Draw Steel Character creation cheat sheet
A checklist you can run during creation. At-the-table reference for Draw Steel.
Draw Steel character creation: choose an Ancestry, Culture, Career, and Class, set characteristics, pick your kit, and define your heroic motivation.
Creation steps
- 1. Choose an Ancestry (Human, Dwarf, Elf, Orc, Hakaan, Memonek, Polder, Revenant, Time Raider, Devil, Dragon Knight, Wode Elf): sets size, speed, and ancestry abilities.
- 2. Choose a Culture (urban, rural, nomadic, etc.): grants a skill and a language.
- 3. Choose a Career (what you did before adventuring): grants a skill, a renown benefit, and project points.
- 4. Choose a Class (Censor, Conduit, Elementalist, Fury, Null, Shadow, Tactician, Talent, Troubadour): determines Stamina, Recoveries, abilities, heroic resource, and subclass.
- 5. Set Characteristics: Might, Agility, Reason, Intuition, Presence. Determined by class and choices.
- 6. Choose a Kit (weapon + armor combination): sets your base damage, reach, distance, and armor bonus.
- 7. Pick starting abilities from your class and subclass.
- 8. Define motivation, inciting incident, and connections to other heroes.
Key limits
- Characteristics range
- -2 to +3 at creation (varies by class)
- Kit
- 1 kit at creation (can change at level-up)
- Recoveries
- Set by class (typically 8-12)
Common mistakes
- Kit choice matters mechanically: it sets your weapon damage, armor value, and whether you are melee or ranged. Pick to match your class.
- Ancestry and Culture are separate: ancestry is biology, culture is where you grew up.
- Careers grant renown and projects, which matter in downtime and negotiation.