A Background describes what you did before you took on the life of an adventurer. What the Background for your CHaracter was, is entirely up to you, you can choose a premade Background or make your own. Every Background has the same basic layout.
This should be a career, profession, or study you had prior to being an adventurer. You gain a Skill Foci for all Skills that is this Background's name.
Character Trait: Gain +1 in a Trait you think best suits the Background and how it related to your Character.
Languages: Choose any 3 Languages to Learn. We reccomend one of these Languages be a shared common Language for the Party and the campaign.
Skills: Choose any 2 Skills you would have Learnt as part of your Background.
Item Training: Choose any 1 Tool and 2 Simple Weapons, as well as Daggers, you would have Learnt to use as part of your Background.
Whilst you may not have learnt how to specifically use a Weapon in your Background, there may have been a Weapon that still suits it such as a Handaxe for a lumberjack or a Sickle for a Farmer. But, you may have instead practised in the use of a certain Weapon, passed down through your family. Feel free to come up with whatever suits your Character the most.
You can potentially, with GG's agreement, choose instead a Martial Weapon or type of Armour/Shield, if it would better suit your Backstory. If this occurs it replaces one of the 3 listed Item Training options above.
Feat: You gain any Feat, this one can be less tied to your Backstory, choosing something you feel best suits the Character build you wish to have.
Character Trait: +1 Any Trait (Suggested Traits: Intuition, or Determination)
Languages: Albian, Eternal, Cortic
Skills: Faiths & Medicine
Item Training: Dagger, Mace, Shortbow, and Alchemist's Supplies
Feat: Any
Character Trait: +1 Any Trait (Suggested Traits: Agility, or Determination)
Languages: Albian, Cortic, Halatian
Skills: Perception & Performance
Item Training: Dagger, Quarterstaff, Sling, and Painter's Supplies
Feat: Any
Character Trait: +1 Any Trait (Suggested Traits: Physique, or Agility)
Languages: Albian, Cortic, Toreli
Skills: Athletics & Performance
Item Training: Club, Dagger, Greatclub, and Playing Card Set
Feat: Any
Character Trait: +1 Any Trait (Suggested Traits: Intuition, or Determination)
Languages: Albian, Halatian, Toreli
Skills: Deception & General Knowledge
Item Training: Crossbow, Light, Dagger, Shortsword, and Alchemist's Supplies
Feat: Any
Character Trait: +1 Any Trait (Suggested Trait: Endurance)
Languages: Albian, Cortic, Toreli
Skills: Athletics & Nature
Item Training: Dagger, Scythe, Sickle, and Botanist's Tools
Feat: Any
Character Trait: +1 Any Trait (Suggested Traits: Intuition, or Determination)
Languages: Albian, Halatian, Toreli
Skills: Diplomacy & Empathy
Item Training: Dagger, Mace, Shortbow, and Jeweller's Tools
Feat: Any
Character Trait: +1 Any Trait (Suggested Traits: Agility, Endurance)
Languages: Albian, Cortic, Toreli
Skills: Animal Handling & Stamina
Item Training: Dagger, Gauntlet, Quarterstaff, and Flute
Feat: Any
Character Trait: +1 Any Trait (Suggested Trait: Physique)
Languages: Albian, Cortic, Grush
Skills: Athletics & Perception
Item Training: Dagger, Gauntlet, Light Hammer, and Miner's Tools
Feat: Any
Character Trait: +1 Any Trait (Suggested Traits: Agility, or Determination)
Languages: Albian, Halatian, Toreli
Skills: Acrobatics & Performance
Item Training: Dagger, Dart, Whip, and Lute
Feat: Any
Character Trait: +1 Any Trait (Suggested Traits: Knowledge or Intuition)
Languages: Albian, Cortic, Toreli
Skills: Nature & Survival
Item Training: Dagger, Shortbow, Spear, and Harvester's Tools
Feat: Any
Character Trait: +1 Any Trait (Suggested Traits: Physique, Endurance, or Determination)
Languages: Albian, Cortic, Thieves' Cant
Skills: Intimidation & Skullduggery
Item Training: Dagger, Gauntlet, Greatclub, and Dice Set
Feat: Any
Character Trait: +1 Any Trait (Suggested Traits: Agility, Knowledge, or Determination)
Languages: Albian, Toreli, Thieves' Cant
Skills: Skullduggery & Stealth
Item Training: Dagger, Scythe, Sickle, and Thieves' Tools
Feat: Any
Character Trait: +1 Any Trait (Suggested Traits: Phsyique, Agility, or Intuition)
Languages: Albian, Aquan, Halatian
Skills: Acrobatics & Survial
Item Training: Dagger, Shortbow, Spear, and Carpenter's Tools
Feat: Any
Character Trait: +1 Any Trait (Suggested Trait: Knowledge)
Languages: Albian, Halatian, Runic
Skills: Cosmology, General Knowledge
Item Training: Club, Dagger, Quarterstaff, and Alchemist's Supplies
Feat: Any
Character Trait: +1 Any Trait (Suggested Traits: Physique, Agility, or Endurance)
Languages: Albian, Halatian, Toreli
Skills: Athletics & Survial
Item Training: Dagger, Shortbow, Spear, and Dice Set
Feat: Any
It may be that certain settings have Backgrounds based around the nation you came from. If that happens you can choose to exchange any of the options from your regular Background with the national option, some National Backgrounds may also specify that parts of their details are taken in addition to those provided in the normal Background.
