This article is designed to help in character creation for the Ponecia Campaign, and guide you through the process in regards to the game system related choices you have to make.
1. Pick your character's race
Your character's race affects some of their abilities, bonuses and how some factions may regard them. The choices consist of:
Earth Pony: Starts with a minimum Strength of 2, essentially gaining a free Stats point.
Unicorn: Can use unicorn magic and its associated spells.
Pegasus: Can fly and use pegasus magic.
Bat Pony: Can fly, is unaffected by low visibility conditions and has a +2 bonus to the Detection skill.
Zebra: Gains +1 Skill points per level.
Griffon: Can fly and talons do 5-8 damage in melee combat.
Dragon: Can fly and has a unique flame breath magic ability.
Cyberpony: Can use unique cyberpony modules, but is also restricted to them.
Changeling: Will not receive any monetary rewards, but can use unique changeling abilities.
2. Distribute Stats points
To determine your development and ability in combat as well as the starting level of your skills, characters have stats ranging from 1 to 10. You have 26 free points to invest wherever you wish to put them. To make it easier, you may want to start setting each stat to 5 and adding or subtracting stats you value more or less, and calculate what the resultant character would be like. It may be recommended not to lower a stat too far unless you're sure you don't need it. You will have the opportunity to raise each stat once over the course of your adventure. Maybe at a cost in bits, or after meeting certain criteria.
The stats and what they determine are as follows:
Strength |
Increases starting health by 2 per point |
Raises health received per level by 1 per point |
Gives 0.5 movement per point |
Generally linked to melee combat skills and heavy duty lifting |
Perception |
Raises sequence by 1 per point |
Generally linked to thief skills and accuracy weapons |
Intelligence |
Increases skill points received per level by 0.5 per point. |
Generally linked to academic and medical skills |
Charisma |
Generally linked to social skills |
Agility |
Raises sequence by 1 per point |
Gives 0.5 movement per point |
Generally linked to stealth skills and swift weapons |
Magic |
Generally linked to magic abilities and the resistance of magic |
3. What does this all do?
To elucidate some of the terms linked to the stats, an explanation follows.
Health: All characters start at 20 health points and receive 2 for each point in Strength. They gain health on leveling up equal to the Strength stat. So a 5 Strength character gets 30 health points at the start, and will have 55 at level 6 (assuming no other bonuses to health apply).
Sequence: This determines the order in which characters and NPCs get to act in combat. The higher number goes first. If equal, NPCs get priority over player characters. So a player with 11 sequence moves his ally with 7 sequence, but after an enemy with 11 as well.
Movement: The number of spaces a character may move per round of combat. Taking an action such as attacking, casting a spell or using an item does not require movement, but can be done only once per round. Actions do not interrupt movement.
Skill Points: These are given at character creation and at every level gained to be invested in skills and spells (if you can use them).
4. Assign Skill Points
Skills are applied to associated actions your characters can take, and their ability to use certain weapons and attacks in combat. Each skill has an associated Stat, and the value of that determines the starting level of a skill. For greater proficiency you are given 20 skill points at the start to invest as you see fit. Note that the amount of points required to raise a skill increases the higher it is presently. For reference:
Level 1-5 |
1 Skill Point |
|
Level 6-10 |
2 Skill Points |
|
Level 11-15 |
4 Skill Points |
|
Level 16-20 |
8 Skill Points |
|
As an example, you want your First Aid to be at level 8. Your Intelligence starts at 3. It will cost 2 points to raise it up to level 5, then 6 points more to reach level 8, costing a total of 8 points.
5. Gaining Skill Points
Although after step 4, your character it ready, it should be said further skill points can be gained throughout the game on leveling up your character. Each level you receive 10 more skill points, plus 1 for every two Intelligence points.