Character Creation

Make sure you review all the sections in the Character Creation category before using this overview when creating a Star Wars character. Print a copy of the character sheet to use as a record of your character.

     Characters generally begin play at 1st level and attain additional levels as they complete adventures.

1. Generate Ability Scores

Every character has six abilities that represent the charactr’s strengths and weaknesses. These abilities—Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma—affect everything a hero does, from fighting to using skills.

     A score of 10 or 11 in an ability is average. Higher scores grant bonuses, and lower scores give penalites. When you create your character, you’ll want to put your higher scores into the abilities most closely associated with your character’s class.

     Use one of the methods described in Abilities to generate your six ability scores. Record the scores on a piece of scrap paper (or preferred medium) and put them aside for the moment.

2. Select Your Species

As a Star Wars character, you aren’t limited to simply being Human. There are a variety of species available, from Mon Calamari to Wookiee. Select the species you want to play from those listed in Species.

     Each species has its own set of special abilities and modifiers. Record these traits on your character sheet.

3. Choose Your Class

A class provides you with a starting point for your character, a frame upon which you can hang skills, feats and various story elements. Choose a class from those presented in Heroic Classes and write it on your character sheet.

4. Assign Ability Scores

Now that you know what species and class you want your character to be, take the scores you generated earlier and assign each one to one of the six abilities: Strenght, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisodm, and Charisma. then make any adjustments to these scores according to the species you selected.

     For guidance, each class description indicates which abilities are most important for that class. You might want to put your highest scores in the abilities that accentuate the natural benefits of the class.

     Record your ability scores on your character sheet. Record your ability modifiers as well.

5. Determine Combat Statistics

In combat, you need to know your character’s hit points, defenses, damag threshold, attack bonuses, and speed, as well as how many Force points they have available to spend.

Hit Points

Each character can withstand a certain amount of damage before falling unconscious or dying. This ability to take damage and keep on functioning is represented by the character’s hit points.

     Your class determines how many hit points you have at 1st level, as shown below:

Class	Starting Hit Points
Noble, Scoundrel	18 + Constitution modifier
Scout	24+ Constitution modifier
Jedi, Soldier	30 + Constitution modifier

     For example, if your character belongs to the scoundrel class and you have a 12 Constitution, you start with 19 hit points (18 plus 1 for your Constitution bonus).

     Your hit points increase as you gain levels, as described in Heroic Classes.

Defenses

Determine your character’s defenses as follows:

     Reflex Defense: 10 + your heroic level or armor bonus + Dexterity modifier + class bonus + natural armor bonus + size modifier.

     Fortitude Defense: 10 + your heroic level + Constitution modifier + class bonus + equipment bonus.

     Will Defense: 10 + your heroic level + Wisdom modifier + class bonus.

     When you take your first level in an heroic class, you gain bonuses on two or more defenses, as shown in Heroic Classes.

     If you wear armor, you must substitute your armor bonus for your heroic level when calculating your Reflex Defense. For example, a 1st-level soldier with a Dexterity of 12 wearing a blast helmet and vest (+2 armor bonus) has a Reflex Defense of 14 (10 + 2 armor + 1 Dex + 1 class). Some types of armor also provide an equipment bonus to your Fortitude Defense in addition to an armor bonus to your Reflex Defense (as noted in Armor).

Damage Threshold

Attacks that deal massive amounts of damage can impair or incapacitate you regardless of how many hit points you have remaining. Your damage threshold determines how much damage a single attack must deal to reduce your combat effectiveness or, in some cases, kill you.

     A Small or Medium character’s damage threshold is equal to their Fortitude Defense. Record this number on your character sheet.

Base Attack Bonus

Your character’s class determines your base attack bonus. Record this number on the character sheet.

     Jedi and soldiers have a base attack bonus of +1 at 1st level; nobles, scoundrels, and scouts have a base attack bonus of +0 at 1st level.

Melee Attack Bonus

To determine your melee attack bonus, add your Strength modifier to your base attack bonus. Certain feats and talents might provide additional modifiers, so make adjustments as necessary.

Ranged Attack Bonus

To determine your ranged attack bonus, add your Dexterity modifier to your base attack bonus. Certain feats and talents might provide additional modifiers, so make adjustments as necessary.

Speed

Your character’s species determines their speed. Most species have a speed of 6 squares. Ewoks have a speed of 4 squares because they are Small.

Force Points

Your character begins play with 5 Force points. Indicate this in the space provided on the character sheet.

     If you end up taking the Force Boon feat, you gain an additional 3 Force Points.

Destiny Point

If your GM uses the optional destiny rules described in Heroic Traits, your character begins play with 1 Destiny Point. Indicate this in the space provided on the character sheet.

6. Select Skills

Skills represent how well a character accomplishes dramatic tasks other than combat, such as disabling a tractor beam generator or climbing a sheer surface.

     Each class comes with a list of class skills. From this list, you get to pick a number of trained skills in which your character is considered trained. The number of skills your character gets depends on the class you’ve selected and your character’s Intelligence modifier. Once you’ve selected your character’s trained skills, determine the skill check modifier for each skill.

     The skill check modifier for trained skills is one-half your character level (rounded down) + the relevant ability modifier + 5. If you are untrained in a skill, the skill check modifier is one-half you character level (rounded down) + the relevant ability modifier. (In other words, you get a +5 bonus on skill checks made using trained skills.)

     Some skills cannot be used untrained. See Skills for more information.

7. Select Feats

Feats are special features that provide a character with new capabilities or improvements.

     Your caracter begins play with at least one feat. If you are playing a Human, you get a bonus feat. In addition, your class also gives you several starting feats that you get for free.

     Select your feats from Feats and record them on the character sheet. Some feats may affect the information you’ve already recorded, so make adjustments as necessary.

8. Select a Talent

At 1st level, your character gets a talent (a special class feature). Choose a talent from any of the talent trees presented in your character’s class description. Some talents have prerequisites that must be met before they can be selected.

9. Determine Starting Credits and Buy Gear

Your character’s class determines how many credits you stat play with. Use your credits to purchase equipment for your character. Equipment describes weapons, armor, and gear you can select from.

10. Finish Your Character

The last details you need to add to your character sheet help you visualize and roleplay your character. You need a name, of course—something that fits your class, secies, and the Star Wars galaxy. You should also determine your character’s age, gender, height, weight, eye and hair color, skin color, and any relevant background information you want to provide. (Make sure to run your ideas past your Gamemaster so that they can fit them into the campaign.)

     Heroic Traits provides guidlines that can help you with these details and characteristics.