Origin
On the Map Sheet
- Draw a square for your Lead (your PC).
- Draw arrows from your Lead to the other Leads, representing Relationships with those Leads, but don't label the arrows yet.
- Draw a Circle (representing an Extra, a minor NPC) and draw an arrow to it from your Lead. Label that arrow.
On Your Character Sheet
Pick one of: Rich, Ordinary, Gifted, Strange, or Alien/Metahuman.
Rich
You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. A childhood of ponies, catered birthday parties, and a guesthouse just for your toys is what you know best. While you may have been brought into a world where you wanted for nothing materially, it’s possible that not all was as it seemed.
- Think about:
- What was your family like: parents, siblings, extended family?
- Were you close to your parents or did you spend quality with a nanny?
- What expectations did your family have for you, and how did you feel about those expectations?
- Either step up Duty and Power by one step each, or step up one of them by two steps.
- Add a new Distinction (recommended: Cosmopolitan, Family Reputation, or Wealthy).
- Step up a Resource (an Extra or a Location, but at this point you'll only have one Extra and no Locations, so there's not really a choice here).
- Step up a Relationship (with another Lead or a Feature), an Asset (a Distinction or Ability), or a Resource (an Extra or a Location).
- Go on to the Youth stage. Pick one of: Paragon, Jock, or Average.
Ordinary
There was nothing special about your birth. You were just another child, born to average parents in an average town.
- Think about:
- Did your nuclear family consist two parents, 1.5 siblings, and a dog?
- Where were you born? A community hospital in the mid-west or infant number 18 born that day in a large city hospital?
- What did your parents do for a living?
- Either step up Love and Truth by one step each, or step up one of them by two steps.
- Add a new Distinction (recommended: Likable, Not Born Yesterday, or Right Place, Right Time).
- Step up a Relationship (with another Lead or a Feature).
- Step up a Relationship (with another Lead or a Feature), an Asset (an Ability, Distinction, or Heritage), or a Resource (an Extra or a Location).
- Go on to the Youth stage. Pick one of: Jock, Average, or Geek.
Gifted
Whether you inherited it from your gifted parents, or no one was ever sure which side of the family you could have possibly gotten it from, you were a special kid. Perhaps your IQ was advanced (to say the least), your precociousness was freaky, or your skills in something were out of this world. Whatever it was, you carried a big sign that said “Wunderkind” wherever you went.
- Think about:
- What was your gift? Music? Math? Art? Science? Running at three hundred miles an hour?
- Did your parents lovingly nurture your gifts, or were you made to feel ashamed of what you could do?
- Can you remember how you first realized you were exceptional?
- Either step up Glory and Truth by one step each, or step up one of them by two steps.
- Add a new Distinction (recommended: Clever, Genius, or Mastermind).
- Add a new Distinction or step up a Distinction.
- Step up a Relationship (with another Lead or a Feature), an Asset (an Ability, Distinction, or Heritage), or a Resource (an Extra or a Location).
- Go on to the Youth stage. Pick one of: Jock, Average, or Paragon.
Strange
It’s hard to define why some kids are strange. Sometimes it’s because they were birthed into hippie communes or because their parents were astronauts. Other times it might be from growing up in a foreign country, a very small town, or a world-class city. Whatever your circumstances, you were destined to stand apart from a crowd for just being you.
- Think about:
- Are you odd because of your parents? Who were they and what were they like?
- Are you weird despite your parents? What did you do and how did they object?
- What is it that makes you different? Are you eccentric, outlandish, or merely peculiar?
- Either step up Glory and Power by one step each, or step up one of them by two steps.
- Add a new Distinction (recommended: Impulsive, In Over Your Head, or Smartass).
- Step up a Resource (an Extra or a Location).
- Step up a Relationship (with another Lead or a Feature), an Asset (an Ability, Distinction, or Heritage), or a Resource (an Extra or a Location).
- Go on to the Youth stage. Pick one of: Geek, Outsider, or Paragon.
Alien/Metahuman
You might look like a farmboy from Kansas, but that is far from the truth. Whether Alien -- like Clark with his Kryptonian origin -- or Metahuman -- like Arthur Curry (AKA Aquaman) with his Atlantean heritage -- there’s more to you than meets the eye.
- Think about:
- If you’re Alien, were you born on your home world? What was it like?
- Were you born on earth? How did your parents arrive here?
- If Metahuman, what is your heritage? Did you grow up knowing you had this secret, or was it sprung on you when you least expected it?
- Either step up Duty and Truth by one step each, or step up one of them by two steps.
- Add a new Heritage.
- Add a new Ability or step up a Heritage.
- Add a new Distinction (recommended: Cosmopolitan, Extraterrestrial Knowledge, or Gearhead).
- Go on to the Youth stage. Pick one of: Jock, Outsider, or Paragon.