To begin, roll an ancestry on the ancestry table.
Ancestry Table
| d6 | Ancestry | Benefit |
| 1-3 | Human | +1 to any primary stat |
| 4 | Dwarf | +1 to Health |
| 5 | Halfling | +1 to Sanity |
| 6 | Elf | +2 to Reflex |
Next, determine your character’s background. First roll on the background table to determine if your character is an outcast, lowborn, or highborn.
Background Table
| d6 | Background | Result |
| 1-2 | Outcast | Roll on the Outcast Table |
| 3-5 | Lowborn | Roll on the Lowborn Table |
| 6 | Highborn | Roll on the Highborn table |
Based on your general background, roll on the following tables to determine your background and starting equipment:
Outcast Backgrounds
| d6 | Result | Effect | Equipment |
| 1 | Urchin | Roll twice on Trait Table 1 | Dagger or Club |
| 2 | Raider | One Weapon Mastery | Armor [L], 1 weapon [L] |
| 3 | Cultist | +1 to Will | Dagger |
| 4 | Nomad | +1 to Reflex | Armor [L], 1 weapon [L] |
| 5 | Cursed | Learn one school of black magic | Dagger |
| 6 | Gifted | Learn two schools of magic | Dagger |
Lowborn Backgrounds
| d6 | Result | Effect | Equipment |
| 1 | Thief | +2 to Reflex | Armor [L], 2 daggers |
| 2 | Tradesmen | +1 to Fortitude, +1 to Will | Armor [L], 1 weapon [L/M] |
| 3 | Soldier | +1 to Fortitude, learn one weapon mastery | Armor [L/M], 2 weapons [L/M] |
| 4 | Thug | +1 to Fortitude, roll on Trait Table 1 | Armor [L], 1 weapon [L/M] |
| 5 | Farmer | +2 to Fortitude | 1 weapon [L/M] |
| 6 | Gifted | Learn two schools of magic | Dagger |
Highborn Backgrounds
| d6 | Result | Effect | Equipment |
| 1 | Scholar | +2 Will | Staff |
| 2 | Acolyte | Learn one school of magic | Armor [L], dagger |
| 3 | Merchant | +1 Health | Armor [L], 1 weapon [L/M] |
| 4 | Knight | One weapon mastery, +2 Fortitude | Any armor, any 2 weapons |
| 5 | Noble | +1 Sanity | Any armor, any weapon |
| 6 | Gifted | Learn two schools of magic | Dagger |
Now roll a d6 for an extra trait. Add 1 to your result if your background is Lowborn, and add 2 if your background is Highborn On a result of 1 or 2 make a roll on trait table 1, on a 5+ roll on table 2. Roll any additional traits specified by your background as well.
Trait Table 1
| d6 | Result | Effect |
| 1 | Ailing | Only survives a death check on a 6 |
| 2 | Mad | One permanent effect from the Mental Break table |
| 3 | Hesitant | Always acts last in combat |
| 4 | Slow | -1” of movement speed |
| 5 | Frail | -1 Health (cannot reduce below 1) |
| 6 | Craven | -1 Sanity (cannot reduce below 1) |
Trait Table 2
| d6 | Result | Effect |
| 1 | Survivor | Only dies on a death check on a 1 |
| 2 | Veteran | One weapon mastery |
| 3 | Deathwish | Does not make Fear checks |
| 4 | Swift | +1” of movement speed |
| 5 | Tough | +1 Health |
| 6 | Steady | -1 to Sanity check DC |
Class
Roll on the class table to determine your character’s class.
| d6 | Result |
| 1-2 | Warrior |
| 3-4 | Adept |
| 5 | Symbol |
| 6 | Mage |
