Character Creation
The first and most obvious step is to start giving some thought to the character you are planning on playing. At this point you will probably be painting with fairly broad strokes - 'neurotic Black Mage with a troubled past' or 'narcissistic, charismatic Thief' are some basic examples of concepts that could be spun out into a well-defined character. This section details how you can transform your concept into a playable character.
Picking a Job
A character's chosen Job helps determine his or her Abilities, their aptitudes in combat, and a whole slew of other factors. For this reason, choosing a Job is the most important decision a player makes during the character creation process, but don’t worry! There are options for characters to explore other job options as the game progresses. For more information on character jobs, take a look at the Job Section of the website,
Character Race
The world of Final Fantasy is populated by an odd assortment of humanoids and monsters. Over the course of many games, the mantle of world-savior has variously fallen on the shoulders of rat/lizard/pig-folk, cat-robots, feral sasquatches, moon-people, and other creatures too strange to describe in just a handful of words.
Ultimately, what races are appropriate for a given game are up to your GM - they might encourage powerfully-built yetis and adorable moogles to fight side-by-side, or they may state that only humans from the different nations of the world are allowed. Once you've done that, choose one of the following two options.
Ultimately, what races are appropriate for a given game are up to your GM - they might encourage powerfully-built yetis and adorable moogles to fight side-by-side, or they may state that only humans from the different nations of the world are allowed. Once you've done that, choose one of the following two options.
My Character is a HumanoidMaybe I've got longer and pointier ears than a traditional human, or even an elephant's trunk or a long tail, but we're still pretty similar species. I'm vulnerable to the dark corruption caused by Shadow spells and effects, and I take 50% more damage from attacks of this elemental type. But I'm diverse and adaptable, and I start with two Abilities of my choice and a bonus point to 2 skills.
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My Character is a Monster SpeciesThat doesn't mean I'm dangerous or unintelligent, mind you - Moogles, planar travelers, living plants and so on all fall under this category - just that I’m connected to the primal forces of the world or of the universe.
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Ideals, Goals, and Flavor
In a universe populated by heroes with monikers like Cloud Strife, Zidane Tribal or Laguna Loire, a good name can go a long way towards making a memorable character. A wandering samurai named Rodin Renzeïr immediately paints a far different mental image than a moogle warrior named Mister Jitters, PHD. Ideally, a good name should be evocative and a little unusual.
Your character should have 3 ideals, stating what drives them and what they really believe in. These may be short-term goals that mean a lot to them or just their general outlook on life. FFd6 has a built-in system where having these beliefs challenged or these goals accomplished over the course of the story grants benefits and earns the character rewards.
In addition to the ideals the character should have a single life goal that they hope to accomplish over the course of the story. These things help the GM plan adventures around your character.
Age, physical features, appearance and mannerisms also go a long way to firmly establishing a character. Do they lean towards all-concealing black cloth, or a wardrobe consisting entirely of loud pastels? Are they a fresh-faced adventurer brat or a grizzled, world-weary veteran? What about jewelry or other distinguishing features such as tattoos? How does the character carry themself, and what impression does the character's general posture and expression give others? All of these things, alongside the ideals above, should give a good impression of who your character currently is and what your character is trying to become - things that tend to be more important than your losses and accomplishments that took place off-screen before the game begins. A bit of backstory can be good to have, but we suggest keeping a character’s history minimal, to a paragraph or two at most. Ultimately however the decision is up to each individual GM.
Your character should have 3 ideals, stating what drives them and what they really believe in. These may be short-term goals that mean a lot to them or just their general outlook on life. FFd6 has a built-in system where having these beliefs challenged or these goals accomplished over the course of the story grants benefits and earns the character rewards.
In addition to the ideals the character should have a single life goal that they hope to accomplish over the course of the story. These things help the GM plan adventures around your character.
Age, physical features, appearance and mannerisms also go a long way to firmly establishing a character. Do they lean towards all-concealing black cloth, or a wardrobe consisting entirely of loud pastels? Are they a fresh-faced adventurer brat or a grizzled, world-weary veteran? What about jewelry or other distinguishing features such as tattoos? How does the character carry themself, and what impression does the character's general posture and expression give others? All of these things, alongside the ideals above, should give a good impression of who your character currently is and what your character is trying to become - things that tend to be more important than your losses and accomplishments that took place off-screen before the game begins. A bit of backstory can be good to have, but we suggest keeping a character’s history minimal, to a paragraph or two at most. Ultimately however the decision is up to each individual GM.
