Star Wars: The Sith War - Character Creation Guidelines

[Sen. Cruith'ne]

Character Creation

Character creation will be detailed as follows, step by step. All players will begin at character level 3.

Attributes:

The six Attributes are Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. All Attributes start at 9. Players begin with 26 Attribute Points to spend on their Attributes. The cost for increasing Attributes increases as the score increases, as such:

Att 10-14: +1 per point

Att 15-16: +2 per point

Att 17-18: +3 per point

Attributes may only be purchased up to 18. Racial modifiers are applied after points have been spent. Racial Modifiers may raise an Attribute above 18 or lower it beneath 9.

At a score of 9, all Skills, Abilities, and Rolls associated with the Attribute have a -1 penalty. This penalty is neutralized to +0 by buying the Attribute up to 10. Each two points past ten raises the bonus associated with the Attribute by +1.

Race:

Because of the various races available to Player Characters in the SWU, it would be impractical to list the racial attributes for every race. Players who do not own the SWU Core Rules are encouraged to ask the Moderator in charge of their character’s proposed faction regarding the specifics of individual races. The characters’ Race determines their Base Movement, Languages, Attribute modifiers, Size, and any Bonuses or Penalties.

Core Races include: Humans, Bothans, Cereans, Duros, Ewoks, Gamorreans, Gungans, Ithorians, Kel Dor, Mon Calamari, Rodians, Quarren, Sullustans, Trandoshans, Twi’leks, Wookies, and Zabreks. Droids may also be characters with Moderator approval. Other races are available upon request to a Moderator.

Class:

All Classes available in the Core Rules are available to characters for play, provided they fall within the classes prerequisites. The characters’ Class will determine their Base Attack Bonus, their Class Skills, number of Skill Points, their Vitality Points, Defense Bonus, Saving Throw bonuses, Reputation Bonus, and Special Abilities. Again, if you do not own the books, please consult with a Moderator regarding the details.

Core Classes Include: Fringer (rogue-like characters from far-flung worlds), Noble (well-spoken members of the upper class), Scoundrel (mercenaries, smugglers, and assorted ne’er-do-wells), Soldiers (fighters of all types), Scout (explorers of the Galaxy), Tech Specialist (machinists and engineers), Force Adept (a Force-user who has received no formal training), Jedi Consular (Force-using diplomats of the Jedi Order), and Jedi Guardian (Force-using soldiers of the Jedi Order).

Dark Jedi and Sith will begin the game with levels in either Jedi Consular or Jedi Guardian, but will have the Character Template ‘Dark Side’. Details about this Template can be recovered from the Dark Side Moderator.

Vitality Points and Wound Points:

Wound Points represent the amount of damage the character is capable of taking before being killed, and is analogous to Hit Points. Unless taking a Feat or a Class Feature to modify this, a character’s Wound Points should always be equal to their Constitution score.

Vitality Points represent the characters’ ability to glance blows, deflect shots, and evade being struck. When a character is dealt damage, the player removes the damage from Vitality Points, if any remain, before applying them as wounds. Vitality Points are also used to power Force abilities. A characters’ Vitality Points is determined by their Class: all characters receive ¾ their maximum VP per class level, rounded down. A characters’ Constitution bonus, if any, applies to their VP per level. If a character has a Constitution penalty, it does not apply to their VP total.

Speed and Initiative:

Base Speed for most characters is 10 meters. This is the distance a character may move in one Move Action per turn. This may be modified by the characters’ Race or by Feats.

A characters’ Initiative modifier is their Dexterity bonus (or penalty). This can be modified with Feats or some Class Abilities.

Defense and Damage Reduction:

A characters’ Defense rating is equal to 10 plus that characters’ Class Defense Bonus (note: these bonuses are not cumulative. If a character has levels in more than one class, they take the best number from all them and use it only) plus their Dexterity bonus (or penalty).

A characters’ Armor provides Damage Reduction. This number is subtracted to all damage the character takes before it is applied to VP or WP.

