Character Creation: Stars Without Number

Second character of 2025, and we're going...to the stars! Whee!

The Game: Stars Without Number
The Publisher: Sine Nomine Publishing
Degree of Familiarity: None
Books Required: Just the one

I'd been aware of the "Without Number" games, but hadn't played them or read any until fairly recently when Ashes Without Number Kickstarted, and then a buddy of mine talked about running Stars and I realized I didn't have a copy and I COLLECT RPGS so anyway here we are.

And I didn't realize that it was an OSR game! That's what you get for not looking into games before you buy them (not that it would have been a dealbreaker or anything, I just didn't know). Having now read it, it's interesting. I like the faction game, I like the sector generation, I like the underlying setting, but I don't love the system. I just never quite grok what using the bones of 1st Ed D&D for anything is in aid of, unless you're going for the nostalgia of it all or something? But very clearly there's something I'm missing, because there are a bunch of games that feel more indie than anything else that use this system and it always feels jarring. 

Well, anyway, let's make a character! Shouldn't take too long.

Man, that's a busy sheet. Anyway: First thing we do is either assign the array of attributes or roll a bunch of dice. I'm feelin' random today, so we'll do that. I'm also supposed to assign these in order, so we get:

Strength 9
Dexterity 11
Constitution 13
Intelligence 9
Wisdom 9
Charisma 14

Well, nothing too terrible, I guess. The rules say if I roll randomly I can pick one to change to 14 (the thinking being that at least that way you've got one stat that doesn't suck), but of course I already have a stat at 14, does that matter? Oh, no, it doesn't, because the example of chargen has a 16 and he still gets the free 14. Nice! (This, game designers, is why having an example of chargen is handy.)

Anyway, I think I shall swap out my Wisdom for the 14. Never regretted having a decent Wisdom score.

Next we note modifiers, which are either 0 or +1 because I rolled more or less OK.

Now I've gotta pick a Background, which means I should probably think about concept at least a little. Oh, wait, I can pick it randomly. Well, I've been random so far, no sense stopping now. Rolling a d20 gets me...4, which is Criminal! Fine with me.

I therefore get Sneak-0, which means I'm basically competent. I can either pick skills or roll them, but if I pick them I can't pick from the Growth table (ew). I think I'd rather roll, thanks all the same. So I get three rolls and I can split them betwixt the Learning and Growth tables...as I wish? Well, I want to do two on Learning and one on Growth, anyway, so we'll alternate, which means I need two d8 rolls and a d6 roll.

OK, so I got a 2 and 8 on the d8s, which gives me any combat skill and Trade. Ooh, maybe I'm an arms dealer. I'll take Shoot. My d6 roll gave me 2, so I can add two points to Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma in any combination. Well, shit, I'll put 'em into Intelligence (because I can't put them anywhere that they'll change my modifiers anyway, so I might as well raise the stat, I guess).

And now we choose a class! I can be a Warrior, Psychic, Expert, or Adventurer. Hmm. Well, as much as I love psychic/magic shit, I feel like with what I've got so far, Warrior makes the most sense. Actually, I'm gonna go Adventurer (which basically lets me multi-class) and be a Warrior/Expert. So what does that mean? Well, I get a free level in a nom-combat focus, and a free level in a combat focus. Uh, sure. I'll have to look those up. I get a max HP of 1d6 +1 for my Con modifier +2 for being a partial Warrior, so let's g'head and roll that...6! Nice! I get 9 whole HP. 

Oh, hang about, I get a focus of my choice, and the non-combat one from Partial Expert, and the combat one from Partial Warrior. Spiffy.

OK, so let's say I do want to be an arms dealer. Let's assume my character was from a world that, like most of them, got cut off by the Scream, but his particular world was a producer of gunpowder or laser batteries or whatever is needed to make weapons work (not just make the weapons themselves), and was within spike-drive reach of a world that could provide food. Over the years, a trade web built up where people would give our world (let's call it Tvastr) food, medicine, and other necessities, and the warlords of Tvastr provided the means to make the weapons work. Otherwise you're back to sharp sticks and rocks, pal. 

So my guy is one of a long line of folks who make these deals happen. Seems like I need something to represent deal-making kind of skill? Let's see what's available. 

Ooh, there's a few. Hmm. Authority, Diplomat, and Connected all work. I think I'll take the first two, and then I'll take Gunslinger for my combat one. I get 0-level in Lead, Talk, and Shoot (which raises Shoot to 1), and a few assorted perks (reroll 1s on negotiation/diplomacy, that kind of thing).

So that's my foci, now I get to add one Skill to represent other interests of the character's. Well, going with the spirit of this (because I would take Notice because it's almost always useful), I'll take Pilot and say my guy has an interest in fast ships.

Hit points are done, base attack bonus is +1 because I'm a Partial Warrior, and then...ugh, equipment. Good news is there are starting packages, bad news is the one that makes the most sense is Civilian, which gives me secure clothing, a compad, and 700 credits so I can buy my own shit. Blargh. Well, I'll buy a laser pistol and a laser rifle, and say that Tvastr produces batteries for such weapons. That leaves me 200 credits, which is fine. My Physical and Mental saves are 14 (15 - Con/Wis mods, respectively), Evasive save is 15 (same deal but with Dex). 

And finally, I need a name and a goal! Well, my guy's goal is to get the hell away from Tvastr. It's not that he doesn't like it, but well, it'd be nice to know that the district's ability to eat isn't going to depend on his ability to strong-arm someone into a deal. And besides, like, there are better places, with more interesting people and cooler ships. Mostly he's just bored and a little burned out. 

Let's say his name is Alexander Kapoor. Alex, like a lot of Tvastrans, has oddly pale skin from centuries of minimal sunlight and the side effects of the vitamin supplements everyone takes. His hair, likewise, went ash-gray in his teens. Alex is nimble and precise, but he'd really like to be careless and reckless, if just for a while.