Character Generation

[atpollard]

I hope you can manage enough patience to walk me through the character creation. I don't have access to any of the books.

I moved this question and my response here to offer assistance for anyone else that might have the same issue or just questions on Chargen in Traveller.

******

Step one is ability scores ... just like D&D.
Roll 2d6 for each ability: range is 2-12 (with 15 the maximum with later modifications).

STRength = STR=2 would make you a 98 pound weakling, STR=7 makes you average, and STR=12 makes you a weightlifter (top 3% of the population).
DEXterity = affects gun combat
ENDurance = acts like Constitution in D&D
INTeligence = indicates problem solving ability
EDUcation = indicates access to known facts
SOCial = affects wealth and social interactions

You can arrange the rolls in any order that you want.
[house rule] I also allow the alternative option of just dividing 48 points among the 6 ability scores (within the 2-12 limits).

[atpollard]

STEP TWO ... Select a Career:

For those new to Traveller, your career defines who you WERE and not who you ARE. The adventure typically starts when you have just left a previous career and decided to seek something new. During Chargen, you will roll for one or more 4 year "terms" that you spent in that career. In each term, you will have an opportunity to earn a promotion, learn skills, and even get killed. When you leave the service, you will gain money and stuff as a "mustering out" benefit.

Some people wonder about the Death in Chargen. It is part of a risk-reward game that the player bases his decisions on. Do you want to stay in for another term and gain more valuable skills, then you risk dying.
[houserule] Rather than dying, the player has the option to forfeit all muster out benefits and start the game as a deserter.

So select a career to attempt ...

6 Basic Careers (core rules)

• Navy = served on an ironclad monitor
• Marines = Ship's Troops (navy or privateer)
• Army = City or Town Militia
• Scout = Explorer, Mapmaker, maintains Communication Lighthouses
• Merchant = Sea trader
• Other = Police or criminal (based on the common skills)

10 Optional Careers (supplement 4)

• Pirates: attacking, hijacking, and plundering
• Belters (Prospector): prospectors and miners
• Diplomats: Members of the Foreign Service of a City, Town or Village government.
• Doctors: Trained individuals conducting medical practice.
• Barbarians: Rugged individuals from primitive locations accustomed to hardship and well-trained in wilderness and survival situations.
• Bureaucrats: individuals serving a government or organization in management or executive capacities.
• Rogues: Criminal elements familiar with the rougher or more illegal methods of accomplishing tasks.
• Nobles: individuals of the upper classes who perform little consistent function, but often have large amounts of ready money.
• Scientists: individuals trained in technological or research sciences who conduct scientific investigations into materials, situations, and phenomena.
• Hunters: individuals who track and hunt animals of varying sizes and types for profit or enjoyment.

Character Class notes are available on the Reference Material Topic

[Leitz]

Sample Chargen notes

Terms are four years each. Success rolls are 2d6. Skill and Mustering Out Table rolls are 1d6. "DM" means "Die Modifer", applied to the roll, not each die. DMs are cumulative. A reference to a stat is "Stat or less" ("8-") or "Stat or higher" ("7+"). Roll for enlistment once, Survival each term and Re-enlistment each term. A "12" on Re-enlist "forces" you to stay in that career.

I tend to think about the career I want and then work the character in that direction. For example, if I wanted a Rogue who was a river boat card shark, I'd look at the skills and stats for Rogue. Here are some numbers to consider.

****** Character Class notes have been moved to the Reference Material Topic - atpollard

Given the idea of a steamboat gambler, "Gambling" skill would be useful and could be worked in.

The mustering out tables and gear lists need atpollard's input since he is translating a lot of stuff.

[Leitz]

Characters, Terms, and Age

Starting at age 38, the end of the 4th Term, a character must roll to avoid the effects of age. Roll 2d6 against Str (8+), Dex (7+), and End (8+). Roll at the end of each Term, before beginning play. At age 50 the resist aging rolls become Str (9+), Dex (8+), and End (9+). Until age 66 any failed roll permanently lowers that stat by 1. Aging is more aggressive at the 66 year mark.

Fredrica Faust just ended her fourth term at age 34. Her stats are 777777. Before play she must make 3 rolls of 2d6. The first roll is a 3, and she permanently loses a point of Str. The second and third rolls are 8 and 10 respectively, so Fredrica's stats are now 677777. Should she choose to re-enlist she would end her next term at age 38 and again have to make three 2d6 rolls.

This is part of the Risk to Reward Ratio of Traveller. Older characters risk death during Chargen and risk stat reduction as they age. On the other hand, a pool of skills is a great asset.

[Leitz]

Character Stats and Combat

Certain things are best avoided: the Boss's drunk wife at the annual Christmas party, going to WalMart for "just one thing" the day after Thanksgiving, and combat in Traveller.

There are a few ways to run combat in Traveller. None of them are like D&D; more like BRP and spawn. You might go down with one shot, no matter who you are. That said, understanding it is better. Here are some notes from Classic Traveller (CT) Book 1 (LBB1). Remember, atpollard may be thinking of a different path.