Base Attack Bonus:

A characters’ Base Attack Bonus is applied to all attacks they make, be they ranged, melee, or unarmed. The characters’ BAB is determined by their Class level. If a character has levels in more than one Class, the bonuses are cumulative.

A characters’ melee attack bonus is equal to their BAB plus their Strength bonus. A characters’ ranged attack bonus is equal to their BAB plus their Dexterity bonus. This may be modified by Race, Class Ability, or some Feats.

Reputation:

A characters’ Reputation determines how well-known they are in Galactic society. The characters’ base Reputation is determined by their Class levels. If a character has levels in more than one Class, the bonuses are cumulative. This may be modified by Race, Class Ability, or some Feats.

Saving Throws:

There are three Saving Throw types. Each type represents a type of negative stimuli other than damage that the character may encounter, and the means by which a character deals with those stimuli varies by Class, Level, and Race. A character’s base Saving Throw bonuses are determined by their Class levels. If a character has levels in more than one Class, the bonuses are cumulative. Additionally, a character receives a bonus or penalty to their Saving Throws according to the related Attribute. The three types of Saving Throw are:

Fortitude: Used to resist poison, stun, various intoxicants. Modified by Constitution.

Reflex: Used to dodge certain kinds of attack or take cover. Modified by Dexterity.

Will: Used to resist mind control or anything that would impede one’s will. Modified by Wisdom.

This may be modified by Race, Class Ability, or some Feats.

Force Points:

All characters, Force Sensitive or not, have some small access to the Force in order to perform acts of heroism. By spending a Force Point, characters may reroll one roll. For purposes of this forum, Force Points are both a yardstick of how good or not-good a character is. Expenditure of a Force Point in story will permit the character to pull off an act of heroism that may normally be out of their reach.

A character gains one Force Point per level, and may gain additional FP for acts of good at a personal risk, as determined by the relevant Moderator. All characters begin with 3 Force Points.

Characters bearing the ‘Dark Side’ Template may choose to start with a debt of Force Points, trading them in for Dark Side Points. These points represent how far the character has fallen toward the Dark Side, and represent the lengths they are willing to go to in the cause of self aggrandizement. A starting character may trade in one Force Point for two Dark Side points.

Feats:

Feats represent special abilities outside of the character’s class that they possess. At character creation, characters have one Feat available to them. Humans gain an additional Feat at first level as their racial bonus. Additionally, all characters receive a bonus Feat at character level 3. Non-Human characters will start with two Feats: Human characters will start with three.

Because there are many Feats that do many different things, if you do not have access to the books, contact your Moderator, discuss your concept, and they will assist you in choosing the Feats most optimal to your character.

Skills:

Skills represent what the character can do outside of combat, everything from their job, to crafts, to performance skills, to piloting a ship, to listening for danger, and so on. Players begin with an allotment of Skill Points at first level based on their Class. At each subsequent level, they gain a further sum of Skill Points based on the Class the character is taking that level. The number of Skill Points a character receives both at creation and per level is further modified by the character’s Intelligence bonus (or penalty). Additionally, Humans receive four extra Skill Points at first level and one extra Skill Point each subsequent level.

Each character has a suite of Skills available to them, dependent upon what Class they are. Skills that are part of your Class suite are ‘Class Skills’, and Skills outside of that suite are ‘Cross-Class Skills’. Each Skill Point spent on a Class Skill increases it by one point, and each Skill Point spent on a Cross-Class Skill increases the Skill by half a point.

Lastly, each Skill is modified by the Attribute it corresponds to. Any bonus (or penalty) to the relevant Skill applies to the total Skill modifier.

