EDGE
Earthdawn Character Generator 

Software by J.M. Albertson
Manual by S. Heather Park-Albertson

© 1993 FASA Corporation

Contents

Introduction	1
System Requirements	1
Installation	1
Startup	2
Printer Definition	2
Earthdawn Concepts	2
EDGE Fundamentals	3
Creating A New Character	5
Character Race	5
Discipline	6
Circle	6
Attributes	6
Talents	7
Artisan Skill	7
Karma	7
Legend Points	7
Armor	8
Shield	8
Weapons	8
Spells	8
Calculated Fields	9
Saving Character Record	9
Printing Character Sheets	9
Updating Existing Characters	10
Opening Existing Character Files	10
Awarding Legend Points	10
Updating Karma	10
Damage, Wounds, and Blood Magic	11
Improving Attributes and Talents	11
Increasing Circle	11
FOR GAMEMASTERS ONLY: Building NPCs	11
Shortcuts: Function Keys and Alternate Functions	12
File Menu Functions	12
Entry Screen Functions	12
Troubleshooting and Technical Support	12

Introduction

This is the User's Manual for EDGE, the Earthdawn Character Generator, designed for use with an IBM PC, or compatible. Using EDGE on your PC, you can quickly and easily create player and gamemaster characters for Earthdawn, the new fantasy roleplaying game from FASA. EDGE is only a tool for building a character quicklyÑit does not replace your Earthdawnª rulebook. You need the rulebook for complete descriptions of the Races, Attributes, Disciplines, and Talents.

You can also use EDGE to maintain your character sheets on the computer and print out revised versions incorporating changes as the character grows and develops. If you've ever lost your character sheet and had to recreate the character from memory, you may have just given up and created a new one. EDGE allows you to simply print out a new sheet for that characterÑcomplete with all stats and up-to-date Legend Points.

System Requirements

EDGE requires an IBM-PC-compatible with a monochrome monitor. If you want to print character record sheets, you must also have a dot-matrix printer. EDGE was written using MS-DOS 5.0, and we do not guarantee that it can run under earlier versions of MS-DOS, nor with specific PC-compatibles, nor with specific monitor and mouse drivers. You need at least 350 Mb of free RAM to run EDGE. You can run it either from your hard drive, which we recommend, or from a dual-floppy drive system, which will seriously detract from its performance. EDGE can be run from Windows, though it is not a Windows program, and has been tested using a color monitor and a Logitech mouse.

Installation

If you have a hard drive, install EDGE on the hard drive. If you have two floppy drives, see the instructions for two floppy drives under Startup. In order to install EDGE on your hard drive, which we assume is named C:, you should first create a new subdirectory for EDGE and all its files, as well as any character sheets you want to save. We will use the directory name EDAWN; if you use a different name, remember to use that name everywhere EDAWN appears in this manual. To create the EDAWN subdirectory, type:
	C:> MD EDAWN
at the main hard drive directory prompt as shown, and press ENTER. This will create a subdirectory called C:\EDAWN on your hard drive. Now, go to that directory by entering the following command:
	C:> CD EDAWN
For DOS, this command means go down one directory level to the directory called EDAWN. The prompt will now read C:\EDAWN> ; if it doesn't, enter DIR at the prompt and determine what directory the computer is listing.

Once you have created the EDAWN subdirectory and moved into that directory, insert the EDGE disk into the floppy drive (we assume this is drive A). Enter the command:
	C:\EDAWN> COPY A:*.*
This will copy the entire contents of the EDGE disk onto your hard drive.

There are three files needed to run EDGE; EDGE.EXE (the program file), and SPELLS.DAT and TALENTS.DAT. These three files should appear in the C:\EDAWN directory after you finish copying the disk. If you have the Shareware version of EDGE, you will only have EDGE.EXE, and the program will not offer the option to print a list of the character's talents and spells.

Startup

Hard Drive
To run EDGE, enter the command EDGE at the C:\EDAWN> prompt. You can also run EDGE from other directories on the computer by entering C:\EDAWN\EDGE at whatever prompt is shown, but this may create problems when you open and save files, and so is not recommended.

