FUDGE
Character Generation
The Way We Play
Attributes
Skills
Gifts
Faults

 is the meta-system adapted for the world of Majai.
   You can read the full FUDGE rules online, if you so desire.

   Please read the disclaimer and copyright notice. 

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There are a few guidelines that we ask players to follow when generating their first character in the world of Majai.

• Name and Culture. Please select one of the human or non-human cultures, which you can use to determine your character's physique, complexion and name.



• Physical Description. Please write a paragraph describing your character's physical appearance and whatever clothing and gear she might normally have with her. Don't take anything for granted in the description, as it might be used to represent your character to players in the game world you've not yet encountered.
  
  Here's a peachy example from one of the current players:
  
  Malich Malshilan stands just under 6' tall and weighs around 160 pounds. Long, stringy, black hair cascades around his face and shoulders, nearly obscuring his brown eyes and long face until he (habitually) brushes it away with his long, uncut fingernails. A tattered brown robe hangs loosely upon his slender frame, and when not brushing his hair away he is adjusting the robe. The robe is tied at the waist by an old leather belt and a rope-like sash, from which is tied several pouches in the front. Dirty, worn leather boots don his feet.



• Background. Where is your character from? Who were her parents? How did she develop any skills, gifts, faults or outstanding attributes that she might have? If she's not from Essenor originally, how did she arrive there? Please include background information on any unique or particularly valuable gear or associations your character might have.



• Current Situation. Essenor is a political city caught in a delicate balance of power between several power groups. Where does your character owe her allegiance? Does she work for the sorcerer-merchant Icaril, the ruling class of Shifters? Perhaps the mercenary Utor-Ka, the predominant military force in the city, or one of the lesser gangs, like the Nineteen, that control specific neighborhoods? If not allied with or employed by one of the factions, how does she keep food on the table?

• A freelance Amari street thief
• A portrait artist who fulfills commissions for Shifters and nobles
• An Utor-Ka guardsman on special assignment to infiltrate a gang
• A hired thug responsible for collecting late loan payments to the Nineteen
• A journeyman student of sorcery doing spirit research for the Icaril
• A visiting diplomat with an important message for a high ranking Shifter
• A desperately poor field worker who discovered a body in the street, next to it a purse full of silver....

• A heron-marked blademaster from across the ocean. (Be original, please!)
• The bored, angst-ridden son of a god with awesome magical potential. ('Everybody wants to rule the world...')
• A Shifter (They've got more important things to do than adventure about. It would be very dull.)
• A talking otter with rubies for eyes and a magic trident. (Stay within the documentation.)

0. Read the background material on this site.
1. Send a character concept to me, Jason, the more amiable of the two Storytellers here.
2. Re-write the concept with the Storyteller's subtle suggestions, also adding a character description.
3. Talk with the existing PCs (and the omnipresent Storyteller who speaks in the third person) about any initial alliances and where your PC might fit in.
4. Write a character history. Attach some set of the skills below you would like your character to have. You also should include some possible gifts and faults.
5. The Storyteller will assign skill levels and attributes based on what you've written.
6. I'll come back to you with what I have, and you can negotiate if you're dissatisfied. This process is designed both to ensure your smooth introduction to Majai and to preserve the Cosmic (game) Balance.

The Storyteller will assign one of a range of values to each of your character's attributes and skills (bound by your character's history and game balance):

• Terrible
• Poor
• Mediocre
• Fair (read as — Average)
• Good
• Great
• Superb

To test an attribute or skill, the Storyteller (sight unseen) takes your base level and modifies it by a roll of 4dF to see how well your character does on that particular occasion. Simple, huh?

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The Way We Play
  aka, Furtively Answered Quiddities

• The turns aren't ritualized or even synchronized between players (unless their characters are travelling together). Usually it comes down to: a player writes a turn as frequently as he wants to (or is able to, given that he may have a RL), and I respond to it that day or the next. As to time-continuity in the campaign world, I keep it orderly somehow. It's more about having fun and creating a story than cranking out a certain number of turns per week, though two or three turns a week is ideal. One turn a week is the minimum or your character get put on inactive status.



• Inactive status means I might use your PC as an NPC, especially the more involved in an ongoing plot-line she is. What can I say, time marches on. When you want to start playing again, let me know (give me some warning) and you can jump back in, as long as you can keep up one turn a week.



• I strongly encourage all players to get a version of AOL Instant Messenger, to supplement email. My nick is AdamWyrd. Now, you're wondering how we use AIM? Yes, it only happens when all necessary people are online. Which could be just me and one player. Or me and two players. Again, no rigid schedule, but I might say "I'll be on at 6pm PT tonite if you want Jojo to explore the cave." Especially since AIM works great for combat, pursuit, seduction, etc.

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Q: How are attributes different from skills?
A: Not everyone has the same set of skills, but everyone has some rating in each of the eight attributes:

Your character does not have all of the skills listed below! In fact, the list below is merely to generate ideas. Don't be afraid to ask for a skill that's not here.

Q: Should I worry when Jojo the Head-smasher gets stuck at the bottom of a cliff, and I don't have the Climb skill on his character sheet?
A: No. Pop a valium. Most ignored skills default to Poor.
(Of course, if you neglected to get the Speak Language of the Pardos skill and Jojo encounters one, he's out of luck. Foreign languages, written languages, mystical skills, stand-up comedy, web design skills, etc., default to non-existent.)

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Again, this is not a shopping list, but an idea generator.

Cool: Asking for a sexy speaking voice that fits in with Seresina's history, most of which is woven around her turbulent love-life.
Uncool: "Jojo heals rapidly. Why? Um, because it keeps him alive."

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