Creating a Traveler in Nowhere Land is more than assigning numbers—it's crafting a living echo of who you were, who you are, and who you might become. This guide walks you through every step, from concept to first portal crossing.
Creation Checklist
- Step 1: Concept & Core Identity (Name, Age, Origin)
- Step 2: Background Statement (Descriptor, Type, Focus)
- Step 3: Set Essences (Forma, Anima, Umbra, Reverie, Drift)
- Step 4: Choose Careers & Skills
- Step 5: Weave Backstory (The Three Threads)
- Step 6: Define Arrival (How You Entered Nowhere Land)
- Step 7: Establish Connections (NPCs, Domains, The Count)
- Step 8: Select Starting Equipment
- Step 9: Create Your Echo Signature
Step 1: Concept & Core Identity
Who Were You?
Before mechanics, answer these foundational questions:
Identity Questions:
- • Name: What were you called? Does it still fit?
- • Age: How many years shaped you? (Youth 15-25, Prime 26-45, Elder 46+)
- • Origin: Earth era? Alternate reality? Born in Nowhere Land?
- • One-Sentence Concept: Who are you in 10 words or less?
Concept Examples:
- • "A surgeon who failed to save their child"
- • "Teenage graffiti artist fleeing gang violence"
- • "Medieval knight searching for the Holy Grail"
- • "Exiled noble from a dying domain"
- • "Amnesiac who woke in The Passage"
Age & Starting Resources
Your age determines career slots, Reverie, and physical condition:
| Age Bracket | Careers | Reverie | Modifiers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youth (15-25) | 2-3 | +5 | -1 Forma (still growing) |
| Prime (26-45) | 4 | +2 | None |
| Elder (46-60) | 5 | +0 | -1 Forma |
| Ancient (61+) | 6 | -2 | -2 Forma, -1 Anima |
Step 2: The Background Statement
I am a... who...
Your background is summarized in a single, powerful statement that defines your mechanical bonuses and narrative hook. It follows the structure: "I am a [Descriptor] [Type] who [Focus]."
Descriptor
An adjective describing your nature.
"Rugged", "Curious", "Indebted", "Native"
Type
A noun describing your role.
"Scholar", "Survivor", "Dreamer", "Collector"
Focus
A verb phrase describing your drive.
"Seeks Knowledge", "Escapes Reality", "Hunts Debts"
Mechanical Bonus: Each part of your statement can grant a +1 to an Essence or a free Skill rank. Preset backgrounds provide these automatically, while custom backgrounds allow you to negotiate bonuses and maluses with your GM.
Step 3: Understanding the Five Essences
The Soul's Architecture
Essences aren't mere stats—they're the pillars of your existence. Choose them to reflect your character's history and potential.
Forma (Physical)
Your body's integrity, strength, and endurance. Governs Athletics, Combat, Craftsmanship, Stealth.
High Forma (+3 to +5): Athlete, soldier, laborer, dancer
Anima (Mental)
Your mind's clarity, knowledge, and resilience. Governs Lore, Insight, Survival, Investigation.
High Anima (+3 to +5): Scientist, detective, philosopher, tactician
Umbra (Social)
Your presence, charisma, and social influence. Governs Persuasion, Deception, Conviction, Intimidation.
High Umbra (+3 to +5): Leader, actor, con artist, noble
Reverie (Imagination)
Your creative potential and connection to Nowhere Land's reality-warping nature. Ranges 0-10+.
High Reverie (5+): Dreamers, artists, children, madmen
Drift (Reality)
Your anchor to the real world and resistance to domain influences. High Drift makes you powerful but less human.
High Drift (3+): Domain-born, the lost, the forever changed
Step 4: Weaving Backstory - The Three Threads
Narrative Construction
Every compelling Traveler has Three Threads—narrative anchors that drive decisions and create drama:
Thread 1: The Wound
What broke you? A past trauma, failure, or loss that defines your fears and limitations. This creates vulnerability and depth.
