Character Creation

Official Inheritance of Ashes character creation guide: File:IOA Character Creation Guide.pdf

The above PDF takes precedence over anything below that may contradict.

Step 1: Inspiration

Start with a concept of who your character was before they Awakened. Pick a simple word, like artist, teacher, bum, businesswoman, etc. A general label that you can hang onto the character easily is good.

Tradition

Pick the kind of mage your character became.

Shortlist of the Traditions:

• Akashic Brotherhood - Mystical martial artists. Specialty sphere: Mind
• Celestial Chorus - Singers of divinity. Specialty sphere: Prime.
• Cult of Ecstatsy - Seers who dance and seek pleasure. Specialty sphere: Time.
• Dreamspeakers - Spiritual naturalists. Specialty sphere: Spirit.
• Euthanatos - Balance seekers who relieve suffering. Specialty sphere: Entropy.
• Order of Hermes - Specialists of a thousand years. Specialty sphere: Force.
• Sons of Ether - Scientists of magic. Specialty sphere: Matter.
• Verbena - Rememberers of old rites and cycles of nature. Specialty sphere: Life.
• Virtual Adepts - Hackers of the information age. Specialty sphere: Correspondence.
• Hollow Ones - Nihilistic goth mages. Specialty sphere: None.
• Orphans - Mages who Awakened without guidance or mentorship. Specialty sphere: Any one.

Nature and Demeanor

Nature is a foundation of your character's internal drives and desires.

Demeanor is how that character expresses theirself and navigates the world.

Avatar Essence

An Awakened mage has an Avatar attached to their soul. The Avatar's Essence determines their view magical goals for the mage.

Pick one of the following Avatar Essences:

• Dynamic - The Avatar seeks endless change and the birth of new forms.
• Pattern - The Avatar enforces conformity and reinforces existing structure carefully.
• Primordial - The Avatar destroys old forms and sows chaos to bring about renewal and rebirth.
• Questing - The Avatar builds upon a series of experiences to reach some eventual goal.

Step 2: Attributes

You have 3 Trait categories for Attributes Traits: Physical, Social, and Mental. Pick a primary, secondary, and tertiary category.

Assign 7 Traits for your primary category, 5 Traits for your secondary category, and 3 Traits for your tertiary category.

Attributes:

• Physical Traits: Agile, Brawny, Brutal, Dexterous, Enduring, Energetic, Ferocious, Graceful, Lithe, Nimble, Quick, Resilient, Robust, Rugged, Stalwart, Steady, Tenacious, Tireless, Tough, Vigorous, Wiry
• Social Traits: Alluring, Beguiling, Charismatic, Charming, Commanding, Dignified, Diplomatic, Elegant, Eloquent, Empathetic, Expressive, Fearsome, Friendly, Genial, Gorgeous, Ingratiating, Intimidating, Magnetic, Persuasive, Seductive, Witty
• Mental Traits: Alert, Attentive, Clever, Creative, Cunning, Dedicated, Determined, Discerning, Disciplined, Flexible, Insightful, Intuitive, Knowledgeable, Observant, Patient, Rational, Reflective, Vigilant, Wily, Wise

Step 3: Advantages

Choose Abilities

Pick 5 Abilities that make sense for your character, using history, Tradition, and other things according to your character to decide. You can choose multiple levels of an Ability.

Abilities: Academics, Alertness, Athletics, Awareness, Brawl, Computer, Cosmology, Crafts, Dodge, Drive, Enigmas, Etiquette, Expression, Firearms, Hobby/Professional/Expert Ability, Intimidation, Investigation, Law, Leadership, Linguistics, Medicine, Meditation, Melee, Occult, Performance, Science, Stealth, Streetwise, Subterfuge, Survival, Technology

Assign Specialty Spheres

Write down the first level of your Tradition's specialty Sphere.

Choose Backgrounds

Pick 7 total Background Traits. No Background may go higher than 5 traits, and it requires Storyteller approval to start with more than 3 Traits in any one background.

Backgrounds: Allies, Arcane, Avatar, Contacts, Destiny, Dream, Influence, Library, Mentor, Node, Resources, Wonder

Assign Arete Trait

Unless you assign Free Traits to increase the total Arete Traits, you only start with 1. You cannot have more than 3 Arete Traits via spending Free Traits.

Assign Willpower Traits

You start with 5 Willpower Traits. You can improve this to 10 Willpower Traits.

Assign Resonance Traits

Resonance Traits reflect a mage's personal spin on magic that colors their Effects in a subtle manner.

Pick one Dynamic, Entropic, or Static Resonance Trait when you begin play. You may gain additional Resonance Traits later.

Resonance traits are associated with Avatar Essences.

Resonance Traits:

• Dynamic - similar to the Dynamic Essence
• Entropic - similar to the Primordial Essence
• Static - similar to the Pattern Essence

Negative Traits

You may take up to 5 Negative Traits for 1 bonus Free Trait each, but you should limit it to no more than 3 in one Attribute category.

