Creating a Persona for Passages - the BASICS
Creating a Persona is the first step in the process that is Passages. Let's take a look at the process.
Individuals share many qualities, but each is unique. They don't have a quantitative metric by which one can measure improvement, but players inevitably attempt to do so. The Pillars of Persona, as they are collectively known, are categorical. Grace, Cognizance, Brilliance, Presence, Resolve, and Resilience all differentiate one Persona from another in Passages. They form a kind of descriptive framework for the character. They are not definitive nor limiting, but rather a kind of life lattice, the interweaving of the physical with the metaphysical.
We all live to find ways to advance ourselves, move along the pathways of life, and become more. More wealthy, more talented, more skilled. So it is with Passages. Advancement comes through experience, and doing things is how you get better at them. Personas get some basic skills, and other examples are available in the lists. The Director and players engage in the Director's story, and along the way, skills arise, players discover new pathways or direction or even blaze their own. The Persona moves along the Passages, improving holistically along the way.
Then, consider where in the culture, in the very world of fantasy, do you see your home? The wildernesses of the interior of a great nation or in the shadows of a great city. Among most societies of Nycos, for example, there are populations, sects, cultures, and more. Perhaps you hail from a conservative or religious heartland or a frosty frontier coastline. One's knowledge and customs are associated closely with their homeland.
And what about peerage? Perhaps your Persona is of means or the streets. Stories can hinge on a scrap of bread or a king's ransom. Should your Persona have wealth, how generous or selfish will he be? And if he must suffer want, how would he seek his fortune? Money does not make the man, nor must a tailor become a tyrant. Finally, how well fitted or lacking in assets are the Personae? What do they own, what is important to them? To whom are they responsible?
The whole subject, in a nutshell, is this: "Once the development of the BASE finishes, the player chooses the genetic pool (Race), where they come from (Place), social strata (Estate), vocations (Ways) and property they will begin with (Stakes)."
The "A" Train: BASE, RACE, PLACE, ESTATE, WAYS & STAKES
One moves down a passage by taking steps, moving forward, exploring the twists, turns, and alternatives the Passage provides. It often is best to have at least some form of outline or direction, so you can know you are on the right path, going the right direction. The "A-Train" list above is the essence of the process. Each step down the Passages will add basic or selected skills to your arsenal, defining the Persona you are playing little by little. Over the following few pages, you will be able to see how they relate to one another and how they are all drawn together by these linking pieces, the skills that the Persona develops not only at creation but also in progression along the Passages. Before we get into the building process from the list above, consider what kind of person you imagine this other self to be. Flashy dancer, good with a sword, or slow and methodical student of the arts of magic or medicine? Are you of a different race of beings altogether, or are you a part of the human race, standing among the dozens of other races that walk the passages alongside you? Prince or pauper, Dandy or scalawag, tradesman, tinker, soldier or spy? There are no set classes that bind your decision, and perhaps you will take a few steps in a half dozen along the way. Only you can determine the direction of the Passages for you. So, before we go too far into the weeds of the stories that are possible, let's look into the process of creating your Persona, shall we?Individuals share many qualities, but each is unique. They don't have a quantitative metric by which one can measure improvement, but players inevitably attempt to do so. The Pillars of Persona, as they are collectively known, are categorical. Grace, Cognizance, Brilliance, Presence, Resolve, and Resilience all differentiate one Persona from another in Passages. They form a kind of descriptive framework for the character. They are not definitive nor limiting, but rather a kind of life lattice, the interweaving of the physical with the metaphysical.
We all live to find ways to advance ourselves, move along the pathways of life, and become more. More wealthy, more talented, more skilled. So it is with Passages. Advancement comes through experience, and doing things is how you get better at them. Personas get some basic skills, and other examples are available in the lists. The Director and players engage in the Director's story, and along the way, skills arise, players discover new pathways or direction or even blaze their own. The Persona moves along the Passages, improving holistically along the way.
Then, consider where in the culture, in the very world of fantasy, do you see your home? The wildernesses of the interior of a great nation or in the shadows of a great city. Among most societies of Nycos, for example, there are populations, sects, cultures, and more. Perhaps you hail from a conservative or religious heartland or a frosty frontier coastline. One's knowledge and customs are associated closely with their homeland.
And what about peerage? Perhaps your Persona is of means or the streets. Stories can hinge on a scrap of bread or a king's ransom. Should your Persona have wealth, how generous or selfish will he be? And if he must suffer want, how would he seek his fortune? Money does not make the man, nor must a tailor become a tyrant. Finally, how well fitted or lacking in assets are the Personae? What do they own, what is important to them? To whom are they responsible?
The whole subject, in a nutshell, is this: "Once the development of the BASE finishes, the player chooses the genetic pool (Race), where they come from (Place), social strata (Estate), vocations (Ways) and property they will begin with (Stakes)."