Two Floppy Drives
Before you run EDGE in a dual floppy system, first make a bootable disk (use the FORMAT/S command) and copy the EDGE disk onto it. To run EDGE from a dual floppy system, put the EDGE disk copy in one floppy drive. Put a blank, formatted floppy in the other floppy drive; you will be saving character sheets to this second floppy. If it is not already the current drive, make the floppy drive containing the EDGE disk the current drive by entering the floppy drive letter and a colon at the prompt. Then enter at the prompt:
	A:> EDGE
Remember that running EDGE from a dual floppy system will be significantly slower. Also, remember to look for and save your character sheets on the second floppy disk.

Printer Definition

You must define a printer before you can print any character record sheets from EDGE. To define your printer, open the File menu and choose Select Printer. This opens the Printer Selection dialog box, which shows three options: Generic (default), Epson, and HP Laserjet. Highlight whichever most closely fits your printer type and press the space bar. Nothing will appear in the Device box, because this must be blank to send the file to the printer (see Printing Character Sheets, p. XX). Then select OK to close the dialog box and so set your printer type. EDGE has been tested only with the HP Laserjet IV and Epson dot-matrix printers; FASA and the author do not guarantee that EDGE will print correctly to any other printers.

Earthdawn Concepts

For purposes of this manual, an Earthdawn character consists of a name, a physical description, six basic Attributes, and talents appropriate to that character's Discipline. The player creates the name and physical description , although we do recommend that you design a physical description that basically matches the race you've chosen for your character. For example, a troll should not be 5'4" and weigh 125 pounds! The Earthdawn rulebook provides details about the general physical statistics normal for each of the races.

The six basic Attributes are Dexterity, Strength, Toughness, Perception, Willpower, and Charisma. The rank of each of these Attributes determines the step number you would use to determine the appropriate dice for an Attribute test. Certain characteristics are derived from these six Attributes: Combat Movement speed, Full Movement (running) speed, Carrying Capacity, Lifting Capacity, Physical Defense, Spell Defense, Social Defense, Initiative, Death Rating, Unconsciousness Rating, Wound Threshold, and Recovery Tests/dice. EDGE automatically assigns a value of 5 (or the racial minimum) to each of a new character's Attributes, and you can raise and lower each value to create a specific character, taking into account the considerations provided in the Character Creation section of the Earthdawn rulebook. You cannot assign high values to every Attribute, because every character must have flaws or weaknesses.

Earthdawn applies certain racial adjustments to Attributes, and EDGE incorporates these adjustments automatically. For example, obsidimen have a minimum Strength of 21 and minimum Toughness of 6, and so EDGE assigns these numbers to those Attributes automatically when you select obsidiman as the race, and adjusts the Points Left accordingly. Consult the Earthdawn rulebook for more information about the racial Attribute adjustments. Note that if you change a character's race after assigning values to its Attributes, EDGE will try to preserve the relative values when adjusting them for the limits of the new race. For example, if you change your obsidiman to a windling, EDGE will reduce the Strength of 21 to the windling maximum of 7, and adjust the available points accordingly.

Once you have assigned a race and Attribute values to your character, you need to select the character's Discipline and talents. Each Discipline has a list of related talents, to which you assign ranks. Certain Disciplines are race-limited as well; obsidimen cannot be archers, for example. Consult your Earthdawn rulebook for descriptions of the Disciplines, talents, and spells. The EDGE program provides a warning if you attempt to set a rank higher than is allowed for that talent or a value higher than that allowed for an Attribute, and also provides a warning if you attempt to select a Discipline not allowed for your race. Talents that are inappropriate for your Discipline or Circle simply do not show up on the list of talents available to your character.

EDGE Fundamentals

Copyright Screen
When you run EDGE, the first screen you see contains the copyright notice. Press Return to move past this screen. Please note that when you pass the copyright notice, you are agreeing to the License Agreement packaged with the EDGE program diskÑeach time you use the program.
If you have the Shareware vesion of EDGE, you will have a choice of registering the software,or moving on to run the program.

