Creating A Character: Step by Step

Before creating a character, it’s often helpful to have some idea of the character you’re making. Go over the questions in (Character Concept)[./character-concept.md] before starting this process.

• Creating A Character: Step by Step
  • Step 1 - Pick Your Priorities
  • Step 2 - Pick Metatype
  • Step 3 - Select Attributes
  • Step 4 - Assign Skills
  • Step 5 - Pick Magic/Resonance
  • Step 6 - Resources
  • Step 7 - Spend Karma
  • Step 8 - Buy Gear
  • Step 9 - Contacts
  • Step 10 - Knowledge Skills
  • Step 11 - Language Skills
  • Step 12 - Fill In The Blanks

Step 1 - Pick Your Priorities

Match each column (Metatype, Attributes, Skills, Magic, Resources) to a priority (A through E). A is most important, E is least. The full table is on p64.

For each priority you get the value of the column you selected for that priority.

For example picking Resources for Priority C gives you 150,000 nuyen.

Some advice: The number of spells or power points an awakened character gets is determined by the magic skill selected from the priority table, not after adjusting the value with metatype adjustement points. If you plan to make an awakened character take this into account when selecting your magic/resonance priority!

Step 2 - Pick Metatype

Pick a metatype then spend the adjustment points (in the brackets to the right of the metatypes in the chart) on a 1 for 1 upgrade of Edge, Magic or Resonance, or to increase a one of your metatype’s special attributes (the ones that go above 6). Note that your Edge score must be at least 1 and can only be bought with adjustment points.

For example an elf can use adjustment points to increase edge, magic/resonance, agility and charisma.

Step 3 - Select Attributes

On a 1 for 1 basis spend the attribute points for your attribute priority. All characters begin with a 1 in every attribute listed in their metatype except Edge, so you begin with 1’s in Body, Agility, Reaction, Strength, Willpower, Logic, Intuition and Charisma.

Attributes must be within the range for your metatype.

You can use adjustment points from Step 2 to to increase attributes above 6 if your metatype allows it.

Only one of your attributes can be at your metatype maximum at character creation.

Step 4 - Assign Skills

On a one for one basis, spend your priority’s worth of points on skills. You can only increase a skill to rank 6 to begin with (unless you take the Aptitude quality later). You may only have a single skill at rank 6 at character creation. You can also pick a single specialization within a skill for one point. Skills are on p92:

• Astral - Trained only - Intuition - Full or aspected magician, or adept and mystic adept with Astral Perception. For Astral combat and sensing auras
• Athletics - Untrained - Agility - All sorts of athletic business (swimming, climbing, jumping etc)
• Biotech - Trained only - Logic - Mostly healing, but also if you get into the business of installing cyberware
• Close Combat - Untrained - Agility - Stabbing stuff
• Con - Untrained - Charisma - Lying, disguising, impersonating
• Conjuring - Trained only - Magic - Summoning, binding and dismissing spirits
• Cracking - Trained only - Logic - Illegally breaking into systems
• Electronics - Untrained - Logic - Legally using systems, fixing gadgets
• Enchanting - Trained only - Magic - Making fetishes and foci
• Engineering - Untrained - Logic - Picking locks, firing mounted guns, mechanics
• Exotic Weapons - Trained only - Agility - Take a specialization in this to use a single exotic weapon
• Firearms - Untrained - Agility - Shooting all types of guns
• Influence - Untrained - Charisma - Shape opinions of other, negotiation, intimidation, leadership
• Outdoors - Untrained - Intuition - Survival, tracking
• Perception - Untrained - Intuition - Noticing things
• Piloting - Untrained - Reaction - Driving things
• Sorcery - Trained only - Magic - Casting spells and counterspelling
• Stealth - Untrained - Agility - Sneaking and disguise
• Tasking - Trained only - Resonance - For technomancers only. Used for most things technomancery

Step 5 - Pick Magic/Resonance

Pick what type of magic user you want to be and write down the magic (or resonance) stat for that type. You can increase the magic (or resonance) stats with adjustment points from Step 2.

