Character Creation

The MC

MoR's Main Character ("the MC") has just inherited a house from his brother Joseph – who mysteriously disappeared after handing in a note of property transfer to the magistrate in South Redhaven. Who our MC was before that is completely up to you, however. The character creation process provides you with a set of decent skills that'll help you survive the dangerous world of Raana, and you can specialize in whatever style that suits you best – it doesn’t matter if you choose to be slaver, an academy professor or a jack-of-all-trades; wealth and power will come to all enterprising men.

Upon starting Masters of Raana, you're presented with a set of choices:

Quick start

Recommended for inexperienced RPG players or those who want to jump straight into the game. Pick a predefined class, enter your name and hit "Start game!"

Legacy

MoR's old character creation framework. Not recommended unless you're nostalgic. Picking this will exclude you from choosing Expert Traits. There are no active guides on this wiki regarding the legacy starting options, but they are pretty self-explanatory.

Customize class:

Recommended for experienced RPG players, or for your second playthrough. These options leave the power in the hands of the player; there are two choices - or three, if you are a Tier 4+ supporter of the game:

• Rise from Ashes (gives 120 character creation points). Start the game as a downtrodden man who'll rise from the ashes and claim his place in history. A difficult, but very fun, setup that'll extend the early game. Best combined with Grimdark difficulty (see below).
• Normal (gives 280 character creation points). A casual playthrough that is still challenging. You'll get enough points to pick an Expert Level and a few Traits.
• MoR Enhanced (gives 750 character creation points; Tier4+ only). Intended for Alpha testers or for those who want a heroic start.

Customization options

The character creation process presents many options. You can shift between the various categories - Biography, Skill Classes (= background), Attributes (& Skills), Traits (& Disadvantages) - and game Settings (difficulty level, dice rolls, world settings, and other settings; see below) - and distribute points as you wish. Changing Age and adding Traits and career path skill class levels will all modify Skills and Attributes. The "Character Stats" pane on the right remains visible at all times so that you can track the cumulative effects of your choices.

There are thousands of combinations and recommendations, but it all boils down to what kind of experience you want to have in Masters of Raana; there is no "best" way. This is an open-world game, and you can take any path towards building your future in Ikaanos.

Biography

The Biography section allows you to enter your name (or have one generated at random), choose your MC's appearance (from one of 16 options), and then change your starting Age. Age modifies the Attributes Strength, Dexterity, Willpower and Beauty; it also affects the Academics and Science Skills. You can see the effect of these changes on the "character stats" pane on the right.

Skill Classes

Skill Classes are a quick way of building your character and setting him down a unique path; they are optional, but recommended. There are six classes to choose from: Doctor, Scholar, Hunter, Soldier, Businessman and Slaver. Each class has three levels: Novice, Adept and Expert. Novice and Adept levels provide benefits in the form of Attribute and Skill gains appropriate to that career path, which are roughly the value of their nominal cost but may be slightly better or worse. Some levels also provide cash and/or Influence gains - keep an eye on the bottom of the description pane on the left to see these. Note: few Skills are avalable for direct purchase at character creation, so certain Skill Class Levels may be the only way of acquiring certain Skills - and also certain Traits, as some of these are locked behind Skill requirements.

Expert Traits

Picking an Expert Level in a Skill Class will provide further Skill and/or Attribute gains, and also provides a special Trait providing a prize unique to that career path that will color your playthrough in various ways. Expert Slaver gives you a scripted version of Adora Sanor, one of MoR's story NPCs; Expert Doctor gives you equipment and connections in the medical faculties of Ikaanos; Expert Businessman gives extra returns from workshops and investments; Expert Scholar provides a position at the Academy plus steady revenue from a publication; Expert Soldier gives you armor, weaponry, and friends in the military; and Expert Hunter gives access to a secret hunting location near Darkmere.

