Main Page: CCW Character Guide

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From this page on, you will find a relatively comprehensive guide for everything you must consider when creating an individual character in Celtheste: Civil War.

Adapted from Handbook for our World by Damian Knowela, the essays and descriptions linked here will help you understand the world of the game in the year 621 Kq. Note that Handbook is written from a human perspective, focused around Celtheste.

Though you may use the listed order as a framework, the character guide is meant to be completed in any order that suits you. Any decisions you make can be revisited and revised before the game starts. Remember that the decisions made here will influence the following mechanics in-game: >>Base of Knowledge, >>Standing, >>Networks, >>Skills & Competencies.

Note: Regarding any names you may create, you may want to consult with the game maker.

+ Starting Points
Or ending points, depending on how you want to do this. How old is your character in 621 Kq? What is their gender identity and sexuality? What is their general physique and build? Appearance? Constitution? How attractive are they? Do they have any physical or mental disabilities? These decisions will affect >>Standing, and to a lesser extent, >>Base of Knowledge. You will also want to come up with a name for your character, but it might be easier to leave this for after culture, race, and other factors are taken into account.

+ Personality
Your character’s personality will truly emerge and change as they communicate, make decisions, and react to situations, but it may be helpful to create a starting point to help guide your character’s early actions. Looking at the Big Five personality traits is recommended. Where does your character fall on the scales of Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism? These are scored on a scale of 1 to 100. Feel free to use other frameworks and models for personality if you like: Enneagram, Myers Briggs, elements, colors, zodiac signs (western or eastern), D&D alignments, etc.

Also consider smaller but more colorful details about who your character is. What are their preferences, habits, quirks and obsessions? And perhaps most important for narrative reasons, what is their understanding and relationship to morality? Strengths and weaknesses? All this is closely tied, of course, to your character’s >>Fatal Flaw and >>Redeeming Quality, and will heavily inform your character’s +Motivations.

Personality will influence how you play your character, but it does not have direct mechanical impacts on the game--except by way of the mechanics listed above.

+ Motivations
For your character to be truly compelling and have a direction, it is important to give them realistic motivations. What does your character want? Give them at least one concrete desire and one related abstract desire. For example, your character may think they will be fulfilled by becoming absurdly rich (concrete) and that this will shield them from ever being dependent on others again (abstract). At this point you may or may not want to consider what your character actually needs in contrast to what they want. E.g. To be able to balance self-sufficiency with trusting others. All this will likely be tied closely to their +Personality, their >>Fatal Flaw, their >>Redeeming Quality, and will play a crucial role in determining their >>Agendas and >>Vulnerabilities.

Motivations will influence how you play your character, but they do not have direct mechanical impacts on the game--except by way of the mechanics listed above.

+ Culture
What cultures are most influential and evident in your character's life? This has everything to do with upbringing, appearance, and language. This is the most important choice for deciding what your character’s >>Base of Knowledge, as well as their >>Standing, and some >>Skills & Specializations. Remember that your character may have a mixed cultural background, so don’t feel limited to one category. First, is your character Note: Regarding physical appearances, consult the game maker as you explore.
 * Human? or Stranger? 

+ Class & Occupation
Issues of work and money may occupy a large part of your character’s life, as it often does in the very capitalist society of the human world. Consider what it is that your character does for a living, if anything. You might look at the +Circles & Training section for ideas, or check out some Old English occupations from our world. Don't limit yourself to traditional trades, though. This is a rapidly modernizing world (think WWI) and there are magical occupations to consider, too. Consider also your character’s +Family, and what your character has inherited in terms of wealth and status. Are they from a family of poor peasant farmers? A long line of bakers who know nothing else? Did they start with nothing and work their way up to the bourgeoisie as a merchant? Or did they inherit lands and titles and now spend their days reading and writing poetry?

Keep in mind that class is closely tied to +Culture. Some societies, like Sunya, have incredibly rigid social divisions, whereas class structure in Celtheste has always been relatively fluid. Consult with the game maker to know more about the social organization of specific cultures, especially the Stranger ones. Note also that Class is a cultural system in it of itself. In many cases the nobility, the super rich, the middle class, the working class, and the peasant classes, all have entirely different ways of acting and communicating, even when they live within miles of each other. Especially in this modern, rapidly advancing age, a former factory worker might make millions as an industrialist and buy a title for themselves—but they may have trouble fitting in with the cultural establishment of nobility.

Choices made here will greatly affect >>Standing, >>Base of Knowledge, and possibly >>Networks. For related >>Skills & Specializations, it is recommended you look at +Circles & Training below.

+ Religion
What does your character believe about the deeper questions of the universe? Where did we come from? Why are we here? What happens after death? What is the nature of good and evil? Many individuals and institutions have attempted to answer these questions: the Dalgun faiths, which looked to their pantheons of gods; the Cosmacans, who looked to magecraft and the stars; and a whole host of other religions, in every shade and color.

