Character Creation: Savage Worlds

I've been reading Conspiracy X of late, and a couple of people requested it, so I was all set...but I don't have a character sheet. And I have the 2nd ed (the one published in 1996), so most of the sheets I've found online are for the Unisystem version. So ConX will have to wait, but it'll probably the next one I do.

Today, though:

The Game: Savage Worlds
The publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment Group
Degree of familiarity: None. And oddly, I don't think we're playing any at Origins. I definitely need to play something with this system.
Books required: Well, see below. 

 
Savage Worlds, by itself, is a game engine, much like GURPS. It's designed for more action-oriented games, from what I can tell - pulp, superheroes, pirates, etc. The only setting I own for it is Low Life, but the core book itself gives a brief scenario at the back that's pirate-related. In the interest of making as many characters as I can, I'll do something for that, and then I'll do Low Life some other time.

OK, so, let's get to it.

1) Race. As far as I know, my only option is human, so let's do that.

2) Traits. I start with a d4 in my five attributes, and I get 5 points to bump them up by die type. Meaning I could have all d6s, but that's not really how I roll.

OK, forget I said that.

I'm leaving Agility at a d4 because I play jumpy/flippy characters a lot. Instead, I'll boost Spirit, Strength and Vigor to d6. That eats 3 of my points. I'll boost Vigor up 2 more, to a 10, because I picture my character as a not-entirely-bright young man who just doesn't know when to stay down. When the mates get really drunk, they take turns punching him to see if they can knock him down.

Right, now skills. I get 15 points to spread around. It'll be cheaper for me to buy up skills linked to Vigor, since that's my highest Attribute, but let's see what we got. Oh, wait, there are no Vigor skills. OK. I want:

Boating
Climbing
Fighting
Guts
Streetwise
Swimming
Notice

Buying them all up to d4 eats seven of my points. I'll buy up Guts and Climbing to d6, as that only eats 2 more (9 spent). I want a high Guts, so I buy that up to d10, which eats 4 more points since my Spirit is only d6 (13 spent). I put Fighting up to d6, since it's that kind of game, which eats my last 2.

Derived stats are next: My Pace is 6, my Parry is...weird. It's 2 + half your Fighting, but Fighting is a die. The example seems to take half of the maximum, which would make mine 5. Charisma is 0 unless I take an Edge to modify it, which I might. Toughness is 7, assuming I'm calculating this right.

3) Edges & Hindrances. Why don't these go before Derived Stats? Seriously, WW does this, too, and it's weird. Why do the derived stuff before the stuff that can modify it?

Anyway. I can take one Major Hindrance and two Minor, and then I can take Edges to balance or raise my stats. So.

I like that my character has been punched in the face too many times, and just doesn't know shit that he should. I'll take the Clueless Hindrance. But, he's willing to learn (Curious). He's also poor (Poverty) because he always eventually loses that "punch until you fall down" thing, but he hasn't quite figured that out yet.

Now, I get four points. I can raise attributes (2 points per die type) or buy Edges (2 each). I think I'll split the difference. Agility seems important, so I'll raise that to d6. That also means that that second die of Fighting only cost 1, not 2, so I have another Skill point. But can I do anything with it? Sure, I could raise Boating or Swimming by one, and since I'm a goddamn Pirate, I'll raise Boating to d6.

And I want an Edge. I'll take Fast Healer, seems appropriate.

4) Gear. Eh. I'm a pirate. I have a dagger, a set of raggedy-ass old clothes, a stripey bandana and only a few teeth. I'll say my guy has a tattoo down his back that he's never seen (woke up one morning, there it was, and all of the mates tell him to keep it covered - they won't tell him about it, either).

5) Other Details. I love how the book says that you can do these now, or just start playing and fill 'em in as you go. Like I said, it's that kind of game. Well, my dude's name is Petros. There was a Greek guy on the boat for a while, and he was impressed (and amused) by how my character (real name, Christopher Maspeth) could take a beating, and called him Petros (rock). It stuck, and Petros never really liked his real name anyhow. Off to blunder booty! Yarr!