Protagonist Creation
To create a protagonist, follow these steps in order. You can use the protagonist creation worksheet to track your work and record your statistics on your character sheet.
Identity & Motivation
Give your protagonist a name and describe their pronouns. These may be placeholders for now.
Personality
Aspects
Design a personality for your protagonist by creating a Heart, Mask, and Shadow Aspect.
If you need inspiration, draw three tarot cards at random, assigning one to your Heart, your Mask, and your Shadow. Use the meaning of these cards to generate your Aspects.
Conviction & Tendency
Choose one Affinity from the Conviction list and one from the Tendency list.
Class
Choose a Class. You gain the Core Features for that Class.
Class Agenda
Create an Agenda using your Class’s suggested Agendas for inspiration.
Background
Background Skills
Choose three differentSkills. Gain 2 ranks in each chosen Skill.
School Affinities
Choose three Affinities from the Academic, Sports, and Artistic Affinities lists in any combination. You gain 2 ranks in each of the chosen Affinities.
Extracurricular Affinities
Choose two Affinities from the Otaku, Outdoors, Social, and Practical Affinity lists in any combination. You gain 2 ranks in each of the chosen Affinities.
Background Anchor
Create an Anchor based on your protagonist’s interests. Choose either a hobby or group related to that interest.
Social Identity
Style
Choose three adjectives from the following table to describe your protagonist’s style. Choose a single row no more than twice. For each adjective, you gain two of the corresponding Mana.
| Descriptors | Mana (+2) |
|---|---|
| Warm, vibrant, bold | Fire |
| Cool, fluid, soothing | Water |
| Light, open, shimmering | Air |
| Grounded, solid, rich | Earth |
| Ethereal, old-fashioned, quirky | Spirit |
| Bright, pure, uplifting | Light |
| Deep, mysterious, dramatic | Dark |
| Organic, cozy, wild | Nature |
| Modern, structured, professional | Metal |
Subculture
Choose an Affinity from the Cultures list. You gain 3 ranks in the chosen Affinity.
Relationship Anchor
Create an Anchor based on a relationship you have with another character or group of characters. Determine the nature of this relationship by determining if your Light or Dark Mana is higher. If your Light is higher, the relationship is positive. Conversely, if your Dark is higher, the relationship is adversarial. If they are equal, the relationship is fraught and alternates between the two.
Astrological Sign
Each protagonist has a sun, moon, and ascendent astrological sign. This can be chosen by considering the protagonist’s date of birth or by choosing them. For each of their signs, the protagonist gains +1 ranks to two different Abilities and one Mana, as shown in the Sign Bonuses Table.
Sign Bonuses Table.
| Sun | Moon | Ascendent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | Might; Endurance | Might; Cunning | Endurance; Guile |
| Fire | Dark | Metal | |
| Taurus | Grace; Guile | Endurance; Confidence | Grace; Confidence |
| Earth | Dark | Metal | |
| Gemini | Grace; Cunning | Intellect; Will | Cunning; Empathy |
| Air | Light | Metal | |
| Cancer | Will; Empathy | Grace; Empathy | Will; Confidence |
| Water | Dark | Spirit | |
| Leo | Confidence; Guile | Might; Empathy | Might; Confidence |
| Fire | Light | Metal | |
| Virgo | Grace; Intellect | Grace; Will | Intellect; Confidence |
| Earth | Dark | Nature | |
| Libra | Empathy; Guile | Grace; Endurance | Cunning; Guile |
| Air | Light | Spirit | |
| Scorpio | Cunning; Will | Cunning; Confidence | Endurance; Will |
| Water | Dark | Spirit | |
| Sagittarius | Might; Intellect | Might; Guile | Intellect; Guile |
| Fire | Light | Nature | |
| Capricorn | Endurance; Intellect | Might; Precision | Might; Will |
| Earth | Dark | Spirit | |
| Aquarius | Intellect; Cunning | Intellect; Empathy | Endurance; Cunning |
| Air | Light | Nature | |
| Pisces | Confidence; Empathy | Endurance; Empathy | Will; Guile |
| Water | Light | Nature |
Zodiac Animal
Outer Animal
Choose an outer animal and if it is Heavenly, Worldly, or Mortal. You gain +1 to two Abilities and three Mana, as listed for that selection.
Outer Animal Bonuses Table.
