Darkbound RPG

Character Creation Essentials

The first thing you should do is download and read the Mutant Year Zero core rulebook which can be found here.

After having read through the chapters meant for players (Ch. 1 — Ch. 8) in the Player Section of the book, you can start creating your character. Follow these guidelines to create your character.

Get your character sheet here in order to start filling out the required fields for your character submission.

Choose a Concept

Your character concept is the foundation of who they are. Start with broad strokes and refine as you go. Think about:

  • Background: What kind of life did your character lead before the story begins? Were they a mechanic, a soldier, a scientist, or something else entirely? Or were they born into the wasteland and know nothing other than a life of pure survival?

  • Personality: Are they hopeful or cynical? Do they prefer working alone or leading others?

  • Motivations: What drives your character to keep going? Are they searching for a lost loved one, hunting for a cure to the Dark, or simply trying to protect someone or some thing?

Example Concepts:

  • A former engineer who builds improvised gadgets to survive.
  • A scavenger with a dark past, always looking over their shoulder.
  • A charismatic wanderer who unites others against Aberrant threats.

Use the Rulebook to Fill Out Your Character Sheet!

Here is the process of creating your character using the Mutant Year Zero rulebook

Step 1: Choose a Role

Roles define your character’s expertise and how they contribute to the group. In the Mutant: Year Zero system, your role determines your starting skills, talents, and typical equipment.

We’ve converted the roles in the rulebook to names that are unique to the Darkbound universe. You will find them below. At the end of each description, you will see which core rulebook role they are modeled after.

Available Roles:

  • ◈ Warden: A combatant who excels in physical confrontations and using firearms. (Enforcer)
  • ◈ Tinkerer: An engineer or builder, skilled in repairing and crafting useful items. (Gearhead)
  • ◈ Roamer: A master of navigating the wasteland, finding hidden paths and avoiding dangers. (Stalker)
  • ◈ Archivist: A storyteller and keeper of knowledge, inspiring with words and wisdom. (Chronicler)
  • ◈ Trader: A smooth-talking dealmaker, adept at negotiation and underhanded tactics. (Fixer)
  • ◈ Animal Handler: A survivor who partners with a loyal animal for protection & tracking. (Dog Handler)
  • ◈ Commander: A natural leader who commands others and thrives in a position of authority. (Boss)
    ◈ Slave: A survivor hardened by captivity, using resourcefulness and defiance to endure. (Slave)
  • ◈ Criminal: A cunning survivor who thrives in deception, theft, and exploiting others for personal gain.

Pick the role that best fits your vision for your character. Refer to the rulebook for full details on each role’s abilities and starting resources.

Step 2: Roll for a Mutation

In the world of Darkbound, mutations are a double-edged sword. They grant extraordinary abilities but come with risks and drawbacks. Your character begins with one random mutation determined by rolling on the mutation table in the rulebook, and you can roll for a second mutation at the cost of reducing one of your attribute stats.

Mutations List:

