Character Creation Info
The Steps below are presented in the recommended order, but can be chosen in any one.
Note your character's total Stamina Points as well as her total starting Hit Points. Record her base attack bonus and the base saving throw bonuses she receives from her class. (Step 9 explains how to calculate your character’s final saving throw modifiers.) Also write down your character’s 1st-level class features.
Assign your character’s skill ranks on your character sheet—remember, her ranks in a skill can never exceed her character level! If any of the selected skills are class skills, note that she receives a +3 class skill bonus in the appropriate box. Include her ability score modifier for each skill. Note her feats, and if any provide bonuses to skills, put them in the skills box for miscellaneous modifiers. Finally, add up and record her total skill modifier for each skill that isn’t a trained-only skill.
Note your character’s alignment, which plays a role in her personality. See Alignment for more information. Armor Class
Energy Armor Class (EAC) and Kinetic Armor Class (KAC) represent how difficult your character is to hit in combat. Energy Armor Class represents her ability to avoid injury when hit with energy attacks, such as lasers. Kinetic Armor Class represents her ability to avoid injury when hit with physical attacks, such as bullets The values for EAC and KAC each begin at 10. Add your character’s Dexterity modifier to each value. Then add the EAC bonus and KAC bonus that her armor provides to the respective values. You’ll also want to note your character’s Armor Class against combat maneuvers, which is her KAC + 8. Attack Bonuses
You noted your character’s base attack bonus in Step 6, but you still need to calculate her total attack bonuses with melee, ranged, and thrown weapons. To do so, add her Strength modifier to her melee and thrown attacks, and add her Dexterity modifier to her other ranged attacks. Then add any miscellaneous modifiers from feats or class features to the appropriate attacks. Carrying Capacity
This is how much bulk your character can carry based on her Strength score. She is encumbered when carrying an amount of bulk equal to or greater than half her Strength score, and overburdened when carrying an amount of bulk equal to or greater than her total Strength score. Deity
Note the deity your character worships, if any. Description
If you haven’t already, write a short description of your character. Home World
This is where your character was raised, whether it’s a planet, a space station, or even an asteroid. Initiative
Your character’s initiative modifier is added to her initiative checks to determine the order in which she acts in combat. It’s equal to her Dexterity modifier plus modifiers from feats or other abilities that affect initiative. Languages
Your character begins play speaking and reading Common, her racial tongue (if any), and the language of her home world (if any). If she has a positive Intelligence modifier, she knows a number of additional languages equal to that value. See Languages for more on languages and a list of languages to choose from. Resolve Points
Your character can use Resolve Points for many important purposes, including replenishing her Stamina Points and powering some class features and other abilities. At 1st level, your character has a number of Resolve Points equal to 1 + the ability score modifier for her class’s key ability score. For more information on Resolve Points, see Health and Resolve. Saving Throws
From time to time, your character will need to determine whether she can avoid or shake off an effect or spell. When this happens, the GM will call for a Fortitude, Reflex, or Will saving throw, depending on the situation. A saving throw is a d20 roll to which you add your character’s base saving throw bonus of the appropriate type and other applicable modifiers. Your character’s class determines her base bonus to each type of saving throw. Additionally, you apply her Constitution modifier to her Fortitude saving throws, her Dexterity modifier to her Reflex saving throws, and her Wisdom modifier to her Will saving throws—and you must do so even if a relevant ability score modifier is negative. Finally, you apply any additional modifiers to specific saving throws as appropriate, such as bonuses from feats or other abilities. Size
Your character’s race determines her size. Speed
Your character’s land speed at the beginning of play is 30 feet, unless she has an ability that modifies it (or penalties from armor or encumbrance). See Tactical Rules for more information on speed and movement.
