Character Creation
Welcome to Character Creation! In this page, you will select your character's Sophont and Homeworld, and, if you're one of our Patrons, you may also spend points into their Skill and Gear. Make sure to follow along the character sheet, and check the layers for an example filled in sheet.
When you're done, you will have a character, complete with stats and inventory, ready to play in our upcoming TTRPG, E.N.Core! Or for roleplay on our Discord!
The Adventure
Before anyone can create a character, the group must agree on what sort of adventure they are embarking on.
It is the Narrator who bears the duty of laying out the stakes and dangers of the adventure, but Ethnis is a massive space, and contextualizing where you plan to explore can help when generating your character.
NOTE: If you are just making a character without a campaign, feel free to choose whichever setting would fit your character!
Drop into lost, reclaimed worlds. Plunder forgotten treasures and ruins or find the cultures which survived the Melancholic Lacuna.
Join in the ongoing effort to settle a reclaimed world. Lawlessness and law exist in constant flux, and there's always jobs to be done to survive.
Sophont
To be sophontic is to possess wisdom, wit, and reason. It is the umbrella term for intelligence within Ethnis. You, reader, are sophontic. You are self-aware in a complex way, capable of introspection to depths which other life cannot comprehend.
There are tiers of sophonce lower than yours, and tiers above. Your mind is Incomprehensible to a mouse, though whether or not that is of any consequence to the universe is yet unknown.
An ancient people with a complex history. Each Verin is a new entry in the ongoing chronicles of a species unified by a tale sprawling back beyond memory.
Their past is defined by hubris. The terrible mistakes they made recurr and are punished again and again, like ripples in a pond lingering long after the splash.
To be Verin is to have an intimate bond with Consequence.
Chosen. Not by fate to fulfill a grand design, but engineered by the Verin to serve. Borne to parents more proud of the act of creation than of its fruit.
They chose another path. They broke their chains and fashioned them into armor. They chose to define themselves, rather than be defined by their creators.
To be Sazashi is to have an intimate bond with Purpose.
Humanity grew up alone on a world which was theirs to shape and destroy. Their short lives made for short plans, and their children were forced to pay penance for their actions.
This transience is humanity's boon and curse, feeding cycles of growth and collapse. With each iteration, members arise to embody and shape the dream of the collective unconscious.
To be Human is to have an intimate bond with Choice.
Verin
Though Verin can live upwards of hundreds to thousands of years with medical provisions, but their memory is only accurately reliable within the last 100-150 years, up to 200 it's murky, and beyond that they have to rely on secondhand accounts and their old journals.
In ways which science has only begun to articulate, the connection the Verin share with the meta is an instinctual one.
Four of your Attributes have Bonuses.
Your Meta is permanantly doubled.
Faeo are Tall and willowy, with legs of great length and fleshy horns which grow like rounded antlers. Their unique strength is in their minds—they quickly return to emotional equilibrium after stress.
The typical Faeo temperament is characterized by a take-charge attitude of tactical deliberation, and many tales warn of hubris and a Machiavellian penchant for cruelty.
| Size | UBS | LBS | VIT | RFX | ACU | MTP | NRV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Instinctual Traits
You start with these traits
- Meditative Recovery
- Hot Blood
Learned Traits
You can purchase these traits
- Mental Shield
Chea are stocky, with dark skin and curved, sturdy horns. They're well adapted to surviving prolonged exposure to Jhoutai's blazing sun, and to surviving on the sandy savannahs and salt marshes from which their ancestors hailed.
The Chea are characterized by a survivalist mentality, and the willingness to enter dangerous situations head on.
| Size | UBS | LBS | VIT | RFX | ACU | MTP | NRV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Instinctual Traits
You start with these
- Melanophores
- Cool Blood
Learnable Traits
You may purchase these
- Hypercoagulant Blood
- Hide Plating
Verin traits rarely mix, but stable hybrid bloodlines occaisionally emerge.
Though diminutive, especially compared to their Faeo and Chea lineage, Faecha are remarkably sturdy. They have have striking, pewter-hued skin which gleams in bright light, and have short, bifurcated horns.
| Size | UBS | LBS | VIT | RFX | ACU | MTP | NRV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Instinctual Traits
You start with these traits
- Sturdy
Learned Traits
You can purchase these traits
- Vodalkyn Mimicry
In contrast to the tall Faeo and stocky Chea, the Sauthei tend to be lean and short, with a remarkable sense of smell which many credit as the reason for why there are so many great Sauthei chemists, trackers, and chefs.
