‍Chronicles of Darkness is a horror and urban fantasy game published by Onyx Path Publishing using the Revised Storytelling System. This is the same engine that powers games like Mage: The Awakening Second Edition, Vampire: The Requiem Second Edition, and Deviant: The Renegades.

‍The basic system relies on dice pools generated through a combination of traits and modifiers. Once the dice pool is determined, the player rolls a number of d10s equal to the dice pool, looking for dice that show 8, 9, or 10. Those are considered successes. Additionally, dice that come up as 10 can be rolled again, increasing the number of successes. While there are several permutations to the Storytelling System, the dice pool mechanic forms the backbone of the engine.

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As dice pools are formed from the character’s traits, it is important to keep the basics of the system in mind when assigning dots during character creation. You’ll be allocating dots on the character sheet with the number of available dots based on the trait type. This article expressly details creating mortal characters using the Chronicles of Darkness rules. Other games using the Revised Storytelling System will follow similar rules during character creation, usually adding a template once the base character is created. If this is your first time checking out Chronicles of Darkness on Startplaying this quick-reference guide should help make character creation easy so you can get right into playing!

Start With A Concept

You’ll want to begin creating your character by defining a Concept. The character's Concept is a word or phrase that describes who they are and what they do. By boiling down the Concept to a simple summary, you create a basic starting point on which to build. A good Concept also provides guidance to keep you on track as you build your character out. If you’re struggling with whether or not to take a certain Skill, or to determine which Merits to buy, you can always look back to your Concept and ask if the trait makes sense for the Concept.

Three Aspirations

Next, you’ll create three Aspirations. Aspirations are goals that either the character wishes to achieve or that the player wants to see worked into the story. The Chronicles of Darkness core rulebook offers guidance on selecting Aspirations and details on how they work in play. Your Concept can be useful here if you examine your Aspirations through the context of the Concept. If the Aspirations make sense with the Concept, you should be in good shape!

Anchors - Virtue & Vice

In the following step, you select your character’s Anchors. Anchors help define a character’s behavior and determine actions that help the character regain spent Willpower points. Chronicles of Darkness characters use Virtue and Vice as their Anchors. The core rulebook details how to create a Virtue and Vice while also providing multiple examples of both, should you wish to select one of those. Next you’ll assign Breaking Points for your character. The book provides a list of questions about the character’s dark deeds both real and imagined. The answers to those questions provide starting Breaking Points. 

Assign Attributes

Next, you will assign points to your character’s Attributes. There are nine Attributes, divided into three categories of three Attributes each. Mental Attributes include Intelligence, Wits, and Resolve. The Physical Attributes are Strength, Dexterity, and Stamina. Social Attributes include Presence, Manipulation, and Composure. All characters begin with one free dot in each Attribute. You must assign priority to the three categories, ranking them from most important to least so. You may then spend five dots among the Attributes in the highest category, four dots in the middle category, and three dots in the lowest priority category. No Attribute can be taken above a rating of five. 

Purchase Skills

Once Attributes are finished, you may purchase Skills. Skills are also divided into Mental, Physical, and Social categories, with each category holding eight Skills. Unlike Attributes, Skills do not receive a free dot to begin with. The player must rank the categories of skills by priority as they did with Attributes. The highest priority category receives eleven dots to spend among the Skills, while the secondary group receives seven dots, and the final group gets four dots. No Skill may have a score higher than five dots. Once your Skills have been allocated, select three Skill Specialties. These Specialties allow you to narrow down an area of expertise within the broader scope of a Skill. When you use a Skill in a dice pool and your Specialty applies, you get a +1 modifier to your dice pool for the Specialty. Each Skill’s description in the core rulebook offers example Specialties, and you can also work with the Storyteller to create your own.

Merits

Once Skills are handled, you may purchase Merits. Merits provide additional background information, resources, and capabilities to help define and customize your character. Some Merits reflect social standing, people you can count on, or finances at your disposal. Other Merits represent knacks, strange powers, and psychic phenomena. The Storyteller will help you determine which Merits, if any, are restricted at the table. You have seven dots to spend on your Merits.

Finish With Advantages

Once Merits are complete, you can determine your Advantages. These traits are derived from other traits on your sheet. Willpower is derived from your Resolve + Composure. You can spend Willpower points in a variety of ways throughout the game to help your character succeed where they might otherwise fail. Integrity, which measures your character’s sense of self, begins at 7 for mortals. Size, which dictates the character’s physical mass is 5 for any adult human, unless modified by a Merit. Speed determines how fast a character can travel on foot. It is derived from the character’s Strength + Dexterity +5. The character’s Stamina + Size provides their Health score. Their Initiative Modifier is the sum of the character’s Dexterity + Composure. The character’s Defense is the sum of their Athletics Skill plus the lower of their Wits or Dexterity. 

Once you’ve calculated your Advantages, you are ready to bring your character to the table. Enjoy the Chronicles of Darkness!

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Travis Legge is a writer, developer, and streamer working with Onyx Path Publishing, Aegis Studios, and more.