CHARACTER CREATION
Part of the magic of Meridian 59 is the power it gives you to create an
alternate character for yourself. This chapter takes you through the process of
choosing your character's appearance and attributes,
and shows how your persona can change as you spend time in Meridian 59.
Selecting Which Character To Play
When you log into the game, you'll see the Select Character window. At the top
of the window is a listing of the characters on your account on the server
you're connected to. Below that is the Message of the day. The message of
the day area may contain news about current events, game updates, and other
important information. Also note there are two advertisements at the
bottom of this window. Clicking on these will open your web browser to a page
with more information relating to the advertisement. These may be special offers
from Near Death Studios or our friends and partners.
The first time you enter Meridian 59, your account will have only blank
character slots noted as <New character>. To create a new character,
select this character and click the OK button.
Customizing Your Character
Upon choosing to create a new character, you're greeted by a window with a
series of five tabs - Name, Appearance, Statistics, Spells, and Skills -
that lead you through the process of creating your character. Click the five
tabs at the top of the Customize Your Character window to jump back and forth
quickly between the windows, or use the Prev and Next buttons at
bottom right to page forward and back.
Note: As you create your character, remember that none of the choices
you make on these five screens is permanent until you click the OK button
at the bottom of the Customize Your Character window. Once you click OK,
however, your choices are irrevocable: the face, name, and attributes you have
chosen will be set for the rest of your character's life!
Name
Type the name of your new character in the text box that appears. Choose your
name carefully as this will be the first impression you present to other
players. Names deemed inappropriate may be changed at any time without warning
or notification. Character names on each game server are unique. If someone else
already has a character with the name you entered, a window will pop up to
notify you when you click OK to finalize your character.
Description
Next, move down to the Description window, and type in a short description of
your character. It might include your orientation (good, or evil), your
strengths (magic or combat), a bit about your personality and preferences, or
your philosophy of life. Your character's description is the one part of
character creation that is not permanent. You can change your character's
description at any time from within the game. Some players update their
description with their in game accomplishments such as battle victories, mana
nodes discovered and bonded with, and more.
Appearance
The Appearance tab offers seven variables that you can manipulate to change your
character's appearance. Drag the sliders and click the arrows in the right side
of the window to move between the various options in each category. The face on
the left will display your changes instantly. Play around with all of them until
you find the right combination that gives you just the look you want.
| Gender |
- Click the buttons to choose male or female. |
| Skin Color |
- Move the slider bar to view the entire skin color
range. |
| Hair |
- Click the forward and back arrows to view the entire
style range. |
| Hair color |
- Click the forward and back arrows to view the range
of hair color choices. |
| Eyes |
- Click the forward and back arrows to move through the
range of eye shapes available. |
| Nose |
- Click the forward and back arrows to move through the
selection of noses. |
| Mouth |
- Click the forward and back arrows to choose a mouth
and chin for your character. |
Statistics
Adjust the slider bars at the bottom of the window to select your beginning
attributes. This peculiar combination of six abilities determines who you are,
how you meet danger, how easily you acquire specific skills and knowledge, and
how you adapt to the world around you.
| Might |
- Your overall physical strength. This determines how
much you can carry and your damage when using weapons. This is very
important for skills with some weapons, such as hammers and axes. |
| Intellect |
- Your general intelligence. Intellect determines the
total amount of new skills and spells you can learn addition to how fast
you improve. This statistic is very important for the advanced spell
schools of Riija and Jala. |
| Stamina |
- Your endurance level. This statistic determines how
fast you regain vigor and ability to heal. It is also important for the
Kraanan school of warrior spells. |
| Agility |
- Your general quickness. This determines your ability
at evading attacks and is important for defensive skills. |
| Mysticism |
- How in tune you are with magic. Mysticism your
ability to acquire and use new spells and determines how large your mana
pool is. This statistic is very important for the magic schools of
Faren, Shal'ille, and Qor. |
| Aim |
- Your accuracy. This statistic determines how well you
hit with your weapons, and is important for skills dealing with ranged
weapons. |
All new citizens begin with 25 out of 50 possible points in each of these six
areas, as shown on the six slider bars. In addition, you have 50 extra points
(shown on the slider at the bottom) to distribute as you will, thus fine-tuning
your character's attributes.
