Heroic Traits

A name can also tell a
lot about a character and help establish an image in your mind and the minds of
the other players. It doesn’t have to be descriptive, but you want it to fit
the type of character you’re going to play. Use the sample names to help you
make up a name that has the appropriate *Star*
Wars *feel.*

adult (such as in the case of Luke Skywalker in *A New Hope*), or as an even older character depending on your
character concept.

Table 7-1: Age by
Species gives age ranges for the various species presented in Chapter 2:
Species. As your hero ages, his or her physical ability scores (Strength,
Dexterity, and Constitution) decrease and his or her mental ability scores
(Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma) increase, as shown in Table 7-2: Aging
Effects). The effects of each aging step are cumulative. However, none of a
character’s ability scores can be reduced below 1 in this way.

First, generate your
ability scores as defined in Chapter 1. Then, once your starting age is
determined, apply the modifiers shown on Table 7-2: Aging Effects. Note that
the methods described for determining ability scores yield the scores of an
adult character. For example, when a character reaches middle age, her
Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores each drop by 1 point, while her
Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores each increase by 1 again. So far she
has lost a total of 3 points for her Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity
scores and gained a total of 2 points to her Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma
scores due to aging.

On the other hand, a
child would start with a total penalty of -4 to Strength and Constitution and a
-2 penalty to all other abilities (adjustments are cumulative for both the
child and young adult categories). As he advances to young adulthood, these
penalties would be reduced to -1 for each ability score. He would thus “gain” 3
points to both his Strength and Constitution and 1 point to each of his other
ability scores. When he later becomes an adult, he would gain 1 point to each
of his ability scores.

Jedi live longer than
the average member of their species. While a typical Human lives well into his
or her 80s, a Human Jedi might live well into his or her 100s. The upper limit
for a character powerful in the Force can be twice as much or more than a
typical member of a species.

  Child
  Young Adult
  Adult
  Middle Age
  Old
  Venerable

#### **Appearance**

Decide what your character looks like using the descriptions of the
various species in Chapter 2: Species as a starting point. Characters with high
Charisma scores tend to be better looking than those with low Charisma scores,
though a character with high Charisma could have strange looks, giving him or
her a sort of exotic beauty.

You can use your hero’s
looks to tell something about his personality and background. For example:

-Deel Surool, the
Twi’lek scoundrel, always has a smirk on his lips, no matter what situation he
finds himself in. He treats life as a joke where only he knows the punch line.
He wears the latest fashions and comes off as being mildly superior to everyone
around him.

-Vor’en Kurn, the Human
soldier, has a rough, dark look that speaks of the life he has led. His
mercenary nature shows through in the way he moves, the way he wears his armor,
and the way his twin blasters hang at his sides. His eyes are cold, dead,
uncaring. You know he means business and that he’s dangerous just by looking at
him.

-Sia-Lan Wezz, the
Human Jedi, appears confident and in control. She wears her Jedi robes and
lightsaber proudly, and her fresh, young face glows with enthusiasm and hope.
You know you can trust her, and you know she takes her role very seriously.
Perhaps even a bit too seriously.

#### **Height and Weight**

Table 7-3: Height and Weight presents average heights and weights for
the different species presented in Chapter 2: Species. Your character may be of
average height and weight, or you can make your character’s abilities might say
about her height and weight. If she is weak but agile, she may be thin. If she
is strong and tough, she may be tall or just heavy.

#### **Personality**

Decide how your character acts, what she likes, what she wants out of
life, what scares her, and what makes her angry. Your character’s species is a
good place to start when thinking about personality, but it’s a bad place to
stop. Make your Wookiee (or whatever) different from every other Wookiee.

Personality is a
summary of how your character usually acts. Make sure it’s interesting and fun
for you to play. Give your character good points and bad points. Think about
his code of ethics. Will you character do anything for the right price, or is
there a line he just won’t cross? Is your character cheerful or dour,
optimistic or pessimistic, honorable or dishonorable? These are just some of
the factors that could go into your character’s personality.

A handy trick for
making an interesting personality for your character is including some sort of
conflict in his nature. For example, Deel the scoundrel is generally
self-centered, but he looks out for his close friends. He may be tempted to
help them, even if it goes against his best interests, so long as he can
justify doing so.

Your character’s
personality can change over time. Just because you’ve written some personality
notes on your character sheet doesn’t mean you can’t let your character grow
and develop the way real people do.

Background

Decide what your character’s life has been like up until now. Here are a
few questions to get you thinking:

How did she decide to
become a hero?

How did she acquire her
class? A soldier, for example, might have been in a planetary militia, she may
come from a family of soldiers, she may have been trained in a martial school,
or she may be a self-taught mercenary.

Where did she get her
starting equipment? Did she assemble it piece by piece over time? Was it a
parting gift from a parent or mentor? Do any items have special significance to
her?

What’s the worst thing
that’s ever happened to her?

What’s the best thing
that’s ever happened to her?

Does she stay in
contact with her family? What do they think of her?

Only your GM needs to
know all the details of your background. You can tell the other players as much
or as little as you see fit. You can get as complex as you like, or keep your
character’s background simple. Has she traveled around the galaxy a lot? What’s
her home planet like? What does she think of the Republic (or Rebellion, or
Empire, or whatever)? Does she know any of the other players’ characters from
before the campaign started? If not, what’s her connection to the rest of the
team?

#### **Goals**

Your character might have a number of objectives that he or she hopes to
accomplish. These are the things that motivate your character. Does he seek
wealth or love? Revenge or power? That’s up to you and your GM.

Goals can be immediate or long-term. They can also change
during play, and new goals can be added all the time/ Think of goals as what’s
motivating your character right now, though some long-term goals might fade to
the background until circumstances warrant.