Character Creation
All characters spend Experience Points (or XP) on skills to create their unique character. As the game progresses, the amount of starting XP for a new character also increases so that players who join later (or decide to swap to a new character) are not significantly behind the other players.
The baseline starting Experience Points was 86 XP. It increases by 5 XP for every three day event and 2 XP for every one day event that occurs.
Players who pay for an event (whether or not they are able to attend) gain 15XP for every three day event and 7 XP for every one day event.
If you need advice or assistance beyond what is covered in this guide, feel free to reach out to Citadel Staff or join our Discord.
Below is the step-by-step guide to creating a player character for Citadel. However, we have a useful spreadsheet tool available that makes this process a little easier. To gain access to this character creator sheet, you must first submit a New Player Form on the Citadel Player Portal.
Step 1 - Soul Bond.
Every character in Citadel begins play with a Soul Bond to one (1) Aspect of Essence. This does not cost any XP. You just need to choose which Aspect of Essence to which your character has a Soul Bond. A Soul Bond sometimes gives bonuses when using that Aspect or when using certain items. It is also the prerequisite for purchasing Heritage Tiers.
The Soul Bond does not have to be the same Aspect as the one associated with the character’s nation, but most often is. The choices are: Air (Kyr), Earth (Vonor), Fire (Razir), Light (Ora), or Water (Ishui). If you choose a Soul Bond that is different from your nation, then we encourage you to come up with a reason for that in your backstory. The reason doesn’t have to be any more complicated than you have an ancestor from a different nation, or you have traveled and lived in the nation associated with the Soul Bond you chose
A character may purchase a Second Soul Bond and a Third Soul Bond. Orani, because of their unique culture, are allowed to purchase a Second Soul Bond without spending XP. You may never have more than three (3) Soul Bonds. See the Soul Bond section for more information.
Step 2 - Heritages.
Choose whether or not to purchase any Heritages. When a character chooses to more closely bind themselves to an Aspect of Essence, they express new magical abilities and physical or behavioral traits. You may purchase up to three (3) Tiers of a Heritage, and it is not limited to one type. For example, a character could have Vonor Heritage 1, Kyr Heritage 1, and Razir Heritage 1; or a character could have Ishui Heritage 1 and 2, and Ora Heritage 1. See the Heritage section for more information.
Step 3 - General Skills.
Choose whether or not to purchase any General Skills. General skills include all of the non-combat skills that a character might want, including some innate traits (such as Light Sleeper), and practical skills such as Tracking or Cartography.
Step 4 - Combat Skills.
Choose whether or not to purchase any Combat Skills. Even if you plan to focus on other skills, you may want to pick up a few Combat Skills to better defend yourself. The world of Tokavah can be a dangerous place!
Any character may wear Light Armor without spending XP. Any character can wield a one-handed melee weapon and use its Passive Benefit without purchasing a Weapon Proficiency; however, you must be proficient with a weapon in order to use the weapon’s Utility Function or Weapon Maneuvers. You also must be proficient in order to use the Passive Benefit of two-handed weapons or unique melee weapons (i.e claws, staff, and spear).
Purchasing a Weapon Proficiency, the ability to wear heavier armor, the ability to carry a shield, or Toughness are things we advise every player to consider. If you are certain you won’t ever purchase Weapon Maneuvers, then you may want to purchase a Dodge.
Step 5 - Choose the Main Focus
Step 5a - Combat Skills
If you plan for your main focus to be Combat Skills, then your first decision is what Weapon Proficiency to purchase. Each weapon has unique Passive Benefits, Utility Functions, and Weapon Maneuvers. Proficiency in ranged weapons (such as a crossbow or sparktech gun), hand-and-a-half weapons, and the ability to wield a weapon in both hands may be purchased as well. You’ll need to decide if you want to wear armor that is heavier than Light Armor and if you want to carry a shield. We advise every combat focused character to purchase at least one (1) point of Toughness.
Once you have decided on your Weapon Proficiency then you can begin purchasing Weapon Maneuvers. You’ll start with Basic Maneuvers (up to three). Once you have three (3) Basic Maneuvers, you can purchase Advanced Maneuvers and Weapon Defense Maneuvers. You must have all three (3) Defensive Maneuvers before you can purchase Warrior Dodges for 10 XP. After you have your Advanced and Defensive Maneuvers, you can purchase Master Maneuvers. You must have three (3) Basic, three (3) Advanced, and three (3) Weapon Defense Maneuvers before you are eligible to purchase Master Maneuvers.
Next, you’ll want to check out the General Combat Skills, the Combat Skills per Short Rest, and the Combat Skills per Reset in order to create a well-rounded combat character.
Step 5b - Trade Skills
If you plan for your main focus to be a Trade Skill, then you have three options: Artificer, Inscription, or Physicker Studies. The Trade Skills are skills that allow a character to create tagged items (items that are In-Play and can be used or sold within the game). Each Tier of a Trade Skill provides a character with five (5) Production Points per Production Period, and makes the character eligible to purchase other associated skills.
An Artificer is trained in the art of taking raw metals and other materials and crafting them into useful items, such as Weapons, Armor, or other Tinkered creations. Skilled Artificers may learn Arcanatech, which is the art of imbuing an Artificer's creations with Essence.
