Sometimes I have thoughts and I have to put them on paper to get them out of my head and get back to the practice of living. This is one of them.
Here, make yourself a BEYOND! THE HYPERTRENCH or Mothership character or something with this. I don't know.
Step 1. Age
Decide how old you are. This determines the number of lifepath hexes you have as well as your starting stats.
The older you are, the fewer stat points you'll have to work with but the more skilled you will be.
Step 2. Trace your Lifepath
Next, based on how many hex steps you have, choose a number of hexes to represent occurrences in your life.
Your first hex must be on the innermost circle (the a hexes).
Each choice must be contiguous to the last.
Your last hex must be on the outermost circle (the c hexes).
 |
| Start in the middle and work your way outwards |
Step 3. Look up the hex code and fill out your character sheet
Once you've made your lifepath choices, look up the corresponding codes. Allocate your starting stat spread based on your age. Note down the skills learned and items gained from each hex.
If you would gain the same skill twice from two different hexes, increase the skill's rating by +1 instead of +2.
(Designer's Note: The goal of disassociating the benefits of a hex through the codes is intended to make the process of creating a character a storytelling - not a mechanical - exercise. YMMV.)
a1. You were raised on a planet with few natural resources. Things like water, which other folk might take for granted, were more precious than credits to you. Gain Survival +2 and Ride +2.
a2. You were raised on a planet being actively stripped of its resources--a gas giant, ice planet, forest world, or otherwise. Gain Tech +2 and Drive +2.
a3. You were raised on a planet turned into a junk heap or a colony based on floating wreckage. Gain Repair +2 and Bluff +2.
a4. You were raised on a planet-sized ultra metropolis, with both the haves and have-nots. Gain History +2 and Computer+2.
a5. You were raised on a refugee freighter, blazing away at lightspeed away from the collapse of your homeworld. Gain Travel +2 and Evade +2.
a6. You were raised on a forest world, lush with vegetation and natural resources but wild with alien species. Gain Athletics +2 and Natural Bond +2.
b1. The crazy old man said he was keeping this for you, and pressed it into your hands. Gain an ancient piece of technology, weaponry, or armor. Gain History +2.
b2. Now this is podracing! You entered the races frequently and won more than once. Gain a racing pod, a crash helmet, and Pilot +2.
b3. You sat in one or two summers with that famous jizz band. You know the one. Gain an andersynth, a camerabot, and Fame +2.
b4. You moonlit as a bounty hunter for the local government (such as it was). Gain a pair of restraints, macrobinoculars, and Clue +2.
b5. You signed up for a stint on a star ship and privateering turned into a bit of piracy. Whoops. Gain a vac suit, a grappling gun, and Intimidation +2.
b6. You became involved in the black market. Sometimes the black market is harmless - a few offworld luxury goods. Sometimes you had your hands on deathsticks and other awful things. Gain a comms link with a rolodex of known smugglers (50% they're out of jail at any given time), 100 fake credits, and Street Culture+2.
b7. You didn't know how wealthy your family really was until you went to one of the best schools in the galaxy. Gain a holo-almanac of the known galaxy, a holo-personal assistant, and Universe +2.
b8. You were pressed into military service. Gain a standard issue blaster, magnetic boots, and Military +2.
b9. Your jump-pods landed with 364 standard ration bars and all the best wishes of the Empire. Gain a survival kit (air oxygenizer, hydropills, electro-torch), a vibrochete, and Morale +2.
b10. You engaged in the blood sports and managed to survive. Gain a personal forceshield and Hand-to-Hand +2.
b11. Everybody said they were marauders and savages, but you were taken in by them as a child. You learned their language and some of their strange ways. Gain a ceremonial mask, grogfrog mount, and Ride +2.
b12. You spent a portion of your life cloistered in an ancient religious tradition. Was this a peaceful religion or did they practice a violent jihad? Gain a set of robes, an ancient artifact, and Religion +2.
c1. They were after you, but it was your family who paid the price. Who killed them? You must have revenge. Gain your family's personal service droid and Clue +2.
c2. You fell in with the partisans. Whether you believed their tracts or not, you're now wanted. Gain six thermal detonators and Presence +2.
c3. The accident took your body and almost took your life. Most of your body is cybernetic. You do not "heal." You are repaired, like a droid. Gain Cybernetics +2.
c4. You have become addicted to the secuta music, the narcotic soundwaves. You need your daily fix or you'll go through withdraw. Gain a month's supply of secuta tapes, a hologram generator, and Intuition+2.
c5. They said you were dead after the tragedy. You saw no reason to correct them. The surgeons gave you a new face to go along with your lie. Gain a personal cloaking device and Stealth +2.
c6. Your job was literally killing you. You need to spend a few hours in the bakta tank a week or else the sickness just gets worse. Gain six automeds and Medicine +2.
c7. You were exiled for your radical and subversive ideas--or the things they said you did. Gain a jetpack and Presence +2.
c8. Whether or not what they're saying about you is true, you're a wanted criminal. Gain a data-jamming kit and Hacking +2.
c9. You bet everything on a toss and loss it all. Easy come, easy go. But now you're in deep with one of the slimiest slugs in the galaxy. Gain a lucky (marked) set of zabacc cards and Bluff +2.
c10. The slug has collateral against you. If it got out, you would lose everything. Gain an illegal cloning tank and Biology +2.
c11. From the viewport, you saw your planet crumble away into nothing. The image haunts you. Gain an emergency beacon, a bioscanner, and Diplomacy +2.
c12. You were part of the Imperial machine, but you escaped. The Empire doesn't forgive or forget those who leave it behind. Gain plasteel armor and Military +2.
c13. Although the Empire does not recognize AI to be sentient, you know for a fact that it can be. You owe an AI your life. It was kind to you when no one else was. You will repay this debt: you won't allow it to go offline. Gain an electronic tool set and Computers +2.
c14. Your family was enslaved. You've vowed to set them free. Gain six EMP grenades and Environs +2.
c15. You were placed in long-term stasis. Do you even remember by whom? A bounty hunter? No wait, it was for a long-term hyperspace jump. Huh. Anyway, you're unfrozen now--a stranger in a strange time. Gain an ancient artifact and History +2.
c16. You were an "indentured servant." What a complicated way to say "slave." You escaped. But under your skull, a locator chip is beeping. The little traitor. Gain a cybernetic diagnostic scanner and Repair +2.
c17. You made the wrong enemy and a bounty was placed on your head. You've seen a few bounty hunters sniffing around whenever you stay in one place too long. You've got to keep moving. Gain a set of omnigoggles (views all different spectrums of light) and Stealth +2.
c18. You knew what you were getting into. You took the oaths. You joined the society. You declared the Empire your enemy. They did the same to you. Gain an ancient weapon or armor. Gain Spellcasting +2.
Bonus: Did you remember I made a not!StarWars hack once? It's true!
This is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteVery cool!
ReplyDeleteReally well done. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteLove this!
ReplyDelete