System>GettingStarted
Getting Started

This section is intended for totally new players to Arcanist, it talks a bit about the setting, system, and walks them through making a new character. If you have no idea what you're doing then this is a good place to get started.

Before bringing your character to life in the endless world of Arcanist Gear you'll find that you must first be able to understand where they will fit into the great scheme of things. Beyond picking a race and gear there is the simple understanding of what type of game world your fitting into.

First off, know that Arcanist Gear derives from generic medieval fantasy themes. The idea behind Arcanist Gear is that the world continued to develop even with these themes, instead of thousands of years spent wielding magic and noble knights riding on horseback, someone eventually discovered science. Physics, biology, chemistry, and the like combined with magic creates a whole new set of opportunities for advancement.

As space travel was discovered alongside other habitable planets (some nearby and some far away) the continual advancement and exploration of the universe has never stopped. The Borderless setting takes place roughly four hundred years after space travel was discovered and has seen discovery of even new species living far from the native system. However, during this alpha stage alien species from other systems have not yet been implemented, GM's are free to make up some if they like though.

Now that you understand the rough concepts behind Arcanist Gear: Borderless Existence you might have some rough ideas. From here we will go into making a character explained in as simple a method as possible. However, those interested in further understanding of the world should feel free to visit the setting section to learn more about the world.

 

First, figure out how much starting experience the GM is alotting for the campaign. All features including your race are paid for with experience. You may wish to write the number down somewhere to keep track of how much you have left each time you purchase a new feature.

First off, a player should have a character sheet open and ready to fill out whether it be a digital one or a printed copy with a pencil in hand. First you will want to pick your race. Be aware that some have more complex rules then others, this shouldn't stop you from trying what really appeals to you but if you just want to make a character quickly consider a race like human over the complex starting rules of vampires for example. Once you have chosen one write down your starting health value and movement speed in the appropriate fields of your character sheet and alter any other scores such as attributes or skills as indicated. Remember that bonuses to attributes from races apply to your base attribute score not modifier. Write down any other racial features or bonuses on your sheet as well in the appropriate section (usually under features). Subtract the experience you paid to select the race from your starting experience.

Second, consider some hindrances or benefits that will help you define your character beyond their stats and skills. These elements are optional, and hindrances can give you more experience to work with as well as add challenges and flaws for your character to overcome. Be sure to add or subtract from your experience pool as indicated.

Third, due to the free form nature of making a character you may have different priorities in skills, talents, spells, and attributes. For the sake of this walkthrough, we are going to start with adjusting attributes as desired. Remember that you can increase an attribute at the cost of experience at any time. The cost is (Attribute-5)*5 experience to raise it. If you subtract from your starting base (which can only be done during character creation) you will gain points back equal to the earlier formula. Racial modifiers are applied before buying or selling attribute points take place.

Next, you should consider what talents you want. Talents are good for defining what your character is good at doing, often opening upgrade paths to more niche methods of performing.

Afterwards, look into skills.