Make Your First Character

beginnerstep-by-stepvideo

This guide walks you through building your very first character, one step at a time. Don't worry about getting it perfect. You can make as many as you like.

Before you start
No prior reading needed. "How Play Works" is a nice lead-in if you want it. You can build along on paper, or let the Character Creator on this site do the math for you.
https://www.einsolsrazor.com/alpha

We're building a Level 0 character

New players start at Level 0. It's the gentlest on-ramp: you decide who your character is before you worry about specialized training. There are only three choices to make, plus one short but important step in the middle.

Later, once your group has a few sessions under its belt, you'll advance to Level 1 and pick a Class. That's a guide of its own. For now, we just need a person ready to step into the world.

A quick note on choices. Genotypes, Backgrounds, and the rest each have deeper options like lineages and customizations. For your first character, skip all of that. Pick the basics, and add the fancy stuff once you're comfortable.

Step 1: Choose your Genotype

Your Genotype is your character's species and heritage. It's the "what are you" of the world, used instead of the old idea of race. There are thirteen to choose from, ranging from Humans, Elves, Dwôrves, Gnomes, and Halflings to the synthetic Enigma Machines.

Your Genotype gives you a few things automatically: your starting Hit Points (your health), your size, how fast you move, your senses, a small bonus or two to your Core Stats, and a unique trait that only your people have.

For your first character, just pick the one that sounds like who you want to play. There's no wrong choice. Skip the advanced lineage and splicing options for now.

Step 2: Choose your Background

Your Background is who your character was before the story began. A street-smart hacker? A wasteland scavenger? A corporate fixer? This is where their history lives.

Your Background hands you the practical starting kit:

  • Training in a handful of Skills. We call trained Skills your Aptitudes.
  • The languages you speak, starting with the common tongue, Franterra.
  • Starting gear: a weapon and a piece of armor you know how to use, a cybernetic implant, and some credits to spend.

A heads-up about magic. At Level 0, every character can dabble in a little basic magic, no matter their Background. But if you think you might want to keep weaving spells as you level up, choose Magic as one of your Aptitudes now. You can always decide not to use it later, but you cannot add it back if you skip it here.

Before you move on: define your Anchor
Every character has an Anchor, the wound or the drive at their core. It's the thing that defines them when everything else is stripped away. You set it through a system called Elohim Resonance, and it isn't optional, because it matters at the table during play. Keep it simple for now: one true thing about who your character is and what drives them. The Elohim Resonance guide covers the full system when you're ready.

Step 3: Assign your Core Stats

Core Stats are the six numbers that say what your character is naturally good at: Strength, Agility, Endurance, Cognition, Intuition, and Charm. They feed into nearly every roll you'll make.

The recommended method for new players is Point Buy:

  1. Every stat starts at 0.
  2. You have 9 points to spend raising them.
  3. Raising a stat costs more the higher it goes: a 1 costs 1 point, a 2 costs 3 points, and a 3 costs 5 points.
  4. No stat can go above 3 at Level 0.

Then add any bonuses from your Genotype on top.

For example, a hacker named Nova pumps Cognition to 3 (5 points) for tech and hacking, then spreads the last 4 points into Agility, Intuition, Strength, and Charm at 1 each, leaving Endurance at 0. If her Genotype gives +1 Cognition, that 3 becomes a 4.

Your stats also set your Skill numbers and your three defenses: Fortitude, Reflex, and Will. That's a bit of arithmetic, and it's exactly the part the Character Creator handles for you if you'd rather not do it by hand. Your GM may offer other methods too, but Point Buy is the easiest place to start.

That's a character

Genotype, Background, Anchor, Core Stats. That's a complete Level 0 character, ready to play. When your group is ready to go deeper, the next milestone is advancing to Level 1 and choosing your Class, which unlocks new abilities and more health.

Quick recap

  • New players build a Level 0 character: three choices plus an Anchor. Class comes later, at Level 1.
  • Step 1, Genotype: your species and heritage. Pick the basics and skip advanced options for now.
  • Step 2, Background: your character's past. It gives you trained Skills, languages, and starting gear. Want to weave spells long-term? Pick the Magic Aptitude now.
  • Then define your Anchor, the wound or drive at your character's core. It's required, and it matters in play.
  • Step 3, Core Stats: spend 9 points across six stats with Point Buy, then add Genotype bonuses. The Character Creator does the math if you want.

Next up

  • Using the Character Creator: build this character for real, with the math done for you
  • Core Stats & Rolls: a closer look at the six stats and your skills
  • Elohim Resonance: the full system behind your Anchor