  • 1. Acid Spit: Excrete corrosive acid capable of melting through barriers
  • 2. Amphibian: Swim and breathe underwater with ease. You look human but have gills like a fish.
  • 3. Corpse-Eater: Consume flesh to regain strength and recover health.
  • 4. Metal Claws: Indestructible claws that can cut through anything, even metal and concrete.
  • 5. Extreme Reflexes: React with lightning-fast speed to avoid danger or harm.
  • 6. Flame Breather: Exhale a cone of fire to damage enemies.
  • 7. Four-Armed: Gain two extra arms for combat or multitasking or any athletics challenge.
  • 8. Frog Legs: Leap incredible distances to escape or ambush.
  • 9. Human Magnet: Attract or repel metal objects with magnetic force.
  • 10. Human Plant: Photosynthesize and heal in sunlight.
  • 11. Insectoid: Crawl on walls and ceilings with insect-like proficiency. Able to stick to them.
  • 12. Luminescence: Emit light to illuminate dark areas or blind enemies.
  • 13. Beast: Transform into a beast-like form with enhanced strength.
  • 14. Mind Controller: Dominate others with psychic influence.
  • 15. Parasite: Attach a symbiotic organism to drain or share life.
  • 16. Pathokinesis: Manipulate the emotions of others around you.
  • 17. Pyrokinesis: Ignite flames with the power of your mind. You can also control the flames.
  • 18. Reptilian: Regenerate wounds quickly (even limbs) and blend into your surroundings.
  • 19. Dark-Eater: Absorb the Dark’s energy to power random abilities (depends on what was absorbed).
  • 20. Sonar: Echolocate objects or creatures using sound, even in complete darkness.
  • 21. Spores: Release clouds of spores to confuse or weaken enemies.
  • 22. Kinetic Master: Able to sense and manipulate kinetic forces to redirect and even deflect.
  • 23. Telepathy: Communicate with others mentally over distances.
    24. Teleportation: Able to appear and disappear at will to far away locations based on memory.
  • 25. Tracker: Sense and follow the trails of creatures or people (see their previous movement)
  • 26. Wings: Whether bird-like or insect-like, wings sprout from your back to allow you to fly.
  • 27. Power Mimicry: Ability to copy another’s powers when that power is used near you.
  • 28. Shapeshifter: Ability to change appearance or body structure.
  • 29. Force Field: Ability to generate a shield of energy produced as a form of protection.
  • ⊛ Re-roll

Mutations make your character unique and add exciting dynamics to gameplay. Read more about these mutations and their benefits/characteristics in the Mutations section.

Step 3: Distribute Attributes

Every character has four core attributes:

  • 💪🏻 Strength: Physical power, stamina, melee attacks, etc.
  • 🤸🏻 Agility: Speed, reflexes, stealth, ranged combat.
  • 🧠 Wits: Awareness, knowledge, perception, reasoning.
  • 💞 Empathy: Social interaction, manipulation, emotional influence.

Assign points to these attributes based on your role’s guidelines. The rulebook provides specific rules for distributing these points, ensuring your character is balanced and fits their role.

You can also read more on Attributes on this section of our wiki.

Step 4: Allocate Skills

Skills represent your character’s learned abilities and training. Each role has specific key skills where your character excels. Choose your skill levels based on the rulebook’s guidelines.

Examples of Skills:

  • Fight: Hand-to-hand and melee combat.
  • Shoot: Ranged combat with firearms or bows.
  • Move: Stealth and agility in dangerous situations.
  • Scout: Spotting hidden dangers and navigating unknown areas.
  • Manipulate: Persuading or deceiving others.

If you want to read more on skills, please go to this section of our wiki.

Step 5: Choose a Talent

Talents are special abilities or perks that give your character an edge in certain situations. Each role has unique talents to choose from. In addition to the talents offered in the core rulebook, we also have our own custom ones.

You can only pick one talent (either one of the custom ones below or one from the core rulebook). Additional talents can be acquired during the game through advancements, which are earned by spending experience points (XP).

Players may gain talents by meeting the XP cost outlined in the system, usually after completing significant events or challenges in the story.

  • ☆ Warden Talents:
    • Suppressing Fire: Your ranged attacks can pin down enemies, forcing them to make a morale check or lose their next action.
    • Adrenaline Surge: Once per day, you can reroll a failed Strength or Agility-based combat roll.
    • Bulletproof Resolve: Gain +2 armor against the first attack made against you in combat each round.
    • Quickdraw Expert: Draw or switch weapons as a free action and gain +1 to your first attack roll when entering combat.

  • ☆ Tinkerer Talents:
    • Salvage Master: Gain additional usable materials when scavenging broken equipment or tech.
    • Jury-Rigged Genius: You can create temporary devices or weapons from scrap that function for 1d6 hours before breaking.
    • Energy Saver: Reduce the power consumption of any device you repair or craft by 50%.
    • Trap Specialist: You can craft traps that deal +2 damage or impose penalties on enemies who trigger them.

