Character Creation

• The Worlds of EOTL details the wider universe that End of the Line is set in, giving you an idea of where you character may have come from.
• The City Today tells you about the City, the dark metropolis where End of the Line takes place.
• Power Sources and Attributes describe the different ways in which your characters may be supernaturally capable.

You are one of the up and coming within the city’s hierarchy. Among those who come here, or those that are born here, there is a wide divergence in raw power, ingenuity and possessions (whether material or in the form of knowledge and contacts). You are sufficiently well equipped with some combination of these to be considered one of the real players of the city. If you’re in a small guild, you probably run it. If you’re in a medium guild, you’re probably among the next in line for the top spot. If you’re in one of the big five, you either run one of their subsidiaries, or are in the upper echelons of whatever centralised power structures exist within it. And if you’re not in a guild, then you are an individual capable of sufficient feats to make those within the more traditional power structures sit up and take notice of you - or at least the results of your actions.

How you or your ancestors came to be in the city, and where you came from, is largely up to you. You might be human, or you might be something entirely different - while humans predominate in the multiverse, they are by no means the only intelligent species out there, and the streets of the City are filled with people of almost every form imaginable. Even if you don’t look different, the culture you came from may have shaped you in unique ways, giving you a perspective on life that may be shared by no others. Equally, you could be a City girl/boy, born and raised, knowing nothing but the world that has been your only home.

Pretty much the only requirement for a player character is that you have some source of sufficient notability that you are counted among those who can make a real difference in the city - whether for good, ill, or something in-between.

• End of the Line is primarily a High Gothic fantasy setting.
• The game is about the society of the City as much as the City its self. We encourage players to engage and interact with this aspect of the game.
• We strongly encourage players to deal with inter-player conflict by targeting a character's power base rather than attempting to kill them outright. Sometimes no other option is available, and character death can occur, but we would strongly encourage players to explore other avenues of problem resolution first.
• The city is of a roughly Victorian feel with technology of a steampunk level.

There are two parts to making a character for End of the Line: who you are and what you do.

Tell the GMs about your character. This need not be longer than a paragraph (though more is obviously fine), but answers to the following questions will help solidify your place in the world.

• Where do your extraordinary abilities come from? Choose one of the Power Sources that takes your interest.
• Where did you come from before you arrived here? Or have you lived here your whole life, a city dweller born and raised?
• Why are you here? Did you flee here, or was it an accident? Were you imprisoned, or did you come seeking something? If you were born here, why did your antecedents choose to come here?
• What role do you play in society? Everyone needs to eat, and each group will have work that needs doing. Are you a member of one group or of more than one? One of your turnsheet actions each week is dedicated to maintaining your Niche in society, so please think about what yours is.
• Which faction (if any) do you belong to? Membership of a faction doesn't cost anything and if you really want (and if you have a good reason) you can be a member of more than one but remember that not all factions will be happy if they find out (but only if they find out) you're affiliated with another group as well.
• Who answers to you? Your character is a major player in the city, and may well have access to willing and able minions. Are these subordinate members of your guild? Do you have a personal network of spies? Or are you a lone wolf, working alone?

Belonging to a faction (or more than one faction) has a number of advantages. It instantly gives you other people to interact with who will have roughly the same outlook and goals to you. They are more likely to help you out if you ask and less likely to be working against you.

The disadvantages of belonging to a faction may include being more expected to help out your fellows in the faction and having clear superiors who expect you to remain loyal (whether you do or not is entirely up to you!).

• Choose Attributes. What are your character's drives, skills, advantages and flaws?
  • Choose up to 3 Motivations to favour: these are the drives that motivate your character and spur them on.
  • Choose 1 Key Skill which your character has an extraordinary level of competence in (2 if you are playing a Talented character). Then choose 2 Skills which your character has an above-average level of competence in.
  • Choose 1 Advantage, and then another (to a maximum of four) for each Flaw you take.

Email your character concept to the GM's at gm [AT] endoftheline.chaosdeathfish.com

…Or email us sooner with any questions about characters you may have! We'll get back to you asap.