Primary Attributes
Once you’ve got the basics of the character figured out, it’s time to start getting into the numerical aspect, starting by assigning their physical and mental prowess a number rating from one to ten; one being terrible and ten being amazing. Characters have a total of four primary Attributes, which are:
As characters adventure and gain levels, you’ll be able to increase these attribute points.
- Power (PWR): This score is a representation of how much energy and strength you can bring to a battle, whether it be in the form of magical or melee might.
- Resolve (RES): This score represents endurance, confidence, drive, and the ability to take a hit. Characters with a high Resolve are likely to laugh in the face of danger and press on against adversity, whereas characters with a lower Resolve can heavily feel the weight of failure or the fear of the unknown.
- Dexterity (DEX): This attribute measures speed, physical agility and hand-eye coordination. Characters with a high dexterity will often utilize weapons where their speed can really shine, and they will be able to consistently evade enemy attacks.
- Mind (MND): This score represents your capacity for knowledge, your speed of understanding, general mental agility and knack for channeling magic.
As characters adventure and gain levels, you’ll be able to increase these attribute points.
Secondary Attributes
From those four main stats and our job selection we can derive the rest of a character's statistics, noted below.
Force
This secondary score represents how difficult the character is to oppose physically. A character with a high Force might be able to shake off a basilisk’s deadly gaze without suffering any ill effects, or slice through the steel prison bars on the party’s cell with a piece of folded paper. Force is also tied to Destiny points, as those with high physical capabilities can call upon their hidden reserves with more aptitude than others to work through a problem.
To calculate a character’s Force, add together their PWR and RES attributes, then divide the result by 4, rounded down. For example, a character with 6 PWR and 7 RES would have a total of 3 Force.
Finesse
This secondary score represents how difficult the character is to oppose emotionally and mentally. A character with a high Finesse could think quickly enough to reflect the basilisk’s gaze with a polished edge of metal, and smooth-talk or infuriate the prison guard enough to unlock the cell door. Finesse is also tied to skills, as those with quick hands and quick minds tend to have more training and study time placed into their work.
To calculate a character’s Finesse, add together their DEX and MND attributes, then divide the result by 4, rounded down. For example, a character with 15 DEX and 11 MND would have a total of 6 Finesse.
Hit Points (HP)
A reflection of the character's general physical condition. This number represents their maximum Hit Points, and damage dealt to a character temporarily reduces this value. If a character’s HP is ever reduced to 0 or lower, they fall unconscious and they become vulnerable to enemy attacks capable of killing them.
To calculate a character’s Maximum Hit Points, add their RES score with the HP Bonus granted by their Job, and multiply the total by their Level.
Magic Points (MP)
Magic Points represent a character's reservoir of spellcasting energy. Casting spells reduce a character's MP by a set amount when used. (If you don’t know any spells and are unable to cast magic, then you may treat yourself as having zero MP and you can skip this step entirely. If this ever changes, it’s fine to calculate your actual MP total later.)
To calculate a character’s Magic Points, add their MND score with the MP Bonus granted by their Job, and multiply the total by their Level.
Avoidance (AVD)
The character's affinity for reflexively dodging or parrying incoming physical attacks. Avoidance is determined mostly by your Job (each Job grants an automatic value), and for every 4 points you have in the DEX stat, you add +1 to this value.
Whenever an attack roll is made, it must equal or surpass the target’s Avoid score to have any effect at all. If the total attack roll including Accuracy is lower than the target’s Avoidance score, the attack ‘misses’ and nothing happens. Certain attacks and status effects are capable of ignoring or nullifying your AVD score temporarily, but characters retain their Avoidance score even if they don’t know the attack is coming, or where it originates from.
To calculate a character’s Avoidance, add 1/4th of their DEX score with the bonus granted by their Job.
Accuracy (ACC)
The base likelihood of a character being able to land a blow with a conventional weapon. This stat is based off of the Level of the character, a value anywhere from one to eight. Individual Jobs may also grant an accuracy bonus of a few additional points.
