The character system in Pillars of Eternity is inspired by classic Dungeons & Dragons mechanics, defining each character's strengths, weaknesses, and role-playing opportunities.
Gender
You can play as either a male or female character in the Pillars of Eternity franchise. The place of men and women in society varies from culture to culture. Both are found in a wide variety of stations and professions, depending on the culture from which they hail.
Races
The world of Eora is inhabited by multiple humanoid races, ranging from the towering aumaua to the small and nimble orlans. Once you’ve selected your race, you can select the subrace for your particular character. Each race has its own set of modifiers that differentiate it from the other races.
Other sentient races exist on Eora, such as vithrack, ogres, or dragons.
Cultures and backgrounds
The cultures of Eora are historically peopled by a mixture of diverse racial backgrounds. This means that characters cannot be measured against any predetermined notions about dwarves, elves, or other familiar figures. A dwarf from the Vailian Republics, for example, might have more in common with a Vailian elf than he or she would with a dwarf of the Deadfire Archipelago. While creating a character, and encountering others along the way, it is more important than ever to consider the innate complexities of personal history and heritage.
Class
You may choose from eleven different classes determining your role in combat: Barbarian, Chanter, Cipher, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Priest, Ranger, Rogue, and Wizard. Each class has its own strengths and weaknesses. For more information on each individual class, see the info pane for the classes on the right hand side of the character creation screen.
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire adds the ability to multi-class characters, combining two of the pre-existing classes. See article for details.
Attributes
Attributes represent the inherent capabilities of your character.
Skills
Skills come to play in a variety of different contexts. Skills partially determine how the player character can interact with the world around them – anything as simple as crossing a room or as complex as picking a lock. There are five skills in Pillars of Eternity: Stealth, Athletics, Lore, Mechanics, and Survival.
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire greatly expands the number of available skills, greatly deepening the system.
Combat
Combat is one of the pillars of the Pillars franchise, focusing on tactics, effective use of talents and abilities, proper equipment, and other factors crucial to maintaining a strong presence.
Disposition and reputation
The way you affect the world affects the way the world perceives you. Disposition is a measure of your personality and may provide unique options in dialogue. Reputation reflects your standing with the various factions inhabiting the world of Eora.