The Ones Who Live

Creating Your Character
The following are the basic steps for creating a character for this game! Extra information will be posted below to help flesh things out.

1. Choose an archetype.
2. Choose a name.
3. Choose an Issue.
4. Choose your Drive.
5. Distribute 13 points amongst your attributes.
6. Distribute 12 points amongst your skills.
7. Choose a talent.
8. Choose your gear.
9. Define relationships to the other PCs.
10. Choose two Anchors.
11. Describe your starting haven.

Explanations
Archtype: Your archetype says something about who you were before the outbreak. Since then you have changed... just like the walkers have changed from what they were before they died. There are twelve archetypes to choose from (see below!). Note that your archetype is just a starting point and inspiration to create your own unique PC. After play has started, your archetype no longer has any mechanical effect.

Issue: Everyone, and everything, in this world has an issue - something that is problematic or challenging.

Think of the issue as a roleplay tool for the player, and a way for me to make the game more challenging for you. Each archtype comes with a selection of issues, but feel free to think of your own.

Drive: Your Drive is the thing that makes you grit your teeth and push through the fear and pain. Your Drive could be that you are looking for your daughter, or that you are afraid of dying. It is whatever keeps you going.

Once every session you may use your Drive to get a +2 modifier on a skill roll (Two extra d6s to your roll!). Describe how it motivates you and makes you able to push on, then roll two extra base dice for the skill roll. You must declare that you use your Drive before the roll.

Attributes: The attributes are Strength, Agility, Wits, and Empathy. You have 13 points to distribute between these attributes. The minimum value is 2 and the maximum is 4, except for the key attribute of your chosen archetype, which has a maximum value of 5.

• Strength: How tough, strong and resilient you are.

• Agility: How coordinated, agile and sneaky you are.

• Wits: How educated and intelligent you are.

• Empathy: How persuading, charming or manipulative you are.

Skills: Each skill has a level between 0 and 5. You get to distribute 12 points between your skills. At the start of the game, you cannot have more than 2 in any skill, except for the main skill of your chosen archetype, which you may spend 3 points on.

• Close Combat (Str)
• Endurance (Str)
• Force (Str)

• Mobility (Agi)
• Ranged Combat (Agi)
• Stealth (Agi)

• Scout (Wit)
• Survival (Wit)
• Tech (Wit)

• Leadership (Emp)
• Manipulation (Emp)
• Medicine (Emp)

Talent: Talents are tricks, traits, and abilities that can benefit you in various situations. They affect your dice rolls, or they let you do things you would not otherwise be able to do.

Your archetype restricts your choice to one of three starting talents. Each talent comes with a prerequisite, the first of which is built into your background!

Health: Everyone starts play with 3 points of health.

Anchors: Anchors are people in your group that you care about, that you keep you grounded and keep you going. They can help you reduce stress, and stop you from messing up.

At the start of play, choose one PC and one NPC to be your anchors.

Gear: Gear is chosen by rolling three times on your archtype table, and one time on the scavenging table! (I can tell you the result, if you don’t have a rulebook!)

Archtypes

I'm thinking Doctor, unless anyone else really wants that one. Second choice, Homemaker.

As soon as I saw morally flexible, I had to pick the scientist. I'll work on my PC tomorrow evening.

Waits to see what everyone else does...

thinking Nobody or Preacher might be fun

@KCC ... should I reroll the 2nd 2 result for gear, or just go to the next number in the gear list which would be a flashlight.

So far for gear: pistol, medical gear, Flashlight
Scavenged: Canned goods, ravioli (one ration)

And now to thunderous applause, I give you my scientist, Richard Kant. His sheet is done except for fleshing out and anchors.

Shayna Dawn Beaver, the bitter doctor, searching for her twin sister.

She's a woman in her mid-thirties with tousled auburn hair, sharp green eyes, and a smattering of freckles across her sun-kissed skin. Her sturdy build and practical attire, often consisting of worn jeans, sturdy boots, and a surplus army jacket, reflect her life on the move and readiness for the unexpected.

She's seen a lot, and has become jaded about life after the fall, and bitter about what's happened to her. Nothing really phases her, but is that because she's just unsurprised by the unending horror, or because she's already dead inside?




Gear rolls: medications and drugs, diary, spear (scalpel tied to a stick), canned goods (ravioli, one ration)

• Doctor's relationship with other characters
> I trust you.
> You are not like us
> I want to get to know you better

@Windyridge The book says to re-roll, but if you want to land on flashlight, then I’m fine with that!

Anchors might be best left until last! Each person will need one PC anchor and one NPC anchor, so there’s still a bit left to do on that front!

Yes I'd like the flashlight please. Thanks!

