And now for the exciting conclusion of our series on Chargen for Beyonder! So far we have delved into the Make Your Character with an Adventure (MYCA) method and the Custom-make Your Character (CYC) and Quick Choices methods. We’re going to finish this series off with the two fastest, most hands-off methods available on our online system, including Master Builder, our most gritty, ultimate-control, mega-versatile method. Let’s dive in!
First, we’ve got the Off-The-Rack method. This has pregenerated characters, either made by one of the members of the FNB Games team or by one of you lovely folks out there exploring the Beyonderverse. Pick any one and make a copy for yourself. Login to the Beyonder Builder page and choose the “Off the Rack” method under Create A New Character. it will bring up a list of characters available to you, each with a name and a description. If you click on it you can edit the name and description for your version. Then click “Create My New PC” and you’re done. It’s that easy.
You also have the option of creating what is called a “Pre-Generated” character (“PreGen”). A PreGen is a copy of an existing PC; it can be made from any one of your existing PCs. Once created, that PreGen PC will appear on the list of “Off the Rack” choices, along with any other PreGens. Here’s how you do it: Open up one of your character sheets on your My Characters tab and you will see several icons across the top. The one furthest to the right says “Make a PreGen Character from this PC,” and it does just that. Now others can make a copy of that character for themselves. It doesn’t get much quicker or easier than that now, does it?
On the flip side, we are in the process of developing the most complete character creator Beyonder has to offer. We call it the Master Builder.
What is the Master Builder and who should use it? For the most part it’s intended to be used by the Moderator, but advanced players may find it useful too. It is designed not just to make starting characters, but also to make stronger, more seasoned veterans. When we create more powerful characters, our Moderator will often allot us a certain amount of Essence to build our PCs. The Master Builder keeps track of the Essence you spend as you build your character, making this process much easier. It is also helpful for Moderators who want to create an NPC and match its strength to a certain level. Instead of creating a baseline character, giving them Essence, and leveling them up, you can jump right to the final product!
In terms of interface, the Master Builder looks and feels very similar to Quick Choices or CYC. There are tabs for various aspects of your character (Race, Barriers, Talents, etc.); you select an option or enter a value. What makes Master Builder different is that it allows you to bend or break some of the rules. For example, if you want to create a character that has a higher or lower baseline control of the Six Energies, you can give them more or fewer points to spend on their Affinity Scores and even give them Affinities higher or lower than the usual range.
Along the left side of the screen there are a number of “Validation Flags” to let you know if you are outside the normal range of things. Green means that your character is totally kosher and ready to go. Yellow means that you haven’t broken any rules, but your character is not as fleshed out as a standard character. For example, you will get a yellow flag if your character has not yet been given a Barrier in at least one Energy. You will get a red flag if you have bent the rules beyond normal range (such as making a Wellyn with Size(7), or having Mentarch Powers without having Barriers in Mental). You will still be able to create the character; the flag is just a warning that you have bent or broken the rules. If you hover over the flag, it will tell you what triggered it.
You now have at your disposal all of the options for CharGen in the Beyonderverse (so far). We hope you each find the method that works best for you! We would love to hear from you if you have any suggestions – or just tell us what your favorite method is and why.
Coming soon to a blog near you: Essence and Character Advancement!