Steps to Create Your Character

I have created a character sheet/spreadsheet that will help you create you characters by filling in some of the information for you. You may also choose to use the "Official" character sheets that you can download here.

Step 1:

Select a race and "roll" your attribute stats. Most of you have done this sort of thing before. You will need to reference this race attribute chart in order to find at how many dice you roll for each attribute. Also look there for info on what each attribute means (the page has been updated to include this). You can also use the "Spend" points and assign points to your attributes so long as the total of all of your attribute stats does not exceed the Spend point budget. On my handy character sheet, there is a faint gray number above the attribute stats which shows a running total of att stats to make it easier to stay within the Spend budget.

Step 2:

Now you have to pick an OCC (Occupational Character Class). Each OCC you can choose gives you some skills and bonuses, and you get to choose some of your own skills. Check at the recently posted OCC page and let me know which ones you are considering so that I can forward to you specific information about that class. Go ahead and select an alignment, but don't fret over it too much; in the end I am more interested in being organic about the choices for good or evil that your character makes. To keep it simple to start with, choose just the category of alignment for now: Good, Selfish, Evil. (Well, I said no evil to start, so...)

Step 3:

You now need to round out your character with additional skills. Each OCC allows you a certain number of extra skills from certain skill sets. This link here will take you to a list of all Palladium and Rifts skills. You can choose from any that are either "A" for all or "F" for Fantasy, unless you are a Skedic, in which case you can choose almost anything at all. Please note that I have simplified the skills in the game: all skills start at 30% and increase at 5% per level, except secondary skills, which start at 25% and increase at 3% per level. You may also "invent" a skill if you feel you have come up with something that is not on the list, just let me know what you think that skill is/does.

Step 4:

Outfit your character with the things you think you will need: weapons, armor, rope, food, small knifes, candles--whatever you think you will actually use. You will each get individual guidelines on what to have as far as weapons and armor go once you reach this stage.

Step 5:

You need a background for your character that includes information on where you are from (farmhouse, village, city, as well as country of origin) and who you family was or is. This is one of the more important parts of creating your character, and the answers you come up with for these questions can influence a great deal of what happens at points in the game.The map here shows you the basic outline of the known world. You tell me what area you would like to be from, and I will give you the real maps for your home area, as well as territorially specific information about your homeland that nobody else would know. Likewise, tell me your family background and I will tell you what sort of connections you have to people throughout the world. Who knows, you might even get bonus skills depending on your family's line of work.

Step 6:

Double check your character sheet to make sure all your stats and bonuses are accounted for, then give me a copy ( or I will make one) of your character sheet.