  • ☆ Roamer Talents:
    • Pathfinder: Reduce travel time through hazardous areas by half for your group.
    • Silent Step: Gain +1 to Move rolls when sneaking or avoiding detection.
    • Danger Sense: Once per day, you can ask the GM to reveal a hidden threat in your current area.
    • Cartographer: Create detailed maps of explored areas, granting your group +1 to Scout rolls when traveling through previously visited locations.

  • ☆ Archivist Talents:
    • Lorekeeper: Gain a bonus when recalling old-world knowledge, adding +1 to any Wits-based roll involving history or technology.
    • Inspiring Words: Once per day, you can inspire your group, granting them +2 to a roll of their choice.
    • Ancient Coder: You can decipher codes (such as programming languages) or help uncover the use of a program and how to use it without a roll.
    • Knowledge Is Power: Once per day, you can trade obscure information with an NPC for useful resources or favors.

  • ☆ Trader Talents:
    • Silver Tongue: Gain +2 to Manipulate rolls when bartering or persuading NPCs.
    • Shady Dealings: Once per day, gain access to rare or restricted items through underground connections.
    • Wealth in Trash: Identify hidden value in seemingly useless junk, turning it into useful items or trade goods.
    • Smooth Exit: You can convince hostile NPCs to allow you and your group to leave peacefully, provided no violence has started.

  • ☆ Animal Handler Talents:
    • Pack Tactics: Your animal companion gains +1 to combat rolls when attacking the same target as you.
    • Scout’s Companion: Send your animal to scout ahead, granting +2 to Scout rolls and revealing hidden dangers.
    • Unbreakable Bond: Your animal companion can absorb the damage of one attack meant for you per combat.
    • Beast Whisperer: You can calm hostile creatures, forcing them to pass a Wits check or become neutral.

  • ☆ Commander Talents:
    • Battle Orders: Once per day, grant your group +1 to attack rolls for one round of combat.
    • Hold the Line: Allies within close range gain +1 armor when following your commands.
    • Rallying Cry: Restore one point of Empathy to each ally who can hear you during a crisis.
    • Strategic Planner: Gain +2 to Wits rolls when devising plans or analyzing enemy tactics.

  • ☆ Slave Talents:
    • Defiant Will: Once per day, reroll a failed Wits or Empathy roll when resisting mental manipulation or intimidation.
    • Scavenger’s Eye: Spot hidden or valuable resources during scavenging missions, even in high-pressure situations.
    • Chain Breaker: When escaping restraints or traps, gain +2 to Strength or Agility rolls.
    • Hidden Resolve: When your health drops to half or lower, gain a +1 bonus to all rolls until the situation improves.

  • ☆ Criminal Talents:
    • Pickpocket: Gain +2 to Sleight of Hand rolls when stealing from others without being noticed.
    • Shadow Walker: Gain +2 to Move rolls when sneaking or blending into a crowd.
    • Escape Artist: Once per day, automatically escape restraints or slip past a locked barrier.
    • Black Market Connections: Once per day, gain access to a secret source for rare or illicit goods.

Talents add depth to your character and reinforce their role in the group. If you want to read more on talents, please head over to our Talents section.

Step 6: Gear Up

Your role determines your starting equipment, but you can also add personal touches to your gear to reflect your character’s personality or history.

Starting Gear Examples:

  • Weapons: A scrap rifle, a rusty machete, or a makeshift club.
  • Tools: A multi-tool, a map, or a medical kit.
  • Personal Items: A photo of a lost loved one, a lucky charm, or a worn journal.

You can find a list of gear & equipment on this section of our wiki.

Step 7: Submit Your Character

Once your character is complete, submit their details in the #character-sheets thread on Discord.

Include their:

  • Name, role, and key traits.
  • Backstory and motivations.
  • Mutation, talents, and starting gear.
    A filled out character sheet from Mutant Year Zero (as a file upload or a link)

A moderator will review your submission and provide feedback if needed. After approval, you’ll be ready to jump into the world of Darkbound and begin your adventure.

The wasteland is waiting. Who will you become?

Return to: System Basics
Next Article: Tabletop Rules & Guidelines