Character Creation

Creating a character in Iron & Myth is quick, simple, and guided by discovery.

Characters begin as capable but unproven adventurers. Their past matters, their choices matter, and the world may not care whether they survive.

Character creation answers three questions:

What are you?
Who were you before adventure?
What kind of adventurer are you now?


Abilities

A character has five Abilities that define how they face danger, solve problems, endure hardship, and act in the world.

Ability

Abbreviation

Use For

Strength

STR

force, lifting, breaking, climbing, grappling, and physical power

Agility

AGI

balance, stealth, reflexes, precision, speed, and careful movement

Constitution

CON

endurance, pain, poison, disease, exhaustion, and physical resilience

Lore

LOR

memory, reason, craft, learning, history, languages, doctrine, and practical wisdom

Presence

PRE

awareness, instinct, courage, discipline, social force, will, and judgment in the moment

Each Ability has a die.

All Ability Dice begin at d8.

During character creation, your Heritage, Background, and Class may increase your Ability Dice.

When an Ability Die increases, step it up once:

d8 → d10 → d12

No Ability Die can be increased beyond d12.

Character Creation Steps

Create a character in this order:

Step

Procedure

1

Choose Heritage

2

Choose Background

3

Choose Class

4

Calculate Character Stats

5

Roll Life Path

6

Review Final Details


1. Choose Heritage


2. Choose Background

Choose your Background to show who you were before becoming an adventurer.

Your Background represents training, work, hardship, social place, and lived experience.

It may increase one Ability Die and tells the Referee what your character can reasonably know, attempt, recognize, or gain access to.

A Background is not just a bonus. It gives your character roots in the world.

3. Choose Class

Choose your Class to define what kind of adventurer you are now.

Class

Primary Ability

Sellsword

STR

Ranger

AGI

Priest

PRE

Arcanist

LOR

Druid

PRE

Your Class increases its Primary Ability Die, grants class features, and provides starting equipment.

Your Background shows who you were before.

Your Class shows what you have become.


4. Calculate Character Stats

After choosing Ancestry, Background, and Class, calculate your main stats.

Stat

Formula

HP

2x CON die maximum

Stamina

CON die maximum

Carrying Capacity

STR die maximum

HP measures how much harm, injury, and punishment you can suffer before falling.

Stamina measures exertion, strain, grit, endurance, and the ability to keep going under pressure.

Carrying Capacity measures how many significant items you can carry ready for use.

5. Roll Life Path

Roll on the Life Path table to discover what shaped your character before play begins.

The result may create bonds, debts, enemies, duties, regrets, goals, or a reason to seek adventure.

Life Path should give your character a past, not a script.

Use it as a spark.

6. Review and Final Details

Finish your character by choosing or recording:

  • name

  • appearance

  • manner

  • equipment

  • personal goal

  • reason for joining the party

Before play begins, answer one question:

Why are you willing to risk your life with these people?




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