For example, a nation that is known for having peasants practise the Longbow may have the option to instead of picking another Weapon choose the Longbow. Check with your GG if the setting has any National Backgrounds.
You herald from or have found a home within the Kingdom of Albion.
Languages: You learn in addition to your Background’s Languages Albian.
Skills: You can replace any Skill learnt from your Background with either Animal Handling and/or Diplomacy.
Item Training: In addition to your current Background's Training, you can be Trained in either a Weapon from the Polearm or Bow Weapon Group, as well as Light Armour and Light Shields. You may replace one of these options with a Musical Instrument.
Equipment: In addition to your starting equipment your start with the following Items:
Feat: In addition to the Background's Feat you gain the Kin of the Animal Kingdom Feat.
In addition, if you have the Spellcasting, Pact Magic, or Soul Magic Feature, the spells on the Albion Spells Table are added to the Spell List of your Spellcasting Class. (If you are a Character with multiple Spell Lists, these spells are added to all of them.)
| Spell Circle | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st Circle | Cure Wounds, Heroism |
| 2nd Circle | Animal Messenger, Bestow Luck |
| 3rd Circle | Beacon of Hope, Conjure Animal Warden |
| 4th Circle | Conjure Woodland Beings, Death Ward |
| 5th Circle | Greater Restoration, Mirror Message |
Consider customising how your spells look when you cast them. Your Esperean spells might rely on material components, or a spellcasting focus drawn from the rural environments of Esperia, and your spells might take on an appearance suggesting those natural elements. Spectral shapes of animals or plants might form amid your spell effects.
Prerequisite: National Background - Kingdom of Albion
The people of Albion have innate gifts to allow them to commune with the animals around them. Due to this you may speak with animals as per the Converse with Animals spell, at will, this is not affected by effects such as Dispel Magic and Antimagic Field.
While in Starting Concepts you will have made a Relationship Concept that describes a relationship tied to your Background. This section is for working on some more active relationships in play. The nature of this section depends on the number of Players in the Party.
If you are playing a game with a single Player, you can the GG should come up with three minor "adventures", you may have experienced before the game began. Come up with some fun little stories and once you have worked out what happened in each one, come up with a small summary Concept for each "adventure", describing a single moment you will take froward with you on your future travels.
If you are playing a game with two Players, you, your fellow Party member, and the GG should each come up with a minor “adventure” the Characters may have had before the game began.
Whoever is coming up with the core "adventure" idea is treated as the protagonist of that "adventure", with the other Character being someone who briefly crossed paths with the protagonist to help them resolve it. For the GGs story both Characters are the protagonist to deal with the situation.
Once you have discussed the situation, how it played out, and the role each Character took in its resolution. For each story you should come up with small summary Concepts to describe a moment of the "adventure" you will bring forward with you.
If you are playing a game with three or more Players, you and every other Party member will each come up with a minor “adventure” you may have had before the game began.
Whoever is coming up with the core "adventure" idea is treated as the protagonist of that "adventure", with two other Characters being someone who briefly crossed paths with the protagonist to help them resolve it. Be sure that every Character gets one "adventure" they are protagonist for, and two more "adventures" that they participate in.
For each "adventure", once you have discussed the situation, how it played out, and the role each Character took in its resolution, then each participating Character should come up with small summary Concepts to describe a moment of the "adventure" you will bring forward with you.
