1.2 Character generation

Players should follow the following steps when generating an Age of Magic character:

Think of a character concept (see 1.3);
Agree the character concept with the referee and agree a starting cp value (see 1.4);
Work out the character's characteristic scores, by describing the character. Check that the total cp value of these characteristic scores does not exceed the limit based on the starting cp value (see 1.5.19 for an example);
Pick suitable talents (see 1.6) and/or disabilities (see 1.7) from the list;
Flesh out the character's background, by defining how long he/she spent in particular regions or professions; this will define the character's background bonuses (see 1.8);
Record the skill scores required by the character's background (see 1.9.1);
Define the character's starting relationships, based on his/her background (see 1.10);
Define any special personality traits (see 1.11);
Purchase the character's starting possessions (see 1.12);
Work out the total cp value of the character so far, and compare this with the starting cp value plus background bonuses. If the total cp value is too great, cut out or reduce aspects of the character that are not essential to the character concept until the allowed level is achieved;
Fine tune the character (e.g. by adding some more skill scores or increasing existing skill scores) until the total cp value of the character equals his/her starting cp value plus background bonuses;
Record the character's initial encumbrance, tiredness and wounds (see 1.13).

These processes are described in more detail in the sections referred to above.

All aspects of the character are recorded on an Age of Magic character sheet. This is available in:

See also the following examples of character generation:

Cogan the barbarian (or download a completed character sheet in HTML, Lotus 1-2-3 97 worksheet or Microsoft Excel 97 worksheet (needs Excel installed))
Ben Ruben (or download a completed character sheet in HTML, Lotus 1-2-3 97 worksheet or Microsoft Excel 97 worksheet (needs Excel installed))