Chapter 1: Step-By-Step Creation

Your first step is to imagine what character you want to play. Your character is a combination of game statistics, roleplaying hooks, and your imagination. To create a character you will pick a species, a basic class, and invent their personality, appearance, and backstory. Once completed, your character serves as your representative in the game and story.
Stellaris is a game about exploration, the struggles of life in space, adventure, and galactic politics. Consider what kind of character you want to play, and how you want to able to interact with the story, its worlds, alien creatures, and numerous mysteries. The galaxy is a big place, there is a lot to find, and a lot that can happen.
Once you have your character in mind, follow these steps in order, making decisions that reflex the kind of character you want to play. You might find what you want changes as you create them, and this is fine; natural even. What is important is that you come to the game excited to play a character you designed. Also remember that your character can change as you play them. This provides good roleplaying opportunities where their attitude, behavior, outlook, or disposition on various subjects can change over the course of the story, and allows for natural character growth. Maybe you already have an idea for the sort of person you want your character to become, and thats great. But this plan can change as the story evolves as well, and thats fine too. Its your character, have fun with it.
Throughout this chapter, I use the term character sheet to refer to the repository that tracks your character's statistics. This can be a formal character sheet, notebook paper, notes scribbled on scrap paper or a napkin, or a document on your computer. I have already constructed a character digital character sheet you can copy and edit if you would like to use that, you can find it linked HERE. - TODO

Building Adrimga

Each step of character creation will include a example of that step, where I will make a Glebsig character named Adrimga.

1. Choose a Species

Every character belongs to a species, one of the many intelligent lifeforms in the galaxy. Your species might be human, or it might be an alien, or it could be a mechanical lifeform called a synth. Some species have subspecies that helps differentiate members of that species between each other. If a species has a subspecies, you get all the traits of the species and all of the traits of your chosen subspecies.
The species you choose will determine a lot about your character, by helping to establish their appearance, natural talents, and their culture. Aliens are very different from humans, and for some it may be a daunting task to try and play an alien creature. This is fine, sticking to what you know is natural. For others, the idea of playing an alien can be an exciting challenge.
Each species gains particular racial traits, such as special senses, proficiency in various skills, tools, or weapons, or the ability to use minor psionic or cybernetic abilities. Some of these traits will go will with certain classes, creating a synergy. Playing against this can be fun too, playing a species known for being strong of muscle and weak of mind while also playing as an Intelligent Hero can make for an unusual and memorable character. The species are described in chapter 2.

Building Adrimga, Step 1

Glebsigi are empathic and make for good users of psionics. I'll write down all of the Glebsig species traits, making careful note of their unique mode of movements; a 5 foot walking speed and a 40 foot swim speed, but also their ability to levitate and float around at 25 feet. Glebsigi are also unique in their languages, they can only speak their native tongue without mechanical aid, but are also telepathic within a short distance.

2. Choose a Class

Every player character is a member of a hero class. Your hero class broadly describes how you go about solving problems, what special talents they have, and what skills they start knowing. There are six basic classes, and are very straight forward in what they can do. You will also be able to choose an Advance Class at 1st level, that helps further define your abilities. These advance classes are more detailed and nuanced. You basic class does not limit what advance classes you can take, allowing you to mix and match basic and advance classes together in numerous, and interesting, combinations. The basic and advance classes are described in chapter 3.
Your character receives a number of benefits from your choice of class. Many of these benefits are called Class Features—capabilities that set you apart from members of other classes. You also gain a number of proficiencies, including armor, weapons, skills, saving throws, and sometimes systems and/or tools. Your proficiencies define many of the things you can do particularly well.
On your character sheet record all the features that your class grants you.

Level

Typically, a character starts at 1st level and advances in level by completing missions and gaining Experience Points(XP). A 1st-level character is inexperienced, though they may have some training in a similar profession, via their background, and have done dangerous things before.
Starting off at 1st level marks your character's entry into the hero's life. If you are already familiar with the game, or if you are joining an existing story, your DM might decide to have you start at a higher level, on the assumption your character has already survived a few harrowing adventures. Even if you are told to start off at 1st level in a group of higher level characters, you can still participate in their adventures and heroism. While you are not as able or skilled, you will quickly advance up to their level and catch up to them in ability.
Record your level on your character sheet. If you're starting at a higher level, also be sure to record the additional features your class grants you for your levels past 1st. Also record your current experience points. A 1st-level character starts with 0 XP. A higher level character typically begins with the minimum amount of XP required to reach that level (see "Beyond 1st Level" later in this chapter).