At this point every Character should have six Concepts, an Ancestry, and a Background. Knowing who each of your Characters are, you should as a group with the GG, discuss how you all formed a Party. It maybe you are not a Party at the first Session’s start, but a number of individuals whose circumstances bring them together. In this instance, discuss what brought each of your Characters to the location for the game’s beginning.
If, however you have chosen to start the game as a group, discuss if the group has a patron or patrons, are they part of a larger organisation, or are they a band brought together by circumstance.
Depending on what you pick, work out if your group has had many adventures or if they are just starting out, this is partly to help inform those roleplay moments during quieter points in the game.
Generally, be sure to discuss your Character's general aims and goals, during this time and consider it when determining how your Party is working. This is because it is a collaborative game, and your game will not get very far if your Character has no reason to want to travel or adventure with this Party.
Each Character generally begins with some common Items and some coins. During this step you can sell or buy Items for the prices listed in the Equipment Chapter of the Core Rules.
All Characters gain the following starting equipment:
You made additional cosmetic Items that could be tied to your minor adventures from the previous section or your Background. The GG may have some of these Items made to tie to specific Campaign Backstories.
You also gain an amount of starting coinage depending on your Background. Determine your Background’s lifestyle and then consult the table below.
| Background | Starting Coinage |
|---|---|
| Poor | |
| Working | |
| Modest | |
| Comfortable | |
| Wealthy | |
| Aristocratic |
It may be the theme or tone of your Campaign is something very specific, at which point as the GG you can choose to alter the starting equipment list. Increasing or decreasing starting coins. Maybe allowing some more expensive Items like Silvered Weapons or each Character getting a Grade 0 or 1 Magic Item.
Be sure to mention such changes to Players during Character Generation. Do be sure to be aware each Class comes with some additional Items granted for taking the first Level in the Class.
This section is where you would stop in Character Generation for Level 0 Characters, with the gaining of a Level 0 Class. This is intended as a point to help people learn the base mechanics. You may not have much in the way of abilities but that is the point. However, you can also go straight to Level 1 choosing a Class, at which point you proceed to the following stages.
It is possible to play an extended period with Level 0, in this case see the Game Guide’s Companion section on Level 0 Campaigns, and the sections on Genre and Theming.
Upon reaching this stage choose a Level 0 Class. This should be a Class that matches the Class Tag of the Class you plan to take at Lvl 1, however, you may speak with your GG in order to choose a Lvl 0 CLass that is not one of your Lvl 1 Class' Class Tags.
As an Expert, you gain the following Class Features.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10
Hit Points: 10
Training
Armour: Light Armour, Light Shields
Weapons: Simple Weapons
Skills: Choose any two Skills
Class Tags: Expert
Limit Break Actions: Damage Actions (Single Target) & Summoning Actions
Lvl 0 Expert Feature
You know how to stay out of danger. You can perform the Disengage action for 1AP. The AP cost increase for multiple uses of the Movement action on a Turn, increases by 1AP rather than 2AP.
You also gain the Fleet Escape reaction.
Lvl 0 Expert Feature
You know how to apply your knowledge to guide your allies to success. You can perform the Aid action as an action for 1AP or as a reaction for 1RP, Targeting an entity within 6m (Near) of you that can see/hear you. When used as a reaction it has the Trigger “When an allied entity you can see within Range, who can see/hear you, fails a Trait Test”.
As a Fighter, you gain the following Class Features.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10
Hit Points: 10
Training
Armour: Light Armour, Medium Armour, Shields
Weapons: Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons
Skills: -
Class Tags: Martial, Fighter
Limit Break Actions: Defence Actions & Summoning Actions
Lvl 0 Fighter Feature
You have greater control over the battlefield. You gain the Fighter’s Mark action.
![Fighter Class Action Card Fighter’s Mark AP Cost: 1AP Target: An entity you can see within Range Range: 6m | Near Effect: The Target gains the Marked [Marking Character’s Name] condition, some Class Features and abilities have special effects against Targets that have this condition.](../../images/Action Cards/Class Actions/fighters_mark.png)
Lvl 0 Fighter Feature
Your studies in martial skill have focused on a particular field. When you gain this Feature, choose either Controller, Leader, Striker, Support, or Tank. You gain the following benefit based on your choice:
Controller. Whenever you perform an action/reaction, involving a Weapon Attack or Unarmed Strike, that would bestow one or more Degrees of a condition, it bestows an additional Degree of the condition.