You have lots of choices about how to make your awakened character. Your basic options are below:

• Magician: Can cast sorceries, summon/dispel spirits and perform alchemy. Can perceive and project into the astral realm
• Aspected Magician: Can only choose one of the aspects of magic - sorceries, summoning/banishing spirits, alchemy. Can perceive the astral realm
• Adept: Channels magic into power points, and uses them to buy special powers
• Mystic Adept: A bit of both! Split your magic score between adept powers. Pick a number of spells up to your unadjusted magic x 2. Any magic points not used in this way can be taken as power points and used to buy adept powers
• Technomancers: Rather than Magic Technomancers use Resonance

Select your spells/powers now. Magicians get a number of spells equal to their Magic score multiplied by 2 (the Magic from their priority, not after being increased with adjustment points or karma!) Adepts get power points equal to their unadjusted Magic score and can spend these points on Adept Powers. Technomancers gain COmplex Forms equal to their unadjusted resonance x 2.

Step 6 - Resources

Note down how many resources you have to buy stuff. You can convert left over karma to resources later.

Step 7 - Spend Karma

You have 50 karma to level up your character. The choices you can make are more limited than your level-up options after you have started the game.

Karma can be saved to spend in-game, and can be converted to Nuyen at a rate of 1 karma to 2,000 nuyen (or 5,000 nuyen if you take the In Debt negative quality).

Valid choices are below:

Step 8 - Buy Gear

Spend your nuyen on some gear. Gear is on page 244.

You cannot choose any starting gear thats illegal with a rating of 7 or higher.

Some gear has a capacity value, this determines what enhancements can be fitted to it. See the relevant pages of the Gear section for more details.

You’ll probably need a commlink to get you connected with your team. Some hardware with an Image Link is also pretty important so you can use AR, this could be contact lenses, cybereyes or a sweet pair of goggles.

You cannot start the game with more than 5,000 nuyen in cash. If you have more, go out and buy something!

Step 9 - Contacts

You begin with any number of contacts, and you decide who they are.

Each contact has two stats:

• Loyalty: how willing to help you the contact is
• Connection: how much information the contact has access to.

You get a number of points to distribute between your contacts equal to your Charisma score multiplied by 6. Each contact needs at least a 1 in both Loyalty and Connection. The maximum values for Loyalty and Connection are your character’s Charisma score.

Example: You have a runner with Charisma 3. You have 18 points to assign to your contacts, and no score can be higher than 3, so you choose the following:

• Drug Dealer - Loyalty 2 - Connection 3
• Ganger - Loyalty 3 - Connection 2
• Ripperdoc - Loyalty 3 - Connection 3
• Barkeep - Loyalty 1 - Connection 1

Step 10 - Knowledge Skills

You gain knowledge skills equal to you Logic score. Knowledge skills have no rank, you either have them or not. Any knowledge skill points can also be used to buy language skill levels.

Step 11 - Language Skills

Your character gains one native language skill for free. Ranks in other languages can be bought with knowledge skill points (see Step 10 above).

Unlike knowledge skills, language skills do have ranks and a rank can be purchased at a cost of a knowledge skill point.

Step 12 - Fill In The Blanks

You should now have everything you need to fill in your character sheet. Follow the steps below to complete it:

• Fill in your final Attributes
• Fill in your Skills and Specializations
• Fill the specific boxes for armour, weapons and such with your gear
• Fill in your calculated stats:
  • Essence is 6 minus the essence cost of any augmentations you have installed
  • Unarmed AR is Reaction + Strength
  • Initiative is Reaction + Intuition + 1D^ (Written as “X + 1D6”) - you may have more reaction dice from some augmentations
  • Composure is Willpower + Charisma
  • Judge Intentions is Willpower + Intuition
  • Memory is Logic + Intuition
  • Lift/Carry is Body + Willpower
• Fill in your spells/complex forms/programs
• You’re ready to go!