Hit Points, Vitality Points, and Hit Dice

Your character's hit points define how tough your character is in combat and other dangerous situations. It is a measure of your ability to roll with the punches, your combat stamina, and ability to turn deadly blows into glancing hits. When your hit points reach 0, an left over and future damage is incurred to your vitality points.
Your character's vitality points is the actual reflection of your characters physical health and well being. When you have taken any amount of vitality damage, your ability to act proficiently is impaired; things that were once simple are now difficult due to the pain, injury, and trauma you are currently suffering. When your vitality points reach 0, you start to die.
Your character's Hit Dice determine your hit points and vitality points. At 1st level, your character has 1 Hit Die, and dye type is associated with your basic class. You start off with hit points equal to the highest roll of that die, as indicated in your class description. (You also add your Constitution modifier, which you'll determine in step 3). This is also your Hit Point Maximum. You also start off with vitality points equal to your Constitution score, plus your hit dice modifier. Your hit die modifier is indicated in your class description, but you can also calculate it yourself using the following formula: (X / 2) - 2 where X is the highest number on the hit die. This is also your Vitality Point Maximum.
Record your character's hit points and vitality points on your character sheet. Also record the type of Hit Dice your character uses and the number of Hit Dice you have. After you rest, you can spend Hit Dice to regain hit points (see "Resting" in chapter 8).

Proficiency Bonus

The table that appears in your class description also shows your proficiency bonus, which is +2 for a 1st-level character. Your proficiency bonus applies to many of the numbers you'll be recording on your character sheet:

• Attack rolls using weapons you are proficient in
• Attack rolls with powers you activate or manifest
• Ability checks using skills you're proficient in
• Ability checks using tools you're proficient in
• Ability checks using systems you're proficient in
• Saving throws you're proficient in
• Saving throw DCs for powers you activate or manifest

Your class determines your weapon proficiencies, your saving throw proficiencies, and some of your skill, system, and tool proficiencies. (Skills are described in chapter 7, systems and tools in chapter 5). Your background gives you additional skills, systems, and tool proficiencies, and some species give more proficiencies. Be sure to note all these proficiencies, as well as your proficiency bonus, on your character sheet.
Your proficiency bonus can't be added to a single die roll or number more than once. Occasionally, your proficiency bonus might be modified (doubled or halved, for example) before you apply it. If a circumstance suggests that your proficiency bonus applies more than once to the same roll or that it should be multiplied more than once, you nevertheless add it only once, multiply itr only once, and halve it only once.

Building Adrimga, Step 2

I imagine Adrimga is a Dedicated Hero, focuses on Wisdom and empathy. This is perfect for Gelbsigi, who have a high Wisdom bonus. I'll add all of the proficiencies a dedicated hero receives, and their 1st level class features, and Adrimga's character sheet. Additionally, I'll choose the Psion advance class, giving Adrimga psionic powers. In the next step, I'll need to make sure Adrimga has a high Intelligence score to make use of her class features.
As a 1st level dedicated hero, Adrimga has 1 Hit Die—a d6—and starts with hit points equal to 6 + her Constitution modifier. Her vitality points are equal to her Constitution score plus 1. I'll also note down her proficiency bonus, +2.

3. Determine Ability Scores

Much of what your character can do in the game depends on their six ability scores: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Each ability has a value, which is a number you need to record on your character sheet.
The six abilities and their use in the game are described in chapter 7, but for now keep in mind the following: Strength measures natural athleticism and bodily power, Dexterity measures physical agility, reflexes, balance, and poise, Constitution measures health, stamina, and vital force, Intelligence measures mental acuity, information recall, and analytical skill, Wisdom measures awareness, intuition, and insight, and Charisma measures confidence, eloquence, and leadership.
How you generate your ability scores is up to the DM, but for my games I will use one of two methods, the Assisted Dice Roll method or the Standardized Point Buy method.

Assisted Dice Roll

For this method you will need 4d6, and will use them to generate seven sets of numbers. Roll the dice, adding together the three highest numbers, and recording the result. Repeat until you have generated seven numbers. Using these seven numbers, assign any six of your choice to any ability score of your choice. Disregard the remaining number. If the total ability modifier of the six scores added together is less than 8, I allow my players to reroll their set; however they only get one mulligan and have to accept the new set.

