Character Creation

Characters in Seventh Sun are capable posthuman adventurers from the start. Character creation is quick and flexible. A Path provides a useful recipe, but does not dictate the hero's Skills or profession.

Character Creation Summary

Develop a Character Concept and Motive
Choose a Lineage
Choose a Path
Assign Attributes
Choose Skills and Phasmic Formulae
Select Talents and Flaws
Record Nerve
Select Equipment
Calculate Derived Scores
Add Final Details

Step 1 — Character Concept and Motive

Start with a general idea of the hero you want to play. Examples might include a road-warden who never abandons a traveler, a ruin-courier who brings hidden truths to those who need them, a Devisor coaxer of ancient machines, an Alliant mercenary weary of inherited wars, or a newly reintegrated Magister searching for the purpose of an unwanted vinculum.

Your concept guides your later choices but grants no numerical bonus.

Write one Motive as a brief statement in the hero's own voice. A Motive is the reason the hero accepts danger. Pursuing it at meaningful cost can restore Nerve during play.

Step 2 — Choose a Lineage

A Lineage describes the posthuman body the hero inherits. It does not determine culture, profession, outlook, or Path. Choose one Lineage and record its Lineage Gift.

Inheritor — the form most recognizable to people of the earliest ages
Optimate — slender phasm-sensitive posthumans born with a vinculum
Devisor — sturdy tunnel dwellers originally designed as Monitor technicians
Alliant — armored descendants of bodies made for an ancient war
Scutter — small arboreal posthumans who supplement food with sunlight
Viator — six-limbed travelers designed for long journeys

Step 3 — Choose a Path

A Path describes how the hero meets danger and changes the world. Choose one Path and record its Path Gift.

Blade — meets danger directly through disciplined action
Shadow — relies on subtlety, movement, preparation, and misdirection
Magister — directs internally generated phasm through a vinculum
Emissary — receives phasmic power from a Monitor

Paths include suggested Skill and Formula choices. These are recipes, not requirements. A Blade may ignore Combat, a Shadow may become the group's finest fighter, and a hero of any Path may learn Formulae if the concept provides access to phasm.

Step 4 — Assign Attributes

Every hero has six Attributes.

Attribute	Summary
Brawn	Physical force, leverage, lifting, and powerful melee attacks
Agility	Coordination, balance, precision, reaction, and movement
Vigor	Endurance, bodily resilience, and resistance to injury
Intellect	Reasoning, memory, learning, analysis, and technical understanding
Spirit	Willpower, intuition, awareness, courage, and self-command
Presence	Personality, empathy, persuasion, authority, and personal force

All Attributes begin at 0. Distribute 6 points among them.

Maximum starting value for an Attribute is 3
An Attribute may be reduced below 0 to gain the same number of points elsewhere
A score below –2 should represent a serious and intentional limitation

Step 5 — Choose Skills and Phasmic Formulae

Every hero receives seven competency choices. Spend them on any Skills and any Phasmic Formulae the hero can access.

Spend 1 choice to become Trained 2 in a Skill or Formula
Spend a second choice on the same competency to become Expert 4
No starting competency may exceed Expert 4
An unchosen Skill is Untrained 0
An unchosen Formula cannot be used without a Gift or Talent that says otherwise

The Skills are:

Combat • Athletics • Finesse • Stealth • Awareness • Insight • Influence • Guile • Command • Wayfaring • Medicine • Lore • Technics • Craft

A hero may choose Phasmic Formulae when the concept supplies a source of phasm: a native or reintegrated vinculum, appointment by a Monitor, or another source established by the setting. Path does not control access. Magister and Emissary are simply the two most common phasmic concepts.

Example Competency Choices

Combat 4; Awareness 2; Athletics 2; Command 2; Medicine 2; Wayfaring 2
Combat 2; Finesse 2; Stealth 2; Awareness 2; Guile 2; Insight 2; Technics 2
Three Formulae at 2; Awareness 2; Lore 2; Medicine 2; Technics 2

Step 6 — Select Talents and Flaws

Talents are short, memorable advantages. Flaws are recurring weaknesses or complications.

Choose 1 Talent
You may take 1 Flaw to choose 1 additional Talent
A starting hero may therefore have no more than 2 chosen Talents
Lineage Gifts and Path Gifts are automatic and do not count against this limit
Choose only Talents whose requirements the hero meets

A Flaw must create a concrete disadvantage that can recur in play. A troublesome history, enemy, secret, or obligation without a dependable rule belongs in the hero's description and does not purchase another Talent.

Step 7 — Record Nerve

Nerve represents audacity, luck, and determination.

Heroes begin each session with 3 Nerve and may spend no more than 1 Nerve in a round. Some Talents may increase this maximum.

Once per scene, a hero may regain 1 Nerve when pursuing their Motive exposes them to meaningful danger, sacrifice, or complication.

Step 8 — Select Equipment

Choose equipment appropriate to the hero's concept.

Typical starting equipment includes:

Up to 2 weapons
Armor and a shield, if desired
2 Kits suited to the concept
Ordinary clothing, personal effects, and routine supplies

Describe what the equipment looks like. A weapon's category and Tags provide its rules; its exact form belongs to the character and the world. The Narrator may refuse an artifact or other item whose rarity or importance makes acquiring it an adventure.

Step 9 — Calculate Derived Scores

Record the following values on the character sheet.

Score	Calculation
Initiative	Agility
Defense	11 + Combat rating + Agility, plus the best applicable increase
Damage Resistance	Vigor + armor Protection
Speed	6 squares, modified by Lineage, armor, or Talents
Attribute Resistance	11 + relevant Attribute
Skill Resistance	11 + relevant Attribute + relevant Skill rating, when training directly opposes the action

Record each attack and its damage. Set Wounds and Fatigue to 0.

Step 10 — Add Final Details

Finish the hero by choosing:

Name
Appearance
Personality
Home or community
Important relationships
Reputation, title, or alias
Any question raised by the chosen Path or source of phasm

Seventh Sun Codex
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