Monte Cook Games is excited to announce the public beta release of the Cypher System Character Builder, a world-class tool for building and managing tabletop roleplaying game characters for the Cypher System. It’s part of the growing Cypher Tools suite of online game tools, and like all of those tools, is free to use.
Using the Character Builder, gamers can create, advance, manage, and modify their characters, and store their characters for access at any time—making it even easier to take advantage of the Cypher System’s flexibility, narrative focus, and ease of use across an infinite range of game genres and worlds!
Character creation is quick, efficient, and fun. There are three ways to generate characters:
- The Guided method gives you an easy step-by-step guide through the character generation process. You can make a character in minutes, for virtually any genre!
- If you like to roll up your sleeves, an Unguided option lets you build characters however you like. (This method is particularly handy if you want to enter an existing character into the Character Builder.) You can build new characters according to your vision, or take advantage of randomly generated options that take you in a direction you hadn’t considered.
- The Pregen Characters option (coming soon!) will let you pick from an extensive library of pregenerated characters, based on your genre and character role choices. It’ll be perfect when you’ve, for example, found an online game you want to join, but it starts in minutes so you need a character right now.
Once your character is built, you can store it within the Character Builder to access it later. You can advance and modify your character at any time.
When you’re ready to play, you have multiple options for accessing and using your character.
- Export your character to a form-fillable PDF. Use it for online play, or on a device during an in-person game. Or print it out and take it to your game table! The PDF format is identical to the standard character sheet found in the Cypher System Rulebook.
- Use the Character Builder as your character sheet. Whether you’re playing online, or with a laptop or other device in an in-person game, you can update pools, cyphers, equipment, and other character information directly in the Character Builder during play.
- Export your character to a VTT. The Character Builder will launch with support for The Foundry, with a Roll20 export feature to be added later.
You can also share your characters, so other members of your gaming group can view or (if you like) even edit them. The Character Builder lets you share your campaign with your friends, giving them viewing or editing access to characters you’ve created. This Campaigns capability will grow as additional features are added to Cypher Tools.
Using the Character Builder, players can generate Cypher System characters for any genre, drawing on character options from the Cypher System Rulebook and a full range of major Cypher System supplements. A player creating a superhero will find descriptors, foci, and other character options from Claim the Sky, while a fantasy character can include elements from Godforsaken, and a character for a sci-fi game can draw from The Stars Are Fire. The entire line of Cypher System genre supplements is included, and content from new titles will be introduced as those titles are released.
This public beta release of the Character Builder is just one step in the continued development of the Cypher Tools suite of tools and support for the growing Cypher System community!