Inscription is the art of infusing Essence into paper and ink, such as to copy magical formulations or create spellscrolls. Practitioners of this art, called Scribes, may also train in the art of Sigilcraft, which allows them to more quickly activate magical effects.
Physickers heal through bandaging, stitching, or placing salves on Wounds, and by administering healing potions. Advanced practitioners study the art of Alchemy, where they precisely balance the extracted properties of ingredients in order to create even more potent elixirs, chemicals, and poisons.
Step 5c - Magic Skills
If you plan for your main focus to be a Magic Skill, then you have two options: Wizardry or Channeling.
Practitioners of Wizardry bend the forces of magic to their will by shaping runes of power. As a form of magic, Wizardry offers a wider range of effects, particularly unusual utility effects, than any other magic. However, they must spend time each Reset casting their rituals and storing them within their focus.
Channelers are living vessels of magical power focused on one to three Aspects of Essence. They don’t require a focus or spell preparation as wizards do, and their power returns with a Short Rest rather than the setting of the sun.
You may also want to consider the General Magic Skills in order to create a well-rounded magically focused character.
Step 6 - Fill in the Gaps
If you have any XP left to spend at this point, you can go back and pick up other skills outside of your main focus. See above to guide you and provide the links to the relevant sections.
Although this guide refers to your “main focus”, there is no “right” way to build a character. You could specialize in one category, mix and match a few different categories, or purchase a little bit of everything. If you ever have regrets about your XP expenditures, please reach out to Citadel staff. We want everyone to play the character that is most fun for them.
Starting Money & Equipment
Money
New characters receive ten (10) copper marks and two (2) silver kennings. You can choose to pocket that money or spend it on additional starting supplies. Supplies bought before or at the beginning of that character’s first event in this way may be purchased at the Standard Material Unit value for those items. (That means, they are purchased “at cost” rather than with the normal sales markup).
One (1) Material Unit (or MU) is worth five (5) copper marks. For more information about the value of coins and other materials, visit the Technology & Economy page.
Equipment
The starting equipment you receive is based on what skills your character has. (Please note that these are all tags that represent the In-Game item, not physical items. For more information about phys-reps check out the Props & Gear section.)
Armor
Characters receive one suit of armor, up to the heaviest type the character can wear. All characters have Light Armor proficiency, but you must have a sufficient physrep to benefit from that armor.
Shield
If the character is proficient with a shield, you receive one shield, up to the heaviest type the character can use.
Weapons
Characters receive three (3) weapons of their choice that they can use. All characters can use one-handed melee weapons without purchasing proficiency in any weapons. You must have proficiency with any other weapon you choose as starting equipment.
Magic Skills Gear
Wizard
If you start play as a Wizard, you gain Tethered Star of the Ora plus four (4) additional spells of your choice from the Wizard Common Spells list. The official printed versions will be given to you at Check-In of your first game - do not print them yourself. You also receive your chosen Wizard Focus.
Channeling
When you buy the Novice Channeling skill, you learn four (4) First Circle spells for your Aspect. See the Channeler Common Spells for details.
Channeler spells do not have a tag or printed paper. However, we advise all Channelers to create a spellbook for themselves to reference as needed during an event.
Trade Skills Gear
Artificing Diagrams
A character that begins play as an Artificer chooses ten (10) common Diagrams they have the capability to craft to have within their Book of Diagrams. See the Common Formulas tab on the Artificer Production Table for more information.
Arcanatech Diagrams
A player who begins play as an Arcanatechnician may choose three (3) of the following Arcanatech Diagrams:
The Apprentice Prepares the Anvil (Resist Destruction 1x/Reset)
The Hand Touches the Bellows (Spellstrike Arrow 3x/Reset)
The Touch of Moonlight (Glow)
The Guardian Aspect (Ward against [Aspect] 3x/ Reset)
The Warning Look (3x / Reset Sense Traps)
Sparktech pistol
Sparktech musket
Inscription Patterns
A character that begins play as a Scribe chooses ten (10) common spellscroll Patterns which they have the capability to craft. See the Common Formulas tab on the Inscription Production Table for more information.
Sigilcraft Patterns
You may choose five (5) Common Spells from the Common Spells list. See the commonly known Sigilcraft spells here: Sigilcraft - Common Spells.
Physicker Formulas
A character that begins play as a Physicker, receives ten (10) Common recipes they have the ability to craft. See the Common Formula tab on the Physicker Studies Production Table for more information.
If the character begins with Physicker 3 or higher, they also start with a Chirurgery Kit.
Alchemy Formulas
A character that begins play as an Alchemist receives:
Dart (thrown)
Arrow (thrown)
Cauldron of Cleansing
The ore & kalzokash transmutation Alchemy Formulas
Alchemical Furnace and Tier 1 tokens (& the Formulas for the Furnace & Tier 1 tokens)
General Skills Gear
Gardener & Botanist
A character with the Gardener skill receives a number of common plants equal to their level of Gardener, plus two (2) additional ones if they have the Botanist skill.
You can view the list of Common plants here: Plants of Tokavah
Book Binding
If your character has Wizardry, Channeling, Artificing, Inscription, or Physicker you get one (1) free book binding tag.