Character Creation: Stingers & Spores

It's a bug-eat-bug world, princess. 

The Game: Stingers & Spores
The Publisher: Twitchy Butcher Studios
Degree of Familiarity: Haven't played this, but it's SWADE and I know that pretty well
Books Required: Stingers & Spores and SWADE

It's not the only RPG where you played a bug - there's Cuticorium and Infestation, offhand - but I think it's my favorite so far. There's a pretty tight mythology describing how the Arthrogods created the world and life within it, and the game casts vertebrates as the horrifying, unnatural creatures with internal bones and red blood (ewww). Likewise, you play insects; other arthropods are animals at best and monsters or demons at worst. It's a pretty compelling game, actually. 

So let's make a bug. Let's see. My Cuticorium character was a dragonfly, so I don't want to make one of those. How about a cricket? But what shall we do conceptually, then? Let's say my cricket is a paladin, a devout worshipper of Ensifra the Lucky, the mother of crickets and grasshoppers and goddess of good fortune and charity. 

So right off the top that gives me the Carefree Hindrance (I'm easily distracted), Leaper (I can jump twice my Pace), and Hopper's Song (I get the Work the Room Edge for free, which does...what exactly? Oh, neat, I can sing and give my companions a support die!). 

Next up, we choose Racial Abilities and Size. And...huh. I don't know if I get any new racial abilities or just the ones listed in my Archetype. Let's assume it's just those, because the pregens don't seem to have extra ones. Size, let's assume I'm a field cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus), and that makes me Size 1. 

Hindrances! I feel like he should have a Vow to serve the precepts of Ensifra, to be charitable, and to be the good fortune his spiritual mother wants in the world. Let's call it a Major Hindrance. For my minors, I'll take Call of the Light (I'm fascinated by light and suffer Smarts penalties around bright lights) and Stubborn (like many true believers, he doesn't change his mind much).

Attributes! I think Strength and Spirit are going to be my higher ones. Let's put those at d8, Smarts and Agility at d4, and move along with our lives. But actually, since I've done Hindrances, I'll spend two my Hindrance points to up Agility to d6. 

Skillz! I get a d4 in the core Skills (Persuasion, Stealth, Common Knowledge, Notice, and Athletics) plus 12 more points. Well, let's go ahead and put a d6 in Fighting. I want to bump Persuasion up to d8, I'll put Athletics up to d6, and let's buy Shoot at d6 and Faith at d8 (so I can take the Miracles Arcane Background). Only two left, I'll take a d4 in Intimidation and Performance. 

Edges! I get a free one, which I will use to take Arcane Background (Miracles). I get Linguist for free, so I know two languages. I'll say I know Skitteree (the closest thing to a common tongue) and Divinal (the holy tongue used by gods and clergy).

Oh, wait, looking at the Miracles section, I actually serve one of the elemental powers, not an Arthrogod. That's fine, we'll say that he serves Iliofos, the god of the sun, but expresses that worship through Ensifra. That also means I have to tithe 10 percent, and that I have to provide light in the darkness. Sounds good! 

I get 3 powers, and I feel like they should be mostly beneficent. Let's give him Arcane Protection, Burst and Healing. 

And then I still have two more points; is there an Edge I want? Nah, let's bump Vigor up to d8. 

And now we just need name and description. Let's call him Ilio Gryl (named after his patron god). Ilio is a big black field cricket, typically clad in a white robe over armor. He carries a sword on his back between his wings, but leaves it sheathed unless he needs to protect someone. He's perpetually broke - even when he has money he either gives it away or tithes it. 

(Man, the fillable sheet is messed up here; the Pace and Toughness fields mirror each other, so do Player and Character names.)