Growth
Leveling Up is the primary mechanism for Character Growth, allowing your Character to become stronger, gain new abilities, and better face the challenges presented by the Story Guide. This process typically occurs during downtime or narrative breaks, outside of active engagements, ensuring the focus remains on the action when it matters most. As your Character accrues Experience (exp) from navigating encounters, they will unlock new levels, directly increasing their capabilities based on their Archetype.
Total Experience (exp)
Players level up and strengthen their Characters directly through gameplay. The Experience System automates experience distribution based on Engagement Difficulty. Using this Rule Set is entirely at the discretion of your Story Guide.
In a standard game we begin at level One with 10 Total Experience (exp). This experience accounts for the Ten Life Events Character History, past engagements which helped shape who they are today.
The Character’s level is determined by their total experience, the maximum Level is 100, and the maximum Experience is 1,000. Our Level equals Total Experience divided by Ten. (Level = exp/10)
The conclusion of a Minor Engagement grants One Experience Point, a Moderate Engagement Three Experience Points, an Extreme Engagement Five Experience Points, and a Potentially Fatal Engagement grants a full Ten Experience.
Growth Points
We may spend Growth Points to grow new Root Effects, Branch Effects, Leaf Effects, and Crown Effects. Characters are granted One Growth Point for every Total Experience they gain. We may spend our Growth Points during Growing Pain Scenes or simply at the discretion of our Story Guide.
Certain Achievements and Entitlements grant bonus Growth Points.
Character Creation above Level One
Starting the game above level One we have (10xLevel) Total Experience and (10xLevel) Growth Points to spend.
Ten Life Events: Character History
Optional Character Creation Tool
When we draw up our Characters, our backstory is invaluable for ourselves and our Story Guide. This is a tool which helps bring our Characters alive in the world of Cirrus Ethereal, and may provide inspiration for The Opening Scene. In many cases, this will be part of the first of many sessions between you as a Player, and your Story Guide.
While these events don’t have to go into incredible detail, highlighting moments can drive the narrative and your introduction to the Storylines at the table. Here are some suggestions, and if you need further inspiration, the whole world of media and your own life can serve.
  • Faction Association: The Character's initial or past involvement with a specific organization, guild, covenant, or political body. This could range from being a low-level initiate in a powerful, secretive society to having served as an honored veteran in a major military faction, or even being an exiled member of a notorious criminal syndicate. During Character Creation, Character’s get an opportunity to join one of the Factions within the game. This grants additional boons such as the Faction based Effect Tree and Provisional Support.
  • Formative Experience: A critical past event that fundamentally shaped the Character's skills, worldview, or current emotional state. Examples include surviving a devastating natural disaster, witnessing a betrayal that instilled deep mistrust, mastering a unique craft under a legendary mentor, or suffering a loss that drives their current ambition.
  • Major Moment: A highly impactful and memorable event that occurred in the Character's past, often serving as a clear demarcation point in their life story. This could be achieving a legendary feat, surviving an encounter with a mythological creature, discovering a hidden relic, participating in a major historical battle, or fulfilling a prophecy (knowingly or unknowingly).
It is often best to include a mix of both positive and negative events for strong character development. These Ten Life Events also serve to help generate and design your Supporting Characters! Be Legendary.
Beyond this simple mote of information, there are some incredible resources out there to help with Character Background generation.
Previous

Awakening
Next

Death