Character Creation: Eldritch Skies

Busy couple of weeks at work, plus I started playing X-Com 2 again and that game eats my life every time I replay it. 

The Game: Eldritch Skies
The Publisher: Battlefield Press
Degree of Familiarity: It's Savage Worlds, so I know the underlying system, but I haven't read the whole book so I'm sure there's some stuff I'll miss
Books Required: Eldritch Skies and some version of SW rules

The idea behind Eldritch Skies is a Lovecraft-inspired RPG that leans more toward sci-fi than horror. Takes place in the far future, humanity colonizing the stars, but then it turns out those stars might well be right, as it were. I think the premise is solid and the writing drawing the distinction between Lovecraft-as-horror and Lovecraft-as-sci-fi is really compelling. Sadly, much of the rest of the book is not so compelling, and I found myself just kind of hitting a wall when I tried to read it. It's not bad by any means, it just didn't hook me. 

Some other little niggles, too. The book says that you need d6s, but of course SWADE uses a full suite of dice. The book says that a particular chapter talks about "Cinematic Savage Worlds" rules differences, but all that chapter gives you is gear. 

Anydangway, I'm gonna make a character. First step, then, is race! Oh, wait, no, first step is "type," but I'm gonna stick to "Civilian," since that's a starting character. I think I'll stay human this time around. 

You know, since I'm playing X-Com, I think I'll make a psionic character. His name is Dieter Klass, and he's an older gent - sixties, beard, grey hair, distinguished bearing (picture Stephen Lang but less muscular). Looking ahead, that means I have to take the Hyperspatial Exposure Hindrance, which the book says makes the Arcane Background free, which...isn't really the way Edges & Hindrances work, especially since Hyperspatial Exposure at level 1 (which is the required level) is a Minor Hindrance. All right, well, let's just assume I know how the rules work, so I need to take that Hindrance as one of my Minors, so groovy. Smarts needs to be high because I'll use that for my powers. 

Indeed, moving on to Attributes. I'll put Smarts at d10, Spirit at d6, and Vigor at d6. That'll make Agility-based skills expensive, but life's like that. 

Speaking of Skillz, let's do those! I'll just g'head and dump 4 points into Psionics so I have a d10. I'll put a d4 in Piloting (assuming spacecraft). Better put a d8 in Notice, d6 in Persuasion, d4 in Stealth. That leaves me 4 more. How about a d6 in Repair, a d4 in Shooting, and a d4 in Taunt. 

Hindrances! I already have one Minor, so I want a Major and another Minor. Any good ones in Eldritch Skies? Not really. Secret, maybe, but I don't have a good idea for one. Oh, well, actually the book says that psychics get hired as business negotiators, so maybe Dieter did some things that got a lot of people very angry with him. If there are folks out willing to kill him, that's worth a Major. 

Just need another Minor, then. How about Stubborn? I can see ol' Dieter being a bit bull-headed. 

OK, so, I used my free Edge to take Arcane Background, so I've got four "points" yet. I shall use two and buy Agility up to d6, one to buy a d4 in Fighting (so my Parry is higher than 2), and the last one to buy a d4 in Knowledge (Corporate). 

Neat! Now powers. I have to take Psychic Sensitivity, but then I get two more. I'll take Confusion and Stun, so Dieter is pretty skilled at rendering people insensate, which I'm sure has helped him get away from people looking to harvest his organs. 

Derived stuff: I've got Charisma 0, Pace 6, Parry 4, Toughness 5.

Gear: Nah. I think that Dieter is probably a privately licensed psychic for hire, and went off-Earth after shit went south with his former employer. He knows he's a little old to be on the run, but out here between the stars he figures he's got a fighting chance. (And he does, at least a fighting chance of being eaten by a shoggoth.)