Move the sliders until your new character's statistics are optimized for the
kind of life you expect it to live. If you are creating a warrior, you might
give up some of those mysticism points and put them toward stamina, aim, or
might. If you would rather become a wizard, however, your mysticism, intellect,
and agility will be crucial to your survival.
When you have spent your 50 extra points, and the slider bars are all set the
way you'd like them, click Next to move on.
Spells
The list on the left of the Spells window offers a selection of low-level spells
that the Temples routinely offer at low cost to new citizens. When you highlight
a spell on this list, the spell's description and cost appear in the middle of
the window.
- Click Add Spell to add a highlighted spell to your repertoire. It
will move from the list on the left to the one on the right.
- To change your mind, highlight the unwanted spell in the right list, and
click Remove Spell.
You are given 45 points to buy your initial set of spells and skills. You may
want to move back and forth between Spell and Skill windows, adding and deleting
spells and skills until you feel you've bought the right measure of both. Spells
come from many different schools, which each have certain specializations.
| Kraanan |
- The warrior's school of spells. These spells will
help you in combat and to protect you from some of the magic that others
wield. While some warriors enjoy the benefits of this school, others
prefer to keep their points focused on their combat statistics instead
of worrying about magic. Those with high Stamina will find these spells
easier to cast. |
| Shal'ille |
- The healer's school of spells. These spells help heal
the pure at heart. Different spells will help you heal damage, remove
harmful magics, and even punish the wicked. Requires the caster to have
positive Karma in order to cast the spells. Mysticism will help you
become a more powerful healer. |
| Qor |
- The evil one's school of spells. These spells help
the darker side to achieve power. Different spells will help you hide
from your enemies, damage your opponents with acid, drain life from
others, and even gain incredible powers at incredible costs. Requires
the caster to follow the dark path of negative Karma. A high Mysticism
is recommended for those wishing great power in the dark arts. |
| Faren |
- The war mage's school of spells. These spells deal
with elemental damage. How to deal damage to others, how to deal damage
at a distance, and how to resist this damage from others. A high
Mysticism helps the war mages cast their spells better. |
There are also two advanced schools that you can learn in the game.
| Jala |
- The bard's school of spells. Most of these spells
take the form of songs that you play which affect all in the room. These
spells can help you heal faster, or even hinder the casting of spells.
Some of the spells also help create potent magical items that duplicate
spell effects. A high intellect is important for bards so that they can
remember their songs better. |
| Riija |
- The trickster's school of spells. These spells deal
with deception and illusion. As the spells get more powerful, the
illusion becomes more real and sometimes more deadly. Intellect
determines how potent your illusions are, and how well they affect your
opponent. |
Skills
The list on the left of the Skills window offers a selection of inexpensive,
low-level skills that are available to new citizens. When you highlight a skill
on this list, the skill's description and cost appear in the middle of the
window.
- Click Add Skill to add a highlighted skill to your repertoire. It
will move from the list on the left to the one on the right.
- To change your mind, highlight the unwanted skill in the right list, and
click Remove Skill.
Remember, you are buying these skills out of the same 45-point budget that
will also buy your spells. Take your time to ensure that you use your limited
resources most effectively. At creation, some people find it helpful to focus
all of their points into a single school. This allows you to remain focused on
one set of abilities and reach the more powerful levels quicker.
Finalizing Your Character
Your new character is just about ready to start life in Meridian 59. When you
are completely finished with all five screens, click the OK button at the
bottom of window. Once you click OK, you can no longer change your
character's appearance or attributes.
Congratulations! You are now standing inside the inn of Raza, the tutorial
town. Once you have followed the tutorial area you will be brought into the
mainland as a full citizen of Meridian 59, ready to take to the streets,
squares, forests, and deserts in search of good company, good combat, good ale,
or whatever else may suit your fancy.
Note:When you first enter Meridian 59 you will be under the protection
of a Guardian Angel. No other citizen will be able to attack or kill you until
you achieve 30 health points - the level at which you are deemed capable of
defending yourself.
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