focused on the responsibilities and privileges associated with You come from a family with a history of privilege and

their status. Some are born into privilege, inheriting wealth
and opportunity, while others worked their way into the elite.
In some societies, it’s almost impossible to work your way
to upper class status, and even if you do, you might get less
respect compared to hereditary “old money” peers.
responsibility, although it may have less of both these days.
You might be actual nobility in cultures that still have such
lineages, or belong to an important family with equivalent
wealth and influence. You might be inclined to be a defender
of tradition, and approach life with a sense of noblesse oblige
(and unexamined entitlement), or you might be a “black

Background sheep,” who’s rejected your heritage due to philosophical

differences, or because of some scandalous behavior that
Descriptions makes you unwelcome at family gatherings.

Ability: +1 Communication
Feel free to fill out the framework of your character’s back-
Focus: Communication (Etiquette) or Intelligence
ground with details about how it affected the character’s
(History)
early life, and how that relates to the traits the background
Talent: Affluent or Contacts
provides. For example, a character with a corporate back-
ground might be the scion of a wealthy family with an impor-
tant position in the business world, groomed to inherit the Bohemian OUtsider
family business. What business is it, and did the character
2d6 Roll Benefit
accept this future or forge a different path? How did those
choices bring the character to where they are now? 2 +1 Dexterity
3–4 Focus: Perception (Empathy)
Academic Middle
5 Focus: Willpower (Courage or Faith)
2d6 Roll Benefit
6 Focus: Communication (Animal Handling)
2 +1 Communication
7–8 +1 Constitution
3–4 Focus: Intelligence (Research)
9 Focus: Dexterity (Acrobatics)
5 +2 Resources
10–11 Focus: Communication (Persuasion)
6 Focus: Intelligence (History)
12 +1 Perception
7–8 +1 Perception
9 Focus: Willpower (Self-Discipline) You grew up in an experimental, eccentric, or creative commu-
nity. Perhaps you belonged to a commune, an artist colony, or
10–11 Focus: Intelligence (choose one) some intentionally off-the-grid settlement. You’re unfamiliar
12 +1 Willpower with some of the things people take for granted, but have had
plenty of opportunities to expand your horizons. You might
You spent a lot more time at schools and academic environments be trying to fit into mainstream society after some time away,
than your peers. Perhaps you lived at a boarding school, or or you might revel in your offbeat lifestyle.
someone in your family worked at a college or university. You’re
inclined to be a bit bookish, and know your way around educa- Ability: +1 Communication
tional institutions. This doesn’t mean you like book learning— Focus: Communication (Performance) or Intelligence
studying may have been a chore imposed by your family—but (Occultism or Theology)
you still know your way around libraries and schools. Talent: Party Animal or Performance

Ability: +1 Intelligence
Focus: Intelligence (choose one)
Corporate Upper
Talent: Knowledge or Linguistics 2d6 Roll Benefit
2 +1 Perception
Aristocratic Upper 3–4 Focus: Communication (Persuasion)
2d6 Roll Benefit 5 Focus: Intelligence (Evaluation)
2 +1 Accuracy 6 Focus: Perception (Empathy)
3–4 +2 Resources 7–8 +1 Intelligence
5 Focus: Communication (Persuasion) 9 Focus: Communication (Expression)
6 Focus: Dexterity (Riding) 10–11 Focus: Communication (Leadership)
7–8 +1 Perception 12 +1 Accuracy
9 Focus: Communication (Gambling)
Your early life was tied up in corporate culture, most likely due to
10–11 Focus: Communication (Leadership) family members who built their lives around a company in some
12 +1 Willpower fashion. Your family might include influential stockholders or
powerful executives, and they may have expected you to follow

Chapter 1 - Character Creation 15