Melee Weapons [weapon, Str to get bonus, Min Str to avoid Minus, Damage]

• Dagger, 8+, 3-, 2D
• Blade, 9+, 4-, 2D
• Cutlass, 11+, 7-, 3D
• Cudgel, 8+, 4-, 2D

Firearms [weapon, Dex to get bonus, Min Dex to avoid Minus, Damage]

• Revolver, 9+, 6-, 3D
• Carbine, 9+, 4-, 3D
• Rifle, 8+, 5-, 3D
• Shotgun, 9+, 3-, 4D

Combat

Each character picks a target and rolls 8+ to hit. Modifiers are skills, stats, range, terrain, etc...etc...etc... Just get 8+ to hit. The FIRST hit is special, all D dice in the roll are applied as a SINGLE TOTAL to a randomly rolled physical stat (Str, Dex, End). After the first hit a character receives, each D die are counted at a single "wound value" and applied in total to any CHOSEN physical stat.

Fredrica Faust, [UPP 677777] adventurer at large, is minding her own dang business at the saloon when some yahoo wants to get frisky. She pushes him away, hard, and he stumbles into his even dumber and friskier friend. Guns come out, and Fredrica shoots The Man With Wandering Hands with her revolver. She has HandGun-2 and a 7 Dex so she needs to roll a 6+ to hit. She rolls an 8! Her revolver does 3D of damage and she rolls 2, 3, and 4; a total of 9. The DM rolls randomly that the first hit goes against TMWWH's Str, which is 9. Since that puts him at 0, he goes unconscious.

Sadly, some people are stupid. TMWWH's buddy excels at that. He steps forward, pulls a blade, and stabs Fredrica. He makes his roll to hit and does 2D of damage, rolling 2 and 3. This gets applied in total to Fredrica's (randomly rolled) End so she is at End 2.

It's too close for guns, so Fredrica draws her dagger and tries to skewer the guy. Sadly, she misses. The next round he again pokes her for 2D, a 2 and a 5. She puts the 5 against her Dex and the 2 against her Str, leaving her with an Effective UPP of 422777. She stumbles back, bleeding profusely.

Sam the Barkeep knows Fredrica is a good customer and he's secretly sweet on her anyway. He pulls out the double barrel and lets one go. Sam misses the dumb guy but ruins the piano players hat.

The Dumb Guy (TDG), not totally stupid, sees the second barrel of that twelve gauge pointed at him. The guys he was cheating at cards don't look real happy either so he high tails it out, leaving TMWWH to his fate.

Fredrica appreciates Sam's tender loving care.

[atpollard]

Another skills question: So, at present, my character has a fair passle of skills at level 0. Among them is Jack-of-All-Trades. Does this effectively mean I've got level 0 skill in all skills? In which case, do I only need to keep track of what skills my character knows for purposes of eventual advancement to level 1?

This is a good question and it points out the flaw of the JoT skill as written. Depending on the interpretation of the Ref, it either allows the Character to do EVERYTHING or it NEVER gets used. I didn’t want either so, here is how we will handle the JoT skill ...

[houserule] JoT has no effect on any other skills (you already got all those skill-0 for that purpose), so JoT is used for coming up with a solution that is not covered by any other skill. A mini “MacGyver-ism”.

The example that I use is a group comes to a locked door.

• The person with Computer skill would attempt to hack the security program to get the Ship to unlock the door.
• The person with Mechanical would pick the lock to access the emergency override.
• The person with Electronics would attempt to bypass the security pad at the door and get it to open.
• The Engineer would use a special wrench to access the manual override.
• The character with Jack of all Trades would remember working in a shipyard for a few weeks while stranded on some planet and one of his jobs was to test the emergency overrides for rescue crews on new hatches ... so he codes a false emergency code into the ship’s internal sensors (a system having nothing to do with the door) and the ship believes that there is a Hull breech in the effected area. The door automatically resets to “emergency” mode and any Engineer can use his code to open the door.

It becomes the job of the player to decide what the character does or knows that might solve the problem using an action not directly related to any other skill. JoT becomes a “Think outside the Box” skill.

[Inferno]

Hi,

More questions:

Under Chargen, Leitz wrote this:

Rogue

Skill Tables
Personal Development

1. +1 Str
2. +1 Dex
3. +1 End
4. +1 Int
5. Brawling
6. Carousing

Service Skills

1. Blade Combat
2. Gun Combat
3. Explosives
4. Gambling
5. +1 Edu
6. Vehicle

Advanced Education

1. Streetwise
2. Forgery
3. Bribery
4. Carousing
5. Liaison
6. Tactics

Advanced Education if Edu 8+

1. Medical
2. Bribery
3. Forgery
4. Scholar
5. Leader
6. Jack of All Trades

In Ref Materials, at pollard wrote:

Skills:
Start with all skills listed under your career at skill-0.

Does that mean I start with all the skills Leitz listed above at Level 0 (assuming I have an EDU of 8+)?

Thanks!

[Inferno]

Characters, Terms, and Age...

Hi, how old is a PC when he starts his first term? Thanks.

