Each player aside from the GM will need to create a character that they will portray. Creation can be distilled down to a simple step-by-step process below. Make sure to record all of your character's chosen stats and abilities on a character sheet for later reference during play.

1: Make Your Plan:

Think a little bit about what sort of character you would like to play. Decide on the general feel for their personality such as cunning or confrontational and don't forget to give them a name.

2: Choose Your Class:

Depending on the game, classes may represent your character's occupation, background, or social strata. Select a class for your character and note any specialties and bonuses.

3: Determine Your Attributes:

Attributes note the inherent body or mental capabilities of a character. All characters start with 2 points in each Attribute, as well as bonuses from their class. Players can allocate 2 more points as they wish, with a maximum of 5 in any Attribute.

4: Determine Your Skills:

Skills represent the training and experience a character has in various activities. Characters start with 0 points in each Skill, plus bonuses from their class, and players can allocate up to 10 extra points however they like among all Skills. The maximum value of any Skill is 5.

5: Note Your Abilities:

Each character may have access to unique abilities based on their class. Make note of these abilities and whether they can be used once each game, once each session, or may be used multiple times with no limit.

6: Select Your Advantages:

Advantages are specific quirks, accomplishments, techniques, and more that a character may have which make them unique. Each character starts with two Advantages. One is dictated by the character's class. The second Advantage may be selected from the full list.

7: Build Your Pools:

Each character starts with Health and Willpower pools as dictated by their class. Players may allocate an additional 5 points however they would like between their Health and Willpower.

8: Get An Adventure Point:

Each character begins the game with 1 Adventure Point. Additionally, classes include a narrative prompt that can be used to gain additional Adventure Points throughout the game (in addition to any other means by which a character may obtain Adventure Points).

Example Classes

The Warrior

The classic fantasy warrior may be a brute who believes that might makes right or a noble knight fighting to protect those who cannot protect themselves.

Attributes: Vigor +1, Presence +1

Skills: Aim +1, Athletics +1, Melee +1, Socialize +1

Abilities:

Powerful Blow: You may spend an Adventure Point when dealing damage to an Adversary. This damage may not be reduced in any way.

Advantage: Weapon Master

Health: 7 Willpower: 3

Gain an Adventure Point when an order you give is successful.

The Wastrel

Wastrels are rogues and ne'er-do-wells of a variety of stripes from con artists to assassins and everything in between. A few even have a heart of gold.

Attributes: Comprehension +1, Presence +1

Skills: Aim +1, Hide +1, Investigation +1, Steal +1

Abilities:

Ace Up Your Sleeve: Once per session, before rolling dice in a Conflict, you may choose to succeed. Your total is considered to be one higher than your opposition.

Advantage: Master Thief

Health: 5 Willpower: 5

Gain an Adventure Point when you convince someone of a lie.

The Wizard

Wizards actually encompass a wide range of individuals who may get their power through sacred rites, potent bloodlines, or the study of dusty tomes. Regardless, they all have the power of magic.

Attributes: Comprehension +1, Discipline +1

Skills: Coerce +1, Investigation +1, Knowledge +1, Mysticism +1

Abilities:

Forbidden Ritual: Once per game after you defeat an Adversary, you may recover an amount of Health equal to the Adversary's Power and an amount of Willpower equal to the Adversary's Dread.

Advantage: Sorcery

Health: 3 Willpower: 7

Gain an Adventure Point when you uncover a mystic secret.

Example Attributes

Tension Engine characters have four Attributes used to represent their predisposition toward activities. Each character starts with 2 points in each Attribute and may additionally receive points from their chosen class. They can assign two additional points to any Attribute, up to a maximum value of 5.

The basic Attributes are:

Vigor

Vigor represents a character's physical strength and vitality. The higher this Attribute is the stronger, more agile, or more hearty the character is.

Comprehension

Comprehension represents a character's mental acuity. The higher this Attribute is the more intelligence or wisdom this character possesses.

Presence

Presence represents a character's social standing. The higher this Attribute is the more pull or sway this character has with other people.

Discipline

Discipline represents a character's emotional fortitude. The higher this Attribute is the greater grit, willpower, and grounding in reality the character possesses.

Example Skills

Tension Engine characters have Skills that represent their aptitude in certain tasks. A contested action will use one Skill to add dice to the pool equal to its value. Every character starts with 0 Skill points, along with class bonuses, and 10 points to customize. The maximum Skill value is 5.

