1 Before writing anything down, it's best to have an idea of who 2 Next we assign ratings to our character’s attributes.

ributes. They can all

our character is. Hailing from the cold northern mountains,
Tallosh the Barbarian is a proud, lonesome warrior, and the
sole survivor of his clan (long decimated by the evil dragon
Abeloth).
be set at ⑧ or, alternatively, one at ⑩, one at ⑧, and one at
⑥. Based on Tallosh’s background and personality, we rate
his Physical at ⑩, his Mental at ⑧, and his Social at ⑥.
Please nhe stress track Mental attribute. Hammerheads
uses the Shaken and Stricken mod (page 42).

3 All skills start at ④, and then you have 12 skill

points to put into into skill's die ratings, with one
point stepping up a die by one step (up to a ⑩
skill). We decide that Tallosh is a fierce combat-
tant, so we put 3 points in Fight and then
distribute the rest to reflect his adventuring
experience. We assign 2 points in Labor, Move,
and Survive, then 1 point in Notice, Throw, and
Treat.
4 Now we can flesh out Tallosh as a person with the
three distinctions. Distinctions can represent
roles, relationships, quirks, personality types,
character histories, or any other descriptor that
helps to flesh out who the PC is in the game. Dis-
tinctions are always rated at ⑧. With a bloody
past, fighting experience, and an intimidating
physique, that fills out each distinction easily. All
distinctions share the basic Hinder SFX.

5 Characters start with one or two abilities rated

from ⑥ to ⑫, depending in large part on the
scope of gifted individuals in the game. An ability
is a special kind of trait that represents a special
talent, unusual quality, or rare piece of gear that
most normal humans or baseline characters don't
have. An ability always comes with one if its listed
SFX for free, as well as an appropriate Limit. There
is a list of abilities and SFX in Prime Lists starting
page 194. Alternatively, a player may opt to drop
an ability in order to add 5 additionnal points in
skills. We choose the Invulnerability ability
(renammed Thick Skinned for flavor) to reflect
Tallosh's super-human resistance to bodily harm.

6 Finally, we get to assign specialties and

Note: As these are meant to be multi-session
sheets, we recommend using pencil if you’re not
using a digital character file. Attributes and other
traits can change during the course of a series.
Note: Use the margins for
notes or to keep track of
assets (which can become
signature assets with XP).
signature assets to our character. A specialty is
a narrow area of concentration or focus within a
skill (like Guns, for example). Signature assets
are iconic weapons, tools, or otherwise extras
that "belong" to the character and act like any
other trait. Players have 5 points to spend on
these at character creation. Each point may be
used to:
• Add a specialty rated at a ⑥.
• Create a signature asset at a ⑥.
• Step up a ⑥ signature asset to a ⑧.
We decide to let Tallosh start out with its trusty
Heirloom Two-Handed Axe ⑥ and War
Horn ⑥, leaving us with 3 points to either
spend on specialties or to step up those assets.

HOW TO FILL OUT

YOUR CORTEX
CHARACTER FILE