OWEN PETERSON
Owen is a 21-year-old that feels he didn't lose much, when shit hit the fan. Coming from a wealthy family, a wealthy disfunctional family, he wasn't close to his parents. He had dropped out from University (that he didn't want to attend in the first place) after changing his major a couple of times. He feels he was still searching for his thing in life. Prefering to listen rather than talk, and generally awkward in the company of others, he navigated his childhood and teen years as a moody, taciturn, introvert character.
He found respite in long, solitary runs at unusual times of day or night, favoring moments where no-one was around in parks and riverbanks. He built stamina and found he could run for longer.
Despite the horrors that surround him, a part of him finds this new existence simpler, more straightforward. No career paths to be chosen, no complex social milieus to negotiate. He understands his chances at survivng are much better sticking with a group, but he thinks that keeping things simple and keeping to himself might help.
Owen is tall and gangly, with a bunch of hair perpetually falling over his eyes.



starting gear:
pizza delivery car (happy to change this if it doesn't fit the pontoons haven concept?)
machete
binoculars

scavenged item:
Kitten on a stick (one ration) !!!!

The famed binoculars! They came in very useful last time around!

Just looking at some of the items, I think we can make it work! Bowl’s character has a tent and a bow. B’s has a car.

Looks like the Pontoons are the haven, but the group seems equipped for doing runs, and even staying overnight! Or maybe Bowl spends some nights away as a hunter!

For @Harrigan benefit, it looks like we have:

• The Scientist: Windy
• The Doctor: Qralloq
• The Nobody: Dr B

Thanks for the summary, KCC -- looking cool everyone. I'm still traveling, but will try to get a PC put together tonight, tomorrow, or Sunday at the latest. Considering Criminal, Farmer, Law Enforcer, Outcast or Soldier.

How goes the character (and NPC) building?

Sorry for the continued delay, man!

Chemistry-wise, folks, what do we need? Some friction from survivors going their own way (Criminal or Outcast), perhaps some friction from a survival trying to lay down some structure (the Law Enforcer or Soldier), or some down-home glue (the Farmer?)

Will have this done soon, KCC.

Seems like a rowdy element could shake us up. Could be any of those who maybe just doesn't listen to others.

Right. All settled.

Archetype: Criminal
Name: Billie-Faye Cooper
Issue: I never obey authority (or anyone, really)
Drive: Nobody fucks with me and gets away with it
Attributes (13pts): Strength* 4, Agility 5, Wits 3, Empathy 1
Skills (12pts): STR - Close Combat* 3, Endurance 1, Force 1; AGI - Mobility 3, Ranged Combat 1, Stealth 2; WIT - Scout 1, Survival 0, Tech 0; Leadership 0, Manipulation 0, Medicine 0
Health: 3
Talent: Fights Dirty
Gear: Axe, Lockpicks, Motorbike
PC Relationships: Scientist - X, Doctor - X, Homemaker - X, Nobody - X
Anchors (2): TBD
Starting Haven: Dumb Old Pontoon Resort

Will work on a pic after this is sorted.

Billie-Faye Cooper is a hard sort of woman in her mid 30s. Years of drug abuse, strippin’, thievin’, lyin’, scrappin’ and generally getting up to no good is what she was all about in the old world. In this here new one? Well now we’ll see, won’t we.

Says to "pick gear" but then I see folks rolling and a little table to roll on, so…

Holding off on Relationship statements until I read back and get a better idear on who everyone is.

Still debating on her look, but I’m pretty sure this is it…

For NPCs, are we doing one each? The Anchors?

Yeah, nobody has really done their PC anchors yet!

I have everyone make an NPC for the Haven, and that NPC can be your second anchor. Most people choose their own NPC as their anchor, but you could choose someone else’s!

How goes it @bowlofspinach?

Is there a sheet I should use for my PC? Can get her submitted tonight.

Also, make those PCs public! ;)

There is a TWD sheet. You can select it from the dropdown on a blank custom sheet. I think it's under F, for free league

Ah, I never, ever make custom sheets that what. Thanks!

And yeah, I see it now, and would never have found it without a pointer. Thanks again!

KCC -- will submit tomorrow and get an NPC in as well. Sorry for the delays this week.

Submitted!

Also maybe worth noting I tuned some attributes and skills -- after seeing the various requirements limitations on having a skill value of 3, or an attribute of 5.

One of the things that took shape in the last game was that players had their NPC anchor worked out at the outset, but the PC anchor developed through play.

If things aren’t pinned down, we can always see how things go at the table. And if mechanics come into the equation, we can make things more concrete!

I have a day tomorrow that’s free, and then 6 days on again. Busy week, but I’ll try get this ship sailing tomorrow, if it suits!