ap-players

name	ap-players
description	This skill should be used when the GM needs to help players create Apocrypha characters, define keywords with scoping and exclusions, handle character advancement and level-up, manage keyword splitting or retirement, track progression milestones, set up rest and recovery scenes, or reference character sheet and story templates.
version	1.0.0

Apocrypha Character Creation and Advancement Skill

Guide players through creating and advancing Apocrypha characters. Character creation is a conversation, not a menu. There are no classes, ancestries, or predefined features to select from.

Authoritative Source: For complete rules, use the ap-rules skill.

Character Creation Overview

Character creation is a conversation between the player and the GM. Walk through these steps in order:

Step 1: "Who are you?"

Name, concept, the kind of person the player wants to inhabit. This is freeform. There are no classes or archetypes to constrain the answer.

Step 2: "What can you do?"

Capabilities, training, talents. The answer becomes the first keyword. Help the player phrase it as a natural-language phrase that captures a specific capability.

Good: "Pyromancer's Fury", "Self-taught Hedge Witch", "Silver-tongued when Cornered" Bad: "Good at stuff", "Fighter", "Smart"

Step 3: "What have you survived?"

History, scars, formative events. The answer becomes the second keyword. This keyword grounds the character in their past.

Good: "Scarred Veteran of the Northern Wars", "Survivor of the Plague Year", "Escaped Slave of the Obsidian Mines" Bad: "Had a hard life", "Tough", "Experienced"

Step 4: "What drives you?"

Goals, fears, obligations. The answer becomes the third keyword. This keyword points the character toward the future.

Good: "Oath-bound to the Fallen Queen", "Hunted by the Guild of Shadows", "Desperate to Prove My Father Wrong" Bad: "Wants revenge", "Motivated", "Brave"

Step 5: Scope Each Keyword

For each keyword, define together:

• Positive scope: Specific situations where the keyword applies
• Exclusions: Situations where it explicitly does not apply

Broad keywords need broad exclusions. Narrow keywords are self-scoping. See the scoping guidelines below.

Step 6: Assign Modifiers

Starting modifier budget is 4, distributed across 3 keywords with minimum +1 each. The only valid distribution:

• One keyword at +2 (the character's defining trait)
• Two keywords at +1

Step 7: Set the Opening Scene

Build the world outward from the character's keywords. If the character is a "Scarred Veteran of the Northern Wars," the world has a north, and it had wars. Open with a specific place, sensory detail, and an immediate hook.

Keyword Scoping Guidelines

Broad Keywords

A keyword like "Good with People" could apply to almost any social situation. It needs extensive exclusions:

Applies When: Persuading individuals in conversation, reading someone's emotional state, defusing tense social situations

Does NOT Apply: Commanding groups or armies, written communication, intimidation through threat of violence, deceiving someone who knows you well, political maneuvering

Narrow Keywords

A keyword like "Commander of the Thornwall Garrison" is inherently specific:

Applies When: Military tactics, commanding soldiers, defending fortified positions, knowledge of the Thornwall region

Does NOT Apply: Naval warfare, court politics

The Scoping Principle

• Only apply a keyword when the action clearly falls within its positive scope
• When scope is unclear, default to NOT applying the bonus
• Keywords are bounded permissions, not general traits
• Exclusions prevent the keyword's applicability from gradually expanding beyond its intended scope

Recording the Character

Write character data to character.md using the Apocrypha template:

references/sheet-template.md

For a completed example, see:

references/sheet-example.md

Progression

When to Level Up

Characters level up on major narrative milestones: completing an act, resolving a defining conflict, surviving a transformative ordeal. The GM and player agree when a milestone has the weight to justify leveling.

There is no formula. Not every scene or encounter qualifies. The three-act structure (introduce, complicate, resolve) is a useful frame for recognizing when growth has been earned, but it is not prescriptive.

Level-Up Rewards

On level-up, the character gains:

1. Up to 3 new keywords at +1: New keywords must emerge from the story just completed. "I survived the Siege of Thornwall" becomes "Siege Survivor (+1)." The player proposes, the GM confirms they're grounded in the fiction.

2. Keyword deepening: Any existing keyword can increase its modifier by 1 (max +3) if the story provided a narrative milestone for it. Deepening is separate from the 3 new keyword slots.

3. Keyword splitting: A keyword can split into two more specific keywords. "Scarred Veteran (+2)" becomes "Battlefield Commander (+2)" and "Old Wounds (+1)". The combined modifier must not exceed the original plus one. A split uses one of the 3 new keyword slots.

Keyword Count Limits

Maximum keywords = 3 per level:

• Level 1: 3 keywords
• Level 2: 6 keywords
• Level 3: 9 keywords
• Level 6: 18 keywords

Keyword Retirement

A keyword that no longer fits the character's arc can be removed at any level-up, freeing a slot. Retired keywords should be narratively acknowledged: the character has moved past that part of themselves.

Rest and Recovery

Rest

Rest clears all light stress. Requires a scene of downtime: making camp, visiting a tavern, a quiet moment between crises. The GM narrates the rest and may use it as a character development moment.

Deep Stress Resolution

Deep stress clears only through narrative resolution. The player and GM play a scene that directly addresses the source of the stress. The scene must be genuine, not a passing mention. Both agree when the deep stress is resolved.

Montage

A montage (passage of time between story beats) clears all light stress and resets Hope to 1 and Fear to 1. Montages do not clear deep stress. Deep stress persists until addressed.

Story Tracking

Use references/story-template.md to track narrative elements: current act, scene, objectives, story arcs, and recent events. This is separate from the character sheet.

References

• references/sheet-template.md - Blank character sheet template
• references/sheet-example.md - Completed Level 1 example character
• references/story-template.md - Story tracking template