Attributes

Here you can directly buy points in seven of the eight Attributes: Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Willpower, Charisma, Beauty and Stamina. The eighth, Health, is also shown here; this Attribute is calculated from ½ Strength + ½ Stamina + ½ body size factor (100 for the MC, = +50 HP). Some Traits require certain Attribute minimums. Many Skill Class Levels add to Attributes. And Attributes are modified by Age. You will be able raise your Attribute scores during the game, so you do not need to worry about having high scores at the start, so you may want to save most of yuor character creation points for buying traits instead. You also have the option of reducing your starting Beauty, to gain up to 20 more points to play with.

Skills

Of the eighteen Skills available to the MC, only four can have points bought for them directly during character creation: Gambling, Manipulate, Copulation and Kissing. The other Skills can have points added to them by purchasing Traits and Skill Class Levels. Again, all of these skills you will be able to increase your scores in during the game, so the main ones to focus on during character creation are any for which you may need a minimum level in to buy a Trait you want which has a prerequisite.

Traits

There are a wide variety of Traits you can buy to provide interesting customisations for your character. Traits themselves generally can not be gained during the game, though the things which they provide (e.g. skill bonuses, equipment) often can be. So Traits are something to focus on during character creation, but most you will likely decide that you can do without.

Disadvantages

Disadvantages are Traits that you can buy during character creation which are bad rather than good, so give you extra character creation points to play with instead of costing points. They also help make your character more distinctive and interesting, and can provide you with challenges to play against.

You can read more about Traits, Disadvantages and Expert Levels here.

Game Settings

Difficulty

There are three difficulty levels in Masters of Raana:

Sandbox

For a casual playthrough. Good for beginners or for those who don't want a challenge.

• Auto shower enabled.
• Retainer (+$70/day).
• Easier combat rolls.
• Reduced enemy damage (-20%).

Normal

No active effects.

Grimdark

The way MoR is meant to be played. A grittier experience that provides a nice challenge without increasing the grind.

• Vendor prices and incomes are more realistic, adding additional strategy to economy management.
• A batch of "tough" Political Events that could have a noticeable impact on Ikaanos' Control and Prosperity.
• Slightly increased spawn rate for certain bandit groups.
• Increased penalties resulting from Incapacitation in combat (still under development).

A Dying World

The "A Dying World" setting adds an extra layer of difficulty to MoR and is best played together with Grimdark difficulty for the ultimate Masters of Raana challenge. Under this option the Ikaanian Republic is on the brink of collapse, experiencing its second Dark Age:

• City Control and Prosperity start at 5.
• Energy cells, durasteel and most other materials have their market supply decreased by up to 80%.
• Only three HULC armors remain at The Transit Department.
• Food market replenish rate reduced by roughly 50%.

Ironman

This option adds an air of peril and realism to combat, as it makes it possible for NPCs to die permanently - though your MC will always survive, one way or another. If knocked out in combat (reduced to 0 or less Health Points), NPCs and the MC suffer permanent statistic losses (generally -2, or -5 if playing Grimdark difficulty, to one or more of Health, Stamina or Beauty) if brought round without using a high-tech Doctor's Kit - but under the "Ironman" option, any NPC reduced below a certain negative threshold will be lost permanently. This threshold may be anything from -10 to -30 Health Points; the number is being tweaked as the game is developed.

Dengi Invasion

This is an optional end-game challenge for players who have achieved everything else. Intervention with your forces might be enough to save Raana from destruction at the hands of these ferocious cannibals, descended from some of the first human settlers on Raana. If turned "ON", there will be a countdown (500 to 999 days, modifiable) to the start of their invasion, challenging you to build up your forces adequately in time. More details HERE.

Dice rolls

Just accept "Normal" (2D50) if you're not into dice roll spreads and mathematical calculations regarding the outcome of RNG situations.

• 1D100 - classic old-school RPG that makes combat more deadly and surprising.
• 2D50 - the default.
• 5D20 - provides a generally stable dice roll outcome that weighs skill values over randomness.

NSFW pics

Turns off all the spicy images, for when you might want to play the game at work (not recommended). May also save bandwidth.

Start!

Alright, choose your name, review your skills and start the Tutorial if you're new to MoR. The Tutorial is just two minutes long but provides important navigational hints regarding the character sheet, the journal and your Household menus.

Next step assumes you've gone through the tutorial.

Continue: Part III First steps.

Back to Guide by Grimdark.