
Characters are a combination of statistics, role playing, and your own imagination. As a player, you will select a race, subspecies, talents, and more to make your unique Character. You might also invent the nature, appearance, and origin story for the Character; some ARCs require more customization than others. Once you complete your Character, it will serve as your representative in the game world.
Before starting step one of Character Creation, think about the kind of Character you want to play. You might be a courageous Earthling, a prowling Arcosian, an enthusiastic Namekian, or a flamboyant Majin. Or you might be more interested in an unconventional Character, such as a brave gadgeteer who likes Ballistic Weaponry that picks off enemies from afar. If you don’t know where else to begin, look at some artwork to see what catches your interest.
Once you have a Character in mind, follow the steps in order, making decisions that reflect the Character you want. The concept of your Character might even evolve with each choice you make.
What’s important is that you come to the table with a Character you’re excited to play. Throughout this section, we talk about your Character Sheet. This is what you use to keep track of your Character, whether it’s a formal Character Sheet, some form of a digital record, or a piece of notebook paper.
Before you begin the process of Character Creation, you will need to talk to your ARC and determine the level of play. In the DBU you will use Power Levels (PL) (see — Power Levels) to determine how strong your Character is and what abilities they have access to. Once you are given the specifics about the game you will be playing in, you can start creating your Character.
Character Creation
Below is a step-by-step process for making Characters in the DBU system:
- Step 1) Create your Z-Soul (see — Z-Souls & Karma Points).
- Step 2) Select a Race (see — Racial Rules), Sub-Race (if applicable) and any Racial Factors (see — Racial Factors) you desire.
- Step 3) Choose the effects of any Option effects you have for your Racial Traits and Factor Traits (if you possess any).
- Step 4) Choose a Size Category (Small, Medium or Large). The larger a Character is, the more durable they are, while the smaller a Character is, the more evasive they are.
- Step 5) Apply any Attribute Additions you have access to.
- Step 6) Gain Skill Ranks from your Race and any Skill Improvements you possess.
- Step 7) Gain a number of Talents equal to your Talent Additions.
- Step 8) Convert any Character Perks into Attribute Additions, Talent Additions or Skill Improvements and then repeat Steps 5~7.
- Step 9) Make a Signature Technique with a Technique Point Cost of up to 20 Technique Points. This Signature Technique does not cost Technique Points.
- Step 10) Spend your TP on any Signature Techniques, Auras and Unique Abilities.
- Step 11) Calculate your Maximum Life Points, Ki Point Pool, and Max Capacity.
- Step 12) Create a Gear Kit (see — Gear & Crafting).
- Step 13) Have fun!
Character Perks
Character Perks. Character Perks are used to improve Attributes, Skills and Talents. At Character Creation, and specific Power Levels, you gain perks. Perks, as listed below, are the way in which you build your Character’s stats and options. At some levels, you will gain a specific perk, as described below, while at other levels you will simply earn a Character Perk. You can exchange a Character Perk for any of the following options: Attribute Addition, Skill Improvement, or Talent Addition.
- Attribute Addition. You gain 2 Attribute Points to spend on your Attribute Scores as you see fit (see — Attributes).
- Talent Addition. Gain a Talent (see – Talents).
- Skill Improvement. Select 4 different Skills, each one gains a Skill Rank. Additionally, gain 15 Technique Points (see — Skills). Skill Improvements are affected by Gifted Student (see — Scholarship).
Determine how many Attribute Additions, Talent Additions or Skill Improvements your Character possesses based on their Power Level (see the table below). While it can be assumed that most Characters have a starting Power Level of 1, your ARC may choose to start your game at a higher Power Level. As such, it’s important to refer to the Power Level table below (see — Power Levels). This indicates what Perks you get at each level.
Power Level 1. At Power Level 1, you gain a few additional benefits to help flesh out your Character from your perks (a Character Perk converted to one of the perks below is unaffected by these effects):
- Attribute Addition. As you can see on the Power Level table, you gain 5 Attribute Additions at Power Level 1.
- Talent Additions. As you can see on the Power Level table, you gain 4 Talent Additions at Power Level 1. All of these Talents must be from different Talent Categories (see — Talents), with the exception of the Miscellaneous Talent Category (you may select any number of Miscellaneous Talents) and the Skill Talent Category (you may select any number of Skill Talents, except those that require another Skill Talent as a Prerequisite).
