User:Yuanchosaan/Invisible Cities Campaign/Character

= Character Creation and 7th Sea Mechanics Primer =

Rolls
This campaign will use a simplified version of the 7th Sea d10 system.

Every roll you make will be in the form of (X) keep (Y), and consist of X "unkept" dice and Y "kept" dice. You roll an amount of d10s equal to the unkept dice and count the number of kept dice.

Naturally, you will generally want to keep the highest dice (though there are some times when you want to fail rolls and keep the lowest, this system lets you do that too).


 * HOUSE RULE: A house rule I have used is that if you explode an amount of dice greater than your kept dice, you keep all the dice that exploded. Yuan will need to approve or disprove this, as this is not part of the original system, and might lend itself to more Shenanigans than she wants to deal with as a new DM.

For skill rolls, every roll has a stat associated with it, and the dice totals are:

(Skill + Stat) keep (Stat)


 * e.g. attempting a Bluff (PAN) roll with Bluff 4 and Panache 2 would result in a 6k2 roll - roll six d10s and keep the highest two.

As you can see, Stats are very important for the final outcome of a roll, and as such are a lot harder to level up.

Occasionally, the DM may require a player to make a raw stat roll, perhaps for a check or for an action that is difficult to define with a skill. In this case, the roll is just (Stat)d10.

Exploding d10s: If you roll a 10 on a d10, you reroll that die and add 10 to it. This can stack with itself if you roll multiple 10s in a row.


 * We will get a bot to make the rolls for us in Discord, probably.

All rolls will have a Target Number (TN) associated with it. Old D&D vets will recognize this as the DC, but it's a bit different:
 * TNs are almost always multiples of 5, with 15 being the "average" TN for a middling task.
 * These can go down as low as 5 (anyone can do this) and as high as 40+ (absolutely legendary tasks performed once in a lifetime).
 * TNs are always given before the roll is made, and are rarely hidden to the players unless Plot (or the DM) calls for it. The purpose of this is so players can choose to make raises.

Raises are a way to give the player some control in the rolls. If a player thinks a roll is too easy, they have the option of making a Raise on it, which adds 5 to the TN (per Raise made) in exchange for a little something extra. For example, a raise on a Perception check might point out some extra detail, or a raise on a Haggling check might get you a better deal than expected.
 * If you fail the roll, you still fail everything, even if it would have succeeded on the original TN.
 * Sometimes a character might get a Free Raise on a roll - this means that if they succeed the original TN, they automatically get the effect of a raise on it.
 * HOUSE RULE: I run a house rule that every 15 a player rolls over a TN grants them a free raise. Pending Yuan approval.

Character Creation and Leveling Up
Instead of your entire character having a level, you level up stats and skills individually, both at character creation and leveling up.

Each character will start with an amount of EXP (TBD, probably on the order of 100-120).

All characters start as a totally blank palette, 1 in all skills and 0 in all stats

Stats
Stats are Dexterity (DEX), Intelligence (INT), Resolve (RES), Panache (PAN), and Creativity (CRE). These are the core of your rolls, and as your kept dice in every skill check is equal to the attached stat, they are absolutely vital to your character's performance.

Stats (DEX/INT/RES/CRE/PAN) cost 5x their target level to increase: Level 1: Free at start Level 2: 10 EXP (10 total) Level 3: 15 EXP (25 total) Level 4: 20 EXP (45 total) Level 5: 25 EXP (60 total) Level 6: 30 EXP + Quest, see below

Skills
Skills are a reflection on your character's abilities and capabilities. They are not as important to the roll as Stats, but they alone determine whether or not you can actually perform a task, so do not skimp on them.

Skills cost 2x their target level to increase: Level 1: 2 EXP (2 total) Level 2: 4 EXP (6 total) Level 3: 6 EXP (12 total) Level 4: 8 EXP (20 total) Level 5: 10 EXP (30 total) Level 6: 25 EXP + Quest, see below Skills also cost 10 EXP to unlock, UNLESS your class gives them for free - but you still need to purchase level 1 in them.

Five is the maximum a character may get in any one stat or skill. However, during the course of the campaign (not during character creation), if your character wishes to become a paragon of a certain attribute and gain the glorious sixth rank, they must do two things:
 * Expend the EXP required (30 for stats, 25 for skills) - this does NOT give you the sixth rank
 * Then your character must either perform some incredible feat of that skill/attribute, or undergo a challenge or trial presented by the DM (or vicariously through an NPC). For example, if you wish to get rank six in Thievery, you must be rank 5, expend 25 EXP, then mayhaps the Great Khan will require that you steal the crown jewel of the Queen of Octavia, or some similar feat.

Drama Die
This isn't a part of character building but I am going to include a description here to facilitate the latter two sections.

Drama Die are a special currency each character gets at the start of each session and at key points during the game. They are a representation of your creativity and panache as a player, and how well you can play your character dramatically or under pressure.

All characters begin each session with Drama Die equal to their character's lowest stat. The DM begins each session equal to the highest stat among all the characters plus the number of characters in the party.

Drama Die do NOT carry over between sessions! Any leftover Drama Die are converted to EXP (see "Leveling Up" below).

Characters may gain Drama Die over the course of a session as a reward from the DM for playing your character very dramatically, hilariously, or generally well done. Drama Die can also be awarded for good acting, and playing your character convincingly and well (even if it isn't particularly dramatic or funny).

