Females: - are in some ways opposites of male Brutors. They are dominant, persistent, and egocentric. Their grace and beauty serve to aid them in these matters.

Males: - are patient, alert, and determined. Their thoughtful and deliberate manner gives them great situational awareness.

Selecting a bloodline and gender

After you have selected your race the next thing is to select a bloodline and then gender. Each bloodline has a slightly different set of starting skills.

Move the mouse over the "i" icon to reveal more information on each bloodline. The "book" icon reveals the basic skills you will receive for that bloodline, while the lower icon will show its basic starting attributes.

Bloodlines help to shape what your character will be most adept at doing, whether he/she is a cunning scientist, or a relentless fighter, or any other profession.

Moving your mouse over the book icon in the Ancestry selection menu will reveal the basic skills you receive for that part of your history or prior life-experience. The bottom icon shows you how the ancestry modifies your basic character attributes. Afterward comes the selection screens for School, Department, Field, and Specialty - these selections determine the career path and initial skills your character possesses when he or she comes to life.

• You can always click on the left-hand arrow icon at the bottom of the screen to return to the previous selection screen, but all selections in the current window will then be lost.

Choosing your Appearance

The interface is effectively divided into three areas: on the left are the options to select backgrounds, clothing, accessories and various 'skin deep' attributes; on the right are the physical attribute scales that will dictate the shape and structure of your character's facial features; in the center are the positioning controls that you can use to roll the eyes and head. You can also click and hold the left-mouse button in the main screen to move the entire body.

You can get random options for your character's appearance by clicking the two dice icons , located on either side of the central controls. This is often a good starting point.

Appearance - Left

• Background: Cycle this to change her background. What's even cooler is that they change with the lighting styles you apply, so feel free to choose away.