Character Generation:

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:

Basic Code:

The first room, called "the Waters of Life," introduces these basic code commands, and also allows you to choose a race for your character.

@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.

@sex me=<male or female> - This will set the gender of your character.

Before selecting a race, please read the news files on the Atlanteans, Empyreans, Mongrels, Sylvans, and Varati. You may also wish to make your character a halfbreed, but this would require an application to the staff.

Background and Concept:

The next room in Chargen's line-up is called "Sokkvabekk," and it is where you define your character's concept, history, and age. These commands are available:

&info me=<text> - This is the exhaustive information for your character. It should have history, personality, talents, motives, etc. explained.

&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: 60-80

Setting Stats:

The last room in Character Generation is called "Vulcan's Forge," and it is where you "forge" your character's stats. 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.

Child characters will receive fewer points than adult characters -- you will lose 10 points for each year below age 16 (i.e. 15-year-olds get 150 points, 8-year-olds get 80 points, etc.)

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.

Once you have passed through the first three rooms of Character Generation and set all your appropriate code and stats, you have only to pass the "Riddle of the Sphinx" to complete your journey. Good luck!