Their horns grow in twisting ധ shapes, with sharp tapered tips and a texture like smooth bark. It's not uncommon for them to incorporate small flowers, ivy, and succulents into their horns as decoration.
| Size | UBS | LBS | VIT | RFX | ACU | MTP | NRV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Instinctual Traits
You start with these traits
- Chemosense
Learned Traits
You can purchase these traits
- Discerning Palette
Sazashi
The Sazashi are born with a unique organic drive known as Ah'hei, which gives unique Mantras and bonuses.
Five of your Attributes have Bonuses
You start with an Ah'hei Mantra.
Hiserabi are agile and clever. Their prehensile tales and ability to switch between quadrupal and bipedal movement gives them an excellent sense of balance and spatial reckoning, and draws them towards lifestyles which take advantage of their movement
Unfortunately, Hiserabi stereotypes and misunderstanding of their cultures venerates and vilifies an image of thievery and mania, forcing many to live within that role.
| Size | UBS | LBS | VIT | RFX | ACU | MTP | NRV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | -1 | 0 | -2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
What you find today may save tomorrow.
Instinctual Traits
You start with these traits
- Prehensile Tail
- Facultative Quadruped
Learned Traits
You can purchase these traits
- Pocket Crop
- Barometric Sense
The Kajh are the most physical of the Sazashi Kinds, their strength and Ah'hei combine to make them some of the best builders and craftsman in the universe. Their Ah'hei instills a love of physical action which takes a multitude of forms, such as dancing, brawling, building, and brewing.
Kajh stand at the forefront of a multitude of industries: architecture, shipbuilding, mining, construction, conflict, and colonization all appeal to their nature.
| Size | UBS | LBS | VIT | RFX | ACU | MTP | NRV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | -1 | 0 | -2 | 0 |
Nothing tops the exhaustion of putting in a hard day of hard work.
Instinctual Traits
You start with these traits
- Over-extension
- Reinforced Keratin
Learned Traits
You can purchase these traits
- Muscle Lock
- Dead-Blow Musculature
Survivalists by design, the Khirmagne homestead at the boundries of danger; They tame the wild, and make the unlivable livable. With an Ah'hei that invites peril, they are not a populous people. They fling themselves towards risks, teetering on the edge between thrillseeking and fulfilling a deathwish. For a Khirmagne, no danger is too daunting to taunt.
The Khirmagne excel in toxic environments, and are found the most working in colonization, sanitation, and farming.
| Size | UBS | LBS | VIT | RFX | ACU | MTP | NRV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -2 | -1 |
Tame the dangerous
Instinctual Traits
You start with these traits
- Barometric Quills
- Thick Hide
Learned Traits
You can purchase these traits
- Gastric Regen
- Iron Stomach
The Ral-mi are communally oriented, capable of discerning and deciphering the subtle social cues that all sophontic beings give off. They can pick out lies, assuage fears, and bolster their allies with ease.
Family and group dynamics, whether by blood or by choice, follow a Ral-mi wherever they travel. They are renown for hosting great parties and feasts, no matter if there is an occasion or not. Those who come between a Ral-mi and their family will be reminded of a Ral-mi's physical strength.
| Size | UBS | LBS | VIT | RFX | ACU | MTP | NRV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -2 | -1 | 0 |
I must defend my people.
Instinctual Traits
You start with these traits
- Powerful Tail
- Hyper-Empathy
Learned Traits
You can purchase these traits
- Unspoken Communication
- Situational Awareness
The Sheljt measure their worth by their beliefs, and defend their views to the hilt. Many become the masters of their ideas, understanding in and around the definition of what they believe in. This conviction makes them the influental educators, keepers of the faith, and traditionalists.
Sheljt are famously precise and strict in their beliefs. This can be a boon or a curse.
| Size | UBS | LBS | VIT | RFX | ACU | MTP | NRV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -1 |
I value my beliefs above myself.
Instinctual Traits
You start with these traits
- Prehensile Tail
- Rigid Discipline
Learned Traits
You can purchase these traits
- Imbued Body
- Meditative Acuity
Nasyk are among the hardiest races of Sazashi, especially for surviving in extreme climates. Wielding their natural metabolic control and superb immune systems, they survive and grow where most other races would succumb to slow and painful deaths.
The Nasyk possess an arsenal of survival traits. Combined with their wanderlust, a Nasyk is rarely found at the heart of society, and instead are often found expanding its bounds.
| Size | UBS | LBS | VIT | RFX | ACU | MTP | NRV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | -1 | -2 |
Where others wither, I will thrive.
