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Character Creation (24-System)

Welcome to the 24-System. Character creation is fast, flexible, and focused on what your character can do, not on abstract attributes.

There are no Strength, Dexterity, or Intelligence scores. Your skills, traits, and decisions define your character.

Step 1: Describe Your Character

Before assigning mechanics, describe who your character is.

  • Name
  • Age
  • Appearance
  • Background
  • Personality
  • Motivation

There are no restrictions on body type, upbringing, or origin. Descriptors are narrative, not mechanical.

Step 2: Assign Your Skills

Skills determine the dice you roll for risky or dramatic actions.

Core Skills

Choose from:

  • Athletics - climbing, running, swimming, physical exertion
  • Melee - close combat, weapon control, grappling
  • Ranged - aimed attacks, suppressive fire, reload discipline
  • Thievery - stealth, lockpicking, covert manipulation
  • Lore - knowledge, pattern recognition, threat analysis
  • Science - medicine, engineering, chemistry, analysis
  • Social - persuasion, deception, intimidation, command
  • Magic - casting, wards, counters, rituals

Skill Dice Assignment

Assign four skills at creation:

  • 1 Specialty Skill d8 + d10 + 6 (Rank 3)

  • 1 Strong Skill 2d10 + 4 (Rank 2)

  • 2 Competent Skills d10 + d12 + 2 (Rank 1)

All other skills are unassigned and use the vanilla roll:

2d12 (Rank 0)

Example

Jael the Exile, a clever rogue:

  • Thievery: d8 + d10 + 6 (specialty)
  • Social: 2d10 + 4 (strong)
  • Athletics: d10 + d12 + 2 (competent)
  • Lore: d10 + d12 + 2 (competent)

Melee, Ranged, Science, Magic are unassigned and use 2d12.

Step 3: Choose Traits

Traits define how your character approaches danger, survival, and problem-solving.

Choose 2 traits from any categories below.

Rules language note:

  • When a trait says “gain one advantage step,” use core.md Advantage Step Rule.
  • Traits that mention reaction exceptions explicitly override the default reaction commitment rule.

Martial and Survivor Traits

  • Strong Back - Carry 1 extra Large item without penalty.
  • Weapon Familiarity - Choose one weapon type; gain one advantage step when using it.
  • Shield-Bearer - You may shove or bash with a shield and still use R to Block once this round.
  • Tireless Runner - Sprint and jog distance before stamina loss is doubled.
  • Elite Athlete - Choose running, climbing, or swimming; increase distance by 50%.
  • Pack Fighter - Gain one advantage step when adjacent to an ally attacking the same target.
  • Tough - First time you are wounded in a combat, reduce that wound by 1.
  • Quick Draw - Ready a weapon and attack in the same action.
  • Guarded Swing - Once per round, if you used L for an attack on your turn, you may still Parry with L.
  • Acrobatic Finesse - If you used Sprint or Leap this turn, you may still Dodge as a reaction..

Social and Leadership Traits

  • Silver Tongue - Once per scene, reroll a failed Social check.
  • Inspiring Presence - Allies within earshot gain one advantage step vs fear or fatigue checks.
  • Streetwise - Gain minor hints or rumors when asking NPCs.
  • Menacing - On a successful Intimidate, target hesitates for one round before acting aggressively.

Survivalist and Explorer Traits

  • Keen Senses - Guide always provides one extra environmental clue when you search.
  • Forager - Once per day, find enough food and water for yourself.
  • Toughened - Reduce stamina damage from environmental hazards by 1.
  • Pathfinder - Wilderness travel time is reduced by one tier.
  • Trapwise - You always notice at least one clue that a nearby trap exists.

Mystic and Lore Traits

  • Arcane Sensitivity - You sense nearby magic, even faint traces.
  • Ritual Memory - Perform one simple ritual per day without materials.
  • Scholar of the Old World - Gain one advantage step on Lore checks about pre-disaster knowledge.
  • Dream-Touched - Guide provides vague prophetic fragments during sleep.
  • Talisman-Bearer - Once per session, negate a Minor Complication.

Rogue and Trickster Traits

  • Quick Fingers - Automatic success on simple locks or simple traps under low pressure.
  • Shadowstep - Gain one advantage step on Thievery in low light.
  • Evasive - First hit per combat deals one fewer wound.
  • Deceptive Feint - On a miss, target suffers +2 DC on its next attack against you this round.
  • Light Foot - Ignore minor encumbrance penalties while sneaking or climbing.
  • Skulker - Ignore low-light penalties and reduce no-light penalties by one step for Thievery actions.

Dark and Gritty Survival Traits

  • Scarred Survivor - After a Major Complication, gain one advantage step on your next action.
  • Double Down - Once per scene, when a pushed reroll fails, you may push again immediately. Take the first push’s Major Complication, then choose a second complication track and reroll at the same pushed DC (-2, minimum 6). If this second reroll fails, the second track becomes a Major Complication.
  • Desperate Strength - When at negative stamina, your first successful attack in a scene gains +1 wound.
  • Grim Reputation - Gain one advantage step on Intimidate; suffer +2 DC on Persuade against neutral or friendly targets.
  • Bloodied but Unbowed - First wound in combat causes you to gain 1 stamina.

Step 4: Equipment and Talents

For now, note any:

  • distinctive gear
  • personal items
  • learned tricks
  • narrative talents

Examples:

  • Old family sword
  • Lockpicks
  • Silver signet ring
  • Crowbar and rope

Full equipment rules are covered elsewhere.

Step 5: Final Touches

Complete your character:

  • Name
  • Appearance and Background (1-2 sentences)
  • Motivation - Why are you adventuring?

Your character is ready to play.

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