The basic Skills are:

Aim

Use this Skill to fight at long range. Weapons used with this skill could include a thrown knife or bow and arrow.

Athletics

Use this Skill for any strength, dexterity, or stamina-related non-combat maneuver such as balancing on a beam, leaping over an obstacle, or moving a heavy object.

Coerce

Use this Skill for social interactions with a negative connotation such as lying, bribing, or intimidating someone.

Hide

Use this Skill for any attempt to evade detection by people, monsters, or technology.

Investigation

Use this Skill to actively perceive something including detecting lies, surveying a crime scene, or researching a piece of lore in a book.

Knowledge

Use this Skill to recall important and pertinent information on hand, from your memory, or that someone else may have said.

Melee

Use this Skill to fight at close range. Weapons used with this skill could include swords, broken bottles, or bare hands.

Mysticism

Use this Skill for any connection to the otherworldly. This could include priestly prayers and rites, sorcerous rituals, or ancient wizardly magics.

Socialize

Use this Skill for social interactions with a positive connotation such as glad-handing, currying political favor, or complimenting someone.

Steal

Use this Skill for a variety of underhanded and criminal acts including pickpocketing, picking a lock, or embezzlement.

Example Advantages

Advantages are specific qualities that give characters an edge in certain situations. Characters have one Advantage dictated by their class and may choose one more. These can have varied and potent effects.

Careful

When rolling dice in a Conflict, you may spend one Adventure Point. During this Conflict, the GM may not add more than one point to the Tension Pool.

Healer

You may spend a Party Point to attempt to heal an ally. Initiate a Conflict against the Environment. If you succeed, recover an amount or Health or Willpower from an ally equal to the difference in the values of each side.

Master Thief

Spend an Adventure Point to pick a lock, palm an item, or pick a pocket without rolling a Conflict.

Sorcery

Through countless hours studying the eldritch you have learned to use otherworldly powers for yourself. You may always spend an Adventure Point to:

● Roll an attack against an Adversary as a Conflict. You may roll either Comprehension or Discipline + Mysticism for this attack.

● The GM tells you the Power, Dread, and Features an Adversary possesses.

● Reroll a number of dice rolled in a Conflict equal to your Ranks in Mysticism. These dice may not be rerolled again for any reason.

● Restore Health to an ally equal to your Ranks in Mysticism.

When you use an effect of Sorcery, you suffer one point of Willpower damage.

Weaponmaster

Select a type of weapon (i.e. bow, halberd, knife, short sword, etc.). When rolling in a conflict while using this type of weapon, you may reroll a number of dice equal to your Vigor.

Resource Pools

There are several resource pools in the Tension Engine, some of which apply to player characters and some which are only used by the GM.

Health

Health evaluates a character's physical capabilities. It's usually determined by class, plus an extra 5 points to allocate between Health and Willpower at character creation. If Health ever reaches 0, that character is eliminated from the game.

Gaining Health

Characters may gain Health through the use of character abilities or advantages that represent healing in some fashion. They may not go above their current maximum, however.

Willpower

Willpower evaluates a character's mental capabilities. It's usually determined by class, plus an extra 5 points to allocate between Health and Willpower at character creation. If Willpower ever reaches 0, that character is eliminated from the game.

Gaining Willpower

Characters may gain Willpower through the use of character abilities or advantages that represent restoration in some fashion. They may not go above their current maximum, however.

Adventure Points

Adventure Points measure in-game action potential. When spent and generated, they enable players to use Advantages, Abilities, and Skills in Conflicts. Characters aren't eliminated if the pool reaches 0, but are limited in what they can do. Characters start the game with 1 Adventure Point.

Gaining Adventure Points

Characters may gain Adventure Points based on die rolls during conflict resolution. By default they gain an Adventure Point for each 6 they roll in a pool. The method of gaining AP is a common tweak in various hacks and a few other options are presented in the Hacks and Options section below.

Tension

Tension is a pool for the GM and will be discussed in detail later in this document, but in short represents the building stress, pressure, and conflict of the world around the characters.

Gaining Tension

The GM gains Tension Points for the pool based off the rolls of the other player characters – not GM rolls. By default, they gain a Tension for each 1 that rolled in a pool. The method of gaining TP is a common tweak in various hacks and a few other options are presented in the Hacks and Options section below.