First of all, I would like to apologize, if I have missed the penultimate answer on this question. I did try and use the search function, however - the closest I could get was this thread:

https://community.fantasyflightgames.com/topic/105242-guess-what-more-char-creation-questions/

I didn't want to risk raising an old post from the dead and thus ended up creating my own post.

In short, I do not understand where you deduct the XP points from, which you would be spending on the Advanced Origins you can find in the Into the Storm book.

It's my understanding that a character is "born" having spent 4.500 XP up to the point where they are made, and you get an extra 500 xp to spend on skills and talents - ending you on 5.000 XP when you start the game.

Once you hit 7.000 XP your character is Rank 2.

I also understand that when I make a character, using the Into the Storm Explorer's Handbook, I need to pay XP for some of the alternate Origin Path options.

What I do not understand is; where do I deduct the XP cost for these options?

If I need to deduct them from the 500 XP I get "on top" during character birth, does that mean I can never be a Outrage Scion from A Powerful Legacy (alone these two options together, would end up costing me 650 XP), or does it mean that if I want to be a Bounty Hunter with a Dark Secret (which would cost me 450 xp) I will only have 50 xp left for skills and talents?

Or....

Do I need to deduct them from the 4.500 XP? So I create a "deficit" which needs to be covered before I can actually progress to Rank 2? Using the Outrages Scion from A Powerful Legacy example from above, this would mean that I start the character with 3.850 XP (4.500 XP minus 650 XP) - I then use 500 XP on skills and talents, which brings me to 4,350 XP. Which means I would need to spend the normal 2.000 XP on Rank one skills and talents PLUS another 650 XP before I actually reach rank 2.

Or..... Is it a mix of the two?

Or am I simply missing something obvious here and got it all wrong?

You have it right with your second option. Buying origin advances puts you far behind the curve for advancing in Rank, which means your Rank 1 is going to take longer.

Thank you very much for your quick answer.

Just to be sure I understand fully.

I only "deduct" the XP cost from the 4.500 "starting xp" and I still keep the 500 XP to use on Skills and Talents?

I was using the Excel sheet char generator tool, and it appeared like it deducted the XP cost from both the 500 XP and also from the 4.500 XP. E.g. if using 400 XP on the origin advances, meant that I ended up with only 100 xp to use on skills/talents and also ended up with 4.100 starting XP (or 4.200 XP after having spent the 100 on skills/talents). That seemed a bit harsh.....

In short, the excel sheet is correct. Nothing ever touches the original 4500. That 4500 is assumed in your original Origin Path. Additional Origin Path choices are just that...additional...and they come from the left over 500 XP. And they do not count toward XP spent toward Rank 2.

Well, the book says: "This cost is deducted from the character’s starting experience." (Into the Storm, p.17) and Corebook says: " Starting Experience
All characters begin play with 4,500 xp. This initial amount of xp is considered to have already been spent in preparing your character’s abilities and Skills to the point where they are now. You do not actually spend these xp; that amount represents your character’s pre-existing starting Characteristics, Origin Path, Skills, and other abilities . " (p.30)

It seems that XP is deducted from "starting" 4500.

But then ItS says: "Also, any modifications made to an Explorer due to taking these new choices does not count as an Advance for the purposes of increasing in rank" (p.17)

And now it seems that it's about additional 500 XP...

I use the rule that ItS options are paid from 500 XP, but now I'm not sure that it is RAW.

In short, the excel sheet is correct. Nothing ever touches the original 4500. That 4500 is assumed in your original Origin Path. Additional Origin Path choices are just that...additional...and they come from the left over 500 XP. And they do not count toward XP spent toward Rank 2.

I thought that was how the Excel sheet worked.

It creates the "deficit" on the 4.500, so you get behind the curve on your road towards rank 2 - and at the same time you deduct it from the 500 extra XP you get to make your character.

But this also means that you will never be able to create the Outrage Scion from A Powerful Legacy (as I mentioned above, since this would end up already costing you 650 XP - which is above the 500 XP you start with).

It is a little confusing, but since there are packages over 500 then I interpret it as subtracting from the 4500 original, though players can also put their starting 500XP towards paying off their "debt" as needed.

The other way you can think of it is that if your players buy say 900XP of origin advances, then they start the game 400XP in debt, and the first 400XP has to go towards paying that off. Or they could earmark the origin advances, but don't unlock them until they earn the EXP to pay for them. It might be easier for your players to understand, though not being able to level in the first session or two might be frustrating.

Or you could just start a campaign at Rank 2, then you have enough XP to do w/e you want on the Origin Path.

I'm missing something then. When using the excel sheet, if I spend 300 XP on a Lineage option on the Origin Path and then look at the Advancement tab, I see

XP Start 5000

Background -300

XP Spend -4500

XP to Spend 200

and in the column just to the right I see

Career 4500

-

-

-

-

-

Total 4500

Now I can see how the macro might subtract the 300 from the 4500 as a bookkeeping tool to keep track of what has yet to be spent toward Rank advancement, but I don't see it. Please correct me.

I'm missing something then. When using the excel sheet, if I spend 300 XP on a Lineage option on the Origin Path and then look at the Advancement tab, I see

XP Start 5000

Background -300

XP Spend -4500

XP to Spend 200

and in the column just to the right I see

Career 4500

-

-

-

-

-

Total 4500

Now I can see how the macro might subtract the 300 from the 4500 as a bookkeeping tool to keep track of what has yet to be spent toward Rank advancement, but I don't see it. Please correct me.

I am not sure if the sheet bugs out on me when I do not use "real Excel," but as you can see here, if you spend 400 on your background, the 400 gets deducted, but do not count towards rank advancement as XP spent.

Which means that you get "stuck" on rank 1, until you spend extra XP (depending on how much you invested in your background) to balance things out.

My question is, is this "working as intended" or am I doing something wrong.

Yes, that's exactly how it was intended, and according to the rules.

Yes, that's exactly how it was intended, and according to the rules.

Awesome!

Thank you - and sorry for being so dense.

Your help is much appreciated.

No problem. I didn't get that bit of rules myself for some time. Rules authors are rarely English majors. Pity.