Page 25 - Chronicles of Darkness

The Face
in the Mirror:
Characters
“Plot is no more than
footprints left in
the snow after your
characters have run
by on their way to
incredible destinations.”
-Ray Bradbury,
Zen and
the Art of Writing
24
the face in the mirror-Characters
As a player in the Chronicles of Darkness, you explore the story and help to
weave a tale through a character you create. Your character is your means to engage
with the world.
As a player, it’s your responsibility to portray your character in a way that’s ap-
propriate to her background and context, while fostering the kind of story you want
to see her in. Consider that moment in a horror movie where you’re at the edge
of your seat, trying to make decisions for a character who’s about to do something
dangerous. With your character, you can choose to step back away from the cellar
door, or to lash out at the monster instead of standing and screaming. Or, you can
embrace that moment of horror and jump headfirst into the awfulness you know
is coming. After all, no Storyteller can scare you the way you can scare yourself.
Creating characters is best done at the table with everyone participating. Stories
about characters with ties, whether they be social or simply thematic, will work
much better than a bunch of strangers designed with different types of stories in
mind. In game terms, you make your character through a series of traits. These
traits describe her capabilities, her weaknesses, and some of what makes her
unique. Imagine how many different characters you could describe as “paranormal
investigators,” “curious students,” or even “truck drivers.” These traits allow you
to define and refine your character’s role in the story.
When coming up with your character, work with the Storyteller and the other
players to figure out what kinds of stories you want to tell, and what characters
could best serve that narrative. If your story is about personal horror, a team of
expert martial artists might not be the best fit. However, if you want to tell an
action-packed story of a village set upon by an undead horde brought upon by
biological tests gone awry, that team could shine.
As you delve into the mystery, the horror, and the drama of the Chronicles
of Darkness, your character earns Beats and Experiences, which can improve her
game traits. This allows you further customization, and lets your character grow
and develop in mechanical terms. You get these Beats through a variety of behav-
iors; for example, you can get them through unfortunate events, from executing
elaborate actions, or by pursuing character goals. Just like in a book, movie, or
television show, your character grows as she interacts with the plot.
Character Creation
The system for creating a character is a simple, step-by-step process to take
an initial idea for a character, and flesh her out with goals, personality, and the
game traits that determine what she is capable of. It’s helpful to take a look at the
character sheet from the back of the book. You can fill out the sheet as you go
through the steps of creating your character.
Step One: Character Concept
The first step in creating a character is to develop a general idea of who your char-
acter is. The Chronicles of Darkness, on the surface, is a world much like ours. Your