Character generation, or "chargen" as it is more commonly called, is the "generation" of your characters stats. You go through this process to help you shape your character -- deciding on his or her race, abilities, skills, or talents. On Aether, chargen is set up as a series of four rooms, each dedicated to different phases of creating a character; from selecting a race, to setting one's skills, to writing a background. You have various options to choose from in chargen, and the following files will help you understand what each one means and how it works:
Before you can choose one of the five racial exits in the Chaos you must first set your gender and lock yourself. You can do that with the following commands:
@sex me=<Male or Female>
@lock me=me
Once you have set those two commands you can chose from Atlanteans, Empyreans, Mongrels, Sylvans, or Varati
Going through any one of those exits will set your race and take you into the next room, The Waters of Life. Here you will set the following commands as well as setting youe +sheet up, which will be coverd in Setting Stats.
@desc me=<text> - This should be a character description that will show people what your character looks like.
&short-desc me=<text> - A shorter (one sentence) version of the full description. It will show up on your +finger, as well as when the +look command is used.
You will also need to set your character's age, background information and basic concept. Use the following commands to set each of these.
&info me=<text> - This is the exhaustive information for your character. It should have history, personality, talents, motives, etc. explained. Other players will be able to read this, so do not include anything you do not want others to read.
&concept me=<text> - An alternative to writing a full-length &info in chargen, setting this short description of your character's motives and overall concept will permit you to leave without writing the &info. However, it is recommended that you set your &info sooner or later, as it will be helpful for other characters when roleplaying with you.
setage <number> - This command will set your character's age. It should be a decimal number (Such as 20.3) and will reflect how many years the character has been alive upon leaving chargen. Also, the average lifespans of each race are (in descending order):
Atlanteans: 100-120
Empyreans: 90-110
Varati: 80-100
Mongrels: 70-90
Sylvans: 80-100
Please read the news files on stats before choosing any, so you have a good idea of just what it is you're setting on your character.
The number of points your character gets on his sheet depends on his age. A character that is 18 years old will get 180 points, a character 23.5 years old will get 235 points and a 30 year old will get 300 points. Any character over 30 will get 300 points as a maximum. Characters requiring additional points need to submit an application to staff.
Use the following commands to set your numbers and view your progress:
adjust <attribute>=<number> - <Number> can be either a positive or negative number, which will add or subtract points from the total score, respectively. Setting a score to zero will remove that ability from your character.
+sheet - This will allow you to check your character's sheet and adjust his or her stats accordingly.
+attributes - Lists all available stats in chargen.
Once you have finished setting all of your information and stats you will continue on to the Riddle of the Sphinx where you will answer five questions about the game's theme. Once you have completed the Riddle you will be free to enter the IC grid.
