2 - Character Sheet

To begin playing Merf, you will need a character sheet. A character sheet lists all the traits that you character has, both mechanical features and customization features.

Race

In Merf, there are (technically) three playable races, human, synthman, and cyborg. Depending on what race you pick, there will be different options available for your character.

Human: Access to magic
Cyborg: Limited access to body mods and magic
Synthman: Access to body mods

No matter what race you pick, you start with 5 max HP.

Human

The majority of people in the Grid and the Pit are human, since they have limited access to advanced technology. As a human, you get six Mana Points. More about magic later.

Cyborg

Almost everyone in the Citadel is a cyborg. There are some in the Grid that have access to body mods, but generally they are much harder to get outside the Citadel. As a Cyborg you get five mana points that are interchangeable with body modifications. Every time you get a body mod, you lost a mana point.

Synthman

Synthmen are much rarer than the other two races, and are found in the Citadel. Rarely, they leave the Citadel although many don't, as they are considered very high class there. As a synthman, you get six body mod slots that can be easily interchanged.

Stats

In Merf, there are 3 stats: BRUTE, SLICK, and SMARTS. BRUTE is your physical strength, your constitution, your ability to tank hits. SLICK is your dexterity, your acrobatics, your ability to dodge hits. SMARTS is your smarts, your planning, problem solving, and ability to utilize magic. When creating your character, you pick one of these stats to become proficient in.

Proficiency in a skill lets your add +1 to any roll with it.

Skills

Each stat also has 6 skills that you can take. For each stat, there are 3 combat skills and 3 exploration skills. During the game, you will earn skill points. Skill points can be used to buy skills (crazy). Skills each cost 1 skill point, but can be upgraded to a new tier for additional skill points. The scaling for cost is as follows:

Tier 1: One SP
Tier 2: Two SP
Tier 3: Three SP
Tier 4: Four SP

This means to max out a skill, you need a total of 10 skill points. However, when you make your character, you may choose one tier 1 skill that is the stat you are proficient in. Merf's intended balancing is to give out 30-40 skill points. but you may give more if you would like. Here is the full skill table, don't overthink it, just take whatever you think is cool.