As a rule of thumb, most DMs will give out between 2 and 4 Drama Die per multiple hour long session. Being in the midst of a major dramatic plot event, or being between plot points, can obviously skew these numbers.

It is also possible for certain Advantages or class features to grant you temporary Drama Die for certain tasks. In 7th Sea proper, this is mainly used for combat, so Yuan may choose to veto this to make it easier.

So what are Drama Die used for:
 * Boosting a Roll: You may declare expenditure of a Drama Die before making a skill check in order to add 1 kept and unkept die to the roll (so a 6k3 would turn into a 7k4).
 * Boosting a Roll, but Late: You may expend a Drama Die after making a skill check in order to add one d10 to the roll. Obviously this is not as effective as declaring beforehand, so it is primarily used as a last resort (e.g. if you are a couple short of making a TN).
 * You may use a Drama Die to immediately recover from unconsciousness.
 * You may use a Drama Die to activate a Virtue, activate an enemy's Hubris, or to cancel the DM activating your Hubris (details below).
 * The DM may use a Drama Die to activate an enemy's Virtue, or to activate a character's Hubris (details below).

Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages are quirks that your character has that improve their life in some definable way. Disadvantages do the opposite.

Advantages cost EXP at character creation to make, Disadvantages grant bonus EXP to use during character creation.
 * Advantages and Disadvantages can ONLY be purchased during character creation, UNLESS there is a clear and obvious reason they should be gained during the game.

The cost of the advantage/disadvantage is proportional to the bonus given, varying between 1-5 EXP. If you are familiar with D&D, these are comparable to Feats.

Example Advantages: * Able Drinker (1 pt): You can hold your liquor. DM-invoked penalties for skill checks made while drunk may be reduced. * Animal Affinity (2 pts): You have an affinity towards animals. Take a Free Raise on Animal Handling rolls when not under stress. * Dangerous Beauty (3 pts): Gain an extra unkept die when making rolls in an attempt to seduce the opposite sex. * Faith (5 pts): You are a devout religious individual and put your faith in a particular deity or dogma above all else. The meaning of this Advantage is determined purely by the DM. * Inheritance (1-10 pts): You have inherited some amount of wealth, consumables, treasures, or other things. Amount gained varies based on point value spent. * Special Item or Weapon (varies): You possess some uniquely powerful or magical (?) artifact, weapon, or other curious device. Point value invested determines usefulness. DM creates/determines the item.

Example Disadvantages: * Antisocial (+3 pts): Due to shyness, lack of confidence, or perhaps just plan unattractiveness, you do not fare well socially. Lose one kept die in social situations. * Bad Reputation (+3 pts): Many learned people know you as a person of ill repute. People tend to treat you with disdain in social interactions, unless they don't know any better. * Untrustworthy (+4 pts): People inherently do not trust you. * Frail Mind (+5 pts): Concentration is difficult and you are easily flustered. You take a -10 penalty to contested rolls of a mental nature. * Gullible (+4 pts): You are extremely trustworthy and must take two Raises on a roll to challenge or disbelieve someone.

Virtues and Hubrises
These are like Advantages and Disadvantages, but differ in three ways:
 * They are more directly defining of your character. While advantages and disadvantages may be quirks, Virtues and Hubrises are how you might immediately describe your character to someone else.
 * More EXP involved (10 EXP cost to gain a Virtue, +10 EXP at character creation to gain a Hubris).
 * They exclusively involve usages of Drama Die.

Like advantages and disadvantages, Virtues and Hubrises can only be taken at character creation unless the DM determines it prudent to do so otherwise.

To activate a Virtue, the character must expend a Drama Die. To activate a Hubris, the DM must expend a Drama Die. You then have the option to expend a Drama Die of your own to cancel the activation of your Hubris. Once cancelled, the DM cannot continue expending die to reactivate it.

If it is revealed that a NPC has a Hubris, a character interacting with that NPC may expend a Drama Die to activate it.

Example Virtues: * Altruistic: Spend a Drama Die to reroll a check to help someone else. Take a +10 on the new result. * Cold Reader: Spend a Drama Die to immediately gain some critical insight on a person (their desires, their weaknesses, etc). * Intuitive: Spend a Drama Die to get a suggestion from the DM. * Perspicacious: Spend a Drama Die to predict an NPC's next action or next move. * Uncanny: Spend a Drama Die to force someone (player or NPC) to reroll a check.

Example Hubrises: * Coward: DM spends a Drama Die to force character to run from danger, or actively pursue safety. * Hot Headed: DM spends a Drama Die to force character to lose their temper. * Star Crossed: DM spends a Drama Die to force character to fall in love. * Trusting: DM spends a Drama Die to force character to trust someone despite all evidence. * Well-Intentioned: DM spends a Drama Die to force character to act against instincts for the "greater good".

Leveling Up
At the end of each session, all characters gain an amount of EXP determined by the DM. Unadventurous sessions may grant less, while adventurous and dramatic sessions or ones with a good deal of Drama and Quality Storytelling grant more EXP. Generally speaking, anywhere between 2-10 EXP per session is appropriate (also depends on how fast Yuan wants us to grow).

Additionally, all characters gain one point of EXP per Drama Die they have remaining at the end of the session.

EXP can be conserved, it does not need to be spent immediately.

EXP can be invested in stat ranks and skill ranks. Advantages/Disadvantages and Virtues/Hubrises cannot be taken after character creation. See above for skill/stat EXP investment tables.