Characters

As in most RPGs, characters in DCS are defined by numbers. All these numbers are known as attributes. There are three main types of attributes:

Aptitudes

These represent the character's general talent and ability to learn. As a rule, they cannot be raised by normal means.

Abilities

These are the learned attributes of the character. They can be raised by normal means, and often are.

Aspects

These are the special things about a character: knacks with certain abilities, for example. They are generally gained only at character creation.

Aptitudes

 There are three standard aptitudes in DCS. Further aptitudes may be added to handle features of particular gameworlds, and, in theory, these three may be removed. The normal human range for each aptitude is from one to twenty, with ten indicating an average person.

Physical

Covers all abilities which primarily rely on the use of the body, whether sheer power, endurance, or agility.

Mental

Covers all abilities which primarily rely on the mind: intelligence, memory, creativity, and the like.

Social

Covers all abilities mainly concerned with interacting with other people: charm, guile, social perception, and so on.

Abilities and Aspects

 These attributes vary a great deal from one game world to another, and so will not be detailed here. Instead, I will give the general guidelines for fitting them into the system.

Abilities

The basic rules for abilities are given in the Abilities Section, a sample list in the Ability List, and rules for improvement in Ability Improvement.

Aspects

Aspects are dealt with in the Aspects Section.

Character Creation

 The first step in creating a character is a concept: what sort of character do you want?

The next step is assigning the aptitudes. Each aptitude starts with a score of 0, and you have a pool of points to split between them. The size of this pool depends on the tone of the campaign. 30 points means that you create average characters, 35 makes them noticeably good, and 45 makes them superb. You may not raise any aptitude above 20.

If more aptitudes have been added, more points should be added to this pool. Add ten points per additional characteristic for average characters, twelve for good, and fifteen for superb.

After picking characteristics, pick the character's aspects. Again, you will have a pool of points, of a size set by the GM. Average characters get 0 points, and must balance bonuses with penalties. Better characters might get ten, or even more. If the GM has particularly expensive aspects available, the pool might be very large.

Finally, describe your character's background and calculate abilities. Work out how much time you spent in practice, how much in school, and how much in work experience, for each aptitude. Assume that all your teachers added ten points to your improvement total. For simplicity, you need not assign each month to an ability, but merely tally the total points, and then assign them.

Your first three years will be spent learning how to function in society. You gain a score in your native language equal to your Mental Aptitude, and you also gain the physical and social skills which allow you to act as a normal citizen. Finally, you gain one Endurance Ability for each Aptitude, at a score equal to the Aptitude.

The background of the character should be set in consultation with the GM. This will vary so much from campaign to campaign that I do not intend to give even general guidelines.

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