Final Character Creation Steps

The player now records their character’s final statistics and chooses their name and current goal.

Record Maximum Hit Points

Your character’s hit points measure their distance from defeat or death. If your character is reduced to zero hit points, they are either dying or incapacitated based on the nature of the injury.

A new character rolls 1d6 for their maximum hit points, adding their Constitution modifier to the roll. Even a penalty cannot reduce this roll below 1 point. If they have chosen the Hard to Kill Edge they may add +2 to the roll.

A character gains hit points as they advance in character level, rerolling their prior levels and taking the new score if it’s higher, as explained in section 2.7.1.1.

Record Attack Bonus

Your character has a certain degree of basic combat competence based on their character level and Edges. This bonus increases as you advance in character levels and is added to your attack roll.

A new character’s attack bonus is usually +0. If they have the On Target Edge it is +1.

Record Saving Throws

When faced with unusual dangers such as grenade explosions, toxic darts, pit traps, or cyberware hacks, the character may need to make a saving throw to resist or mitigate the peril. Saving throws are rolled on a d20 and are explained in section 2.2.0.

Physical saving throws are used to resist exhaustion, disease, poison, or other biological harms. A new character’s Physical save target is equal to 15 minus the better of their Strength or Constitution modifiers.

Evasion saving throws are used to avoid explosions, traps, or other dangers requiring fast reactions. A new character’s Evasion save target is equal to 15 minus the better of their Intelligence or Dexterity modifiers.

Mental saving throws are used to resist cyberware hacks, mind-altering drugs, or other tests of willpower or self-control. A new character’s Mental save target is equal to 15 minus the better of their Wisdom or Charisma modifiers.

Luck saving throws are rolled when facing a danger that only blind chance can spare them from, such as an artillery strike, bridge collapse, or a sniper’s random choice of victims. A new character’s Luck save target is always 15.

A character’s save targets all decrease by 1 point each time they advance an experience level.

Pick a Free Skill

Your character has developed some side interest that may be unrelated to your background or Edges. You can pick any one skill of your choice, excepting magical or supernatural skills if your campaign includes them. This skill pick is gained at level-0, or level-1 if it’s already level-0. You cannot pick a skill that is already at level-1.

Choose Starting Languages

Your PC begins play speaking the lingua franca of the campaign’s current city along with their native tongue if it happens to be different. They also have fluency in additional languages based on their Know or Connect skills. Either skill at level-0 grants one extra language, or two extra if it’s at level-1. Thus, a PC with both Know-1 and Connect-1 skills could pick four additional languages.

PCs can learn additional languages to a conversational level by spending a few months immersed in it or studying it diligently during downtime. Obtaining native fluency is at the GM’s discretion.

Choose Starting Gear

Your PC begins play with $500 worth of gear, plus one item of their choice that doesn’t cost more than $1,000, with price lists given in section 3.0.0. They also have one month of a middle-class lifestyle prepaid. Some GMs may choose to make pre-made gear packages that the players can choose; if this is done, the packages should be worth somewhat more than the usual starting funds to encourage players to avoid lengthy gear-shopping at the start of the game.

Choose a Name and Goal

As final step, the player should pick a name and initial goal for the PC. This goal can be anything so long as it gives a compelling reason for the PC to be doing dangerous missions and associating with suspicious fellows. The player must make up a good reason for the PC to be associating with the other players; it is not the GM’s job to justify the party’s existence, and if the player decides that their PC can’t reasonably run with the other party members it’s up to them to create a new character who can.