipment and budget:
You start off choosing equipment for your characters from a shopkeeper screen with a given starting budget dependent on difficulty. Note that nobles start with a 25% greater budget. You cannot keep unspent funds from your budget, so try and spend it all. There's also a limit on equipment starting quality. Note that for craftsmen, these are always 1 higher. These values are for each character, and budget cannot be taken from one and given to another.
Pitiful: 500.00u, +2
Easy: 400.00u, +1
Normal: 300.00u, +0
Hard: 200.00u, -1
Sadistic: 100.00u, -2
Starting money:
Starting money is dependent on difficulty, with no modifier from class. The difference between the difficulties is particularly pronounced here.
Pitiful: 10,000.00u/character
Easy: 1000.00u/character
Normal: 100.00u/character
Hard: 10.00u/character
Sadistic: 1.00u/character
In both budget and starting money, the unit used is called a "uair." It's supposed to represent a single hour of minimum-wage labour, although it was instated over two hundred years ago and inflation did that concept right in. It's roughly equivalent to a single US dollar.
I'm not going to get into the home village right now, I simply do not have the energy, but I'll get to it later in its own special section.