Core Skills (and their Attributes) Include: Appraise (Int), *Astrogate (Int), Balance (Dex), Bluff (Cha), Climb (Str), Computer Use (Int), Craft (Int), *Demolitions (Int), Diplomacy (Int), *Disable Device (Int), Disguise (Cha), Entertain (Cha), Escape Artist (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gamble (Wis), Gather Information (Wis), *Handle Animal (Wis), Hide (Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), *Knowledge (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), *Pilot (Dex), *Profession (Wis), *Repair (Int), Ride (Dex), Search (Wis), Sense Motive (Wis), *Sleight of Hand (Dex), Spot (Wis), Survival (Wis), Swim (Str), Treat Injury (Wis), *Tumble (Dex).

Most Skills can be used even if you have not put any points into them. Those skills use only the Attribute modifier. Skills marked with an * cannot be used by a character that has put no points into them.

Force-User characters must also use their Skill Points to determine what Force Abilities they have access to. Please contact the relevant Moderator for a briefing on these Skills if you need help.

Languages:

All characters begin play being able to Read and Write Galactic Basic. Characters who are capable of speech can also Speak it. Characters receive any additional languages as per their race, as well as the ability to speak, read, and write an additional number of languages equal to their Intelligence bonus.

Furthermore, new languages may be purchased by a character as though it were a Skill. One Skill point allows the character to Speak the language, and a second one allows them to Read and Write it.

Starting Cash and Gear:

All starting characters will receive 125% of the starting credits as detailed in the Core Rules. Scoundrels start play with 150% of their level’s value, and characters with levels in Noble start with 200%. Level 3 characters will begin with a base of 5000 credits, Scoundrels with 6000 credits, and Nobles with 8000 credits.

All characters must have listed on their sheet the Gear they carry on their person. This represents only those possessions which the character would reasonably carry with them on a journey.

Character Background:

All character concepts must be approved by the relevant Moderator before they can begin play.

[Sen. Cruith'ne]

On Multiclassing as a Force-User:

If a character begins play with a level in a Force-User class, they may opt to waive the purchase of the Force Sensitive Feat. Any character that wishes to take levels in a Force-User Class after entering play must purchase the Force Sensitive Feat before they may take that Class.

[Sen. Cruith'ne]

Errata:

The following rules modify the rules presented in the SWU rule books. Please keep them in mind when choosing and building your characters.

• Tusken Raider Characters start with Exotic Weapon Proficiency; Gaderffii Stick Feat for free.
• Mastercrafted Weapons add +1 to both attack and damage.
• Normal Lightsabers are considered medium weapon for purposes of two-handed fighting, but remain Finesse Weapons for purposes of the Weapon Finesse Feat.
• Ambidexterity is a free Feat given to every character with Two-Weapon Fighting.
• The Weapon Finesse Feat applies to all one handed weapons rather than a single weapon.
• The Improved Critical Feat acts like in D&D, effectively doubling your critical range rather than adding 1 to it.
• The Quickness Feat can only be taken once, but grants +1 VP per level.
• All non-Force using base Classes gain Light Armor Use Feat, and Soldiers gain Medium Armor Use Feat for free.
• Increased Lightsaber Damage only increases damage by +2 rather than a whole die.

  Furthermore, the following modifications have been made to the Tech Specialist Class in order to make it more appealing:

• Tech Specialists have 6+Int Skill Points instead of 4+Int.
• Tech Specialists Gain Bonus Feats as per Jedi Counseling.
• Tech Specialists gain Stacking Tech Specialties (all go up by +1 each time a new one is selected).

[Sen. Cruith'ne]

Ship Acquisition:

Many players are going to want a personal form of intragalactic conveyance. This is understandable; it's also largely unnecessary. This section will detail how a PC may acquire a ship. However, before you jump down there, let's make one thing clear about travel in the Galaxy.

Getting around in the Galaxy is easy. Owning a ship is hard. This is not like owning a car; it is more like owning a jet. Most people don't own jets for very good reasons. One of the main ones is that most people don't do enough flying to merit buying a jet when they can periodically buy plane tickets. Thankfully, you'll find that arranging transportation around the Galaxy is a largely simple matter. Whether legitimate or clandestine, you can almost always find someone willing to take you anywhere you need to go, just like when Indiana Jones has to hire some rickety pontoon boat to get to the middle of a jungle or - to use a more pointed example - when Luke and Obi Wan hired Solo. So before you jump for the ship option, consider that by and large, you do not need a ship, and it will very probably cost you more than you want to pay. Surprisingly, intragalactic vessels are expensive.

