"Now These Her Princes Are Come Home Again"

Information and Character Generation

Amber is a multi-universe game where you play one of a family of powerful immortals. However, you are currently unaware of your true heritage, having been brought up on a world somewhere in the multiverse. You are far more powerful (physically and mentally) than most of the people you will meet, and with whom you will have grown up. You also heal much faster, without scarring, will even grow back any parts of your body which you may lose, and do not age after reaching adulthood.

What I need from you (hopefully by the start of the first session) is:

• Who you are.
• Your upbringing.
• How old you are (less than roughly 100 subjective years).
• Where you come from (nearly any type of homeworld is possible).
• What skills you have.
• What powers you have (if any).
• Any special items you have (if any).

You may or may not be aware of other worlds/universes, depending on the nature of the place where you were raised (for example, different worlds can be linked in some fashion, allowing travel between them by just walking). This is up to you. However, you initially have no ability to independently travel between worlds.

System

Amber is a points-based system. In this case everyone has 75 points to spend on statistics, powers (if any) and special equipment (if any). Pattern Imprint is free, though most characters start the game without it.

Statistics

Amber characters have essentially five statistics:

PSYCHE

• Strength of will and mental power. Resistance to mental attacks; sensitivity to malign influences. The amount of effort which you can put into certain powers (effectively your mental 'power output').

STRENGTH

• What it says; how much damage you inflict in combat and resistance to physical damage. Even at the lowest level possible for you, you are stronger than an Olympic weight lifter, and can kill normal people with one punch.

ENDURANCE

• Fitness and stamina. Staying power. How fast you heal. Even at the lowest level you can have, you can fight hand-to-hand for hours, sprint for longer, and jog for days.

WARFARE

• Physical co-ordination and dexterity, in particular combat skill and a lesser amount of tactical skill. At its lowest level still capable of giving Earth's best swordsman a good kicking.

STUFF

• This statistic is basically your luck, good or bad. You can either pay points to be lucky, or get points back for other things by being unlucky. If you leave it at zero, then you have to make your own luck. Unlike the other statistics, Stuff is limited to a range of plus or minus 5.

The only statistic which can be brought below zero is Stuff.

Other Powers

In addition to statistics there are a number of other powers which PC's can have. These include:

MAGIC

• This subdivides into the following:
  • Sorcery (10 points) - the ability to channel local magical energies to pretty much any effect you can imagine. However, generally slow (anything from half an hour on up) and quite hard work. It is possible to store (rack) spells with the essential parts (the linchpins) missing in an item (which costs 2 points) so they can be used quickly.
  • Empowerment (10 points) - the ability to create magical artefacts; this can be quite slow, especially for more powerful items.
  • Power Words (10 points) - also known as cantrips; fast, easy to use 'mini-spells' which work in most places but which generally have only short-term effects.
• Be aware that magic works to varying degrees in different worlds, from fully to not at all.

SHAPE SHIFTING (35 points)

• What it says, basically. It allows you to change form and heal wounds much faster than normal. However, it does work too slowly to be of any great use in combat. In addition to your human form you will have a 'war form', something which is optimised for combat, and an 'avatar form', something which reflects your inner self to some degree (often an animal). You can also learn a number of additional forms which are somewhat harder to maintain (for example, various animals).

TRUMP ARTISTRY (30 points)

• This a power which only available to players familiar with the Amber system (i.e. in this case Gilgamesh's player). It includes a Personal Trump Deck as part of the points cost.

Equipment

Special equipment is built using points. It'll probably be easier and quicker if you tell me what you want, and I work out the details (note that items can get quite expensive if you're not careful!).

It is possible to buy personal Trump Decks even if one is not a Trump Artist.

Contributions

It is possible to get extra points by doing contributions (for example game notes or a character diary). This works at the rate of one point per contribution or contributions per session.

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