Negative Traits:

• Negative Physical Traits: Clumsy, Cowardly, Decrepit, Delicate, Docile, Flabby, Frail, Lame, Lethargic, Puny, Sickly, Slow, Soft
• Negative Social Traits: Bestial Callous, Condescending, Dull, Feral, Ghastly, Meek, Naive, Obnoxious, Repugnant, Shy, Tactless, Untrustworthy
• Negative Mental Traits: Deceitful, Forgetful, Gullible, Ignorant, Impatient, Oblivious, Predictable, Shortsighted, Squeamish, Submissive, Unstable, Violent, Witless

Derangements

Derangements are personality problems that affect the outlook a character has on the world.

Taking a derangement grants 2 bonus Free Traits that count against the limit of five Negative Traits (note: Does this mean a derangement counts as 2 Negative Traits, or 1 Negative Trait).

Derangements require advanced roleplaying, so consult with a Storyteller before taking one.

Derangements: Bulimia, Crimson Rage, Fugue, Hysteria, Manic-Depression, Megalomania, Multiple Personalities, Obsessive/Compulsive, Paranoia, Regression, Schizophrenia

Assign Free Traits

You start with five Free Traits, plus any bonus Free Traits from Negative Traits or derangements selected earlier.

Free Trait costs:

• 1 for an additional Attribute Trait (max 10 per category).
• 1 for an additional Ability Trait (max 5 per Ability).
• 1 for a specialization in an Ability that you already have (max one specialization for a particular Ability).
• 1 for an additional Background Trait, subject to Storyteller approval.
• 2 for an additional Arete Trait. This cannot raise the rating above a total of 3 Arete Traits.
• 3 for an extra Willpower Trait, to a maximum of 10 permanent Willpower Traits.
• 3 for the first level of any Sphere, subject to Storyteller approval.

Choose Spheres

If you have one Tradition specialty sphere, you pick 5 additional levels of Spheres.

If you have a Traditional Sphere and a faction specialty Sphere, you pick 4 additional Sphere levels.

If you have no specialty Sphere, you can pick 6 levels of Spheres of your choice.

No Sphere level can exceed your Arete Trait total.

Step 5: Spark of Life

• History: Figure out your character's history, backstory, etc.
• Secrets: What are your character's secrets?
• Motivation: What drives your character's day-to-day?
• Appearance: What does your character look like?
• Foci: What does your mage use as a focus for each sphere?
• Quirks: What mannerisms do you do?

Experience expenditure

Experience is generally awarded for playing in a game session. They are spent to increase your character's abilities.

Experience costs:

• 1 per new Attribute Trait (max 10 per category)
• 1 per new Ability Trait (max 5 per Ability)
• 1 per new Background Trait, subject to Storyteller approval (max 5 per Background)
• Spheres:
  • 4 per Initiate or Apprentice level Sphere (+1 if not specialty Sphere)
  • 8 per Disciple or Adept level Sphere (+2 if not specialty Sphere)
  • 12 per Master level sphere (+3 if not specialty Sphere)
• 4 per new Arete Trait, subject to appropriate Seeking
• 1 per new Specialization in an ability you already have (you cannot have more than one Specialization in a particular Ability)
• 3 per new Willpower Trait (max 10)
• 2 per removal of a Negative Trait

Starting XP

All characters are automatically granted an additional 30 XP after character creation. An additional 10 XP can be earned by submitting each of the following:

• Writing a backstory
• Completing the Initial Character Information Sheet
• Submission of a completed Avatar Guide

totaling a max starting XP pool of 60.

Each draft of the backstory will be given an XP value based on the quality and length; if not full value is awarded, a total of up to three backstories may be submitted for revised Additional XP earning. With the initial starting XP, no more than half of the XP earned may be spent on Merits and/or Spheres.

Spending Additional Starting XP

• New Attribute Trait — One Experience per Attribute Trait.
• New Ability Trait — One Experience per Ability Trait.
• New Background Trait — One Experience per Trait with Storyteller approval.
• New Sphere — Four Experience Traits for Initiate or Apprentice level; eight Experience Traits for Disciple or Adept level; 12 Experience Traits for Master level.
  • These costs increase to five/10/15 for Spheres other than your specialty Sphere.
• New Arete — Four Experience per Trait (A first-time player’s Arete is capped at 2 in Inheritance of Ashes. All new characters are capped at Arete 3).
• New Rote — One Experience Trait for each Sphere level used in the rote.
• New Specialization — One Experience Trait in an Ability you have at least four Traits in.
• New Willpower — Three Experience per Trait.
• Buy Off Negative Trait — Two Experience per Trait.
• Buying Merits — Merits may be purchased with XP at twice the cost of the Trait value listed in the Merit’s description.
• Buy Off Flaws — A flaw may be removed from a character’s sheet at twice the cost of the Trait value listed in the Flaw’s description.