Every character has an Origin; this is what the PC was doing before being an adventurer, and in fact may be something they are still trying to do while wondering about and such. Rather then create an exhaustive list, I've tried to pick entries that emphasize a particular class and style of life (as well as the occasional weird one, like someone who is lost in time and/or space) as well as ones that come with a variety of benefits and drawbacks. Your character may begin play with a cart full of trade goods, partial ownership of a crossroads Inn or the ability to keep themselves and their friends from getting lost in the unknown wilderness. A PC's Origin, combined with their Class, helps define their skill set as well.
Choosing (Or randomly selecting) a Character Class is one of the final parts of the character creation process. You PC's class dictates a character's base Aptitudes as well as the sort of abilities a PC will bring to the table. There are four basic classes, which represent the broad archetypes you've likely come to expect when dealing with fantasy games. These are intended to be flexible and versatile, coming with built in options that help define a character further as they level up. Also included are four advanced classes, which are far more specific. While the options involved are fewer, they are intend to be more unique and geared to a particular style of play.
Species is an option for characters who choose a basic class. Human characters gain a bonus ability based on their class, while the various other races have bonuses (and penalties) unique to them. Some of the staples are here for those that have favorites, but most are unique to Break!! and designed with the sort of world that is implied by the game itself in mind.
One hope I have for future supplements (fingers crossed) is that the setting can be further defined by things like more Classes, Species and alternative Origin tables. While I enjoy waxing about legends and lore as much as the next Game Master, I feel players are often most in tune with the world expressed on (and via) their character sheet.
So for character creation we have: Class (Calling/Profession), Species, Trait (your natural aptitude), Quirk (what's different about you) and Origin.
ReplyDeleteBe interesting to gather some thoughts on the order they should take place in the creation flow.
Should Class (Calling) come first? It is the most important decision you make in terms of determining your play experience, everything else adds colour to that core parameter. This is especially true as you say Class will determine your starting Stats/Aptitude and subsequent decisions will modify them. This is a top down approach.
OR ALTERNATIVELY...
You could start with Race and Origin and go from your characters birth though to their present day profession. Perhaps some professions are only open to particular origins and races? A bottom up approach.
Where's your head at?
I think for basic character creation, we should go with Class/Calling (Man, I'm leaning that way now...) first since the Advanced classes limit which Species you could have. I had it after Trait and Quirks, but you know, sticking it up at the forefront isn't a bad idea at all. You could start thinking about what sort of character you are playing right from the start.
DeleteIt also de-emphasizes the importance of your Trait and Quirk when it comes to class selection/generation, which we both agreed in an earlier post was a positive thing.
Having Race and Origin be the first thing could be interesting. While the classes are fairly broad, it may be fun to have certain class options be effected by your Origin. (A poor warrior would be much more likely to take Sell-sword than Gallant, for example) I will put some thought into that.
I do have another alternative in mind, based on Dungeon Crawl Classic's "character funnel"; where you would roll up everything _except_ your class, and be playing a normal person. You'd likely select a class at the end of the first adventure (assuming you survive) based on how it all went.
This would definitely be pitched as an option rather than the standard though, and it does mean you wouldn't be able to start off as one of the Advanced Classes/Callings. Maybe include them on the species chart? Who knows, I can play around with it when I finish the actual rules.