Lifepaths #

Basic Assumptions #

This is a more involved way of making a character. I do find this method generally more enjoyable if the point is to not make disposable characters.

Your character begins at 18 years of age, untrained and inexperienced. By the end of character creation, you’re assumed to have either retired from your career in pursuit of other goals or began traveling while still practicing your preferred profession.

Each Skill adds a +2 or +4 to a 1d20 roll. You only roll a 1d20 when doing something risky like shooting a foe in a firefight or trying to pick a lock under duress. The number you need to beat is often between 10 and 15. It’s a 16+ when in a Firefight and a contested roll during melee.

At times you roll with Edge or Slack which is rolling two d20s and taking the highest or lowest, respectively.

Apply multiple Skills to a single roll if applicable.

Social Stratification #

Roll 2d6 to determine your starting Social Status. Record the number and starting statement.

Fluent Languages #

Your starting social status determines the dice you roll for number of known languages. If you lack the native tongue of the starting region, presume you at least know the language functionally enough to survive.

Roll or choose from below.

Choose a Service #

To gain skills and acquire resources before adventuring, you must enroll in a Service. There are five to choose from:

• Drifter—amoral vagabonds with a mercenary outlook on life.
• Outlaw—unfortunate souls who have the law on their scent.
• Soldier—professional fighters for and rigid enforcers of the state.
• Tradesman—individuals specialized in a craft or expertise (e.g. doctors, engineers, architects, artisans, craftsmen, etc.)
• Scion—lucky ones who were born into wealth.
• Merchant—rigorous acquirer of riches through travel.

You can enroll in a Service multiple times. Each enrollment advancing your age by 4 years. Each term of Service permits you to roll on the Skills Table. Each result is a rank in a Skill. You may only enroll 8 times before you must retire.

Enrolling into a different Service after each term is possible, but requires a different target result to be accepted. Always roll for the Service Change enrollment target even if the Service was taken at an earlier term.

Enrollment #

Roll 2d6 to determine whether you succeed enrolling into your Service of choice. Roll +1 if you’re social standing is 11+. Failing the enrollment subsequently forces you to roll for your Draft, where the Service chooses you. Roll 1d6 and the result is your service for the term.

On the enrollment roll, you must also meet the minimum amount required to survive. Lower than the target means death—generate a new character.

Rolling high enough on enrollment also means you’ve served with Distinction and receive additional benefits. However, a roll of 12+ mandates an immediate second term in that same Service.

Any time you finish your term of service, you may Muster Out and choose a benefit.

Mustering Out #

Whenever you end a term, Muster Out and roll once on either the Benefits Table or the Cash Table. Serving with Distinction grants an additional roll on either table.

Benefits Table #

Cash Table #

At the end of character creation, 1000 is the maximum that can be carried on hand. The rest is placed into a bank.

Skills #

Whenever you roll on the Skills Table, roll only on the Service of your current term.

†Applies only if the benefit is rolled.

All Skills on the table can only be acquired twice. The second time raises the Skill’s modifier to +4. Re-roll freely should you roll the same Skill more than twice.

Starting Inventory #

When you finish character creation, you begin adventuring. Purchase your starting equipment. Prices are listed in the Gear section .

You have 12 Inventory slots. First 6 are quick slots, anything you can pull out at a moment’s notice. These could be things in your pockets, belt, bandolier, coat, or hung on your back. The next 6 require 8 seconds or more to pull out from your caryall.

Luck #

Spend Luck points to add to 1d20 rolls. You may also spend Luck to have things go your way, if possible.

Roll 1d6 at the start of every session. You start with that many Luck points.

Aging #

As you age, both during character creation and after, your potential Luck reduces.

A negative modifier to your starting Luck rolls is applied at age 38 and periodically increases following the rubric below.

Last Steps #

Don’t forget about a name.