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Creating Your Character

Step by Step Guide on Character Creation.

This is a step by step guide on how to create a character for play in Star Wars Role Playing Game. For finer details, and for any questions, please reach out to Jake or see the Core Rule Book.

Star Wars Roleplaying Game: Character Creation Steps

Creating a character in the Star Wars Roleplaying Game involves several detailed steps that help players build a unique and personalized character for their adventures. Follow these steps according to the core rulebook:



1. Determine Concept and Background - Consider who your character is, their past, and personality traits. - Think about the character's occupation, goals, and how they fit into the Star Wars universe.

2. Choose a Species - Different species have unique starting characteristics and special abilities. - Your choice affects the character's capabilities and how they interact with the environment and other characters.

3. Select a Career - Careers provide a framework of skills and talents. - Each career offers specific career skills and specializations, defining the character's abilities and role.

4. Invest Experience Points - Use initial experience points (XP) to improve characteristics, buy skills, and purchase special talents. - It's important to note that increasing characteristics becomes more expensive after character creation.

5. Determine Motivations - Add depth by giving your character personal motivations that influence their decisions and development.

6. Choose Gear and Appearance - Equip your character with initial gear and weapons according to starting credits. - Also, detail the character's physical appearance and personal style.

7. Determine Derived Attributes - Calculate attributes derived from core characteristics, such as Wound Threshold, Strain Threshold, Defense, and Soak Value.

8. Detail Duties, Obligations, or Morality - Depending on the game line (Age of Rebellion, Edge of the Empire, or Force and Destiny), define Duties, Obligations, or Morality. - These elements integrate the character into the larger conflicts of the galaxy and provide narrative hooks.

9. Final Touches and Story Elements - Add any final details to bring the character to life, including personal history, relationships, and long-term ambitions.

Follow these steps to ensure your character is not only unique but also fully integrated into the narrative and mechanics of the game.

Character Creation Flow Chat

flowchart LR
    Start[Start Character Creation] --> Concept[Determine Concept and Background]
    Concept --> Species[Choose a Species]
    Species --> Career[Select a Career]
    Career --> XP[Invest Experience Points]
    XP --> Motivations[Determine Motivations]
    Motivations --> Gear[Choose Gear and Appearance]
    Gear --> Attributes[Determine Derived Attributes]
    Attributes --> Duties[Detail Duties, Obligations, or Morality]
    Duties --> FinalTouches[Add Final Touches and Story Elements]
    FinalTouches --> Complete[Complete Character Creation]

15 Tips and Tricks for New Star Wars RPG Players During Character Creation

1. Understand Your Character's Role in the Party

- Consider what type of role you want your character to fill. Will they be a combat specialist, a pilot, a smuggler, or a diplomat? Choosing a career and specialization that align with what your group needs helps ensure you can contribute meaningfully.
- Tip: Discuss with other players beforehand to avoid duplicating roles in unintentional ways.

2. Focus on Career Skills Early

- Career skills are cheaper to level up, so focus your XP on these first to make the best use of your experience points. This ensures your character becomes proficient in their core tasks quickly.
- Example: If you're playing a Bounty Hunter (Survivalist), focusing on Survival, Perception, and Ranged early on will best equip you for your adventures.

3. Balance Between Characteristics and Skills

- Your character’s characteristics (Brawn, Agility, Intellect, etc.) set the foundation for a lot of skill checks. Increase key characteristics for your role during character creation, and balance that with raising skills later. This way, your skill checks are more effective when you train those skills later on. - Tip: For many characters, increasing a characteristic from 2 to 3 or even 4 during creation is a worthwhile investment of XP!

4. Don’t Spread XP Too Thin

- Avoid spreading your XP across too many skills. Focus on a few key skills that are central to your character concept. This will ensure that you’re good at a couple of important tasks rather than mediocre at everything.
- Example: Pilots should focus on Piloting (Space), Cool, and Gunnery before branching out into skills like Mechanics.