If you Mark a Target, they have a Fighter Penalty equal to half you SB on Trait Tests they make to resist, avoid, or end the effects of your Features, actions, and reactions.
Leader. Whilst you are not Incapacitated, each allied entity that can see/hear you within SBm of you gains a Leadership Bonus equal to half your SB on the first Trait Test they make each Turn.
If you Mark a Target, once per Turn, when you hit the Target with an Attack Roll, you can choose one allied entity within your AoC. They can make a Weapon Attack, Unarmed Strike, cast a Cantrip that requires an Attack Roll, or Manifest a Talent that requires an Attack Roll, for 1RP Targeting the Marked Target you hit.
Striker. You can add half your SB to the Damage Roll.
If you Mark a Target, you can add half your SB to the Attack Roll.
Support. When you use the Aid action, you can expend up to half your SB unexpended Hit Dice to restore the Target’s HP by the total roll of the expended Hit Dice + the Target’s Endurance (minimum of 1).
If you Mark a Target, once per Turn, when an effect would restore their HP, they can reroll any number of the dice rolled to determine the HP restored, using the rerolled results.
Tank. You increase your HP from the Fighter Class by your SB, the HP you gain for each Level in a Class from Lvl 1 onwards increases by half your SB.
If you Mark a Target, so long as they can see you, they have Disadvantage on Attack Rolls against Targets other than you.
As a Mage, you gain the following Class Features.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10
Hit Points: 10
Training
Armour: -
Weapons: -
Skills: -
Class Tags: Spellcaster, Mage
Limit Break Actions: Damage Actions (AoE) & Summoning Actions
Lvl 0 Mage Feature
All mages draw their power from a source. When you gain this Feature, choose either Cosmic Magic, Eternal Magic, Primordial Magic, or Psionics. You gain the chosen Class Tag, if your Lvl 1 Class has the Mage Class Tag, then this Feature’s chosen Class Tag will be replaced by the appropriate Tag from that Class.
Lvl 0 Mage Feature
You gain the abilitiy to draw upon some of your source's power to replenish your own. You gain the Mage’s Restoration action,
Once you have used this action, you may not do so again until you have completed a Short or Long Rest.
Lvl 0 Mage Feature
Your studies have granted you the basic knowledge of spells. When you gain this Feature, you Learn two Cantrips/Talents and always have a 1st Circle spell/Grade power Prepared. These must be from the following Spell/Power List based on your chosen Class Tag from the Mage’s Source Feature:
You can cast the Prepared spell/power once without expending a Spell Slot or Psi Points, once you have done so, you cannot do so again until you have completed a Long Rest.
For spells, Knowledge, Intuition, or Determination is your Spellcasting Trait (chosen upon gaining this Feature).
For powers, Physique, Agility, Endurance, Knowledge, Intuition, or Determination is your Manifesting Trait (chosen upon gaining this Feature).
As a Priest, you gain the following Class Features.
Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d10
Hit Points: 10
Training
Armour: -
Weapons: -
Skills: -
Class Tags: Spellcaster, Ritual Caster, Priest
Limit Break Actions: Healing Actions & Summoning Actions
Lvl 0 Priest Feature
All priests draw their power from a source. When you gain this Feature, choose either Cosmic Magic, Eternal Magic, or Primordial Magic. You gain the chosen Class Tag, if your Lvl 1 Class has the Priest Class Tag, then this Feature’s chosen Class Tag will be replaced by the appropriate Tag from that Class.
Lvl 0 Priest Feature
You gain the abilitiy to channel some of your source's power. When you gain this Feature, you must choose either Knowledge, Intuition, or Determination as the Trait you use to determine the TG and effects for this action. You gain an action based on your chosen Class Tag from the Priest’s Source Feature:
You can use this action a number of times up to your Skill Bonus, replenishing expended uses upon completing a Long Rest.
Lvl 0 Priest Feature
Your studies have granted you the basic knowledge of a rite. When you gain this Feature, you Learn a 1st Order Rite, and always have Prepared a 1st Circle spell with the Ritual Spell Tag, the rite and spell must be from the following Rite List and Spell List based on your chosen Class Tag from the Priest’s Source Feature:
For spells, Knowledge, Intuition, or Determination is your Spellcasting Trait (chosen upon gaining this Feature).