Character Creation

Create a capable posthuman hero by choosing a concept, Lineage, Path, Attributes, competencies, Talents, and practical equipment.

Seventh Sun heroes are capable from the beginning. Character creation establishes a posthuman body, a way of meeting danger, broad learned competencies, and a few memorable distinctions. It does not require planning a progression tree or qualifying for later choices.

Creation Summary

Step	Choice
1. Concept and Motive	Describe the hero in a sentence and write one Motive that can drive difficult choices.
2. Lineage	Choose Inheritor, Optimate, Devisor, Alliant, Scutter, or Viator and record its Lineage Gift.
3. Path	Choose Blade, Shadow, Magister, or Emissary and record its Path Gift. Use its recipe as guidance, not a mandate.
4. Attributes	Begin with all six Attributes at 0 and divide 6 points among them; no starting score may exceed 3.
5. Competencies	Spend seven competency choices on any Skills and any Phasmic Formulae the hero can access.
6. Talents and Flaws	Choose one Talent. You may take one Flaw to choose a second Talent. Gifts do not count against this limit.
7. Equipment	Choose weapons, armor, a shield, and two Kits appropriate to the concept. Describe what they look like in the world.
8. Derived Scores	Record Initiative, Defense, Damage Resistance, Speed, Nerve, attacks, and damage; set Wounds and Fatigue to 0.
9. Final Details	Name the hero, describe their appearance and relationships, and answer any question required by the chosen Path.

Concept and Motive

Begin with what makes the hero worth following: a road-warden who never abandons a traveler, a ruin-courier who brings hidden truths to those who need them, or a newly reintegrated Magister searching for the purpose of an unwanted vinculum. The concept guides choices but grants no numerical bonus.

Write one Motive as a brief statement in the hero’s own voice. A Motive is not a moral alignment or a list of virtues. It is the reason the hero accepts danger. Pursuing it at meaningful cost can restore Nerve during play.

Talents and Flaws

Every hero chooses one Talent for free. A hero may accept one Flaw to choose one additional Talent, for a maximum of two chosen Talents at creation. Lineage Gifts and Path Gifts are automatic and do not count as chosen Talents. A Talent may be selected from the general, combat, Path, or phasmic lists if the hero meets any stated requirement.

A Flaw is personal, not imposed by Lineage or Path. It 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 rather than being used to purchase another Talent.

Starting Equipment

Choose up to two weapons, armor and a shield if desired, and two Kits suited to the concept. A hero also possesses ordinary clothing, personal effects, and routine supplies. Starting equipment is not balanced by price: the Narrator may refuse an item whose scale, rarity, or social meaning makes it the subject of an adventure rather than ordinary gear.

Choosing Competencies

Every hero receives seven competency choices. Spend one choice to make an Untrained Skill or accessible Phasmic Formula Trained 2. Spend a second choice on the same competency to make it Expert 4. No starting competency may exceed Expert. Paths offer recipes for spending these choices but never require them.

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. The Magister and Emissary recipes simply present the two most common phasmic concepts.

Seventh Sun Codex
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