Moving Between Fields
Use TAB to move forward and SHIFT-TAB to move backward through the fields. If you are using a mouse, you can also point and click on the fields in any order. Many of the fields contain a highlighted letter; you can press the Alt key together with that letter to go directly to that field from any other field. While you can Tab through most fields, you should not make any changes in the following fields, which appear below a line drawn across the screen: Combat, Running, Carry, Lift, Physical Defense, Spell Defense, Social Defense, Death Rating, Unconciousness, Wound Threshold, Recovery Checks, Legendary Status, Total Legend Points, Physical Armor, Mystic Armor, Initiative Dice, Karma Die, and Recovery Dice. These fields are automatically calculated from other fields. You can, and should, make changes in the Damage, Wounds, and Blood Magic fields in this section to keep them up to date.

Changing Field Values
To change a text field value, such as Name, use the mouse to highlight the existing entry (if any) and type your new entry. This completely replaces the old entry with the new one. To change a portion of the text field, position the entry cursor where you wish to enter the change and either highlight the portion you wish to replace or delete that portion using the Backspace or Delete keys. Then enter your change. If you do not have a mouse, use the arrow keys to position the cursor where you want to make changes and turn Insert mode On to overwrite existing text.

To change the values in numeric fields, such as the Attribute values and talent ranks, you can either use the "+" and "-" keys to increase or decrease the values by 1 each time, or type in the desired numbers using the keyboard. We recommend that you use the plus and minus keys, because EDGE will not increase the field past its defined maximum or decrease it below its defined minimum (as for racial limitations). For example, First Circle characters may not have any talent rank greater than 3; if you try to increase the talent rank to 4, EDGE simply won't make the change. Using the plus and minus keys allows you to see these predetermined limits.

To change a field with a pop-up menu, such as Race, double-click on the new entry in the menu. If you do not have a mouse, use the arrow keys to move up and down in the menu, and press Return to select an entry.

Default and Invalid Entries
Since most character stat fields contain default entries, the only fields which require entries are Talents and Spells (if applicable). The character description fields (name, age, sex, hair, eyes, height, and weight) are optional. If you have made an illegal entry in a field, that field or others calculated from it will flash red (or blink, if you have a monochrome monitor) until you correct the illegal entry. In particular, the Points Left and Ranks Left fields will flash red (or blink) if you assign more Attribute points or talent ranks than are allowed; as soon as you subtract enough from the points and ranks assigned, the screen will stop flashing red or blinking. You can go back at any time to any field and change it; fields whose entries are now disallowed by the change will flash red or blink until you correct the problem.

Menus and Scrolling Lists
The Menu Bar at the top of the screen contains only the File menu. All the program functions required to use EDGE are available through this menu. Race, Discipline, Armor, and Shield appear as pop-up menus. Talents and Spells appear as scrolling lists.

To access the File menu, either click on the menu name to open it, press F10 to highlight the File menu and use the down arrow to open the menu, or press Alt-F to select and open the menu. Use the arrow keys to move up and down in the File menu, or click once to highlight a selection. Press Return to select the highlighted function, or press Alt and the appropriate letter to select that function. For example, press Alt-P to print and Alt-X to exit.

To open a pop-up menu, Tab to that field and press Return, or click on the arrow next to the field. Pressing Alt and the highlighted letter also opens the menu. When you make a selection from the menu by pressing Return, the menu automatically closes again. If you are using a mouse, simply point to your selection and double-click to select it and leave the menu. You can also use the up and down arrow keys to move within the menu, or type in the first one or two letters of the selection (or enough to distinguish it from other selections). For example, to select Ork from the Race menu, you could type "Or; "O" moves to the first entry starting with O, and "r" distinguishes between Ork and Obsidiman. To close a pop-up menu without making a change, click on the small box icon at the top of the menu, or press <ESC>.

Scrolling lists are more like spreadsheets than menus. You can select more than one item from them, and you can change the numerical values for the selected items. To open a scrolling list, simply Tab to that field, or press Alt and the field letter, or click on the field. Use the up and down arrows to scroll through the list, or point and click with the mouse. Use the plus and minus keys, or Return and Backspace, to change the value next to each item on the list. For the Spell list allows you to use five keys as toggles for the Learned fieldÑReturn, Backspace, space bar, plus, and minus. "Toggle" means that if the field is blank, pressing any of the accepted toggles will put an asterisk there, and if there is an asterisk in the field, pressing a toggle will change the field back to blank.

