Character Creation

Character Creation is a series of screens and menus in which a new player of Empirical can customise and design their Commander Avatar. With a great deal of depth, players can make their persona as detailed as they wish, and it includes a Biography box for Roleplaying users to fill out if desired.

The process is comprised of several stages and culminates in naming their Commander, with a compilation of period appropriate names on hand for assistance.

Appearance
The main factors to be considered in the Appearance Screen are: Some, such as Hairstyle, can be changed later, whereas Facial Structure is mostly set in stone.
 * What does your Commander look like?
 * Hair Colour
 * Hairstyle
 * Facial Structure
 * Body Type
 * Uniform Style
 * Formal Wear
 * Casual Wear
 * Colours

A Commander's Colours represents their family or personal Icon.

Note that your Commander's sex must match that of the player, as a general rule.

Additional Wardrobe Items can be purchased from NPC Retailers or from Players creating content on the Community Asset Market. This allows for very broad scope in character, ranging from a smart military uniform to rugged winter clothing, or even militia style practical outfits. Uniform Style is the standard dress for players, whereas Formal Wear is used for certain functions such as Parades or Ballrooms. Casual Wear can be worn in Camp or when out on campaign.

Specialisation
The starting options for Specialisation include, but are not limited to: The starting specialisation merely gives a free boost to various relevant skills, in addition to bonus starting equipment and possibly a trait.
 * Line Infantry
 * Grenadier
 * Light Cavalry
 * Heavy Cavalry
 * Dragoon
 * Logistics
 * Scout
 * Marine
 * Ship's Captain
 * Merchant
 * Banker/Stocks
 * Mercenary
 * Politician
 * Ranger
 * Manager
 * Explorer
 * Noble
 * Farmer
 * Engineer
 * Industrialist
 * Doctor
 * Bandit
 * Scientist
 * Priest
 * Humble
 * Scholar
 * Musician
 * Custom

Experience
The starting experience for a Commander is set at zero, but a brief screen informs the player the purpose of the various Tracking Scales.

Skills
The Skills which govern a Commander's effectiveness in various aspects are: Players are given a certain number of Skill Points with which to distribute amongst these categories, with minimum and maximum values that can be put into each at this time. It is more efficient to have a wider spread of Skills, but some Commanders do choose to use many Skill Points to max out one or two.
 * Command
 * Authority
 * Knowledge
 * Perception
 * Physique
 * Finesse
 * Diplomacy
 * Finances
 * Spirit
 * Logistics

There is a seperate list of Sub-Skills that are dependent on their parent Skill, but can later be advanced on their own. Some Items or Retinue NPCs can affect Skills whilst you have them active.

Traits
During Character Creation, only one Trait can be created for a new Commander, and is used almost totally for roleplay purposes rather than for mechanical use.

To create a Trait, a player writes down the category of personality aspect they are trying to cover and the powerful Trait Archive will suggest relevant options. If the player prefers, they can browse the Trait Archive themselves or use the search feature.

Background
The available background options list is fairly succinct, but does contain a "Custom" option for more varied Roleplaying: Officer Academy or Promoted Soldier are by far the most common backgrounds, with it widely accepted in the canon of the game world that Military Academy education is extremely prodigious and prolific.
 * Officer Academy
 * Promoted Soldier
 * Courtier
 * Merchant Company
 * University
 * *Custom

There is a box for a dedicated or casual roleplayer to fill out a short biography or description for other Commander's to read upon Inspection.

A further optional box is for a definitive Trait to sum up the character's personality.

Inventory
Depending on your background, your avatar will start with a different amount of a relevant Currency. This does create a slight offset which is balanced by skills or other factors. Investing highly in the Finances skill will lead to a higher starting Wealth.

You get a chance to spend your Currency as part of Character Creation prior to appearing in Empirical, on various categories of expenditure including Default Wardrobe Items, Home and Estate Items, Family Items, Military Forces, and many more. It is wise to stock up on a good amount of Logistical Items at this stage.

Roster
The Roster stage of Character Creation is where the player is able to choose the starting units for their force, selecting from the Military Forces list. Some units are provided for free depending on the Commander's Specialisation.