Finishing the Template

Be sure to review the Star Wars New Player Handout for an explanation of attributes, die codes and other basic rules.

Make up a name, height, weight, sex, age and physical description for your character. (Your character doesn't have to look like the sample character shown on the template.)

All characters start the game with five Character Points. Write that down on your character sheet, but be sure to use a pencil since this number changes during game play.

You only have to do four things to finish a template:

1. Pick Skills.

2. Decide if the character is Force-sensitive.

3. Spend credits on equipment.

4. Pick Force powers.

Pick Skills

While Attributes and Skills cover a character's inborn ability in certain areas, you must be wondering, "Can my character get better at anything?"

That's where skills come in. Each template has several skills listed under each attribute. The skills are explained in the section "Attributes and Skills".

A beginning character has 7D to spend on skills; you can add 1D or 2D to any of the skills shown on the template. All the skills listed beneath a given attribute begin with that attribute's die code.

With the gamemaster's permission, you can add other skills to the template.

If a character has any of the Force skills    control, sense or alter    you may improve them, but you cannot add these skills to the template if they're not already listed.

Example: Greg decides he wants to play a bounty hunter; he names his character Thannik.

Greg decides to take 1D of his beginning 7D and put it in blaster. Thannik's Dexterity is 4D, so his new blaster skill is 5D (4D+1D); he's got 6D left over for other skills.

Then, he puts 2D in dodge (also a Dexterity skill)    his new dodge skill is 6D (4D+2D). He's got 4D left.

Greg then decides to put 2D in space transports, a Mechanical skill. Since Thannik's Mechanical attribute is 2D+2, the extra 2D bumps up his space transports to 4D+2.

Greg puts 1D in search, which is a Perception skill. That makes his search 4D (since his Perception is 3D).

That still leaves 1D of beginning skill dice...maybe it's time to see how specializations work.

"What happens if I don't improve a skill?" Simple    just roll the attribute. Remember, skills that are not improved still have the same die code as their attribute.

Example: Thannik has improved his blaster and dodge, which are Dexterity skills. He didn't improve a lot of other skills, like grenade, melee combat or melee parry. When he does anything covered by those skills (or uses any other part of Dexterity), he simply rolls his Dexterity of 4D.

Specializations

You can spend 1D of your character's beginning skill dice to get three specializations; add 1D to each specialization.

Each skill in the Attributes and Skills section lists several specializations; you may create new specializations with the gamemaster's permission.

You roll the specialization's die code only when you use the specific item or knowledge covered by the specialization; otherwise, you roll the basic skill (or the attribute if you haven't improved the skill).

Example: Greg decides to use his remaining 1D of beginning skill dice to get three specializations.

Greg decides Thannik specializes in blaster pistol (a specialization of blaster), Wookiees (a specialization of alien species, and Ghtroc freighter (a specialization of space transports. He adds 1D for each specialization.

Thannik's blaster skill is 5D. Greg writes down the blaster: blaster pistol specialization, which is 6D.

Now, whenever Thannik uses a blaster pistol, Greg gets to roll 6D. Whenever Thannik uses any other type of blaster, Greg only rolls 5D.

Since Thannik doesn't have any skill dice in alien species, his alien species: Wookiees specialization is 3D+2 (1D plus his 2D+2 Knowledge).

Thannik's final specialization, 1D in space transports: Ghtroc freighter, makes his specialization die code 5D+2. Whenever Thannik pilots a Ghtroc freighter, Greg gets to roll 5D+2; when Thannik pilots any other starship that uses the space transports skill, Greg rolls his space transports die code of 4D+2.

Specializations are really useful when a character is going to be using the same item over and over. For example, Han Solo might specialize in YT-1300 transports (a space transports specialization) since most of the time he flies the Millennium Falcon, a modified YT-1300.

However, if Han piloted many different types of transports    Ghtroc freighters, YT-2400 freighters, bulk transports and more    he'd be better off not specializing and only using the space transports skill instead.

Advanced Skills

If there is an "(A)" listed in front of a skill name, it's an "advanced skill". Advanced skills demand years of disciplined study to master and cannot be attempted unless a character has the skill. Some examples include (A) medicine, (A) space transports engineering, (A) starfighter engineering and (A) droid engineering.

A character may have an advanced skill listed on the template. If your character meets the "prerequisite skills" requirement, you may put beginning skill dice in the advanced skill.

Check the skill's description in Attributes and Skills to find the prerequisite skills; you will probably have to put some of your beginning skill dice in the prerequisite skills.

Example: The prerequisite for the advanced skill of (A) medicine is first aid 5D. If your character has at least 5D in first aid, you can put 1D or 2D of your beginning skill dice in (A) medicine.

When a character purchases an advanced skill, it begins at 1D. Advanced skills do not begin at the same level as their corresponding attribute. When a character uses one of the prerequisite skills, add the advanced skill to the prerequisite skill's roll.

Example: A character has first aid at 5D and (A) medicine at 1D. He rolls only 1D for (A) medicine checks, such as performing surgery or diagnosing an unusual disease.

However, if the character makes a first aid check, he gets to roll 6D    5D for first aid plust the 1D for (A) medicine.

If you don't place beginning skill dice in an advanced skill, cross it off the template.

Force Sensitivity

Only a rare few are sensitive to the Force. If the "Force-sensitive" line is blank, choose "Yes" or "No."

A character with a "Yes" on the Force-sensitive line starts the game with two Force Points.

A character with a "No" on the Force-sensitive line starts the game with one Force Point.

Force-sensitive characters feel the pull of both the light and the dark. They must risk being forever corrupted by the dark side.

Force-sensitive characters can't be as mercenary as Han Solo is at the beginning of A New Hope. They must be moral, honest and honorable, like Luke Skywalker and Obi-wan Kenobi, or the dark side will dominate them.

Guidelines for playing Force-sensitive characters are detailed in The Rules.

Spend Credits on Equipment

A character starting with "credits" (that's money in the Star Wars universe) can buy more equipment or weapons. Go to the Weapons and Equipment section for a list of items your character can purchase.

You can ask for more equipment, but be warned that most gamemasters will attach a few strings    nothing comes for free!

Example: Thannik, Greg's bounty hunter, doesn't have a ship. Bill, the gamemaster, decides to help Greg out a bit.

"I'll give Thannik a ship. How about an old Ghtroc 720 freighter? He got it used and battered, but had some of his 'smuggler' friends modify it. You still owe a loan shark on Celanon 5,000 credits for the ship. Be sure to keep your payments timely."

Bill gives Greg a sheet of paper listing the ship's game statistics. If Bill wanted to be really devious, he could have come up with something else    maybe Thannik's ship is stolen and Imperial Customs wants to confiscate it and Greg doesn't know the real story.

Pick Force Powers If your character is Force-sensitive and starts with any of the three Force skills (control, sense or alter), your character knows at least one Force power. Go to The Force, and have the gamemaster help choose your character's beginning Force powers.

Also in this section

• Characters
• Selecting A Template - How to choose a premade template and detail a character's physical description, background, personality, objectives, and their connection with other characters.
• Creating A New Template - Can't find a premade template that suits your needs? Come up with your own!
• Character Advancement - Improving skills, learning new skills, and improving your character's other game statistics.