Standardized Point Buy

This is the method used in standardized and adventure league games, and the method many modules are balanced around. It removes the randomness from scores but also means every player is on an even playing field. You have 27 points to purchase scores using the following table on the price of scores. While you do not have to spend all your points, any unspent points are lost. Using this method you may not have a score lower than 8. Using this method you can purchase a set of three high numbers and three low scores (15, 15, 15, 8, 8, 8), a set of above average and nearly equal scores (13, 13, 13, 12, 12, 12), or any set of numbers between those two extremes.
Table: Ability Score Point Cost

Score	Cost	Score	Cost
8	0	12	4
9	1	13	5
10	2	14	7
11	3	15	9

After you generate your scores and have assigned them, you need to determine the Ability Modifier for each score. This is the number that you will use for your ability checks, saving throws, and attack rolls. You can refer to the below chart, or apply the following formula to find the modifier: ROUNDDOWN((X - 10) / 2) where X is the ability score.
Table: Ability Score Modifier

Score	Modifier	Score	Modifier
1	-5	16 - 17	+3
2 - 3	-4	18 - 19	+4
4 - 5	-3	20 - 21	+5
6 - 7	-2	22 - 23	+6
8 - 9	-1	24 - 25	+7
10 - 11	+0	26 - 27	+8
12 - 13	+1	28 - 29	+9
14 - 15	+2	30	+10

Building Adrimga, Step 3

For most of my games I use the Assisted Dice Roll method, so thats what I'll use for this example. For my first score I roll [6,5,1,5], getting a 16. I'll list the total seven scores now.
[6,5,1,5] = 16
[4,1,6,2] = 12
[1,5,4,3] = 12
[1,5,5,6] = 16
[1,2,4,2] = 8
[5,1,2,6] = 13
[3,4,3,5] = 12
My total set is [16,16,13,12,12,12], dropping the 8. I'll put the two 16s into her Intelligence and Wisdom, making her very smart and insightful, which pairs well with her basic and advance classes. I'll put the 13 in her Charisma, and the the rest are all 12 so her physical scores are just above average and nothing too spectacular. Being a psychic friendly floaty blob alien this is just fine.
Her final ability score total and their modifiers looks like: Str 12 (+1), Dex 12 (+1), Con 12 (+1), Int 16 (+3), Wis 16 (+3), Cha 13 (+1). I can now finish calculating her HP and VP, her total hit points are 7 and her total vitality points 13.

4. Describe Your Character

Once you have the basics of their game statistics down, its time to flesh them out as a person! Your character needs a name, be it the one they were given or a name they have chosen. Each species entry has a section listing example names for that species. Once you have a name, spend a few moments thinking about what they look like and how they behave in general terms. Start thinking up some interesting character quirks, traits, and flaws. 
Using the information in Chapter 4, you can flesh out your character's physical appearance and personality traits. Choose your character's Alignment towards the 12 different ethos. Then using a Background template you can use the provided example character traits (personality traits, ideals, bonds, and flaws) or use them as a jumping off point to invent your own. Personality traits are recommendations on how to play the character, ideals help form the moral compass of your character, bonds tie them to the story and universe giving them things to protect, seek, or fight, and flaws are interesting traits that can be used to undermine them in interesting ways, as well as providing obstacles to overcome in future arcs of character development.
Your background will help explain who your character was before they started to adventure through space, their original occupation, and their place in the galaxy. If you have an idea for a custom background, work with your DM to create one that fits their campaign and satisfies your concept. Typically, a background will give you two additional skill proficiencies, and might also give additional proficiencies in tools, systems, or languages. Record this information, along with your character traits, on your character sheet.

Building Adrimga, Step 4

I think Adrimga's alignment on the ethos chart would look like Fanatic Xenophile, Pacifist, Spiritualist, Egalitarian, and Collectivist. She loves meeting new people, aliens, and cultures, and tries to advocate for peace, freedoms, equality, and sharing. Her background is Diplomat, where before joining a ships crew she worked as a representative of the Glebsig Foundation to the United Nations of Earth. She was born and raised on the Glebsig homeworld of Ladnah, and spent her college years abroad on Earth, where she gained a love of human cultures and cuisine. She graduated from Harvard university and worked her way through her governments bureaucracy until she was appointed as one of the diplomats to the UNE. She worked as a diplomat for several years before feeling a wanderlust and need for adventure, and so resigned and joined a ship's crew as its consular, a role on every ship as per Galactic Federation regulations. BLAH - TODO

5. Equipment