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Once you have selected your species, it is time to customize your character and build a character sheet.
On the [[Character creation|previous page]], we discussed three elements for your character: the basic concept and ideas in your mind, whether they are a ''native'' to the Mazes or an ''otherworlder'', and the ''species''. If you're wondering why we haven't yet talked about things such as names, backstories, or stats other than racial bonuses, this is the page where it will all become clear, and you will find out why it was done in this order.
= What's in a name? =
Although it's possible for a human to have a Youkai given name or family name, or for a youkai to have a Common name, this generally suggests a mixed ancestry, and is not recommended unless you are prepared to explain a little backstory for your character. The GM has the right to accept or deny a name that doesn't sound like it would fit in the Mazes.
Your character may optionally be known by a nickname, a shorthand, a callsign, or some other preferred name or designation, and you are free (and even encouraged) to explain where the nickname comes from.
= Appearance =
Your character's physical appearance is influenced by the following traits: their constitution, sex/gender, age, height and weight, skin color, hair color and length, the presence of distinctive traits like tattoos, scars, etc. or not, and if applicable, any traits unique to their species.
=== Constitution ===
Humans and halflings:
* '''Teenager''' (between 17 18 and 22 years old)
* '''Young adult''' (23 to 28 years old)
* '''Adult''' (29 to 40 years old)
Youkai:
* '''YounglingTeenager''' (between 17 18 and 100 22 years old)* '''Young''' (100 23 to 300 years old)* '''Young adult''' (301 to 500 40 years old)* '''Adult''' (501 41 to 700 100 years old)* '''Middle-aged''' (701 101 to 1000 200 years old)* '''Aged''' (1001 201 to 1500 300 years old)* '''Old''' (1501 301 to 2000 400 years old)* '''Elder''' (over 2000 400 years old)
=== Other appearance stats elements ===
You may also list '''height''', '''weight''', '''skin color''', '''hair length''', '''hair color''', '''eye color''', some '''distinctive traitselements''' (tattoos, scars..), and if applicable, '''species-specific traitsdetails'''.
'''Species-specific traitsdetails''' apply if you are a halfling or a youkai. They are:
* Halflings:
** Canine, Feline: Ear shape and color, tail color
** Lagomorph: Ear color
** Squamata: Tail color
** Salientia: Frog skin Skin color (overrides regular skin color)** Alligator: Tail and scale color
* Youkai:
** Hakutaku: Horn shape
** Tengu: Feather color
** Yousei: Wing color
= Background information =
Though not strictly necessaryif you're playing as an otherworlder, it is generally considered good form to write a paragraph or two about your character's background. You can talk about where they come from, what job or occupation they have, what sort of personality they have, or whatever else you'd like - the scene is yours on that one! The point is to describe your character in ways that the rest of the sheet can't get across, and to serve as a quick reminder for you, other players, and your GM of what that character is like. If your character is a native of the Mazes, writing a little bit about their background is more important; that backstory must be sufficiently believable and reasonable. As with everything else, the GM has final say on what constitutes an acceptable backstory.
= Statting =
''"Statting" redirects here.''
'''Statting''' (short form for '''Stat'''istical customizset'''ingting''') is the act of customizing your starting character's statistics and equipment, so that it conforms to the player's desired playstyle.
Statting is done in multiple parts:
* Primary stats
* Species modifiers
* Character trait selection
* Skill attribution
* Equipment selection
* Character sheet building
A blank character sheet template can be seen '''[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HYPcrWE2Q__lBeRpt3mQMRGtzntNtvSk1825XMcHbWg/edit here]'''. Using a copy of this sheet to build your character and manage your inventory is '''highly recommended'''!
== Primary stats ==
You can also have '''buy3''' extra points to spend on traits. Traits are divided in a given statistic, in which case the listed effect applies in reverse'''positives''' and '''negatives'''.* Example: If you buy 2 Positive traits '''cost''' points in Strength, your Strength will be while Negative traits ''reduced'grant' by 20%, in exchange of being able '' points back. Any unspent Trait points are transferred over to spend 2 extra your [[Character customization#Spending points elsewhereon skills|pool for skills]].
== Skill attribution ==
The next part of statting is attributing '''[[skills]]''' (and '''skill levels''') to your characters. Certain species introduce free skill levels as part of their racial bonuses, but for the most part, new characters are blank slates for you to customize.
Skills in MazeWorld are grouped in into two categories: Combat skills and Non-combat skills. This section will list and briefly describe each skill, without going into too much detail. As a rule of thumb, improving your combat skills generally results in increasing your character's accuracy and lethality, whereas improving your non-combat skills either improves your existing abilities, or unlocks new ones.
=== Combat skills ===
[[Combat skills ]] are grouped into subcategories and reflect your character's level of skill and proficiency with the corresponding type of weapon. In total, there are '''29''' combat skills grouped into three subcategories: '''Firearms''' (11 skills), '''Heavy weapons''' (4 skills), and '''Melee/Other weapons''' (14 skills).
'''Firearms'''
=== Non-combat skills ===
There are '''9''' [[non-combat skills ]]''' in total. If the GM deems it necessary, certain non-combat skills may be '''locked''' by the GM. Locked skill skills may, at the GM's discretion, either cost extra points to give to your character, or be entirely impossible to acquire during character creation and will either not be acquired at all, or given as part of a reward or a quest during the session.
* '''Hunting''' - The ability to harvest meat from dead creatures
=== Spending points on skills ===
You can spend up to '''12 points''' on skills, plus any unspent points during Trait selection. Certain traits may affect the number of points you can spend.
* If your character has one of the '''[[Character traits|Greenhorn]]''' traits, you may have '''fewer''' points to spend (9, 6, or 3 + unspent trait points).
