Character Creation

Character creation is like telling the first half of a story. It is best to speak to your GM throughout this process to make sure that your character is going to fit properly within his campaign. Typically, a starting character is created with 100 Hero Points (HP), although characters entering in the middle of an already established campaign may start

Character Sheet
Your character sheet is the place where your character's stats are kept. While they are much more than their points, these are basis on how well they react to their world. There are several different character sheets you can choose from.

AEG 7th Sea Resources - There is an alternate character sheet near the bottom of this page that has a pleasing aesthetic and organizes knacks by skill, with dedicated spots for Sorcery and Swordsman School. It also hosts many free AEG resources for 7th Sea. Dead

Crystal Keep - The Crystal Keep character sheet has no aesthetic flourishes, but it does organize knacks by Martial, Mental, and Physical instead of Skill. It also has more space for equipment. There are also downloadable PDF's for Basic Character Handbook, Swordsman School Handbook, and Sorcery Handbook which are very useful. Warning: There are some references to GM secrets in these Handbooks, so be prepared to gloss over a few sections when they reference societies you are not a part of. Dead

Character Story
The Player's Guide suggests answering The Game of 20 Questions to help flesh out your character in you mind before you start spending points. Take a few Personality Quizes as your character. Thinking about how they would react to things will help to get you into the proper mindset.

Backgrounds are unresolved issues in your backstory. They can range from  1 to 4 points depending on the immediacy and severity, with 4 point backgrounds typically being reserved for those with Foul Weather Jack and GM aprooval. These do cost points, 1 HP per background point. Even if you wait until later to spend these points, looking at the background list can spark character ideas.

Some GM's require a Three by Three, and even if they don't, it can be a useful tool to construct a backstory for your character. You list three Allies, Acquaintances, and Adversaries. Allies are people who would risk their lives to help you. These are typically not other PCs, instead being NPCs from your past such as family or close friends. Acquaintances are people who would help you if it didn’t inconvenience them too much, someone you have a mutually beneficial relationship with. Adversaries are your villains, people who want to hurt you. Having a Three by Three ensures that your GM has plenty of ways to weave your backstory into his plot, and once you have created basic explanations for each of them, your own character will be much clearer as well.

Spending Points
So with a clean character sheet, a cool idea, and 100 HP, let's start spending!

The information here was compiled by the people at Crystal Keep. Their Character Handbook is a very useful tool.

Nationality
The first thing you want to decide is the nationality of your character, as it will dictate your starting traits, possible sorcery, and the cost of Swordsman Schools, languages, and advantages. There are Other Nationalities that you can choose from, but they often need GM approval, so be sure to speak to them.