Back to table of contents

Character Creation

At the heart of any RPG system is the characters; each player will need to make one. In contrast to what is commonly seen in other RPG systems, ZT has no character classes or races. Instead, all abilities and Feats are open for players to purchase with Skill Points. Instead of choosing races and classes, players are encouraged to choose Abilities and Feats that describe that character. For example, if playing a character with wings (a bird, angel, etc), they may want to take the Flying Feat.

Character Description

As the first step to creating a character, you should get an idea of who your character is. Only after doing should you move on to choosing stats. For each of the categories below, describe at least two different attributes.

Physical Appearance

Describe how your character looks. Consider attributes such as their age, race, gender expression, build, clothing, complexion, and any features that stand out. Choose at least one thing that can readily be observed about your character upon first impressions, and at least one thing that can be observed upon closer inspection or interaction. 

Personality

Describe how your character generally acts. Are they cheerful or pessimistic? Do they make friends everywhere they go or are they slow to trust? Do they have any particular quirks that affect their decisions and interactions? Pick at least two attributes: one that would be clear within the first few minutes of interacting with them, and one that would become apparent over days or weeks of interaction.

Ideals

Describe what your character holds as important - what motivates them. This can be anything from “helping others” to “money” or anything else that could motivate your character to potentially risk their life on the adventure. Pick at least two ideals: one that they would state outright if asked why they adventure; and a second personal one that may not be outright stated, but still influences their decisions.

Background

Describe some important events from your character’s past. These are events that changed the course of their lives and continue to influence their decisions. You can include things such as family, home town, and other pieces of background information. Describe at least two distinct events.

Skill Points

Skill Points are the fundamental unit for creating and improving a character on a mechanical level. They can be spent to increase Ability Scores and to unlock new Feats, or can be saved up to purchase bigger Feats later.

Gaining Skill Points

When creating a new character, you get 8 Skill Points. You can immediately spend these to create your character, though you may choose to save some in reserve if you so choose.

You will gain more skill points throughout gameplay. The GM is to give players Skill Points for various accomplishments throughout the campaign. Skill Points can be both given and spent mid-session. It is recommended that the GM give each player about 4 Skill Points to each player in each session, and to distribute them between players evenly. However, the GM is free to bend these recommendations to control the speed at which characters gain skill and to incentivise different things.

Spending Skill Points

At any time, you can choose to spend your Skill Points on Feats or Ability Scores. Feats will grant you special options to use, whereas Ability Scores will increase your general skills. To purchase something, you must have enough Skill Points to meet its cost, and you then lose those Skill Points. You can not refund Skill Points.

Ability Scores

There are 12 Abilities divided into 3 Categories. Each Ability has a score, with higher scores representing more skill with that ability. These scores control which dice are rolled for Ability Checks, as well as some factoring into other stats and abilities, such as health. All Ability Scores start at 0.

You can spend Skill Points to improve any of the three Skill Categories. For each Skill Point spent on a Category, choose one Ability Score in that Category to increase by 2, and a different skill in the same Category to increase by 1. The Categories and Abilities are detailed below. The examples given for each Ability is not meant to represent a complete list of what that Ability can be used for, rather it is to provide explanatory examples of situations where the Ability could be relevant.

Body - physical abilities
Mind - mental abilities
Presence - social and spiritual abilities

Feats

In Appendix D, there is a list of Feats. Each Feat consists of a description, a cost, and potentially some prerequisites. The description details the abilities gained by taking the feat, The cost is how many Skill Points it takes to gain that Feat, and the prerequisites are the conditions that must be met before taking the Feat.

For example, the Swimming Feat costs 1 Skill Point, and is described as giving you the ability to move through water at your base Speed. And so, after spending 1 Skill Point on the Feat, your character gains the ability to swim just as fast as they can walk.

Keep in mind that because all Feats are open to every player, you may technically be able to purchase Feats that make no sense narratively. The GM may require you to explain why your character is now able to use this Feat before you can purchase it.

Other Stats

After you have spent your skill points on Abilities and Feats, there are a few other stats you need to add. Make sure to come back to this list to update these stats as you improve your Abilities later. The Abilities that factor in to each of these stats have been underlined to easier see what needs to be updated at a glance.

Starting Equipment

When creating a character, you get 100 Credits to spend on Equipment. You may pick items from the Equipment section to add to your inventory, subtracting their cost from your Credit total. You do not need to spend all your Credits during character creation.

Special Feat: Wealthy

1 Skill Point, may be purchased multiple times, may only be purchased during character creation

You start with an extra 100 Credits