But, if you insist.

The Mods have worked out something called 'The Ship Option'.

Players may Option a vessel by contacting their Mod. The prerequisite for Optioning a vessel is that the player must know what kind of ship they want, in the condition they want, and they must have a significant amount of capital as a down payment. Whether or not certain vessels are available to certain characters will be the rule of the Mod in question. If the ship you wanted is unavailable, don't whine: either scale back your ambitions or wait for an opportunity.

Once you've contacted your Mod, you'll need a plan of acquisition. Several plans are outlined below. You can choose from them or you can work out a new one with your Mod. Once the character has made an adequate down payment and the Mod has approved the player's Option for their vessel, the character will own that vessel within the constraints of their Option. The current available Options include:

DEBT: The remaining balance on the vessel is owed to the seller. Unless otherwise noted, the Mod will determine whether the seller is a legitimate or clandestine businessman.

SPONSOR: The player has access to a military or corporate vessel which must undergo missions at the behest of the ship's owner. This option will generally waive the down payment, but can only be taken by characters who have ties to an organization who could sponsor them a ship.

ENEMY: The vessel was stolen, either from a military outfit, an individual, or from a killed NPC who still has friends. This option guarantees the character will be harried and chased wherever they go, and the Mod will have carte blanche to fuck with you when they feel like it. The cost of the down payment will reflect moneys spent reattuning the vessel the character.

WAIT: The character must wait a certain length of time to even use the ship, depending on how much they put down, their income, and the cost of the vessel, but eventually, they will own it outright. This could also be used for those who wish to build a ship.

Both the 'DEBT' and 'WAIT' options require the balance on the ship be paid eventually, and payments made on the vessel will follow the general rules of income as determined by Class.

As a general rule, down payment for a vessel should be no less than 20% of the total cost. Mods may make exceptions in the case of characters who incorporate adequate reasoning into their request.

Note that the Ship Option is NOT available to characters within the Jedi Order, as the ascetic vow of the Jedi prohibits them from owning a personal vessel. They may still rent, and on some occasions be loaned a vessel by the Jedi Order.

If multiple players wish to pool their resources and Option a single vessel, this can also be done. Notify all Mods relevant to the characters in the group, along with the Option you have chosen and the down payment the group has put together. The usual rules for paying the ship off still apply.

[Sen. Cruith'ne]

Public Knowledge:

In order to avoid what could easily become miscommunications regarding characters, I'm requiring that all characters put the following information into their .sig file for their characters:

Fame: Put your Fame score and any notes that might indicate the source of your Fame, e.g. "Fame: 15, Former Queen of Naboo, Republic Senator"

Charisma: Put in your Charisma score and a brief description to account for your score, e.g. "CHA: 12, Plain", or "CHA: 17, Statuesque and Commanding"

Force Aura: For characters who can see the Force, please put in the current color of your Force Aura. Generally speaking, Light Side characters show as Blue, Dark Side characters show as Red, and neutral characters show as Grey. The intensity of the color is determined by how far from the center you are, e.g. "Aura: Burning Red", or Aura: Dull Grey"

Race: We can't always tell from the picture, but no worries, just because it's in your profile doesn't mean we'll automatically know what you are. Standard World Lore checks still apply, but this is necessary OOC knowledge all the same.

Notables: If there's anything that sticks out about your character, put that in, too.

Besides from any sort of quote, a .sig file should look something close to:

Code:

"Fame: 4, Famous Merc, CHA: 15, Gruff and Macho, Aura: Dull Ruby, Race: Mando'a, Notes: Wears Lightsabre on His Belt"