Religion can have a great effect on your character’s >>Standing and >>Base of Knowledge. Consider your character’s relationship to their faith. How devout are they? How skeptical? Is it simply part of their culture or a deeply personal belief? Do they practice? Were they once a true believer but grew disillusioned? Are they a recent, fervent convert? Or altogether irreligious? Explore: Note that these are specifically human faiths, Strangers have their own religions--consult the game maker for more information. Outside of the Compassic and Nayadan faiths, most religious identity is heavily linked to one’s culture and nationality, so match this section closely with your decisions on +Culture and +Places. There may also be overlap with +Family and +Life Events.
 * Human Religions Summary
 * Dalgun, Cosmaca, or Other Faiths

+ Places
The cultures and environments your character is connected to will play a large role in determining their base of knowledge and the networks they have access to. Consider their birthplace, where they were raised, where they have lived, and where, if anywhere, they are currently based. You might compose a timeline of your character’s movements throughout their life. You may also want to determine their ancestral origin +Family if that differs from their birthplace. Explore: This sections overlaps heavily with +Culture, and affects >>Base of Knowledge, as well as >>Skills & Specializations.
 * Celtheste, the Wider World, or Beyond

+ Family
Everyone has family—well almost all humans depending on their cultural origin. Chances are your character has a family, and this family can have a large effect on your character, especially when it comes to their >>Standing and what >>Networks they have access to. Possibly also >>Base of Knowledge.

Consider how large the family is (immediate and extended), what the dynamic is, and their reputation. Also consider the family’s +Religion and ancestral origin (See +Places or +Culture), all of which may be wrapped up in the family’s history and its place in Celthestan and world events. Decide how your character relates to their family as a whole, then go on to the +Relationships section to parse out some individual relationships.

+ Relationships
Characters are often most shaped by the people in their lives. These relationships can also be the keys to larger >>Networks your character is connected to, affect your >>Standing and >>Base of Knowledge, or be the impetus for plot events. Consider +Family (especially who your character is raised by), friendships, mentorships (see +Circles & Training), romances, and enemies, and consider thoroughly. The relationships you outline now can have a huge impact on the story and you can not ignore them or create new ones once the game begins. You can also predetermine relationships with other player characters if you can both agree on a dynamic.

When creating a person your character has a relationship to, be sure to describe the nature of the relationship, where and when the relationship took place, and rate how favorably this person sees your character on a scale of 0 to 1 (.90 being quite favorable and .21 being quite unfavorable). Also include any other details you want to specify. Anything you don’t specify may be filled in by the game maker and fates.

Create as many relationship characters as you like with as little or as much information on them as you prefer. Don’t feel the need to fill out every relationship in their life, of course, just the ones you feel are most important. This section may also overlap with +Life Events.

+ Life Events
What life events have shaped who your character is today? These could be large-scale historical events or more personal ones. What are your character’s greatest successes and failures? What windfalls or tragedies have befallen them? What other strong memories or big changes? Consider especially big moves from one place (see +Places) to another. You may also want to consider how/when your character acquired any disabilities, disadvantages, or advantages not covered elsewhere.

This section may also overlap with the +Family and +Relationships sections, or influence your character's >>Fatal Flaw, >>Redeeming Quality, >>Agendas, and >>Vulnerabilities, but has no direct impact on game mechanics. There is one major exception, however. If your character played a role in some major political or social event/scandal, their association may greatly affect >>Standing.

+ Circles & Training
What special >>Skills & Competencies does your character possess? The possibilities are endless, but many are listed here. How was your character educated or trained? As a mage? Inventor? Soldier? If their learning took place in certain circles, they may have access to better instruction and special >>Networks. You cannot have unlimited powers and connections, of course, so there is a point system to aid you in building a realistic character.

If your character is between twenty-one and forty years of age, and of a middle or upper class, start with 14 points. Each point represents roughly one thousand hours of practice, instruction, and study. In the below links, you will find a menu that lists the costs for purchasing Training (general learning) and buying into Circles (institutional learning). You might think of training as skills you can purchase individually, while Circles are more like package deals that come with advantages (but also strings attached). Contact the game maker if your age or class falls outside that range and/or to negotiate for more points at the sacrifice of other parts of your character. Notes: For more on magic and magical training, see Arcanists & Occultists. Stand by for more instructions on >>Skill Levels. 
 * Circles
 * Training

+ Politics
Your character may or may not have strong political views or they may develop ideas through the course of the game, but especially in the environment of the civil war, it is best to be at least familiar with the spectrum of questions and ideologies that shape the world. There are the typical issues of governance: who rules, how they are chosen, how much power they have, and from where they derive that power. Much of this overlaps with +Religion. There are also familiar economic issues: capitalism, socialism, anarchism, monopolies, inequalities, etc. But there are also major questions that are specific to Celthestan politics or to the politics of the wider world. Also consider any beliefs outside these arenas that your character may hold. Explore: As your character becomes more vocal about their beliefs or take actions that support certain ideologies, their >>Standing with various groups and individuals will shift drastically. Indeed, politics is a central part of the decisions you will make as you progress in the story.
 * Celthestan Politics
 * Global Politics

+ Appendix
Other texts and documents that may be useful in understanding the world of Celtheste in 621 Kq.
 * General Information
 * Documents of Interest
 * Historical Summaries
 * Maps and other Media