5. Use Backgrounds for Roleplaying Inspiration

- Have fun using the game’s Obligation (Edge of the Empire), Duty (Age of Rebellion), or Morality (Force and Destiny) systems to inspire roleplaying. These mechanics not only influence gameplay but also deepen your character’s story.
- Tip: An interesting background can lead to fun narrative moments that make your character feel more integrated into the story.

6. Choose a Specialization that Complements the Party

- Each specialization brings unique strengths to the table. Consider how your character will complement the group when picking your specialization. If everyone is playing a combat-oriented character, perhaps the team needs someone with social or technical skills.
- Example: If the group lacks a healer, consider specializations like the Doctor or Medic.

7. Keep an Eye on Strong Talent Trees

- Your talent tree is a key progression tool. Take time to carefully examine it and plan your talent purchases. Some talents offer passive bonuses, such as improved initiative, while others provide combat enhancements.
- Tip: Look at early low-tier talents—they are cheap yet provide powerful ongoing benefits.

8. Pick a Good Balance of Combat and Non-Combat Skills

- Even if you aren’t a combat specialist, it’s useful to invest in basic combat skills for self-defense. On the flip side, combat-heavy characters should balance their build with a few non-combat skills.
- Example: A pilot might not specialize in combat but would benefit from Ranged (Light) or Gunnery for starship battles.

9. Consider Characteristic Point Buy During Creation

- When building your character, consider spending points during creation on characteristics that are hard to improve later. Characteristics affect many skills and should be solid from the start.
- Tip: Boost your primary characteristic as much as possible, especially if your character focuses on combat, leadership, or technical abilities.

10. Coordinate with the GM About Your Background

- Work with your Game Master (GM) when developing your character’s backstory. This helps the GM integrate your story into the campaign, giving you personal plot hooks or special moments to shine.
- Tip: A detailed Obligation or Duty can give the GM opportunities to weave your character’s personal journey into the larger story.

11. Don’t Overlook Support Skills

- Support specialists—such as those skilled in Leadership, Medicine, or Mechanics—are crucial for group success. Don’t neglect support roles like healers, technicians, and repair specialists.
- Example: A Leader with strong command abilities enhances your party’s initiative and may grant valuable benefits in combat.

12. Buy Equipment that Suits Your Role

- When selecting weapons or gear during creation, be sure to choose items that align with your chosen skills. Gear can offer bonuses that amplify your skill checks.
- Tip: A Smuggler might want a fast ship or hidden blaster, while a Bounty Hunter might opt for armor and a Blaster Rifle.

13. Don’t Forget About Defensive Talents & Skills

- Defense is critical! Even if you’re playing a combat-heavy character, defensive skills like Dodge, Parry, or Resilience help you avoid damage and stay alive longer.
- Example: A Melee fighter might want to invest in Parry to reduce melee damage taken during close-quarters combat.

14. Frame Character Development Around the Campaign

- Think about the campaign style your GM is running. Is it primarily an exploration game? Is it combat-heavy? Tailor your skills and talents to match the likely scenarios you’ll face.
- Tip: If you know you’re going to spend a lot of time in space, focusing on Piloting (Space) and Astrogation could be more valuable than social skills like Charm.

15. Play the Character You Want, Not the ‘Perfect Build’

- Remember, role-playing is about fun, not min-maxing. Don’t feel too pressured to create the “perfect” build if it doesn’t align with your vision. Occasionally, a flawed character makes for epic and fun gameplay.
- Tip: Follow character ideas that excite you—even if they aren’t the most mechanically optimized.

Bonus Tip: Communicate with Your Group

- Effective communication during character creation helps ensure that your group doesn’t end up with too many similar characters. Discuss with your fellow players what roles they’re interested in—this fosters a well-rounded group composition with different abilities.

By following these tips, you’ll set yourself up for success when building your character for Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game. May the Force be with you! 🌌✨