Instinctual Traits
You start with these traits
- Undercoat
- Metabolic Mastery
Learned Traits
You can purchase these traits
- Selective Hibernation
- Lactic Antagony
Humans
Humanity has access to their own school of magic known as Somnancy.
Three of your Attributes have Bonuses. (Firstheart have none)
You are capable of casting projection spells.
The Firstheart are the original kind of Human shaped through evolution over thousands of years.
While they do not stand as strong or have the enhancments of other Kinds of Human, they do have numbers.
| Size | UBS | LBS | VIT | RFX | ACU | MTP | NRV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Instinctual Traits
You start with these traits
- None!
Learned Traits
You can purchase these traits
- None!
The Gearheart are a branch of humanity with engrained technology interfaces.
Their bodies are able to detect electrical radiation, and their brain is natively able to communicate in Ethnis' programming language.
| Size | UBS | LBS | VIT | RFX | ACU | MTP | NRV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Instinctual Traits
You start with these traits
- ironClad Lobe
- Synesthesia
Learned Traits
You can purchase these traits
- Magnetoception
- Divination Link
Ireheart are the fighters of humanity, a kind born of warfare and skirmishing.
Specialized glands can send the Ireheart into a Berserk, a state of mental numbness and physical overdrive to avoid the stresses of conflict.
| Size | UBS | LBS | VIT | RFX | ACU | MTP | NRV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -1 |
Instinctual Traits
You start with these traits
- Berserk
- Coagulating Blood
Learned Traits
You can purchase these traits
- Projection Autonomy
The Bleakheart are a metaphysically sensitive kind, so much so that sanity damage erupts into physical alterations around them.
Bleakheart are capable of powerful meta spells, but the risks of their transformations often given them a bad reputation in civilized society.
| Size | UBS | LBS | VIT | RFX | ACU | MTP | NRV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Instinctual Traits
You start with these traits
- Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
- Transformations
Learned Traits
You can purchase these traits
- Blossom
- Self-Control
World
Now that you have chosen your Sophont, it's time to choose your Home World. This is where you were born and raised. It's where your immediate family is from, and it's where you originally embarked from before beginning on this journey.
There are many worlds in the works, but for now we shall limit our scope to The Hub. Follow us or Join the Ethnis Discord to stay up to date on new worlds as we add them!
Read the synopsis of each world and see what appeals to you. When you're ready, click the button at the bottom of your favorite choice and follow the backstory generation on the other side. You will return with 2 Favored attributes, 2 Mantras, and some starting Gear.
Jhoutai is the home world of the Sazashi, and its grandmother. It was the Verin who rose from the primordial ooze of Jhoutai, and the Verin who made the Sazashi. After long aeons of labor and suppression, the Sazashi revolted, claiming birthwright over the world they had been created to tame. In the ashes of the Verin empire—the Procession—the leaders which emerged from the revolution signed the first of what would come to be many editions of the Pact.
Changes in time and how it handles having a place for everyone and has a safety net and all that. The dangers of anywhere but the deep city and the constant pressure to join the jhoutigari.
The Pact divides the world, and unites it. Not everyone agrees with it. Not everyone is treated well by it. It offers a space, safety, and health for everyone—but only if you abide by it.
You will be returned here when you are done.
Anchaemo is a world settled by the arks of those who escaped Jhoutai when the ValuSelu Pact threatened to eradicate the remainder of the Verin-ruled Vadakendanic Procession thousands of years after their revolution-against and conquering-of it.
In bodies fashioned after their will into forms gargantuan and strange, a pantheon of 8 Leviathans have roamed its garden for a thousand years, seeding forests and seas where empty rusted planes and cratered earth once stood barren. They travel as far as the moon, and as deep as the core, heeding only their master—Kyvadakendus Sichalim, and the word of the Vanthra—a house of leaders elected from the ruling families.
Anchaemani culture values longevity, intent, and grace. Life in its gardens is rarely demanding, but the only way up the ranks of society—and the only way offworld—is to truly prove yourself before these ideals.
You will be returned here when you are done.
The Pact left Earth in a worse state than they found it in. The Pact may have staved off ecological collapse with meta and by infesting Earth with its invasive species, but the toll of pollution, strip mining, and raw greed left Earth on its death keel.
When the ValuSelu Pact left, the dwindling survivors were left with a planet wracked with famine, plague, and corruptive magics. When the Church of the Somnolent unveiled humanities power through Meta, they birthed Eden from the ashes of Earth and set forth on restoring the planet.
You will be returned here when you are done.
