Character Creation Cheatsheet
Character creation in Wrath & Glory follows five ordered steps (p.17). You'll need a blank character sheet (p.372) and a party sheet (p.374). The process is designed to be quick — pick an Archetype, spend your XP, fill in the details. An Advanced Character Creation option (p.38) exists for experienced players who want full control.
Overview: The Five Steps
| Step | What you decide | Page |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Framework | What adventures will you go on? What Tier of play? | p.18 |
| 2. Archetype | Your career, abilities, species, and starting gear | p.21 |
| 3. Customise | Spend remaining XP on Attributes, Skills, and Talents | p.22 |
| 4. Faction | Your organisation — background and Objective | p.26 |
| 5. Add Detail | Appearance, personality, name | p.30 |
Step 1 — Create Your Framework (p.18)
A Framework is one or two sentences describing your group: who you are, what you do, and your shared goal. It guides Archetype choices and keeps the party coherent.
Tier sets the power level of your game and determines your starting XP:
| Tier | Starting XP | Power Level | Typical Threats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 XP | Street-level survivors | Mutants, gangs, small Chaos cults |
| 2 | 200 XP | Agents of an organisation | Aeldari raiders, Ork warbands, lesser daemons |
| 3 | 300 XP | Frontline elite operatives | Chaos Space Marines, greater daemons |
| 4 | 400 XP | System-shaping power | Daemon Princes, champions of Chaos |
Record your starting XP on paper as you'll spend it quickly. Write your Framework on the party sheet.
Step 2 — Choose Your Archetype (p.21)
An Archetype is your character's career. Choose one at your group's Tier. Each Archetype has an XP cost that is paid from your starting pool.
What an Archetype gives you:
- Species — Human, Astartes, Primaris Astartes, Aeldari, or Ork
- Faction — the organisation you belong to
- Attribute & Skill bonuses — your starting statistics
- Archetype Ability — a unique special action
- Wargear — starting weapons, armour, and equipment
- Keywords — allegiances (e.g. IMPERIUM, INQUISITION, [CHAPTER])
- Influence modifier — your social standing
Archetypes by Tier
Tier 1
| Name | Faction | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Sister Hospitaller | Adepta Sororitas | p.91 |
| Ministorum Priest | Adeptus Ministorum | p.92 |
| Imperial Guard | Astra Militarum | p.93 |
| Inquisitorial Acolyte | Inquisition | p.94 |
| Inquisitorial Sage | Inquisition | p.95 |
| Ganger | Scum | p.96 |
| Corsair | Aeldari | p.97 |
| Boy | Ork | p.98 |
Tier 2
| Name | Faction | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Sister of Battle | Adepta Sororitas | p.99 |
| Sanctioned Psyker | Adeptus Astra Telepathica | p.100 |
| Skitarius | Adeptus Mechanicus | p.101 |
| Death Cult Assassin | Adeptus Ministorum | p.102 |
| Tempestus Scion | Astra Militarum | p.103 |
| Rogue Trader | Rogue Trader Dynasties | p.104 |
| Scavvy | Scum | p.105 |
| Space Marine Scout | Adeptus Astartes | p.106 |
| Ranger | Aeldari | p.107 |
| Kommando | Ork | p.108 |
Tier 3
| Name | Faction | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Tech-Priest | Adeptus Mechanicus | p.109 |
| Crusader | Adeptus Ministorum | p.110 |
| Imperial Commissar | Astra Militarum | p.111 |
| Desperado | Scum | p.112 |
| Tactical Space Marine | Adeptus Astartes | p.113 |
| Warlock | Aeldari | p.114 |
| Nob | Ork | p.115 |
Tier 4
| Name | Faction | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Inquisitor | Inquisition | p.116 |
| Primaris Intercessor | Primaris Astartes | p.117 |
Keywords: Some appear in brackets — e.g. [CHAPTER] — meaning you choose the specific value. Full keyword list: p.375. Keyword rules: p.167. Can't find a good fit? Ascend a lower-Tier Archetype (p.148), or use Advanced Character Creation (p.38).
Step 3 — Customise Your Character (p.22)
Spend remaining XP to improve Attributes, Skills, and Talents. Use your Archetype's suggestions if you're unsure.