Creating A New Character

To create a new character, select New from the File menu or press Alt-N. This brings up a blank character record in the entry screen. The first two lines of the entry screen are where you enter your character's name and physical description. These are text fields; you can enter anything you want, as long as it fits. In the Name field, you will need to either delete the existing entry, "Unnamed," or overwrite it. Once you have assigned a name to the character, and saved the file using that name, the name appears at the top center of the screen. The remaining fields are discussed in current order of use; the field order may change in future versions of EDGE, but the type of field and its contents will remain the same unless noted in future versions.

Character Race

The Race field has a pop-up menu. The default race is human. In order to open the menu, either press Return when the field is highlighted or click once on the Down arrow next to the field. You must scroll down through the menu to see the last two races. Note that the highlighted race changes as you scroll through the menu. You must either double-click on a race or press Return in order to select the highlighted race and leave the menu. To leave the menu without making changes, press <Esc>.

Discipline

The Discipline field has a pop-up menu that operates just like the one for Race. Available Disciplines are: Archer, Beastmaster, Cavalryman, Elementalist, Illusionist, Nethermancer, Sky Raider, Swordmaster, Thief, Troubadour, Warrior, Weaponsmith, and Wizard. If a Discipline is flashing or highlighted in red, the race you have chosen cannot follow that Discipline. 

Circle

Beginning characters start at First Circle; do not change the entry in the Circle field unless you are a gamemaster creating a gamemaster character (NPC). EDGE is set up to allow your character to grow through awarded Legend Points, and you should use this method to keep your character balanced and within the parameters of the Earthdawn rules.

Attributes

As discussed earlier, EDGE sets Attributes at a default of 5 unless a racial adjustment applies. You can increase Attribute values by highlighting the field next to the Attribute name and pressing the plus ("+") key. (If you have a numeric keypad in addition to the regular keyboard, we suggest that you turn NumLock On and use the keypad's plus and minus keys for this.) Use the minus ("-") key to decrease the Attribute values. Notice that the number in the Points Left field at the bottom left of your screen decreases as you assign points to each Attribute. Increasing an Attribute's value by 1 may cost more than one point, depending on the current value of the Attribute: the higher the Attribute, the more each point increase will cost. You have a total of 66 points for improving Attributes, though the actual number of Points Left may be more or less than this due to racial adjustments. When you are finished improving Attributes, Points Left should be 0. If Points Left falls below zero, the field will flash red (or blink) to remind you that you have assigned more points than you are allowed. You must reduce one or more Attributes until this number comes up to 0.

The following table shows the starting Points Left value:
Race	Points Left
Dwarf		69
Elf		69
Human		66
Obsidiman	49
Ork		66
Troll	54
T'skrang	69
Windling	63

Note that if you select obsidiman or troll, which have Strength and Toughness minimums higher than 5, then change Race back to human or any other, the Strength and Toughness numbers do not reset back to 5. Instead, these numbers remain set for obsidiman or troll, unless they exceed the new race's maximum for those numbers. If the Strength and Toughness numbers exceed the new race's maximums, then those fields are reset to the new race's maximum Atribute values. Points Left will also be different from the numbers shown above. You can reset Strength and Toughness to 5 using the plus and minus keys, but you may also simply adjust the new numbers to reflect your preferences for the new character.

Talents

After the Attributes, you need to assign Ranks to Talents. Your list of available talents will depend on your Discipline and Circle. EDGE only shows the talents available to your character. See the Earthdawn rulebook, pp. 94-121, for a complete list of talents for each Discipline and descriptions of those talents. The number of Ranks you have available to assign to talents is shown in the Ranks Left field at the bottom left side of your screen (next to Points Left). Each Rank costs 1 Rank point. The Talents field is a scrolling list; use the up and down arrows to scroll through the entries (or point and click with the mouse). The current talent is highlighted. To increase a talent Rank, press the plus key or Return. To decrease a talent Rank, press the minus key or Backspace. Press Tab to leave the Talents field at any time.

