So, you’re planning to play Vaesen and need to create a character for yourself or help your players as the gamemaster. While the system could be difficult to use at first glance, there is a roll-system in the back of the core book (page 214) for new players.
Step 1: Choosing your Archetype or Rolling
The archetype is the background and class of the game rolled into one. It is where you will get some of your base stats, like Resources, and the character traits you’ll be playing with during the game. When taking your chosen archetype, you should be taking the lowest number in the resources range unless told otherwise by your GM. (This is actually a great reason to use the roll system at the back of the book as you’re more likely to have a better resources start as an aristocrat.)
I would also star your primary attribute and skill
The roll system at the back of the book starts you off by rolling for your class and upbringing, before the “profession table” (which is the term for classes in this game).
Even if you choose to build a character from scratch, I would say you should roll on the class table on 214 to figure out your resources (using your class range as minimum and maximum).
But What Archetypes Should We Pick?
I do deliberately put the word “we” here. While all TTRPGs are collaborative, Vaesen is a game you MUST work together on or your character will die. It’s best to work together to create your characters.
In a similar way to wanting all your bases covered by different classes in D&D, you likely want all your attributes to have a primary character using it or your time in the mysteries of Vaesen might be difficult.
You want at least one Physique based character:
- Servant
- Vagabond
- Athlete (Mythic Britain and Ireland)
You want at least one Precision based character:
- Hunter
- Occultist
- Officer
You want at least one Logic based character:
- Academic
- Doctor
- Private Detective
You want at least one Empathy based character:
- Priest
- Writer
- Entertainer (Mythic Britain and Ireland)
- Socialite (Mythic Britain and Ireland)
What is more, you likely want at least one character who can acquire additional information from the GM using their Talent, which you choose later. (This is especially helpful when stuck in the mystery.)
- The Academic can establish truths about places and phenomena in the game as a Learning test with the aid of the GM with the Erudite talent.
- The Occultist can perform a seance to predict the future and contact the dead with the Medium talent– though a bad Observation test might lead to inaccurate information, the occultist being attacked, or suffering a condition.
- The Private Detective can use the Elementary talent to simply have the GM explain how clues are connected once per session. (I think this might be the most powerful talent of the game as there is no check associated with this.)
- The Vagabond can have an NPC situated in the current story with a successful Manipulation test once per mystery using the Well-Traveled talent. (Even on a failure, the NPC might be hostile or in great need of help.)
- The Writer can use the Automatic Writing talent to make an Inspiration test to gain clues (similar to the Medium talent the Occultist has) once per game session.
I would NOT choose to have all characters in the party have these talents. It should be especially noted that you will want someone who is good at fighting or the mystery will result in a failure as you find the Vaesen and are unable to defeat or, as is more likely, distract it.
Step 2: Choose an Age and Distribute Points
Equally important to choosing your archetype is choosing your age. Your archetype helps you choose where your points should go, but your age dictates how many points you can spend on your attribute points and skill points.
Younger characters get the most attribute points but the fewest skill points; old characters have the fewest attribute points but the most skill points; middle-aged characters are balanced between.
Want to choose randomly? Roll 1d6:
- 1-2: You are young
- 3-4: You are middle-aged
- 5-6: You are old
All attributes must have 2 points, minimum. You can put 5 points into your primary attribute (and you probably should). That should leave you with at least a couple attribute points to spare; you can’t put more than 4 points into your non-primary attributes.
This part doesn’t necessarily change if you choose to randomly roll– except that you get your points from rolling on your archetype’s Life Event Table. You roll once for a young character, twice for a middle aged character, and three times for an old character. (And get some story background to boot.)
Step 3: Choose Your Name, Motivation, Trauma, and Dark Secret
Go back to the archetype page (or go there for the first time if you’ve been randomly rolling up the character.
Choose the name as you want. (For the sake of Mythic Britain and Ireland as a setting, you might want to look to those names for ideas or try to find anglicized versions of the names in the core rulebook.)
Choose your motivation, trauma, and dark secret.
If you are wanting to keep up the random roll, roll 1d6:
- 1-2: choose the first option
- 3-4: choose the second option
- 5-6: choose the third option
You now have enough of a backstory to get started, as well as your vital stats!
Step 4: Choose Your Relationships with the Other PCs
Vaesen assumes that the characters know each other at least loosely through The Society. As such, you have a relationship (let’s say attitude) with each other character and they have one with you. (Also, this game implicitly is at max capacity with a party of five.)
For example, the Vagabond might think that the Writer is their friend, but the Writer is afraid of them– or could be inspired by them if they chose a different option.
Step 5: Choose or Roll for Memento (Backtrack to Pg. 23)
Your momento is a vital item to your character both emotionally and mechanically. It is an item which anchors them in their hunt for the unknown and, mechancially, it can heal your character of two conditions once per session.
(Also, if it is lost or broken, you can use an experience point to have it returned or fixed in time for the next mystery.)
Step 6: Choose a Talent
The talents are where a character really starts to get their flavor and the mechanical differences that make them unique to you. (They are similar to feats in D&D in this way.)
As I mentioned above, you will want at least one of your party to have a talent which gives more information to solve the mystery, but you won’t want everyone to have a talent like that or you’ll find that you’re ill equipped to deal with the vaesen when you find it.
I found that looking for talents which compliment my skills helped shape my character.
Step 7: Get Equipment
You get the starting equipment from your archetype (as well as any gear from your Life Event Table, if you randomly rolled up your character). You’ll still be able to prepare for the mystery ahead of time, as laid out in the book, but this is how you’ll start.
Thank you for reading!
I hope that you’ll enjoy Vaesen as much as I already am. Feel free to share about your characters in the comments below! If you found this helpful, consider donating to support me and the work I do.
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