Each player of a game of Twilight Kingdoms will play a single character, known as a player character, or PC. The narrator of the game will set the stage for the player characters by creating the backdrop: all other characters in the game are known as non-player characters, and are controlled by the narrator. The spotlight, however, is on the players - the adventure is defined by their actions, and most game mechanics consider the player as the active participant, with the narrator as a more passive role.
Each character in a game of Twilight Kingdoms is defined by the six core attributes - these are assigned based on the character's species, but can be modified in a variety of ways as the adventure unfolds. The six core attributes are adventure, bravery, charm, magic, steel, and wits. Each of these is described more in detail in Attributes, however, in brief: adventure is used to defy the odds, find treasure, and explore the world, bravery is used to make daring attacks and stand tall in the face of danger, charm is used to persuade and entice other characters, magic is used to cast powerful spells, steel is used resist damaging actions and hold strong against the worst, and wits is used to work through puzzles and outsmart an opponent.
Each core attribute has a value between 1 and 6; for a normal character, a 1 would typically represent a handicap, a 2 is considered untrained and without any natural proclivity, a 3 represents either a modicum of natural talent or a fair bit of training, while a 4 would be considered naturally talented and with above average training. A 5 and 6 both represent a character who is naturally gifted and extremely well trained in the attribute.
In addition to the six core attributes, all characters also have an armor attribute. This attribute behaves similarly to the others, however it can never be used to take an action (only in defense), and its value is most often derived from worn equipment, and is therefore subject to change more frequently than the other attributes.