Note that humans have the Versatility talent (scroll down to view this talent) and a list of all other talents made available to them through Versatility. Consult the Earthdawn rulebook, p. 120, to find out how to use this talent. EDGE will allow you to put as many Ranks into the talents listed for Versatility as you have Ranks assigned to Versatility. For example, if you have Versatility at Rank 2, you may assign 2 Ranks to any 1 talent in the lower list, or you can assign one Rank to each of 2 talents in that list. All 4 Ranks in this example (2 in Versatility and 2 in talents available because of Versatility) count against your Ranks Left total.

Artisan Skill

Consult the Earthdawn rulebook to find out what artisan skills are appropriate for your character's Discipline and type it in this field.

Karma

The Karma field shows your character's starting Karma. You can change this figure during character creation by spending some of the Points Left to "buy" additional Karma Points. To do this, highlight the Karma field and press the plus key once for each point of Karma increase. A corresponding decrease will appear in the Points Left field at the bottom of the screen. This is only possible during character creation, before any Legend Points awards are logged in EDGE. As soon as Legend Points are awarded, Karma changes are PERMANENT. See "Updating Karma" below for changing Karma after Legend Points have been awarded.

Legend Points

The Legend Points field shows your character's current Legend Points. For new characters, this will be 0. To award Legend Points, press the plus key while in this field. See "Awarding Legend Points" below for a complete description of this field.

Armor

The Armor field has a pop-up menu. The EDGE default for this field is "none," but you may select any type of armor. Scroll down to see all available armor types. Refer to the Earthdawn rulebook, pp. 254-56, for a list and complete descriptions of armor types. When you select armor, your character's Physical Armor, Mystic Armor, and Initiative fields are automatically adjusted for that armor type.

Shield

After choosing armor, you may choose a shield from the pop-up menu. The EDGE default for this field is "none," but you may select any type of shield. Scroll down in order to see all available shield types. Refer to the Earthdawn rulebook, p. 256, for a list and complete descriptions of shield types. When you select a shield, your character's Physical Armor, Mystic Armor, and Initiative fields are automatically adjusted for that shield type.

Weapons

The Weapons field is a scrolling list. You either have a weapon or you don't, and you can have more than one weapon. To select a weapon, use the arrow keys or the mouse to highlight the weapon name and press the space bar, which acts as an On/Off toggle for selecting weapons. If a weapon is selected, an entry appears in the Damage Step/Dice field next to the weapon's name. (Some weapons, like nets, do not do damage, and so "N/A" appears in the Damage Step/Dice field. Like talents, the Weapon field will only show those weapons your character can use based on Strength and Race. If a weapon requires two hands to use, the number "2" will appear in superscript next to the name.

If your character has an improved or damaged weapon, you can use the plus and minus keys to adjust the Damage Step/Dice field accordingly. These changes will be shown on the Character Record Sheet as plus or minus numbers next to the Damage Step/Dice entry.

Spells

If you have chosen one of the spellcasting talents (Elementalism, Illusion, Nethermancy, or Wizardry), a scrolling-list field is provided for selecting spells. Make sure you scroll down to the bottom to see everything that is available. The Spells menu only shows those spells that are available according to your talents, Circle, and Attributes. See the Earthdawn rulebook, pp. 158-89, for full descriptions of spells and their limitations. Note that you need the Spellcasting talent, in addition to one of the talents listed above, in order to actually cast spells.

Calculated Fields

While you can Tab through most of the fields on the lower half of the screen, they should not be changed because they are calculated from Attributes. You can update the Physical Armor and Mystic Armor fields by selecting armor from the Armor field and a shield from the Shield field, both of which are pop-up menus. Total Legend Points and Legendary Status will be updated automatically as you log Legend Points awards and improve your character. Future versions of the EDGE program will allow you to "buy" weapons and armor, and will update your money and Armor Ratings as appropriate. The exceptions are Damage, Wounds, and Blood Magic, which should be updated between adventures. These fields are discussed in the section on "Updating Existing Characters."

