A handy checklist to help you make sure you’ve done all you can to build your character:
- Understand the System: Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 will give you a very good idea of how to make a character and how to play the system. Read them! (CH 1 + CH 2)
- Job: Pick a job! Know what you’re proficient with, know what you can do and can’t do and how your Job effects your statistic cap. (CH 4, Jobs)
- Stats: Make sure you have all of your statistics written down in the correct way. Your maximum for any stat at character generation is your racial stat cap. The stat line from your Job does not add to your stats— it adds to your stat’s cap. (CH 2, Character Creation)
- (OPTIONAL)Advantages or Disadvantages: If you want to buy an advantage or disadvantage, make sure to plan for it. Weigh the pros and cons. (CH 2, Character Creation)
- Skills: You should have spent all of your skills points, or most of them. Remember that it is 1:1 for non-aptitude skills and 1:2 for aptitude skills. Write them all down, as well as your default attribute %s. (CH 5, Skills)
- Equipment Don’t forget to buy equipment! Items will be awarded at the beginning of the game. (CH 6, Equipment)
- Damage Calculations: Math these out ahead of time so you don’t have to hold up the game multiplying your Strength x 4 again.
- Combat Rules: Familiarize yourself with the combat rules. FFRPG has a fast and simple combat system based around a metric of success. Many combats will last a very short amount of time. Be prepared to describe some of what you do!
- Traits: Remember to pick a blood type and a star sign and to pick 5 positive traits and 5 negative traits between the traits listed for either. (Appendix IV)
In example,
Aries (mar 21 – apr 19)
Key Traits: Eager, courageous, independent, quick to anger,
impatient, impulsive, violent.
Type B
Key Traits: Creative, passionate, optimistic, flexible, forgetful,
irresponsible, individualistic.
My character is eager, courageous, independent, passionate and optimistic. (positive)
My character is quick to anger, impulsive, violent, irresponsible and forgetful. (negative)
Finally, you’ll want to pick up several different traits so you can generate and spend Key Points, which are similar to hero points or story points in application.
In example,
My character is a street rat thief from the ghetto.
I’ll choose Family Ties and fluff it that my character’s father is actually the king of thieves.
Since I’m a street rat, I’ll take Outcast and say that since I’m of lower caste I can’t enter high class establishments and there’s a taboo on bartering with me or speaking to me.
I want to have an ally I can rely and trust on— so I’ll take the Ally trait and fluff it that I have a magical spirit captured in a brass lamp that helps me from time to time.
Since I’m a charismatic youth, the Charismatic trait seems appropriate to me. But, I’m kind of dumb, so I’ll take the Innocent Abroad trait to reflect my gullibility. Hopefully no sorcerors disguised as old men trick me into going into caves for them.
And there’s Aladdin.
These traits will not only shape my backstory and my character but allow me to generate and spend Key Points in shaping the flow of the story during and before gameplay. It’s all covered in (Appendix IV).
- Backstory: I need a backstory from everyone so that your traits will make sense and I can write character-centric sessions for you from time to time. Without a backstory, you’ll make my life harder which will end up with me writing my own story for you so that you don’t get left out of the game. Try to write something for me— a plot hook or a description of how you got where you are— so that you can make the character yours and so the sessions will be more engaging for you.
- Share! Try not to share your character’s history with the other players— half of the fun of a game like this is playing through and discovering everyone else’s history and character quirks. But, do share your character with me— your traits, backstory and other relevant choices are very much necessary for the running of a smooth game.
Good luck!