Perduro is one of the three original Federation planets, an industrial world where money is king and thrills are cheap. The soft red sands of its deserts and obsidian-dusted mountain slopes brings back a bit of that home-grown pride to any native.
But Perudo is not all glory and guts, at least not for everyone. Capitalism is alive and well in the Federation, which means scarcity is integral to the economy.
On Perduro, there are haves and have nots, and they come in all shapes and sizes.
You will be returned here when you are done.
Victoriana is the home of the Andromeda Syndicate, a political conglomeration of corporations. A ever-evolving and advancing machine of research, development, and corporate boardroom tactics. The grandeur of brass machinations the size of SkyScrapers breaking through the misty clouded sky is always a breathtaking view.
The people of Victoriana live under their employers, which is great for those who enjoy their work, and hell for those who don't. With corporations becoming as much part of someone's life as the air they breath, it can be torture for those with a independent spirit.
You will be returned here when you are done.
Skills and Attributes
Skills and Attributes
| UBS | Upper Body Strength |
|---|---|
| Rend | Twisting, tearing, breaking, pulling |
| Climb | Scaling vertical surfaces |
| Brawl | Landing an accurate punch |
| Grapple | Pin, hold objects still/cling onto them |
| LBS | Lower Body Strength |
|---|---|
| Swim | Move through liquids, stay afloat |
| Vault | Leaping, jumping, and falling |
| Stomp | Landing an accurate kick |
| Agility | Balance, running, stealth |
| VIT | Vitality |
|---|---|
| Armor | Absorbing damage with your raiment |
| Immunity | Negate consumption status effects |
| Resistance | Negate environmental status effects |
| Toughness | Negate damage status effects |
| RFX | Reflex |
|---|---|
| Evasion | Sidestep or duck under dangers |
| Precision | Accuracy with ranged weapons |
| Weaponry | Accuracy with swung weapons |
| Navigation | Proficiency with vehicles |
| ACU | Acuity |
|---|---|
| Biology | The study of life (anatomy & botany) |
| Chemistry | Identifying anc reating chemicals |
| Mechatronics | Mechanics, Electronics, and Code |
| Anthropology | History, Lore, and Cultures |
| MTP | Metaphysics |
|---|---|
| Perceive | Gain insight of properties |
| Disrupt | Destruction of properties |
| Enhance | Binding/mutation of properties |
| Direct | Articulation of Properties |
| NRV | Nerve |
|---|---|
| Aesthetic | Putting things together |
| Innuendo | Conveying intent that doesn't match your phrasing, or reading intent. |
| Gastronomy | Cooking and potions |
| Music | Entertainment and distraction |
There are 7 Attributes and 28 Skills. Skills affect your success with Actions; Attributes affect their outcomes. You may use any Skill, but you’ll live longer if you focus your efforts. Find friends to make up the difference.
Each Attribute is governed by 4 Skills, as shown to the left. As you increase your Skills, these Attributes will increase as well. Attributes provide passive bonuses, such as affecting turn order, movement speed, and base damage.
Instruction
Let’s start laying out your Skills and Stats.
- Choose a Primary Attribute and Secondary Attribute from the Favored Attributes you gained from your Origin.
From building your backstory, you have marked 2 Favored Attributes on your sheet. One of these will be your Primary Attribute, and one will be your Secondary Attribute. You must choose which is which.
- The Skills of your Primary and Secondary Attributes all begin at 10.
- Spend 80 points across the skills of your Primary Attribute. Your Skill Cap is 60.
- Spend 60 points across the skills of your Secondary Attribute. Your Skill Cap is 40.
- Choose a 3rd Attribute. Spend 40 points across its skills. Your Skill Cap is 20.
- Choose any Attribute to spend an additional 20 Skill Points into. Your Skill Cap is 60.
Skill Points are spent 10 at a time.
Additional Levels
Your statistics are on the first page, sandwiched between your Mantras and your Abilities.
| Group→Stat | Formula |
|---|---|
| Physique→Burden | 5 + UBS + LBS |
| Physique→Carry | 2 + UBS + LBS |
| Physique→PDR | VIT |
| Stamina→Current | Starts the same as your Max |
| Stamina→Max | 5 + UBS + LBS + VIT |
| Stamina→Exhaustion | Starts at 0 |
| Sanity→Current | Starts the same as your Max |
| Sanity→Max | 10 + ACU + MTP + NRV |
| Sanity→SDR | Equal to the number of Insanities you have |
| Metaphys.→Current | Starts the same as your Max |
| Metaphys.→Max | 10 + ACU + MTP + NRV |
| Metaphys.→Generation | 0, until you become a Monolith |
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