Relax, even I’m not nerdy enough to insert a Shakespeare joke here. Maybe.
When last we met I left you with the A and 2 B’s of the Personal Characteristic Scores (PCSs): Awareness, Balance, and Brawn. Now, let’s delve into the C, E, and 2 I’s. Yes, one of those “I’s” is Image. I know you’re waiting on that one. Onward!
Charm (Chm): Welcome to the cult of personality! This PCS lets the player know how well their character is received by NPCs during their interactions. Consider it Geoffrey’s “inner beauty.” This could also be a character’s “inner ugliness.” Charm isn’t a part any formulas in other parts of the character’s creation, but it is used in adjusting the Check Sets and Skill Sets of the Alter Appearance, Animal Empathy, and Bluff Abilities. If a player wishes their character to succeed more often with those Abilities, then they would be wise to raise the percentage of the character’s Charm.
Endurance (End): Just how long can you keep it up? Running, fighting, and incanting, that is. Get your mind out of the gutter! Endurance is a part of the formulas for calculating Body Threshold (BT), Incantation Tolerance (IncTol), Ki Power (KP), Ki Power Regain, Max Run Time, and Walk Rate (WR). If you would like your character to have higher scores in any of the previously mentioned items, it’d be a good idea to increase your character’s Endurance. It isn’t used in adjusting any Ability Check Sets or Skill Sets.
Image (Img): Oooh, here we are! Are you ready for this? While Charm can be considered a character’s “inner beauty,” Image is most definitely their “outer beauty.” The physical appearance of a character that draws others closer, or has them think twice about approaching. Here’s the kicker of this PCS: You, as the player, don’t get to choose your character’s Image percentage score. Nope. Sorry, it’s the luck of the dice. The player (that’s you) rolls the percentile dice and whatever number come up, that’s what your character gets. To be honest, when I’ve done character creation workshops, the Image rolls usually became the highlight of the event. People loved to watch and see what others roll for their character’s Image. As I’m a nice Guide, if a roll comes up that the player would really not have for their character, I let them roll again, but this roll sticks. (On a side note, I’m sure if you have a specific character Image in mind, your Guide may allow you to have that instead of rolling if you ask reeeeeaaaaalllly nicely.) Image isn’t used for any formulas involving character creation, nor does it adjust the Check Set or Skill Set of any Abilities. Image cannot be raised by Character Adventure Points (CAPs), but it can be lowered due to unfortunate circumstances. A character can alter their or another character’s appearance by using the appropriately named Alter Appearance Ability.
Intellect (Int): Is your character the village idiot or the local scholar? This PCS tells of the character’s IQ, smarts, or mental capacity by studying a subject. Intellect is a part of the formulas for calculating Incantation Tolerance (IncTol), Ki Power (KP), and Psychological Tolerance (PsyTol). It is used in adjusting the Check Sets and Skill Sets of the Alchemy, Arm/Disarm Traps, Armor Adjust, Astronomy, Bandaging, Fire Building, Incantation Use: Extra Focus I, Incantation Use: Extra Focus II, Incantation Use: Multi-Focus, Incantation Use: Single Focus, Inscribe Incantation I, Inscribe Incantation II, Intimidate (Psychologically), Knowledge of (Herbs), Knowledge of (Topic), Poison Craft, Read/Write (Language), and Speak (Language) Abilities. Woo, that’s a lot. If a player wishes their character to succeed more often with those Abilities, then they would be wise to raise the percentage of the character’s brains, I mean, Intellect.
Congratulations, you have survived the second encounter! Ready for the next one?
In the third encounter, you’ll gain knowledge of Character Adventure Points (CAPs), classes, and levels. One and a half of those three things I just mentioned doesn’t exist in this game. Confused? Good!
That’s the hook.
While you chew on that hook, jump to the comment section below and let me hear what you think about what you’ve been reading here!
Until the next Encounter, have fun, be safe, and be kind.