Saving Your New Character

Before you print your new character sheet, save the file. You should always save any changes you make to a file before perfoming any other program functions. To save your character, select Save from the File menu. The first time you save a named character file, the Save File dialog box will appear. The Save File dialog box shows the default file extension in the first line (*.EDC), followed by all existing .EDC files in the default directory C:\EDAWN. You can either type in a new name on that first line or use the Tab and arrow keys to highlight one of the existing file names. Then, Tab to the OK box on the right and press Return. We suggest that you use the character's name followed by ".EDC" as a file name. We also suggest that you store all .EDC files in a subdirectory of C:\EDAWN.

After the character file has been saved the first time, performing Save will automatically save changes to that file without offering the Save File dialog box. If you are working with an existing character file and do not wish to overwrite the existing file with any changes you have made, select Save As from the File menu.

Printing Character Sheets

After you save your new character, or save any changes to your existing character, print your character record sheet. The printout will provide, in an easy-to-read format, all the details about your characterÑits physical description, Attributes, Discipline, talents and spells, Karma, Legend Points, and Armor. 

To print a character sheet, select Print Character from the File menu or press F1 (note the prompt along the lower edge of the screen). Make sure you have already selected a printer. If you want to send your character record to a file instead of the printer, choose Select Printer from the File menu and enter the path and filename in the Device field. You should select Generic as the printer type in order to get an ASCII output file. Remember to change this field back to a blank in order to send files to the printer.

The character record sheet has two sides, which print as separate pages. The first sheet provides most of the information you entered in EDGE. The second sheet provides spells, skills, Legend Points, and blank areas for writing down information like equipment, racial abilities, treasure, and character background notes. You can choose to print only the two pages of the character record sheet, or you can print the record sheet and all the applicable talent and spell descriptions for your character. You may also print out a blank character record sheet.

Updating Existing Characters

To update an existing character, you must award Legend Points and keep track of Karma, damage, Wounds, and Blood Magic. We suggest you use EDGE to track your character's progress right from the startÑupdating your character becomes a much easier process, and you can generate an up-to-date character sheet for each game session.

Opening Existing Character Files

In order to update an existing character, you must first open that character's record file by selecting Open from the File menu, then choosing the filename for that character from the list shown. If you do not see your character's filename on the list, check to make sure you are looking in the correct directory, and that you are looking at *.EDC files. To change the directory, type in the new, full pathname in the filename section, as follows and press return: 
C:\EDAWN\CHAR\

Awarding Legend Points

In order to record a Legend Point award, go to the Legend Points field (next to Karma, upper half of the screen) and press plus to bring up a dialog box. Enter the number of points awarded. This award will be added to your existing (unused) Legend Points and new totals recorded in both the Current Legend Points and Total Legend Points fields. Legendary Status will be updated automatically when applicable. In order to decrease Legend Points when using them to buy talents, skills, or threads, open the Legend Points dialog box by pressing minus.

Updating Karma

You can increase Karma using the Karma Ritual, which requires that you spend Legend Points to "buy" the Karma. To increase Karma, you must use the plus key, and you must have enough Legend Points available to purchase the increase. To spend Karma, you must use the minus key to decrease Karma. NOTE: All Karma expenditures are PERMANENT. However, if you make a mistake when either increasing or decreasing your Karma, EDGE will allow you to reverse the mistake. To decrease Karma by 1 point, restoring the cost to your Legend Points, press <Shift><-> (Shift key and minus key, simultaneously). To increase Karma by 1 point without decreasing your Legend Points by the required cost, press <Shift><+>. You do not need to change the Karma die. EDGE automatically updates the Karma die when your character advances to the next Circle.

Damage, Wounds, and Blood Magic

Use these fields to track damage carried over from game to game. An entry in the Blood Magic field affects calculations in the Damage field. For example, if your character takes a blood oath, you would set Blood Magic at 2. The Damage field will then flash red until you increase it to 2, also.. EDGE will not allow the value in the Damage field to be decreased below the value in the Blood Magic field. You can only erase these 2 points from Damage by zeroing out the Blood Magic field, then decreasing Damage accordingly.. Record the character's Wounds in the Wound field.

