Character Creation

0. Pick crew archetype

1. Choosing a Playbook
To make a PC, you first need to pick a playbook. A playbook is a particular archetype, a set of ideas
bound together as a guideline for your character—but not a straitjacket. Each playbook has plenty of
room for you to build a unique character!

2. Name, Species, Details, and Demeanor

For these sections, you pick your name, your species, your details, and your demeanor. Choosing these
elements can help sketch out the initial skeleton of your character. You can always revisit these later if
you change your mind and want to pick something that better matches your developing character.

Name
For a name, make up something of your own. You might also have a nickname, like Scar or Patches,
that other citizens call you!

Species
Your species is what kind of creature you are. You can be anything. Lots of species can be silly/goofy.
Pick something fun!

Details
For details, you have three lines of options with a few details that are mostly unique to your playbook.
Circle at least one option from each line, or fill in your own and circle it. You can circle more options if
you choose for them to apply. The first line is always the pronouns that your character uses; the second
line is a small physical description of your character, to prime other players for picturing the character
in their heads; and the third line is an interesting detail or item that you carry, not generally something
of great use or particular advantage, but a trinket that means something to you.

Demeanor
For demeanor, choose one option and circle it, or fill in your own. Demeanor is just a short cue about
your character’s overall bearing and personality. As always, this is meant to be a prompt, a way to get
you started with options that fit your playbook well—it’s not meant to be a hard limit.
3. Background Questions
The background questions are prompts to get you thinking about and filling in your character’s past.
Every character has a past, and those elements are great story fodder for interesting, dramatic scenes
down the line.

Where Do You Call Home?

This question is a combination of “where are you from?” and “what place matters deeply to you?” If
you’re a character, you don’t really have a place where you’re settled, where you live day in and day
out. But many characters have a place in their hearts held in special fondness, whether because they’re
from that place, or because they return to that place when they need to rest for a time. That’s your
home. Saying that it’s one of the planets means that planet is an important place to you; saying it’s
space means that somewhere in the wilds of the space, you have a safe space to rest; and saying that it’s
a place far from here means that you’re likely from elsewhere, not attached to any particular spaces in
the universe.

Why Are You a character?

Every PC in a game of Root: The RPG is a character. That means they don’t settle down, they keep
traveling around space, and they’ve had to acquire some degree of skill. But most importantly, they
choose to continue being characters. Answering why you are a character speaks both to the events that
brought you to be a character in the first place, and to the reasons you continue to be a character today.
What’s more, if you find the answer to this question is ever resolved, then it’s fair to ask if that
character would retire and settle down. If they wouldn’t give up a life of adventuring yet…you need a
new reason to keep being a character.

Whom Have You Left Behind?

Becoming a character always means leaving others behind, one way or another. Whether it’s friends
and family you left behind at your home or it’s a teacher you left behind as you struck out on your own,
there’s someone who meant a great deal to you whom you left to move throughout the Woodland as a
character. When you choose your answer to this question, you choose a character of significance to
you. Make sure you think about some details for them, like their name, species, why you left them, and
where they might still be found.

4. The Stats
Every PC in Root: The RPG has five stats that measure, as a rough baseline, how good they are at
particular things. Those five stats are: Charm, Cunning, Finesse, Luck, and Might.
Charm represents a character’s facility with conversation, dialogue, and social interaction. The higher
Charm a character has, the more likely they are to be able to persuade NPCs to act as they wish, or to
figure out what’s going on in other character’ heads.

Cunning represents a character’s craftiness, perceptiveness, and cleverness.The higher Cunning a

character has, the more likely they are to be able to trick NPCs to act as they wish, or to take in the
situation around them and determine effective courses of action.

Finesse represents a character’s manual dexterity and skill with their hands.The higher Finesse a
character has, the more likely they are to be able to perform complicated roguish feats and do things
like shoot a bow accurately.

Luck represents a character’s sheer willpower, survivability, and, well…luck. The higher Luck a
character has, the more likely they are to be able to scrape through dangerous or complicated situations
more or less intact, but never without a price.

Might represents a character’s pure physical strength. The higher Might a character has, the more likely
they are to be able to smash apart doors or locks, or to be absolutely deadly in close-up melee combat.

Your playbook comes with a pre-chosen set of stats, showcasing the particular kind of character that
playbook represents. You can adjust your character’s pre-chosen set of stats slightly by adding +1 to
any one stat of your choice, but you can’t raise any stat beyond a +2 (right now).

