Page 28 - Chronicles of Darkness

on spending and regaining Willpower, see Chapter 2). These
traits are called Anchors. For a mortal character, these
Character Creation Anchors are her Virtue and her Vice.

Quick Reference Virtue and Vice
Here are the basic steps for creating a character.
When creating a character, you define her Virtue and
STEP ONE: CONCEPT Vice. These words describe key aspects of her personality.

Decide on a concept and three Aspirations for Things like Cruel or Generous work, but a physical descrip-
your character. tion, like Clean wouldn’t. Similarly, you don’t want to pick
a Virtue or Vice that is covered by an Attribute or Skill.
STEP TWO: ANCHORS
Athletic wouldn’t really make a good Virtue or Vice (though
Choose a Virtue and a Vice for your character. Competitive probably would). Composed wouldn’t work very
STEP THREE: ATTRIBUTES well as an Anchor, as Composure is already an Attribute.
A character’s Virtue or Vice isn’t simply indicative of her
Prioritize categories. You have 5/4/3 dots to morality. Having a Virtue like Good isn’t really appropriate,
assign to the Attributes within each category. and is kind of boring, to boot. While a character’s Virtue
STEP FOUR: SKILLS is definitely a positive trait for her, she should absolutely be
able to fulfill her Virtue while suffering a breaking point at
Prioritize categories. Distribute 11/7/4 dots the same time (see Integrity, p. 73). Sometimes even our
among the Skills in the appropriate category.
Virtues can drive us to do terrible things.
STEP FIVE: SKILL SPECIALTIES When a character acts in accordance with her Virtue or
Choose three Skill Specialties. Vice during a scene, she reaffirms her sense of who she is.
This is a way to regain Willpower during play.
STEP SIX: MERITS It’s a good idea to make sure that everyone is on the same
Select seven dots of Merits. page with regards to Virtues and Vices, both in terms of what
they mean for your character, and in terms of everyone being
STEP SEVEN: ADVANTAGES
comfortable with each other’s choices. While you cannot
Willpower is equal to Resolve + Composure. choose the same trait as both your Virtue and Vice, another
Integrity is 7. Size is 5. Health is Size + Stamina. character could have a trait as a Virtue that you have as a
Speed equals Strength + Dexterity + 5. Initiative Vice, such as Ambitious. Also, as your Vice in particular will
Modifier is Dexterity + Composure. Defense is the come up repeatedly during play, you should make sure that
lower of Wits or Dexterity, plus Athletics. the Vice you select doesn’t make any of the other players
uncomfortable.
A character’s Anchors will likely stay the same for most
of a chronicle. However, Virtue and Vice can change if the
Initiative Modifier character undergoes an event that alters her life or personality.

Initiative Modifier is equal to your character’s Dexterity Virtue
+ Composure.
A character’s Virtue is her higher calling, the personality
Defense trait that represents who she is when she is being her best.
Behaving in accordance with Virtue gives a character a sense
Defense is equal to the lower of your character’s Wits or
Dexterity, plus his Athletics Skill. of satisfaction and re-affirms her sense of self. Acting on a
Virtue is difficult, however.
Finishing Touches Example Virtues
Check back over your character, and make sure that you The following are some possible Virtues for characters.
have spent all of your points the way you wanted to. Make This is not an exhaustive list, it is merely intended to help
sure you’ve recorded Aspirations and Advantages, and that you in coming up with your own Anchors for your character.
the character fits the concept you had. Now you’re ready to go!
Competitive: Your character always pushes herself to excel
Anchors and be the best at whatever she does. It’s not about defeating
others, but about the rush she gets from honest competition,
and the thrill of knowing that she pushed herself further and
All Chronicles of Darkness characters have defining per- faster to stay ahead of her rivals. Regain Willpower when your
sonality traits. These traits not only tell a character who she is, character honestly competes with someone who outclasses
but also allow her to regain Willpower (for more information her, for stakes that she will feel if she loses.
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ANCHORS