Attributes (p.24)
Attributes measure physical and mental capability. Your Archetype sets your starting values; spend XP to raise them.
| Rating | Total XP Cost (from 1) | Incremental XP Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | — |
| 2 | 4 | 4 |
| 3 | 10 | 6 |
| 4 | 20 | 10 |
| 5 | 35 | 15 |
| 6 | 55 | 20 |
| 7 | 80 | 25 |
| 8 | 110 | 30 |
| 9 | 145 | 35 |
| 10 | 185 | 40 |
Attribute maximums by Species (p.25):
| Attribute | Human | Ork | Aeldari | Astartes | Primaris |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 8 | 12 | 7 | 10 | 12 |
| Toughness | 8 | 12 | 7 | 10 | 12 |
| Agility | 8 | 7 | 12 | 9 | 9 |
| Initiative | 8 | 7 | 12 | 9 | 9 |
| Willpower | 8 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 10 |
| Intellect | 8 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| Fellowship | 8 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 8 |
| Speed | 8 | 7 | 10 | 9 | 9 |
Skills (p.25)
Skills measure training and experience. Your Skill Rating + linked Attribute = your dice pool for that Test.
| Rating | Total XP Cost (from 0) | Incremental XP Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 2 | 6 | 4 |
| 3 | 12 | 6 |
| 4 | 20 | 8 |
| 5 | 30 | 10 |
| 6 | 42 | 12 |
| 7 | 56 | 14 |
| 8 | 72 | 16 |
Tree of Learning: You must have at least N Skills with any points in them, where N equals your highest single Skill Rating. For example, if you want Athletics 4, you need points in at least 3 other Skills too.
Talents & Psychic Powers
- Talents (Chapter 6): Unique tricks and special abilities. Recommended: take 1–2 at character creation.
- Psychic Powers (Chapter 11): Only if your character has the PSYKER Keyword. Your Archetype will indicate which to purchase.
Step 4 — Know Your Faction (p.26)
Your Faction is set by your Archetype. It determines your character's training, culture, and connections.
Species Abilities & XP Costs:
| Species | XP Cost | Speed | Notable Abilities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human | 0 | 6 | No special abilities; more XP to spend freely |
| Aeldari | 10 | 8 | Intense Emotion (+1DN to Resolve Tests); Psychosensitive (may take PSYKER keyword) |
| Ork | 20 | 6 | Orky (+1 bonus die to Intimidation); Bigger is Better (Influence uses Strength) |
| Adeptus Astartes | 160 | 7 | Defender of Humanity (+Rank Icons vs Mobs); Space Marine Implants; +1 Resolve |
| Primaris Astartes | 198 | 7 | As Astartes, plus +3 Wounds; ignores Gene-Seed impurities |
Cross-species interaction: Social Tests with a member of a different Species suffer a minimum +2 DN penalty (p.29). Exception: Astartes (formerly Human) do not suffer this penalty.
Step 5 — Adding Detail (p.30)
| Detail | What to decide |
|---|---|
| Background | Determined by your Faction's origin/accomplishment/goal options. Gives a small bonus. |
| Objective | A Faction-based roleplaying prompt. Accomplish it in a session to earn 1 Wrath Point (p.164). Roll or pick from your Faction's Objectives table in Chapter 3. |
| Appearance | Age, look, distinguishing features. Roll on tables (pp.32–33) or invent your own. |
| Name | Human (p.27), Astartes (p.27), Aeldari (p.28), or Ork (p.28) name lists provided. |
| Wealth | Starts equal to your Tier. May spend up to 4 XP for +1 Wealth each. (p.38, see also p.206) |
Derived Statistics Summary (p.40)
Once your sheet is filled in, calculate these:
| Stat | Formula |
|---|---|
| Defence | Initiative − 1 |
| Base Resilience | Toughness + 1 |
| Total Resilience | Toughness + 1 + Armour Rating (AR) |
| Maximum Wounds | (Tier × 2) + Toughness |
| Maximum Shock | Willpower + Tier |
| Determination | = Toughness Rating (dice rolled to convert Wounds → Shock) |
| Passive Awareness | Half your Awareness Skill dice pool (rounded down) |
| Rank | Starts at 1; increases with total XP earned (see Chapter 7) |
| Starting Wrath | 2 (each session, does not carry over) |
Advanced Character Creation (p.38)
Skip the Archetype entirely and build freely from Species + Faction.
- No Archetype Ability by default, but gain bonus XP = Tier × 10.
- With GM permission: purchase any Archetype Ability at cost Tier × 10 XP.
- With GM permission: purchase an Ascension Package (Chapter 7).
- Humans without a Faction may choose any 2 Keywords freely.