Improving Attributes and Talents

Once you have recorded a Legend Points award, the Legend Points field will show how many points you have available for improving Karma, Attributes, and talents. If you have sufficient Legend Points, you can use the plus key to increase an Attribute, improve talents, or add new talents. EDGE automatically decreases the Legend Points field by the cost of each Attribute point or talent Rank added. Only those talents available for your character's current Circle will appear until you increase your character's Circle; if you intend to add any new talents allowed by a higher Circle, save an appropriate number of points. If you add a talent as a skill, you must decrease your Legend Points by the cost of that skill rank.

Increasing the Discipline Circle 

This is a two-step process. Before EDGE will allow you to change the character's current Circle, you must improve the character's talents to the limits required for the new Circle. Once the talents meet the criteria for the new Circle, Tab to or use the mouse to click on the Circle field and use the plus key to increase its value. Once you have increased the Circle, return to the talents field and choose new talents from those available at the character's new Circle.

FOR GAMEMASTERS ONLY: Building NPCs

When building a non-player (gamemaster) character (NPC), you may increase restricted fields beyond their maximums without having to improve the character as described above by entering numbers using the keyboard. For example, you can set the Circle to whatever level you need by simply typing in the desired number. Until you balance this out with Legend Points and talent Ranks, the Circle field will flash red or blink, warning you that your character does not fall within the parameters of the rules. 

To determine how many Legend Points a higher-Circle character would typically have, consult the "Gamemastering Earthdawn" chapter of your Earthdawn rulebook. This chapter will also provide typical talent Ranks and other requirements for characters of a particular Circle.

Shortcuts: Function Keys and Alternate Functions

None of these functions are case-sensitive. The single-letter functions only work when the File menu is open.
File Menu Functions

Alt-N	New	Opens a blank character entry screen.
Alt-O	Open	Opens a selected character file.
Alt-S	Save File	Saves the current file to its defined name 
			(only prompts for name if no name exists).
A		Save As	Saves the current file to a specified name 
			(always prompts for name).
L		Save All	Saves all open files to selected names,
			prompts if no name exists.
R		Revert	Reloads current character file.
C		Close	Closes the top open character window.
T		Select Printer	Opens Select Printer dialog box.
B		Print Blank Sheet	Prints a blank character sheet.
F1		Print Character	Prints the current character record sheet.
Alt-X	Exit	Closes all open character windows, prompts 
			to save any changed character files, and 
			exits from EDGE.

Entry Screen Functions

F10		File Menu
Alt-A	Armor (opens menu)
Alt-C	Circle field
Alt-D	Discipline field (opens menu)
Alt-E	Perception
Alt-F	File Menu (opens menu)
Alt-G	Strength
Alt-H	Charisma
Alt-I	Willpower
Alt-K	Karma
Alt-L	Total Legend Points
Alt-P	Spell
Alt-R	Race field (opens menu)
Alt-T	Talent
Alt-U	Toughness
Alt-W	Weapon
Alt-Y	Dexterity
+	Increase field value by 1
-	Decrease field value by 1
Shift +	Correct Karma up by 1 point (no Legend Points debit)
Shift -	Correct Karma down by 1 point (restore Legend Points debit)
Troubleshooting and Technical Support

FASA will provide limited technical support only for registered users of EDGE. If you are having difficulty installing or running EDGE, you can call (312) 243-5660 between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. (Central time). You may send a FAX to (312) 243-4847 regarding the problem at any time. Include in your FAX such information as your PC configuration (amount of RAM, processor, etc.); DOS version; mouse, monitor, and printer types and driver versions; any background programs you are running and how much RAM they consume; and a complete description of what, exactly is happening or not happening and under what conditions. Also include a return FAX number or address. If you call during technical support hours, please be prepared to discuss all of this information in detail. We will attempt to help you resolve the problem, or will discuss alternative solutions at that time. The hours listed are the ONLY hours during which telephone technical support will be available.

There is one known technical problem with EDGE at this time: if you are using a Logitech mouse driver, you will not be able to use the mouse to move the cursor below the midpoint of the screen. You will be able to move around the lower half of the screen by using either the Tab and Shift-Tab keys, or by using the Alt key shortcuts.