When you make an attack roll with a weapon, you roll 2d6 and add your ACC score – if the result would be equal to or higher than your opponent’s AVD, the attack lands and you may calculate damage using the same two dice – more on that later!
To calculate a character’s Accuracy, add 1/4th of the character’s Level, rounded down, with the bonus granted by their Job.
Armor (ARM)
A sum of the character's protection against physical attack. The higher the number the less damage they will suffer. Whenever a character would take physical damage, their ARM score is subtracted from the amount they would be dealt – for example, a character with 5 ARM would reduce 30 damage down to 25.
Armor is simply calculated by adding up the total ARM granted by your equipment. Some Job Abilities can give permanent bonuses to the ARM score.
Magic Armor (M.ARM)
The character’s protection against magical attacks. The higher the rating, the less damage they will suffer. Whenever a character would take magical damage, their M.ARM score is subtracted from the amount they would be dealt – for example, a character with 20 M.ARM would reduce 60 damage down to 40 instead.
Magic Armor is simply calculated by adding up the total M.ARM granted by your equipment. Some Job Abilities can give permanent bonuses to the M.ARM score.
Force
This secondary score represents how difficult the character is to oppose physically. A character with a high Force might be able to shake off a basilisk’s deadly gaze without suffering any ill effects, or slice through the steel prison bars on the party’s cell with a piece of folded paper. Force is also tied to Destiny points, as those with high physical capabilities can call upon their hidden reserves with more aptitude than others to work through a problem.
To calculate a character’s Force, add together their PWR and RES attributes, then divide the result by 4, rounded down. For example, a character with 6 PWR and 7 RES would have a total of 3 Force.
Finesse
This secondary score represents how difficult the character is to oppose emotionally and mentally. A character with a high Finesse could think quickly enough to reflect the basilisk’s gaze with a polished edge of metal, and smooth-talk or infuriate the prison guard enough to unlock the cell door. Finesse is also tied to skills, as those with quick hands and quick minds tend to have more training and study time placed into their work.
To calculate a character’s Finesse, add together their DEX and MND attributes, then divide the result by 4, rounded down. For example, a character with 15 DEX and 11 MND would have a total of 6 Finesse.
Hit Points (HP)
A reflection of the character's general physical condition. This number represents their maximum Hit Points, and damage dealt to a character temporarily reduces this value. If a character’s HP is ever reduced to 0 or lower, they fall unconscious and they become vulnerable to enemy attacks capable of killing them.
To calculate a character’s Maximum Hit Points, add their RES score with the HP Bonus granted by their Job, and multiply the total by their Level.
Magic Points (MP)
Magic Points represent a character's reservoir of spellcasting energy. Casting spells reduce a character's MP by a set amount when used. (If you don’t know any spells and are unable to cast magic, then you may treat yourself as having zero MP and you can skip this step entirely. If this ever changes, it’s fine to calculate your actual MP total later.)
To calculate a character’s Magic Points, add their MND score with the MP Bonus granted by their Job, and multiply the total by their Level.
Avoidance (AVD)
The character's affinity for reflexively dodging or parrying incoming physical attacks. Avoidance is determined mostly by your Job (each Job grants an automatic value), and for every 4 points you have in the DEX stat, you add +1 to this value.
Whenever an attack roll is made, it must equal or surpass the target’s Avoid score to have any effect at all. If the total attack roll including Accuracy is lower than the target’s Avoidance score, the attack ‘misses’ and nothing happens. Certain attacks and status effects are capable of ignoring or nullifying your AVD score temporarily, but characters retain their Avoidance score even if they don’t know the attack is coming, or where it originates from.
To calculate a character’s Avoidance, add 1/4th of their DEX score with the bonus granted by their Job.
Accuracy (ACC)
The base likelihood of a character being able to land a blow with a conventional weapon. This stat is based off of the Level of the character, a value anywhere from one to eight. Individual Jobs may also grant an accuracy bonus of a few additional points.
When you make an attack roll with a weapon, you roll 2d6 and add your ACC score – if the result would be equal to or higher than your opponent’s AVD, the attack lands and you may calculate damage using the same two dice – more on that later!
To calculate a character’s Accuracy, add 1/4th of the character’s Level, rounded down, with the bonus granted by their Job.
