= Party size considerations =
It is possible to play MazeWorld with as little as two people, with one person being the GM and the other playing a PC. In fact, for most of the years this game has existed, and for reasons largely related to time zone constraints between the author and his players, it has been called a "one-GM, one-player game". Although it lends itself to greater flexibility and a customized and tailored adventure, in the style and vein of single-player roleplaying video games, this is not typical of tabletop RPGs, which typically have parties of two to four players.
As such, one of the first questions you need to ask yourselves is this: "How many PCs will there be in the party? Will there be oneOne? Two? Three? Four?"
GMs intending to run sessions with a party size larger than 2 must be careful not to be too generous with equipment and rewards, and to adjust the difficulty of their campaigns accordingly. There is strength in numbers, and it is at its truest with a group of player characters. One or two highly skilled PCs with good gear and weapons are a force to be reckoned with. Three or four such characters may be close to unstoppable.
For all of the reasons cited above, party sizes over 4 are not recommended at all, out of practicality concerns.
= Native or otherworlder? =
Your character may be native to the Mazes, or may be what the locals call an ''otherworlder''; a non-native of the Mazes who found themselves transported to the Mazes through means unknown. Otherworlders are uncommon, but not unheard of, and generally appear in the confines of the Uncivilized Area. Generally, they appear without any belongings, clothing , or equipment, and as a result, end up killed as they were defenseless to the dangers of the UA. Those that survive may eke a living out like any other native, finding shelter and employment in one of the dozens of towns and communities of the Mazes, virtually impossible to distinguish from Mazes-born people.
It is recommended that newcomers play as otherworlders, as they will be able to learn and discover more about the world of the Mazes at a natural pace - at the same time as you, for the simple reason that natives are assumed to have knowledge of the world in general that you may not have.
= Stats and species =
A player character may either be a '''[[human]]''', a '''[[halfling]]''' (8 different species) or a '''[[youkai]]''' (12 different species). In total, there are 21 different playable species.
The species you select will determine your starting natural statistics. You will later get a chance to fine-tune your character's stats, so that you may stand out from regular humans, halflings, and youkai.
This page will not go into too much detail about each species and each statistic (visit the relevant wiki links '''[[statistics|here]]''' for more in-depth information) but will provide enough information for the purposes of character creation.
=== Limb health ===
''[[Limb health ]]''' represents the maximum amount of damage each limb can take before being disabled. If a limb falls to under half maximum value, it is '''damaged'''. If it falls to zero, it is '''disabled'''. If it falls to negative half maximum (e.g. negative half maximum of 40 is -20), the limb is completely '''destroyed''' and may not be recovered or replaced, except under exceptional circumstances.<br/>
The effects caused by damaged, disabled, and destroyed limbs may vary, but do note that if your torso or your head is disabled, you will instantly die!
Most attacks cause two types of damage; Limb Damage (which affects limb health, as mentioned above), and Pain. Pain represents trauma and shock inflicted. Most creatures pass out upon reaching 100% Pain, and die at 150%. Unless "Pain damage" or "Limb damage" is specifically mentioned, "Damage" means both Pain and Limb.
''[[Pain sensitivity ]]''' is one of the ways to affect incoming damage. It is a percentage value, which serves as a multiplier to ALL Pain received. By default, it is 100% (1.0x multiplier). If Pain sensitivity is under 100%, you will receive less damage than normal, and if over 100%, you'll receive more than normal.
* Example: Pain sensitivity 75% means all incoming Pain damage is multiplied by 0.75x. 115% = 1.15x, etc.
=== Max Blood ===
If it bleeds, you can kill it. Most living creatures have '''[[Blood ]]''' and depend on it to survive. You don't want to run out of blood.
Max Blood represents, well, the maximum amount of Blood that creatures can have inside of their bodies. Naturally, the higher, the better. The more Blood you have, the longer you can survive having open Wounds (which drain Blood continuously), and the better you can resist the effects of Venom and Alcohol.
=== Armor Class ===
'''[[Armor Class]]''', or AC for short, represents the general toughness level of a creature's body. There are seven different ratings, in order from lowest to highest: '''C1, C2, A1, A2, A3, A4, A5'''.
The AC ratings with a C-prefix (Cx) indicates a protection rating that is on par with layers of '''Clothing''', whereas the A-prefix (Ax) means a protection rating on par with '''Armor'''.
Without going into too much detail, a number of other stats can be affected by the starting species:
* '''[[Strength]]:''' A measure of the character's physical strength and capability, it is a percentage value, which serves as a straight multiplier to the amount of damage this character will deal when using melee weapons or attacks. Naturally, higher is better.* '''[[Agility]]:''' A measure of the character's ability to move quickly. Agility is a numerical value ranging between -4 and +4, by default +0. It is applied as a modifier to certain checks. Higher is better.