Creating a Character
Momenta Core Rules · Moment 2 · Characters · Chapter 12
Determine Starting Rank
Step 0 - The GM will decide what is the starting rank of the party. Most standard “Heroic” campaigns will start at Rank 3.
The Concept Line
Step 1 - Every character should have a one-sentence description of their identity, which is also known as the concept line. The concept line itself has no mechanical weight, but is the logline that character Threads hang from (see below).
Example: We will try to build Mira, the Half-Elf skirmisher. Her concept line is: “An exiled princess of Exantria, hunting the ones who drove her family from the throne.”
Determine Cores and Attributes
Step 2 - A starting Rank 3 character will have 4 attribute points that can be freely distributed among the three cores of BODY/MIND/SOUL.
Example: Since Mira is going to be a martial, we will allocate 3 attribute points to her BODY core, and 1 attribute point to her MIND core.
So she will have BODY 3, MIND 1, and SOUL 0.
Step 3 - For each core, further allocate the attribute points across the two attributes for that core. No single attribute may exceed 3 at character creation.
Example: Mira is going for the mobile warrior concept, so she allocates her attributes as follows:
Core Attribute Attribute BODY 3 POW 0 AGI 3 MIND 1 REA 0 INS 1 SOUL 0 PRE 0 LUCK 0
Equilibrium Rule
A being’s body, mind, and soul are bound to one another. Pull one too far ahead and the others must rise to anchor it.
Therefore, the equilibrium rule states that the difference between your highest and lowest core (BODY, MIND, SOUL) cannot exceed 4.
For example, a character can have BODY 6, MIND 2, SOUL 3. But they will not be able to have their BODY increased to 7 unless they increase their MIND to 3 first. And once they reach BODY 7, MIND 3, SOUL 3, they will not be able to increase their BODY to 8 unless they first increase both MIND and SOUL to 4 first.
Determine Archetypes
Step 4 - Every character must choose an ancestry archetype. Their ancestry archetype will take up at least one of their 3 starting ranks. The ancestry archetype will determine their SPD, SEN, and SIZE stats.
Example: We choose the Half-Elf ancestry archetype for Mira, which suits her skirmisher concept. She has a SPD of 5, SEN of 10, and SIZE of 1M.
Step 5 - For the remaining 2 starting ranks, the character can freely distribute them across any path archetypes. The 2 ranks can be invested into a single path archetype (rank 2), or split among two path archetypes (rank 1 each). Or, they can also be invested into further ranking up their ancestry archetype. Any combination is legal, as long as all of their starting archetype ranks add up to their starting rank of 3.
Example: Mira wants to dedicate herself to martial combat, so she spends her 2 additional starting ranks into the Warrior path archetype.
Mira’s final archetypes: Half-Elf R1, Warrior R2
Choose Masteries
Step 6 - The character has a number of mastery slots that can be filled with masteries (special abilities, boons, or features). See Masteries for the full rules.
Example: Based on her Core values, she has the following number of mastery slots based on mastery type - 3 body mastery slots, 1 mind mastery slot, and 0 soul mastery slots. In addition, she has 1 wildcard mastery slot that can be used to slot masteries of any type. Total of 5 slots.
Since she is a Half-Elf and a Warrior, she can pick her masteries from the following mastery domains: General, Human, Elf, Martial, Warrior
She picks the following masteries:
- Body mastery slots (3) - Lightning Reflexes (Body/General), Combat Reflexes (Body/Martial), Bloodlust (Body/Martial)
- Mind mastery slots (1) - Overwatch (Mind/Warrior)
- Wildcard mastery slot (1) - Visualization (Mind/Warrior)
Choose Equipment
Step 7 - The character can pick gear to fill out their 3 starting gear slots. The gear that they can choose is based on what their chosen archetypes provide access to.
Example: For Mira’s 3 gear slots, she will choose two weapons - a Rapier and a Shortbow, and a Chain Shirt armor for protection.
Write Threads
Step 8 - The character starts out with 3 Threads, representing different chapters of the character’s life, and each written as a short provenance phrase. The Threads should be plausibly aligned with the character’s concept line.
Example: Based on Mira’s concept line, she has three Threads representing her backstory before becoming an adventurer:
- “Raised in the Pearl Court of Exantria”
- “Last student of the crown blademaster, Maestro Corvine”
- “Three years on the smugglers’ roads under a false name”
Choose Bonds
Step 9 - The character can allocate 3 Strands across any number of Bonds, subject to the GM’s approval of targets.
Example: Mira will allocate all 3 Strands towards a Bond with Kira:
- Bond 2 (Kira) - “I am forever indebted to him for saving my life during a moment of my weakness.”
Finishing Touches
Step 10 - Calculate all of your character’s derived stats, including Max Vitality, Max Strain, Max Vigor, Max Guard, and so forth.
Example: For Mira, here are her character stats:
Stat Value Calculation Max Vitality 21 (BODY + 3) x 3
+1 from R1 Half-Elf
+1 from R1 Warrior
+1 from R2 WarriorMax Strain 5 MIND + SOUL + 3
+1 from R1 Half-ElfWound Slots 3 Default starting value Burden Slots 3 Default starting value Resolve 8 SOUL + 8 Max Vigor Max Vigor: 7
Regain (per turn): 4Max Vigor = default starting value of 7
Regain (per turn) = 3 + (BODY / 2)Max Guard 4 +2 from Chain Shirt
+1 from R1 Warrior
+1 from R2 WarriorSPD 5 From Half-Elf ancestry archetype SEN 10 From Half-Elf ancestry archetype SIZE 1M (takes up 1 square) From Half-Elf ancestry archetype Gear Slots 3 Default starting value Wondrous Item Slots 1 MIND Consumable Points 2 Default starting value Max Bonds 3 SOUL + 3