This chapter covers everything needed to build a player character from scratch.
Creation Summary
- Species. Pick a species. Record your Ability array, distribute floating points, and note starting XP and species traits.
- Occupation. Pick an Occupation (free). Optionally buy a second (15 XP). Record trained skills, Tools of the Trade, starting Feat or skill ranks, and your Occupation Feat list.
- Background. Pick a Background. Gain 1 rank in 2 skills from the Background's list (trains you if untrained).
- Flaws. Optionally take Flaws (recommended: 1 Major + 2 Minor = 20 XP). Record them on your character sheet.
- Spend XP. Spend remaining XP on Skills, Abilities, and Feats. No Skill above 2 during this step.
- Veteran (optional). With GM approval, determine experience level and spend bonus XP. Creation Skill cap does not apply to bonus XP.
- Derived Stats. Calculate Defense, Wound Capacity, and Willpower Pool.
- Play.
This example walks Hanako through character creation as a junior League Navy officer — early career, just out of the academy. The version of Hanako that appears in worked examples later in the book is the same character years down the road, after advancement has carried her past the rank-2 creation cap. Here is how her starting sheet comes together.
1. Species: Human. Humans start with all Abilities at 1 and distribute +6 points (no Ability above 3). She puts her points into Presence 3, Will 3, Perception 2, Intellect 2, leaving Strength 1 and Agility 1. Starting XP: 90.
Species traits: Can Use Focus, Intrinsic Will (+1 Willpower), Coalition Builders (one free trained skill — Leadership or Influence).
2. Occupation: Officer. Trained Skills: Leadership, Influence, Combat. Free Feat: Tactician. Tools: CRG Handgun, Armored Clothing, personal pad.
Coalition Builders grants a free trained skill — Leadership or Influence. Both are already trained from Officer, so she takes Leadership and treats the redundancy as a free rank: Leadership → Skill 1.
3. Background: League Citizen. She picks two skills from the list: Leadership (already trained, so she gains another rank → Leadership Skill 2) and Savvy (untrained → trained, Savvy Skill 0).
4. Flaws: 20 XP bonus. She takes Obligation (major, 10 XP — bound to chain of command), Code of Honor (minor, 5 XP — she does not lie to League personnel), and Marked (minor, 5 XP — distinctive uniform and insignia). Total XP to spend: 90 + 20 = 110.
5. Spending XP. Her priorities are reading the room, applying pressure, and not getting shot:
| Purchase | Cost | Running total |
|---|---|---|
| Train Insight + raise 0→2 | 20 | 90 |
| Influence 0 → 2 | 15 | 75 |
| Combat 0 → 2 | 15 | 60 |
| Savvy 0 → 1 | 5 | 55 |
| Feat: Connected (out-of-occupation, Tier 1) | 10 | 45 |
| Feat: Follow My Lead (in-occupation, Tier 2) | 10 | 35 |
| Agility 1 → 2 | 20 | 15 |
| Train Focus + raise 0→1 | 10 | 5 |
She banks the remaining 5 XP for advancement.
6. Derived Stats.
- Defense: 2 (higher of Agility 2 or Perception 2).
- Wound Capacity: 4 (Strength 1 + Will 3).
- Willpower Pool: 5 (Will 3 + Focus 1 + 1 Intrinsic Will).
7. Play. Starter Hanako walks into a holding cell with Influence 2 to apply pressure and Insight 2 to read the response, Leadership 2 for when she needs to rally her people, and Combat 2 for when the conversation goes sideways. She has friends in the League and a commanding officer who owns her weekends. She will not lie to another League officer, and she cannot walk through a civilian market without being recognized. The table is going to write a story around her — and a campaign later, she'll be the Hanako you see anchoring the book's other worked examples.