Armor (ARM)
A sum of the character's protection against physical attack. The higher the number the less damage they will suffer. Whenever a character would take physical damage, their ARM score is subtracted from the amount they would be dealt – for example, a character with 5 ARM would reduce 30 damage down to 25.
Armor is simply calculated by adding up the total ARM granted by your equipment. Some Job Abilities can give permanent bonuses to the ARM score.
Magic Armor (M.ARM)
The character’s protection against magical attacks. The higher the rating, the less damage they will suffer. Whenever a character would take magical damage, their M.ARM score is subtracted from the amount they would be dealt – for example, a character with 20 M.ARM would reduce 60 damage down to 40 instead.
Magic Armor is simply calculated by adding up the total M.ARM granted by your equipment. Some Job Abilities can give permanent bonuses to the M.ARM score.
Finishing Touches
Job Abilities
Your character has begun to take shape, and now it’s time to start really getting into the customization process. First, consult your Job Ability list, because you automatically receive the Innate ability listed there. The next step is to choose two additional abilities of your choice (unless a monster race was chosen, then you choose one additional ability and gain the Unusual Species ability) – these may be either from the list of Job-specific abilities, or the list of Shared Abilities.
Skills
Next up is to choose skills. These are day-to-day proficiencies such as picking locks and talking your way out of a tight spot. You may allocate your skill points anywhere you like, but the maximum number of points you can have in any one skill is limited to one plus your Finesse score.
For example, a newly-created character with 3 Finesse may not have more than 4 points in any one skill. So, as a character’s Finesse increases, so too will their maximum skill caps. The number of Skill Points you begin play with as well as the amount gained at each level is dependent on your Job (Base Skill for the initial amount of points and Skill Bonus for each level they gain beyond one) .
Magic
Most MP-using classes begin the game with at least one spell. A typical Job may have a magic-using chart that appears next to their chart that contains the rest of their attributes. This chart tells you the levels that character earns spells as well as how many they gain. Keep in mind that both White and Black mages gain extra spells due to their innate abilities.
Equipment
All newly-created level one characters begin play with 500 gil, or the world’s equivalent. This is enough to purchase basic equipment including a weapon and armor, as well as supplies or one-time use items that can help a character out of a tight spot.
Even if your character is a blacksmith, tailor, alchemist, or someone else capable of turning money into usable items through use of the Synthesis skill (which we’ll talk about more later), you cannot use any part of this 500gil to craft items before the game actually begins.
Destiny
Destiny Points are a metagame representation of a Character’s impact on the world. They’re what separates the movers and the shakers of the world from the masses, what the player characters and their most fearsome opponents possess that nobody else does.
By filling out a quote on your character sheet you may earn a single point of Destiny right off the start; otherwise, all characters generally begin play without any reserves of this important resource. Characters created at levels higher than first often already have Destiny ready for action.
The maximum amount of Destiny a character can have at any given time is one plus their Force score.
Limit Breaks
The final piece of character creation comes from having a Limit Break a character can use in dire circumstances. The process of creating Limit Breaks (along with some sample ones) can be found later in the book.
Your character has begun to take shape, and now it’s time to start really getting into the customization process. First, consult your Job Ability list, because you automatically receive the Innate ability listed there. The next step is to choose two additional abilities of your choice (unless a monster race was chosen, then you choose one additional ability and gain the Unusual Species ability) – these may be either from the list of Job-specific abilities, or the list of Shared Abilities.
Skills
Next up is to choose skills. These are day-to-day proficiencies such as picking locks and talking your way out of a tight spot. You may allocate your skill points anywhere you like, but the maximum number of points you can have in any one skill is limited to one plus your Finesse score.
For example, a newly-created character with 3 Finesse may not have more than 4 points in any one skill. So, as a character’s Finesse increases, so too will their maximum skill caps. The number of Skill Points you begin play with as well as the amount gained at each level is dependent on your Job (Base Skill for the initial amount of points and Skill Bonus for each level they gain beyond one) .
Magic
Most MP-using classes begin the game with at least one spell. A typical Job may have a magic-using chart that appears next to their chart that contains the rest of their attributes. This chart tells you the levels that character earns spells as well as how many they gain. Keep in mind that both White and Black mages gain extra spells due to their innate abilities.
