The Attributes Tab

Data entry in UniForge is pretty straightforward, but a few items do bear mentioning.

You can type any name you like for the character and type in your name in the Player Name field, as well. Neither fields are required, but the program does tend to default to the character's name for things like saving the character file. It isn't strictly necessary to have named your character before you save it, but it is handy.

The Concept and Association fields are also very optional. Some data files will populate them with a variety of suggested concepts and associations. If you want to type your own concept or association in the fields, you can. The program will remember what you added and save it with the character.

Character type and which character template you choose, however, is very important. The points you available to spend on your character depends on what type of character you have chosen. In addition, character type dictates what calculations are used for Life Points and other Secondary Attributes as well as what Secondary Attributes are used for the type of character you are creating.

The first popup list gives you a list of general types of characters. The second popup list is populated by the types of characters you choose from the one above it. This one selects the actual template used to determine the points and bonuses you get as a guide to building your character.

You can use the Optional Skill Point system, if your game allows it. Clicking this check box provides you with Skill Points based on a set amount plus a bonus for your character's intelligence, status, wealth, and age. You should see a change in the maximum Skill Points available in Skills field.

Clicking the "Character is in Play" checkbox makes the Saved XPs field more meaningful. You should only click this checkbox once you are done creating your character. Experience earned during play can be recorded in the Saved XPs field. When the "Character is in Play" is checked, the program will use Experience from this field to purchase Qualities, Skills, and Metaphysics, and add the spent amount to the running total in the Spent XPs field. Note that both fields are editable, making it easy for you to bring an existing character into the UniForge.

One other thing to note about placing a character in play is that it does not record how improvements to your primary Attributes are made. This is because many of the games (not to mention house rules) may have very different rules as to how, when, and how often an Attribute may be improved. These rules may vary even on a per-character type basis within each game system. We suggest that you always consult the GM after game start before improving any Attribute. Once you have the GM's approval, simply change the associated Attribute as necessary. If Experience Points were spent, subtract that amount from your Saved XPs field and add it to your Spent XPs field to keep your running record of Experience up to date.

Other Fields

The large field below the Secondary Attributes area is reserved for the program. Extra important items such as Essence Channeling, Sadicas Channeling, Sadicas Pool, Taint, and Madness may appear here when the appropriate Qualities are purchased.

The Attributes, Qualities, Drawbacks, Skills, and Meta fields also cannot be edited. These fields, once a character type is choosen, contain two numbers. The number before the slash ( "/" ) is your running total. The number after the slash is maximum number of character points allowed for this category. Note that this is really a guideline. You can spend less or more points in each category according to the normal rules of the game. For instance, it's normally allowed to use Metaphysics points to also buy supernatural Qualities, so you might have spent fewer than the alotted points for Metaphysics, and more than the alotted points for Qualities. In addition, points gained from Drawbacks can usually be used to purchase extra Skills, Qualities, or Metaphysics. UniForge offers these totals simply as a guide; it does not force compliance with any particular set of rules for maximum flexibility.

At the bottom of the window you'll see helpful text printed in green, indicated what books the currently loaded datafile supports. This makes it easier to remember what data file you are currently working with to create your character. This is visible at the bottom of the window regardless of what tab you are working in.

Using this program is very dependent on the user understanding how Unisystem works. If you have never used Unisystem before but would like to learn about it, you can obtain a complete book for free! Please visit Eden Studios' web site featuring CJ Carella's Witchcraft. This book is not only available in print in hard cover, it's also available as a free download in PDF. Look for the "free download" link on the above indicated web page.

Important!
In the course of using UniForge, you may decide to load a variety of data files as you work or experiment with the program. Please remember that the calculations for any character is dependent on the character type you have selected. If you have loaded a data file that does not contain the character type you have selected, it may not be able to perform the calculations needed to update your character's bonuses and Secondary Attributes.

---

<<Armageddon, CJ Carella's WitchCraft, Abomination Codex, Mystery Codex and Unisystem is copyright CJ Carella 1996-2003. Armageddon, CJ Carella's WitchCraft, Abomination Codex, Mystery Codex and Unisystem is a trademark of CJ Carella. Armageddon, CJ Carella's WitchCraft, Abomination Codex, Mystery Codex and Unisystem is published under exclusive license by Eden Studios. The Armageddon, CJ Carella's WitchCraft, Abomination Codex, Mystery Codex and Unisystem trademark is used without Mr. Carella's or Eden Studios' permission and neither of those parties is responsible for the content of this site.>>