1.) Concept
Come up with whatever science fiction concept you want. Check out the races and classes and background below, find a cool piece of art, and come up with a basic idea for your character. Feel free to use Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, Firefly, Fallout, Guardians of the Galaxy or any other sci-fi show/game as your inspiration. This is the time for brainstorming!2.) Choose a Race
You might wish to make this decision after viewing the classes and background options later. The following link is a guide to all the races and contains a picture with all of the playable races in it, as well as links to their stats and abilities Put your character’s race at the top of your character sheet. Note her starting racial Hit Points and her racial language (if any), as well as the racial abilities she can use. For now, note any points she’ll add to or subtract from her ability scores due to her race in the margins next to her ability scores (you’ll need this during Step 5!).3.) Choose a Theme
Next, you can choose a theme for your character, which represents a core aspect of her background and motivations. A theme can help express your character’s approach to adventuring—whether she’s a bounty hunter, a scholar, or the embodiment of another classic adventuring trope. In addition to reflecting a certain background, a theme provides benefits to an appropriate skill or skills at 1st level and also grants 1 extra point to a specific ability score—you’ll finalize your ability scores during Step 5. Write your character’s theme at the top of your character sheet and record any bonuses it grants to skills. For now, note the point it adds to an ability score in the margin next to that ability score (you’ll need this during Step 5!).4.) Choose a Class
At this point, you’re almost ready to finalize your character’s ability scores, which are key values you’ll need to calculate many of her statistics. First, though, you need to choose your character’s class. This affords her access to a suite of heroic abilities, determines how well she can attack, and governs how easily she can shake off or avoid certain harmful effects. Classes details the seven classes you can play You don’t yet need to note all of your character’s class features. You simply need to know which class you want to play, which will tell you the ability scores that will be the most important to you. Each class notes its key ability scores, as well as other particularly helpful ability scores, but for easy reference, Table: Key Ability Scores by Class lays out the key ability scores for all classes. Envoy: The envoy uses her personal magnetism and intelligence to help her allies and baffle her enemies, often in the service of negotiation or politics. Mechanic: Adept at building and modifying machinery, the mechanic has either an advanced artificial intelligence or a cutting-edge robot drone as his constant companion. Mystic: The mystic magically channels the energy connecting all things, often through a focus on the divine or intuitive understanding of biological systems. Operative: The operative has the skills to complete almost any mission requiring stealth and discretion, whether it be simple espionage or messy wet work. Solarian: The solarian contemplates and gains power from the life cycles of stars. His techniques allow him to create a weapon or suit of armor from a mote of stellar energy. Soldier: Thoroughly familiar with weapons of war, the soldier is ready to wreak havoc when force is called for, and specializes in a particular fighting style. Technomancer: The technomancer understands the connections between technology and magic, and exploits them by bending reality to suit her needs. Put your character’s class at the top of your character sheet, then write "1" after it to indicate that you're 1st level. Don’t worry about other abilities your character gets from her class—you’ll handle that in Step 6.5.) Finalize Ability Scores
Now that you’ve made the most important decisions about your character, it’s time to fill in her statistics. Your character’s ability scores determine a wide array of her capabilities and consist of six values: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. To learn how to calculate your ability scores, see the link above. That section will also tell you how to determine your ability score modifiers, which affect the calculation of many of the values described on your character sheet and later in this section. Record your ability scores in the appropriate fields on your character sheet. Next to the scores, write down each score's modifier.6.) Apply your Class
Now, determine the powers, special abilities (called class features), and other key statistics your character gains from being 1st level in her class. The table at the beginning of each class section includes your character’s base attack bonus, which helps determine how good she is at attacking. You’ll add this base value to her melee and ranged attacks (See Tactical Rules). That table also indicates your character’s base bonuses for her Fortitude, Reflex, and Will saving throws. See Step 9 for more information on saving throws. Additionally, your character’s class affects her total Stamina Points (SP). Stamina Points measure how much punishment she can absorb before it begins to really hurt her and reduce her Hit Points. At 1st level, you gain the number of Stamina Points listed in your class + your Constitution modifier. At 1st level, you also add the number of Hit Points indicated in your class to the number of Hit Points you gain from your race. (See Health and Resolve Health and Resolve for more about Hit Points and Stamina Points.) Finally, your character’s class influences how many skill ranks she can assign per level (see Step 7), and determines her armor and weapon proficiencies (see Step 8). Character SheetNote your character's total Stamina Points as well as her total starting Hit Points. Record her base attack bonus and the base saving throw bonuses she receives from her class. (Step 9 explains how to calculate your character’s final saving throw modifiers.) Also write down your character’s 1st-level class features.