Equipment
All newly-created level one characters begin play with 500 gil, or the world’s equivalent. This is enough to purchase basic equipment including a weapon and armor, as well as supplies or one-time use items that can help a character out of a tight spot.
Even if your character is a blacksmith, tailor, alchemist, or someone else capable of turning money into usable items through use of the Synthesis skill (which we’ll talk about more later), you cannot use any part of this 500gil to craft items before the game actually begins.
Destiny
Destiny Points are a metagame representation of a Character’s impact on the world. They’re what separates the movers and the shakers of the world from the masses, what the player characters and their most fearsome opponents possess that nobody else does.
By filling out a quote on your character sheet you may earn a single point of Destiny right off the start; otherwise, all characters generally begin play without any reserves of this important resource. Characters created at levels higher than first often already have Destiny ready for action.
The maximum amount of Destiny a character can have at any given time is one plus their Force score.
Limit Breaks
The final piece of character creation comes from having a Limit Break a character can use in dire circumstances. The process of creating Limit Breaks (along with some sample ones) can be found later in the book.
Starting Above Level 1
Characters won’t always withstand the rigors of the Final Fantasy world – some gracefully return to their old lives, some are defeated in battle or perform legendary acts of self-sacrifice. Sometimes, old villains can become new allies, or long-forgotten companions can return more powerful than before. Perhaps the heroes themselves are already well-established paragons in the world, not batting an eye at the lesser threats that plague the typical adventurer.
Characters who begin play at higher than first level generally shouldn’t have any Attributes with a value of less than 3, and definitely should not have any attribute higher than the value listed for their level, found again in the chart above.
If a character begins play as a spell-casting Job, they also gain a full list of spells as if they had been a member of that Job all the way from level one. For example, a level 5 Black Mage will know and have access to four Novice spells and 2 Intermediate ones. A level 12 Blue Mage will only know two spells; one Novice, and one Superior.
Characters who begin play at higher than first level generally shouldn’t have any Attributes with a value of less than 3, and definitely should not have any attribute higher than the value listed for their level, found again in the chart above.
If a character begins play as a spell-casting Job, they also gain a full list of spells as if they had been a member of that Job all the way from level one. For example, a level 5 Black Mage will know and have access to four Novice spells and 2 Intermediate ones. A level 12 Blue Mage will only know two spells; one Novice, and one Superior.
Level |
Attribute Points |
Job Abilities |
Defining Abilities |
Limit Breaks |
Starting Destiny |
Recommended Item Level |
1 |
25, Max 10 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
||
2 |
26, Max 11 |
2 |
1 |
1-2 |
||
3 |
27, Max 11 |
3 |
1 |
1-2 |
||
4 |
28, Max 12 |
3 |
1 |
1-2 |
||
5 |
29, Max 12 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
6 |
30, Max 13 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2-3 |
7 |
31, Max 13 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2-3 |
8 |
32, Max 14 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2-3 |
9 |
33, Max 14 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
10 |
34, Max 15 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3-4 |
11 |
35, Max 15 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
3-4 |
12 |
36, Max 16 |
5 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
3-4 |
13 |
37, Max 16 |
6 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
14 |
38, Max 17 |
6 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
4-5 |
15 |
39, Max 17 |
6 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
4-5 |
16 |
40, Max 18 |
6 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
4-5 |
17 |
41, Max 18 |
7 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
18 |
42, Max 19 |
7 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
5-6 |
19 |
43, Max 19 |
8 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
5-6 |
20 |
44, Max 20 |
8 |
2 |
2 |
3 |
5-6 |
21 |
45, Max 20 |
8 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
6 |
22 |
46, Max 21 |
8 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
6-7 |
23 |
47, Max 21 |
9 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
6-7 |
24 |
48, Max 22 |
9 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
6-7 |
25 |
49, Max 22 |
9 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
7 |
26 |
50, Max 23 |
9 |
3 |
3 |
5 |
7 |
27 |
51, Max 23 |
10 |
3 |
3 |
5 |
7-8 |
28 |
52, Max 24 |
10 |
3 |
3 |
5 |
7-8 |
29 |
53, Max 24 |
11 |
3 |
3 |
5 |
8 |
30 |
54, Max 25 |
11 |
3* |
3 |
5 |
8 |
*Level 30 gets a Job's Ultimate Ability