Your Character

Part of the magic of Meridian 59 is the power it gives you to create yourself anew as you enter its gates. This guide takes you through the process of choosing your character’s appearance and attributes, and shows how your persona can change as you spend time in Meridian 59.

Customizing Your Character

The first time you enter Meridian 59, you’re greeted by a series of five windows - Name, Appearance, Statistics, Spells, and Skills - that lead you through the process of creating your character.

Click the five tabs at the top of the Customize Your Character window to jump back and forth quickly between the windows, or use the Prev and Next buttons at the bottom right to page forward and back.

NOTE: As you create your character, remember that none of the choices you make on these five windows is permanent until you click the OK button at the bottom of the Customize Your Character window. Once you click OK, however, your choices are irrevocable: the face, name, and attributes you have chosen will be set for the rest of your character’s life!

Type the name of your new character in the text box that appears. Next, press Tab to move the cursor down to the Description window, and type in a short description of your character. It might include your orientation (good, or evil), your strengths (magic or combat), a bit about your personality and preferences, and your philosophy of life (briefly). You can change this description any time you wish while you’re inside Meridian 59.

Appearance

The Appearance window offers six variables that you can manipulate to change your character’s appearance. Drag the sliders and click the arrows in the right side of the window to move between the various options in each cate-gory. Play around with all of them until you find the right combination that gives you just the look you want.

Statistics

Adjust the slider bars at the bottom of the window to select your beginning attributes. This unique combination of six abilities determines who you are, how you meet danger, how easily you acquire specific skills and knowledge, and how you adapt to the world around you.

The six attributes that determine your character’s behavior are:

• Might - Your overall physical strength, including your power during combat
• Intellect - Your ability to acquire new skills and spells
• Stamina - Your endurance level, and ability to heal
• Agility - Your quickness at evading danger
• Mysticism - Your ability to acquire and use new spells and mana
• Aim - Your attack accuracy

All new citizens begin with 25 out of 50 possible points in each of these six areas, as shown on the six slider bars. In addition, you have 50 extra points (shown on the slider at the bot-tom) to distribute as you will, thus fine-tuning your character’s attributes.

Move the sliders until your new character’s statistics are optimized for the kind of life you expect it to live. If you are creating a warrior, you might give up some of those mysticism points and put them toward stamina, aim, or might. If you would rather become a wizard, however, your mysticism, intellect, and agility stats will be crucial to your survival.

When you have spent your 50 extra points, and the slider bars are all set the way you’d like them, click Next to move on.

Spells

The list on the left of the Spells window offers a selection of low-level spells that the Temples routinely offer at low cost to new Meridian citizens. When you highlight a spell on this list, the spell’s description and cost appear in the middle of the window.

• Click Add to add a highlighted spell to your repertoire. It will move from the list on the left to the one on the right.
• To change your mind, highlight the unwanted spell in the right list, and click Remove.

You are given 45 points to invest in your initial set of spells and skills. You may want to move back and forth between Spell and Skill win-dows, adding and deleting spells and skills until you feel you’ve bought the right measure of both.

Skills

The list on the left of the Skills window offers a selection of inexpensive, low-level skills that are available to new Meridian citizens. When you highlight a skill on this list, the skill’s description and cost appear in the middle of the window.

• Click Add to add a highlighted skill to your repertoire. It will move from the list on the left to the one on the right.
• To change your mind, highlight the unwanted skill in the right list, and click Remove.

Remember, you are buying these skills out of the same 45-point budget that will also buy your spells. Take your time to ensure you use your limited resources most effectively.

When you are completely finished with all five windows, click the OK button at the bottom of window. Your new character is now ready to start life in Meridian 59. Remember: once you click OK, you can no longer change your character’s appearance or attributes.

Congratulations! You are now standing inside the inn of your new hometown — a full citizen of Meridian 59, ready to take to the streets, squares, forests, and deserts in search of good company, good combat, good ale, or whatever else may suit your fancy.

NOTE: For your first several days in Meridian 59, you will be under the protection of the Gods. No other citizen will be able to attack you until you achieve 30 health points — the level at which you are deemed capable of defending yourself.

Growing Your Character

With time, luck, and experience, your character will grow and change. These changes will be reflected in the World Window, which is described in the World of Meridian guide.

• Health, Mana, and Vigor - Your current status is summed up in the three slider bars at the upper right of the World Window, which measure your health, mana, and vigor. These bars move to reflect your overall physical power, your magical power, and how well rested and fed you are.
• Appearance - Your character’s appearance may undergo some changes from time to time. Changes in your armor and weaponry can be seen by others, and possibly by you as well. If you’re a good shopper, you may acquire fashionable new clothing - a voluminous pair of silk pants, a magical circlet, or a set of metal gauntlets.
• Guild Affiliations - When your health point rating rises above 30 - in other words, when you are free from the protection of the Gods, and at the full mercy of your fellow citizens - you may be invited to join a guild. For more information on guilds, please turn to Guilds guide.

At any time, you may also choose to affiliate yourself with one of the magical schools.

These were established by the Gods for the purpose of educating their most promising disciples in the secret Path of each God. Although some elder citizens of Meridian 59 have taken degrees in several of the schools, they recommend that you begin by choosing one Path and mastering it fully before attempting to pursue another. There is a great deal of wisdom to be found in this strategy. For more information on the magic schools, please turn to the Skills & Spells guide.

Saving Your Character

When you quit the game, your character is saved, and will appear exactly as you left it when you return. There is no need to make a backup.

Death and Suicide

What happens when you die? In Meridian 59, the Underworld is as busy and well-populated as anyplace else. In fact, many adventurers find it interesting and useful to stay there for awhile before returning to the game world, wandering up and down the stairs and through the portals, and communing with other undead souls. For more about the Underworld, please turn to the Places guide.

DEATH

Whether at the hands of a monster, an assassin, or a former friend, death in Meridian does have its nasty consequences:

• All the items that were in your knapsack will be left behind with your corpse, where they can be recovered by any passing friend or foe. (This is why it’s a good idea to keep most of your money in a bank.) Some guilds also have storage chests for their members. Anything stored in a bank or chest will still be there when you return.

  If you are traveling with friends, they may salvage some of your belongings. If they’re very good friends indeed, they may even give them back to you when you return…

• You may find that your health, mana, and vigor stats are seriously depleted in your character’s next incarnation.

• The Return Portals, the transit gates between the Underworld and Meridian 59, each drop you in a different town. Right-click a portal to find out where it leads.

On the up side, if you were killed by another player - and you were neither outlaw nor murderer yourself when you died - your earthly spirit may be instantly re-animated as a revenant. This is a very powerful and relentless ghost that will pursue your murderer until either the revenant or the murderer is dead. (Bet on the revenant.) The more powerful the murderer was, the more powerful the revenant will be.

Revenants can’t attack on holy ground such as temples or sacred groves. But they are very patient, and will remain nearby while you are in such safe areas, resuming their pursuit the moment you leave.

SUICIDE

Old Meridian citizens don’t die (they’ve usually done that several times already). In fact, the only permanent death is the one you inflict on yourself. If you decide it is time for your current character to leave Meridian 59 permanently, here’s how you can make way for a new one:

• Type Suicide on the text line, and press Enter.
• Then, click Yes in the warning box that appears.

NOTE: Your current character will be deleted, completely and permanently - skills. spells, points, inventory, name, everything.

It cannot be retrieved once it is deleted, so be VERY sure you want to do this!