Character Creation

CHARACTER CREATION

The Character creation system is pretty simple. Choose a race, take a note of your natural abilities and starting stats. Assign your ‘specials’ points .Choose a profession, using the JOBS section to give you some ideas. 

Ensure your idea doesn't contravene any of the rules in the 'Not Allowed' section

Write a background.  Choose some skills, denote how good you are at those skills (trained or Skilled). Pick some equipment. Stick it on the character sheet.

Send it to the ref.

Get it back, possibly red-penned.

With regards skills, I have no desire to enforce some kind of points based skill buying process on people. So please, exercise some restraint. On the whole, a character will have less than half the number of skills at ‘skilled’ than they will have at ‘trained’. As an example, a soldier for Pax Humanis can indeed use nearly any class of weapon. However, since Pax only uses laser weapons, the soldier has Laser weapons at skilled, and the other 4 types at ‘trained’.

Again, your ‘career’ skills will tend to be at skilled, and any side-line skills at trained.

A ship-mechanic may have drive systems, ships systems repair and maintenance at skilled, but most of their other skills would be at trained. The idea of the system is to be ‘free-and easy’.

It should be noted that, as far as the ref is concerned, someone who is a specialist in one area is likely to be 'better' at that one area than someone who is multi-skilled. A good example of this is with pilots. Someone who has spent their entire life flying ships, and really not studying much else (i.e. very few other 'useful' skills) is going to be a better general pilot that someone who can fly star-ships but is also a trained soldier , doctor or engineer; even if both parties have Pilot X class ship at skilled.

 The medics skill is the one big exception to this. Medical skills come in either first aid, Medic or Surgeon level, and each one can be at trained or skilled. Anyone can get first-aid at trained. First aid at skilled is less common, but many beings will have it.

Medic at trained indicates formal training as a Doctor or battlefield medic, or a tribal healer etc. Being Skilled at this level indicates someone as above, but who has dedicated much of their life to practicing that skill. ‘Trained’ surgeon technically doesn’t exist. A few Skilled medics might have surgeon level at trained, indicating a good knowledge of life-saving techniques. A Skilled Surgeon is someone who is a healer first, second and always. They will have few other skills, and are unlikely to have many combat skills, as they have dedicated themselves to treating others.

For the ‘healing charts’ please see the combat system section.

i)          SPECIALS POINTS

During character creation, every character gets a number of points to split between 3 traits (unless otherwise stated in the race rules). Each of these traits allows for ‘heroic’ action within combat, and can be spent at any time. As with brawling ‘blocks’, these can be spent once per combat scene (not per individual combat) – the ref will declare when a combat scene has ended,  at which time you regain any special points spent. This will happen automatically after an hour, unless the ref says otherwise.

DODGE – This special allows a character to nimbly side-step incoming damage. Any damage call directed at the character can be ignored by spending a single dodge point and shouting ‘dodge’. This also applies to grappling attempts. Dodging can only be used if the character is aware of the incoming damage (in Line of sight) and is capable of moving.

LUCK-  This special allows ANY damage to be altered to a less effective blow, regardless of how the damage was inflicted, or if the character was aware of the damage. Luck points can be spent to totally negate incoming damage on a point for point basis. However, the ‘effects’ of the damage are still evident, so roll with the blows, cry out in pain and shock, you just don’t take as much of a pounding.  This should simplify the use of luck in combat.

KILLER INSTINCT – The nastiest of the specials, this allows, on a point for point basis, the increase of the damage a character does with their next blow. It can increased ranged, melee or brawling damage, and any number of points can be spent in one go. It only applies to the next blow, however. If the target doges this attack (i.e., uses a dodge special) the KI points are wasted.

Strength.

You can only gain 1 ‘extra’ point of strength (so a hominid maximum strength is 1). To put up strength costs TWO specials points. This represents your character concentrating on muscular power, over speed, skill etc.