In general, a +0 represents an average stat for a character—which is still better than most Woodland
citizens. Anything below a 0 means that when the character tries to use that stat, they’re taking a real
risk. Anything above a 0 means that when the character tries to use that stat, they’re likely to remain in
control and get what they want.

5. Nature & Drives

Every character PC has a nature and two drives. Your nature speaks to your inner character, a kind of
baseline description of what you feel, how you act, and most importantly, how you relieve stress. Your
nature describes a way that you can clear all of your exhaustion track, usually by getting into trouble or
giving in to some difficult urge. Exhaustion is one of your harm tracks, measuring how tired your
character is; clearing it gives you a burst of energy to be much more effective. For more on exhaustion,
see page 55.

You are never required to follow your nature, but you will likely want to over the course of play,
whether because it makes sense for your character or because you need to clear your exhaustion track.
Pick a nature that you’re interested in actually following; if you can’t see yourself ever fulfilling your
nature, then it’s not a good choice.

Your drives, on the other hand, speak to deep wants within your character. If your nature is a kind of
dangerous instinct of your character, then your drives are desires that come up again and again. Your
drives each give you a condition by which you can advance—fulfill the condition, and your character
grows just a bit stronger, just a bit more effective. For more on advancement, see page 170.

You have two drives, and you can advance once for each drive per session. Similar to your nature, pick
drives that you’re interested in pursuing. During play you will look for opportunities to fulfill your
drives and advance, so if you’re not interested in doing that for a particular drive, it’s not a good
choice.

6. Connections
Your connections set up your relationships with the other characters in your group. Most characters
have heard of each other and know about each other’s reputations—they’re all in the same
“profession,” after all. But you and your fellow PCs are particularly connected to one another. You’ve
worked together, pulled heists together, fled from the authorities together. You’re friends, coworkers,
allies, maybe even family. Your connections establish those relationships between you.

Each connection includes a few elements: a category, a sentence with a blank space, and a mechanical
effect. The category is a general notion of how you feel about the other character in the connection—
you see them as family, a fellow professional, a friend, etc. The sentence is a description of the actual,
specific relationship and history you have with each other. You’ll fill in the blank with the name of the
other character in the connection. Finally, the mechanical effect is a change, tweak, or advantage that
you get because of your relationship. Unless otherwise noted, the mechanical effect applies only to you.

Every player has two connections on their own playbook. Each connection links you and another PC.
You’ll wind up with at least the two connections on your own playbook linking you to other PCs, but
you might wind up with more connections when other PCs choose your character to fill in the blanks
on their own connections.
When you make your character, you fill in your connections last. After everyone has made their
character in all other respects, go around the table one at a time. Choose a single connection, and fill in
the blank with the name of another PC character. Always choose a PC—never an NPC denizen or
character. If there are questions about the connection, answer them. The GM may ask a few additional
questions to fill in details of the connection, to make sure it’s fleshed out and everyone has a shared
understanding of the PCs’ histories with each other.

After you’ve gone around once, go around a second time, filling in names for the second connection.
Don’t pick the same character for both of your connections. It’s fine if you fill in another character’s
name in a connection on your own playbook, and they fill in your name in a connection on their
playbook. Think about how the connections build on each other to flesh out your relationship.

Every connection in this book has one of six mechanical effects, depending upon the type of
connection. Most mechanical effects list a specific trigger for when they come into effect during play—
for example, the Protector connection only comes into effect “when they are in reach.” The Partner
connection has an immediate effect that comes into play as soon as you establish the connection, as
well as an ongoing effect during play. As mentioned above, the specific fictional relationship of the
connection varies a bit based on the prompt for the connection. Here are the mechanical effects, listed
for reference.

Protector
When they are in reach, mark exhaustion to take a blow meant for them. If you do, take +1 ongoing to
weapon moves for the rest of the scene.

Partner
When you fill in this connection, you each mark 2-prestige with the faction you helped, and mark 2-
notoriety with the faction you harmed. During play, if you are spotted together, then any prestige or
notoriety gains with those factions are doubled for the two of you.

Watcher
When you figure them out, you always hold 1, even on a miss. When you plead with them to go along
with you, you can let them clear 2-exhaustion instead of 1.

Friend
When you help them, you can mark 2-exhaustion to give a +2, instead of 1-exhaustion for a +1.

Professional
If you share information with them after reading a tense situation, you both benefit from the +1 for
acting on the answers. If you help them while they attempt a roguish feat, you gain choices on the help
move as if you had marked 2-exhaustion when you mark 1-exhaustion.

Family
When you help them fulfill their nature, you both clear your exhaustion track.