Examples:
- • "I watched my family burn in a house fire I caused"
- • "I betrayed my best friend for power"
- • "I failed to solve a murder, and the killer struck again"
- • "I was abandoned as a child in a foreign city"
Mechanical Effect: Pick one Essence at -1 (or increase existing penalty). This reflects your Wound's impact.
Thread 2: The Drive
What pushes you forward? Your goal, obsession, or purpose. This creates direction and motivation.
Examples:
- • "Find a way back to Earth to reunite with my daughter"
- • "Prove I'm worthy of redemption"
- • "Discover who The Count truly is"
- • "Build a domain where no one is ever abandoned"
Mechanical Effect: When acting toward your Drive, gain +1 to relevant Essence checks.
Thread 3: The Mystery
What don't you understand? An unanswered question about yourself, your past, or Nowhere Land. This creates curiosity and plot hooks.
Examples:
- • "Why do I remember dying, but I'm still here?"
- • "Who left me the map with my name circled on it?"
- • "Why does The Count flinch when he sees my face?"
- • "What language am I speaking in my sleep?"
Mechanical Effect: Work with Trickster to create revelations. Each solved Mystery grants +1 Reverie permanently.
Complete Example: Vesper Thorne
- Wound: Failed to save patient during surgery; haunted by guilt (-1 Anima)
- Drive: Find cure for incurable disease in Nowhere Land's domains
- Mystery: Why do domains' Blessings heal her scars but not her patients'?
Step 5: How Did You Arrive?
Entry Methods
Choose how you entered Nowhere Land (or roll 1d10):
| d10 | Entry Method | Starting Condition |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pursued: Ran from danger, found portal | Start with -1 Forma (exhausted) |
| 2 | Summoned: The Count pulled you through | Start with 3 Ledger debt |
| 3 | Seeking: Deliberately searched for portals | Start with map of 3 domains |
| 4 | Lost: Wandered in by accident | Start with amnesia (slowly recalls) |
| 5 | Died: Portal appeared at death moment | Start with "Death Scar" (visible mark) |
| 6 | Dreamed: Fell asleep, woke here | Start with +2 Reverie |
| 7 | Bargained: Made deal with entity | Start with Curse (-2 to chosen Essence) |
| 8 | Born Here: Native Traveler | Know Partisan fluently, +1 Lore |
| 9 | Experiment: Science project gone wrong | Start with scientific equipment |
| 10 | Mystery: Don't remember arriving | Trickster creates secret origin |
Step 8: Your Echo Signature
The Mark You Leave
Every Traveler leaves an Echo Signature—a unique sensory trace when using Potentials or interacting with domains. This is your character's aesthetic fingerprint.
Creating Your Signature:
Choose 2-3 sensory elements:
- • Visual: Color, light pattern, shadow shape
- • Auditory: Sound, music, whisper
- • Olfactory: Scent, aroma, stench
- • Tactile: Temperature, texture, vibration
- • Emotional: Feeling others sense in your presence
Echo Signature Examples:
- Vesper Thorne: Faint smell of antiseptic, cold blue light, sense of clinical precision
- Corvus Black: Shadow of raven wings, sound of paper rustling, taste of ink
- Kael Sunburst: Warmth like summer noon, golden shimmer, scent of heated metal
Character Creation Worksheet
Name: ___________________________
Age Bracket: Youth Prime Elder Ancient
Background Statement: I am a [__________] [__________] who [__________].
Essences: Forma ___ | Anima ___ | Umbra ___ | Reverie ___ | Drift ___
Careers: _________________, _________________, _________________
The Wound: ___________________________________________________________
The Drive: ___________________________________________________________
The Mystery: ___________________________________________________________
Arrival Method: ___________________________________________________________
Echo Signature: ___________________________________________________________
"You are not who you were. You are not yet who you will be. You are the echo in between—and that is where power lives."
— The Count, to every new Traveler