I just received the PDF of the Talisman Adventures Fantasy RPG Playtest Guide from Pegasus Speiele for Review purposes, but I'm going to run through making a character as I read through the game.
Step One is to choose an Ancestry.
I choose Troll, it's character Modifiers are as follows: Aspect Cap increases the maximum of Mettle or Brawn to 7 (I choose Brawn); Bonus Skill is either Intimidate or Fortitude (I choose Fortitude); Restrictions are that at the beginning of the game my Craft can be no higher than 4 and when I first meet an elf, human, or sprite of Good Alignment or people from Civilized Places they react to me one step lower on the Attitude Chart because I look terrifying.
Now it's time to choose a Background. I roll 1d6 and a result of 1-2 is a Bridgwarden, 3-4 is a Worldwalker, and 5-6 in an Irongbound.
I roll Bridgewarden and gain a +1 to Resolve, Intimidate Skill, I begin the game with a Messenger Pigeon Follower (I name him Stew), and Once per Day, I can reroll one die on tests related to defending a location.
A Troll's Special Abilities are Regeneration (I can regenerate slowly in battle and faster outside of combat). And I can choose Sentinel, Stonefist, or Stonespeaker (I choose Stonefist that let's me use my fists as weapons and can deal additional damage when I roll a 6 on the Kismet die).
Step Two is to choose Class.
I choose Sorcerer, my Strength is 2, my Craft is 4 (my Max as a Troll), my Life is 9 + Mettle or Resolve (I don't know those yet), my Spell Points are equal to my Craft (so 4), and I gain Bargain, Decipher, Notice, Lore, Psychic, and Spellcasting. I get Arcane Focus in Spellcasting and the Bargain Focus in Decipher.
My Core Features are Arcane Spell Casting, Psychic Assault, Familiar (a Pixie named Aria), and then I have to select Center of the Web, Disarming Wit, A friend of Yours, and the More the Merrier (I choose Disarming Wit which helps me in social situations).
Step Three is to choose Alignment.
I choose Neutral instead of Good or Evil.
Step Four is to assign my Aspects and Attributes.
My class set my Strength at 2 and Craft at 4 but I get to add 1 point to either (I choose Strength 3).
First, I distribute 6 points (Strength x 2) among Brawn, Agility, and Mettle (I choose Brawn 3, Agility 1, Mettle 2).
Second, I distribute 8 points (Craft x2) among Insight, Wits, and Resolve (I choose Insight 2, Wits 5, Resolve 1).
However, I get +1 Resolve as a Bridgewarden so I end up with Resolve 2.
Step Five is Final Touches.
I get to add 2 Skills or Focuses in any combination (Melee and Psychic Skills).
Max Load is Strength x 3 (6).
Speed is Agility + 10 (11).
Physical Damage Modifier is equal to Strength (3).
Psychic Damage Modifier is equal to Craft (4).
My Life is 11.
My Attributes, Aspects, and Skills are:
Strength 3
Brawn 3
Intimidate
Melee
Agility 1
Melee
Mettle 2
Fortitude
Craft 4
Insight 2
Psychic
Wits 5
Psychic
Resolve 2
Fortitude
Step Six is to determine Equipment.
The game has loadouts for each class, so I choose Sorcerer and I end up with a Staff (1d6 + 3 damage), Spellbook, Pen and Ink, 5 Sheets of paper, Book of Lore on Sprites, Haversack, Bedroll, Tinderbox Mess Kit, Water Bottle, Lantern, 2 Flasks of Oil, Pouch containing 6 Gold.
I have two followers.
A Sprite and a Messenger Pigeon.
Character creation took about 30 minutes. Pretty good for an unfamiliar system.