7.) Assign Skill Ranks and Choose Feats
Next, figure out what skills you want your character to be good at, whether it’s using technology or surviving in the wilderness. At each level, she gains skill ranks, representing her growing know-how and training. The number of ranks she gains at each level equals her Intelligence modifier + an amount determined by her class (but she always gains at least 1), and you can allocate the ranks to any skills you want. Some skills are called out as class skills in your class entry—these are skills tied to your class, and you automatically get a +3 bonus if you put a skill rank into them. (You can still put ranks into skills that aren’t class skills; you just don’t get the special +3 bonus when you do.) For more on skills and how they work, including information about trained-only skills and penalties for wearing armor while using skills, see Skills. Once you’ve assigned your character’s skill ranks, choose her feats. Most characters begin play with one feat, though humans gain a racial bonus feat. Feats are a good way to boost an element of your character that might be lacking. For example, Toughness grants extra Stamina Points, while Bodyguard lets you protect nearby allies from attacks. See Feats for more information. Character SheetAssign your character’s skill ranks on your character sheet—remember, her ranks in a skill can never exceed her character level! If any of the selected skills are class skills, note that she receives a +3 class skill bonus in the appropriate box. Include her ability score modifier for each skill. Note her feats, and if any provide bonuses to skills, put them in the skills box for miscellaneous modifiers. Finally, add up and record her total skill modifier for each skill that isn’t a trained-only skill.
8.) Equipment
At 1st level, your character has 1,000 credits to spend on armor, weapons, and other supplies (though your GM may give you alternative instructions for how to choose your gear). Armor and weapons are often the most important—keep in mind that your character’s class determines the types of weapons and armor that she is proficient with. Your character’s weapon determines the damage she can deal in combat, while armor affects her Energy Armor Class (EAC) and Kinetic Armor Class (KAC)—see Step 9 for more on Armor Class. Additionally, there are other staples that can help your character during play. For more on the equipment available and how much it costs, see here9.) Fill in the Finishing Details
Now add the following details to your character sheet. AlignmentNote your character’s alignment, which plays a role in her personality. See Alignment for more information. Armor Class
Energy Armor Class (EAC) and Kinetic Armor Class (KAC) represent how difficult your character is to hit in combat. Energy Armor Class represents her ability to avoid injury when hit with energy attacks, such as lasers. Kinetic Armor Class represents her ability to avoid injury when hit with physical attacks, such as bullets The values for EAC and KAC each begin at 10. Add your character’s Dexterity modifier to each value. Then add the EAC bonus and KAC bonus that her armor provides to the respective values. You’ll also want to note your character’s Armor Class against combat maneuvers, which is her KAC + 8. Attack Bonuses
You noted your character’s base attack bonus in Step 6, but you still need to calculate her total attack bonuses with melee, ranged, and thrown weapons. To do so, add her Strength modifier to her melee and thrown attacks, and add her Dexterity modifier to her other ranged attacks. Then add any miscellaneous modifiers from feats or class features to the appropriate attacks. Carrying Capacity
This is how much bulk your character can carry based on her Strength score. She is encumbered when carrying an amount of bulk equal to or greater than half her Strength score, and overburdened when carrying an amount of bulk equal to or greater than her total Strength score. Deity
Note the deity your character worships, if any. Description
If you haven’t already, write a short description of your character. Home World
This is where your character was raised, whether it’s a planet, a space station, or even an asteroid. Initiative
Your character’s initiative modifier is added to her initiative checks to determine the order in which she acts in combat. It’s equal to her Dexterity modifier plus modifiers from feats or other abilities that affect initiative. Languages
Your character begins play speaking and reading Common, her racial tongue (if any), and the language of her home world (if any). If she has a positive Intelligence modifier, she knows a number of additional languages equal to that value. See Languages for more on languages and a list of languages to choose from. Resolve Points
Your character can use Resolve Points for many important purposes, including replenishing her Stamina Points and powering some class features and other abilities. At 1st level, your character has a number of Resolve Points equal to 1 + the ability score modifier for her class’s key ability score. For more information on Resolve Points, see Health and Resolve. Saving Throws
From time to time, your character will need to determine whether she can avoid or shake off an effect or spell. When this happens, the GM will call for a Fortitude, Reflex, or Will saving throw, depending on the situation. A saving throw is a d20 roll to which you add your character’s base saving throw bonus of the appropriate type and other applicable modifiers. Your character’s class determines her base bonus to each type of saving throw. Additionally, you apply her Constitution modifier to her Fortitude saving throws, her Dexterity modifier to her Reflex saving throws, and her Wisdom modifier to her Will saving throws—and you must do so even if a relevant ability score modifier is negative. Finally, you apply any additional modifiers to specific saving throws as appropriate, such as bonuses from feats or other abilities. Size
Your character’s race determines her size. Speed
Your character’s land speed at the beginning of play is 30 feet, unless she has an ability that modifies it (or penalties from armor or encumbrance). See Tactical Rules for more information on speed and movement.
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