Character Creation is a hallmark and time-honored tradition with Roleplaying Games. A Character Creator give the player the agency to craft the character they want to play.
Some character creators are simple, so you may quickly get into the game. Others are complex, affording in-depth customization and options. Some players will even spend more time in a good character creator than they do otherwise playing a game.
Nightborn is designed to strike a balance to honor RPG tabletop roots while at the same time being functional and streamlined to assume the story and gameplay.
The Nightborn Demo Character Creator is nearly complete, so the following will describe what has been accomplished.
First, let's talk about what the Nightborn Demo is and is not. The Nightborn Demo is not the final gameplay nor does it depict the final story of Nightborn. The Nightborn Demo is designed to give the general feel of the game and can be considered a preview of developing gameplay and systems and somewhat of a prelude to the world of Nightborn's Gothic New Orleans. The Nightborn Demo will get updates to accommodate player feedback and developer progress.
The Nightborn Demo is not the Beta test. The Nightborn Beta build access will be linked to Kickstarter and Patreon support at certain tiers and pledges. The Beta will start some time after the Demo is released and will have final story and gameplay elements.
The Character Creator is a lightweight version of the vision for the full version of Nightborn's Character Creator. There are three major choice categories: Appearance, Style, Lineage, and Inheritance. Options not yet in the Demo are Greyed out, while currently valid options are Red.
The Appearance section has a choice of a Man or Woman gendered appearance. Future versions of the Character Creator is planned to have more detailed Appearance customization, with different bodies, skin color, faces, hair styles, etc.
The Style section covers how your Nightborn dresses. Style has a gameplay component, where NPCs will react differently to you depending on how they present themselves. Different styles of clothing can be purchased from Vendor NPCs and changed into at areas with Wardrobes, such as at the Vendor's store or your Sanctuary Apartments.
Lineage denotes the Nightborn bloodline you descend from. Your Vampire Maker is of this Lineage and they passed the blood onto you. This choice will affect how Nightborn of the same Lineage treat you, as Lineage is a bond. Blood in thicker than water after all. Nightborn Lineage also dictates which Powers come with your Lineage's Inheritance.
Inheritance is the term for a Lineage's Entitlements, which is what Nightborn call Vampire Powers. Every Lineage has a different combination of Entitlements they Inherit. The only Entitlement in the Demo is the Powers of the Carnal: Brutality, Glamour, and Blood Rituals. For this reason, only Lineages with a Carnal Inheritance will be accessible in the Demo.
You may also notice a section in the lower left (see image below), where you can find a description of what character selection is being scrolled over with the mouse or is currently selected. This will provide more information about what the option does and how it helps you or changes the character.
What do you think of the progress so far? Which style are you most excited to see? Which powers are you excited to wield?