* If your character has one of the '''[[Character traits|Seasoned]]''' traits, you may have '''extra''' points to spend (15, 18, or 21 + unspent trait points).
You start out at Level 1 (Unskilled) in every skill, and you must reach a certain amount of Skill Points to increase your skill level. Every skill has five levels, in order from level 1 to level 5: Unskilled, Basic, Skilled, Expert, and Master.
* If any non-combat skills are locked, they should cost 1 point to unlock and obtain Level 1 (Unskilled).
GMs are free to adjust the costs of skills depending on how much experience and capabilities they wish the players to have. The recommended costs are ideal for new but balanced characters. The costs can be adjusted up or down, depending on whether you prefer your PCs to have less, or more talents at their disposal.
== Equipment selection ==
Unless the campaign is supposed to start with them naked and defenseless, every character should have at least a few pieces of gear in their starting inventory. At the very least, [[clothing and armor]], some [[load-bearing equipment]], and at least one or two [[weapons]] (wippreferably weapons that match your character's, plus [[weapon accessory|accessories]] and [[ammunition]] as needed. Extra stuff, such as [[food]], [[meds]], or items necessary for non-combat skills (e.g. [[Crafting items|lockpicking kits]]), should also be considered. The recommended method of equipment attribution is for the GM to set a monetary budget, and let the players peruse this very wiki to pick and choose their starting gear themselves. Any left-over or unused money should be turned into cash for the character to carry, or added to the character's bank account. Specific restrictions on types of items should also be introduced, in order to avoid min-maxing for the best equipment right from the beginning, and generally to prevent starting characters from getting 'too good' gear. These are only recommendations for balanced starting characters. GMs are free to adjust or ignore these recommendations entirely. Recommended parameters:* Budget per character: [[File:Parallar symbol.png|10px]] '''5000'''* Maximum Rarity for weapons: 3* Maximum Armor Class for clothing and armor: A3 or AC tier +3 depending on species* Must purchase at least one set of clothing (1 top, 1 bottom, 1 footwear OR 1 outfit depending on species)* Must purchase a backpack of some sort Additionally:* Certain [[Character traits|traits]] may affect your starting budget.* Certain [[Character traits|traits]]] may allow you to buy rarer or more expensive gear. Naturally, this isn't the only way to pick or assign gear. Ultimately, it is up to the GM to determine the best way to assign equipment. Here are some pointers:* Rather than select from the entirety of the game's selection of items (which can be dizzying), the GM can create a pool of "starter" items, and let players spend their budget among these pre-selected starter items only.* In lieu of a starting budget, the GM can create a point spend system, or even a limited amount of items from which to choose from.* GMs can take out the "choice" part entirely and simply assign new characters standard-issue equipment. Ideal for military or police-themed campaigns.* The sky is the limit! If you have other ideas entirely, run with it! = Building the character sheet = Once you have finalized your character's details and equipment, it's time to actually build your character sheet! == Object lines ==[[File:Object line example.jpg|thumb|right|Two different kinds of object lines.]]''"Object line" and "Object lines" redirect here.'' In MazeWorld, items can be represented in the game through the use of '''object lines'''. Object lines are, as the name implies, singular lines of text designed to hold all of the information about a given object. The information may be a little compressed in order to fit into one line. The purpose of object lines is to be used, edited, copied, and pasted onto inventory sheets. They are, in a sense, ready-made nuggets of information about every object in the game. Certain object lines are incomplete or are designed to be edited. GMs may edit or add information to certain object lines (to indicate quantity, battery remaining, ammunition loaded, maintenance stats, etc.) as needed. Object lines generally follow similar nomenclature; they begin with a word between [brackets] denoting the category of the object, followed by all or most of the relevant information about that object.<br/> Example:* '''[Weapon] Class 5 Short - R2/Regular - KA-BAR (Knife) - Slash (Sharp), Stab (Piercing) - Steel - Butchering - Weight: 3'''** This object line describes the '''[[KA-BAR]]'''. Note that there is no mention of the weapon's condition; it is up to GMs to determine the condition of the weapon. It is '''highly recommended''' to use the object lines instead of freeform text to keep track of your inventory! The majority of '''[[Tsuchinoko (bot)|Tsuchinoko's]]''' commands are designed to return object lines, and constitute the primary reason why the bot is practically required to play the game. For a complete, searchable directory of the game's object lines (and the source text of every other Tsuchinoko command), please see '''[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PieEq7nKq3v4xJM4nHe68PmoNuG8SfwpndyiduH0WBw/ this Google document]'''. Individual Tsuchinoko commands can be searched in '''[https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1RotL_5z_raD3SrR9EpIQLGZ-aQBreLZW this folder]'''. Feel free to use these documents to copy the object lines relevant to your character's equipment, and paste them onto your character sheet. == Final review == Before getting ready to play, make sure that your character sheet is complete and ready. Your GM should review every player's character sheet and give all of them the green light before proceeding, and should retain edit rights over every player character sheet. If your GM is the really cool type, they will offer you the courtesy of building your character sheet for you, so you don't have to do any of the steps described above yourself. This courtesy should be extended to new players, particularly if they are eager to play. If that's how it was done, you shouldn't need to do anything else! Assuming, of course, that the GM hasn't made mistakes while building your sheet (re-read the sheet before giving it to your player!) If you are a player and you've followed this guide to build your very own character sheet, you should send it to your GM for reviewing and double-checking. Once everybody is ready and cleared, then congratulations, you are now ready to play a MazeWorld campaign! = Conclusion = If you've followed this ''Getting Started'' guide, you should have a complete character sheet, and you should be ready to play! Feel free to keep reading the wiki if you wish to familiarize yourself with how the game works, particularly if you are a GM.
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[[Category:Getting started]]