- Skill Improvement. You gain an additional 2 Skill Ranks and 10 Technique Points.
Before any Attribute Additions or your Racial Attribute Score Increases are applied to them, your Attribute Scores each start at 1. There is a limit to each Attribute Score based on your Tier of Power (see — Score Limit).
Important Calculations
Life Points. Calculating the Maximum Life Points of your Character is fairly easy as there are (typically) only three factors.
- Power Level. At Power Level 1, you gain 60 Life Points to contribute to your Maximum Life Points. For every Power Level reached after PL1, you increase your Life Points by an additional 12.
- Racial Life Modifier. Each Race has a listed Racial Life Modifier (RLM), which you add onto your Life Points for each Power Level.
- Tenacity Score. For each Power Level, increase your Maximum Life Points by twice your Tenacity Score. Any increases to your Tenacity Score will retroactively increase your Maximum Life Points.
For example, if Son Goku was made as a Saiyan with a Tenacity Score of 4 at PL1, following the steps above, he would have 71 Maximum Life Points (60+3+8 respectively). If he gained a Power Level and used an Attribute Addition at PL2 to increase his Tenacity Score to 5, his Life Points would be 98 (71[PL1 Max Life Points] +12 [PL2] +3[RLM] +10[TE Score] +2[increase to TE Score applying retroactively for the previous Power Level] = 98).
Ki Points. Much simpler than Life Points, Ki Points increase in a very straightforward manner. Your Ki Point Pool begins at 50 and is increased by 12 for each Power Level reached after PL1. The Ki Point Pools for the first five Power Levels are shown below as an example:
- PL1: 50
- PL2: 62
- PL3: 74
- PL4: 86
- PL5: 98
Max Capacity. Your Max Capacity begins at 20 and is increased by 4 for each Power Level reached after PL1. The Max Capacity for the first five Power Levels are shown below as an example:
- PL1: 20
- PL2: 24
- PL3: 28
- PL4: 32
- PL5: 36
Aptitudes. There are various Aptitudes used throughout the system that derive from your Attributes. To learn about them in more detail, read Attributes (see – Attributes).
Power Levels
As you go on journeys and complete encounters, you will become stronger and gain Power Levels. When you have defeated a noteworthy opponent, reached an important leg of your journey, undergone intense training, or due to any other reason that can be said to be a ‘milestone’ in your journey – your ARC will permit you to increase your Power Level by 1. As you gain Power Levels, you’ll get access to additional perks and increase your overall strength.
The Power Level Table summarizes the advancement as you increase in Power Levels from 1~30. Your Power Level cannot exceed 30, as at that point you have reached the pinnacle of your abilities.
| Power Level | ToP | Features |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1x Character Perk, 4x Talent Addition, 5x Attribute Addition, Skill Improvement, 20 TP to spend on one Signature Technique |
| 2 | 1 | Character Perk |
| 3 | 1 | Attribute Addition |
| 4 | 1 | Character Perk |
| 5 | 2 | Talent Addition, Attribute Addition, Skill Improvement |
| 6 | 2 | Character Perk |
| 7 | 2 | Attribute Addition |
| 8 | 2 | Character Perk |
| 9 | 2 | Talent Addition |
| 10 | 3 | Talent Addition, Attribute Addition, Skill Improvement |
| 11 | 3 | Character Perk |
| 12 | 3 | Attribute Addition |
| 13 | 3 | Character Perk |
| 14 | 3 | Talent Addition |
| 15 | 4 | Talent Addition, Attribute Addition, Skill Improvement |
| 16 | 4 | Character Perk |
| 17 | 4 | Attribute Addition |
| 18 | 4 | Character Perk |
| 19 | 4 | Talent Addition |
| 20 | 5 | Talent Addition, Attribute Addition, Skill Improvement |
| 21 | 5 | Character Perk |
| 22 | 5 | Attribute Addition |
| 23 | 5 | Character Perk |
| 24 | 5 | Talent Addition |
| 25 | 6 | Talent Addition, Attribute Addition, Skill Improvement |
| 26 | 6 | Character Perk |
| 27 | 6 | Attribute Addition |
| 28 | 6 | Character Perk |
| 29 | 6 | Talent Addition |
| 30 | 7 | 5x Character Perk |