| Heavenly | Worldly | Mortal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rat | Cunning; Endurance | Cunning; Grace | Confidence; Intellect |
| Spirit; Water; Nature | +2 Nature; Water | Metal; Water; Nature | |
| Ox | Might; Endurance | Might; Empathy | Endurance; Guile |
| Spirit; Earth; Metal | Nature; Earth; Metal | +2 Metal; Earth | |
| Tiger | Grace; Might | Cunning; Might | Guile; Cunning |
| +2 Spirit; Fire | Nature; Fire; Spirit | Metal; Fire; Spirit | |
| Rabbit | Empathy; Will | Confidence; Will | Empathy; Cunning |
| Spirit; Air; Nature | +2 Nature; Air | Metal; Air; Nature | |
| Dragon | Guile; Intellect | Might; Confidence | Guile; Confidence |
| Spirit; Water; Nature | +2 Nature; Water | Metal; Water; Nature | |
| Snake | Will; Cunning | Intellect; Cunning | Will; Might |
| Spirit; Earth; Metal | Nature; Earth; Metal | +2 Metal; Earth | |
| Horse | Grace; Endurance | Endurance; Intellect | Grace; Empathy |
| +2 Spirit; Fire | Nature; Fire; Spirit | Metal; Fire; Spirit | |
| Goat | Might; Guile | Confidence; Endurance | Might; Cunning |
| +2 Spirit; Air | Nature; Air; Spirit | Metal; Air; Spirit | |
| Monkey | Intellect; Grace | Grace; Will | Empathy; Confidence |
| Spirit; Water; Metal | Nature; Water; Metal | +2 Metal; Water | |
| Rooster | Guile; Empathy | Cunning; Confidence | Grace; Guile |
| Spirit; Earth; Metal | Nature; Earth; Metal | +2 Metal; Earth | |
| Dog | Endurance; Will | Empathy; Endurance | Confidence; Grace |
| +2 Spirit; Fire | Nature; Fire; Spirit | Metal; Fire; Spirit | |
| Pig | Empathy; Intellect | Guile; Will | Intellect; Will |
| Spirit; Air; Nature | +2 Nature; Air | Metal; Air; Nature |
Inner Animal
Choose one animal as your Inner Animal. Your choice grants you +2 ranks to one Conviction Affinity and one list to choose an Affinity from to gain +2 ranks in. Finally, it grants you +2 ranks in either Light or Dark.
Inner Animal Bonuses Table.
| Affinities | Mana | |
|---|---|---|
| Rat | Ambition, any Crime Affinity | Light |
| Ox | Perseverance; any Outdoors Affinity | Dark |
| Tiger | Courage; any Fighting Affinity | Light |
| Rabbit | Compassion; any Practical Affinity | Dark |
| Dragon | Grandeur; any Supernatural Affinity | Light |
| Snake | Wisdom; any Academic Affinity | Dark |
| Horse | Optimism; any Sports Affinity | Light |
| Goat | Creativity; any Artistic Affinity | Dark |
| Monkey | Curiosity; any Culture Affinity | Light |
| Rooster | Honesty; any Conviction Affinity | Dark |
| Dog | Loyalty; any Social Affinity | Light |
| Pig | Friendship; any Otaku Affinity | Dark |
Interpersonal Dynamics
From amongst the Fire, Earth, Water, and Air Mana, determine which you have the most ranks in. If one or more are tied, choose one from those options. This becomes your Compatibility Element.
For each other protagonist, compare your Compatibility Element to theirs. If your Elements are compatible, you gain a Positive Connection to that protagonist. If they are incompatible, you gain a Negative Connection. Otherwise, you gain a Neutral Connection.
Elemental Compatibility Table.
| Compatibility Element | Compatible | Incompatible |
|---|---|---|
| Air | Fire | Eath |
| Earth | Water | Air |
| Fire | Air | Water |
| Water | Earth | Air |
Magic
Gift
Choose one Magical Gift as the mechanism for your magical power.
Relic
Choose a form for your Relic, gain +1 rank in each of the associated Abilities for that Relic.
-
Wand. Your Relic takes the form of something you wield to project power, such as a weapon, staff, wand, tool, or similar. You gain +1 rank to Might, Grace, and Endurance.
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Tome. Your Relic takes the form of something you harness to draw power, such as a book, gem, scroll, or collection of cards. You gain +1 rank to Intellect, Cunning, and Will.
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Familiar. Your Relic takes the form of something you consult to harness power, such as a spirit, animated object, magical creature, or unseen entity. You gain +1 rank to Confidence, Guile, and Empathy.
Starwrit Agenda
Determine which of the following Elements you have the most Mana in and create an Agenda based on the guidance provided for that Element.
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Spirit. An Agenda focused on defining or struggling with your identity, upholding your beliefs, or preserving innocence and light.
-
Nature. An Agenda focused on growing as a person, engaging with the material world, or building and protecting bonds.
-
Metal. An Agenda focused on imposing order on chaos, creating something that endures, or correcting corrupt systems.
Magical Affinities
Spend your Mana by choosing Affinities from the Magical Affinities list. Each rank costs two Mana of any type. In addition, the first rank of a Magical Affinity costs two Mana of a specific type combination, as listed in the Magical Affinity list.
Finishing Up
Skill ranks
You gain 100 XP which you must immediately spend to gain Skill ranks. Any XP you do not spend is lost after this step. You can distribute this XP to any number of Skills but you cannot increase a Skill’s rank beyond 6 during this step.
Talents
Choose a Talent for each of your unoccupied Talent slots.
Calculating Effort
Calculate each of your Effort Refresh values by adding together your ranks in the corresponding Abilities.
Description
Write a brief description for your protagonist in their everyday attire and when they’re Transformed.