[Urson]

I hope I'm geting this right....

Merchant
Enlistment:
[2d6] = 11+1
[2d6] = 7
[2d6] = 11
2nd term
[2d6] = 9
[2d6] = 3 [Mustered out]

I'm working thru this slowly- Damn Real Life! More later.

[atpollard]

Let me provide some perspective. My character in atpollard's Traveller game had Energy Weapons 2, Blade, Brawling, and VaccSuit at 1, and a bunch of 0 level skills.

Thanks. How many is a bunch?

My character in this game will have one or two skills at the 1 level and a few at 0.

Thanks. How many is a few?

Sorry. Still trying to figure out the average number of total skill levels in a sheet build. Thanks.

First, WELCOME ABOARD!

A “bunch” is every skill on that Rogue list at skill-0 (since you have been exposed to all of them as part of your chosen career).

Every “term” (4 years) earns you 2 actual skill levels, ages you 4 years and carries a chance of dying. So how many times are you willing to risk death to start out older and more experienced?

Ultimately, imagine the age of your character ...

Age 22 = 2 skill levels
Age 26 = 4 skill levels
Age 30 = 6 skill levels
Age 34 = 8 skill levels
... or more!

[Inferno]

Thanks atpollard!

When I get every skill on the rogue's list, does that include non-skills too, like +1 End, +1 Str, etc.?

If a skill is repeated on that list, like Bribery, do I get it at a higher level than zero?

Thanks.

[Inferno]

So how many times are you willing to risk death to start out older and more experienced?

If I die during CharGen, is there something that stops me from trying again to create a new character that starts out older and more experienced? Thanks.

[atpollard]

Characters, Terms, and Age...

Hi, how old is a PC when he starts his first term? Thanks.

Age 18 at the start of 1st term is normal. There are some careers (like Belter and Barbarian) where you can start younger.

[houserule]
(moved to Reference)

[atpollard]

So how many times are you willing to risk death to start out older and more experienced?

If I die during CharGen, is there something that stops me from trying again to create a new character that starts out older and more experienced? Thanks.

Nothing at all.
You just lost the time spent rolling abilities and skills and enlistments and promotions ... you need to start over from the beginning.

But there are no limits on the number of attempts and no penalties.

The decision is typically “am I happy with these skills or did I really want another skill that I didn’t roll yet” in the Rules as Written. Frankly, I prefer to just have fun and if someone really wants to play a Navy Engineer with Engineer-2 and Rifle-1 ... what do I really care if he was lucky enough to make the exact rolls he wanted on a random CharGen or not. As long as he COULD have made those rolls, that is close enough for me (a Navy Engineer should not have a skill that is not available in the Navy, for example).

[atpollard]

Thanks atpollard!

When I get every skill on the rogue's list, does that include non-skills too, like +1 End, +1 Str, etc.?

If a skill is repeated on that list, like Bribery, do I get it at a higher level than zero?

Thanks.

Skill-0 means that you are FAMILIAR with the skill and avoid the “non-proficiency” penalty to tasks.
So one cannot be “familiar” with Strength or Endurance (there is no non-proficiency penalty to avoid).
Adding multiple “+0” together still equals “0”, so the skills are all at skill-0 no matter how many times they appear. You add 2 levels of skill per term based on what you roll or pick.

[atpollard]

I hope I'm geting this right....

Merchant
Enlistment:
[2d6] = 11+1
[2d6] = 7
[2d6] = 11
2nd term
[2d6] = 9
[2d6] = 3 [Mustered out]

I'm working thru this slowly- Damn Real Life! More later.

Don’t need to rush ... we have til January.

Do you have your stats?
There are bonuses in CharGen for different things based on your attributes.

[Inferno]

Thanks, atpollard.

[atpollard]

I hope I'm geting this right....

Merchant
Enlistment:
[2d6] = 11+1
[2d6] = 7
[2d6] = 11
2nd term
[2d6] = 9
[2d6] = 3 [Mustered out]

I'm working thru this slowly- Damn Real Life! More later.

So let’s go through your rolls one at a time ...

Merchant
TERM 1 = age 18-21
Enlistment: 7+ DM +1 if STR 7+, DM +2 if INT 6+
[2d6] = 11
The Merchant Service is glad to have you sign up for 36 “cycles” (4 standard years).

Survival: 5+, DM +2 if Int 7+
[2d6] = 7
You easily survive the Term.

Commission: 4+ DM +1 if INT 6+
[2d6] = 11
Your ability and hard work come to the attention of your superiors and you are Commissioned, leaving the ranks of the common seamen and becoming a ship’s Officer. You are made Fourth Officer (Rank O1).

Promotion: 10+ DM +1 if INT 9+
[2d6] = 9
Your service as Fourth Officer is good enough to earn you a promotion to Third Officer (Rank O2).

Re-enlist: 4+
[2d6] = 3
For some reason, your meteoric career comes to an abrupt end as the Merchant Service no longer requires your services.


So this would typically be the point where your character would begin his adventuring career as a 22 year old ex-Merchant with 1 term under his belt. I am more about fun than rules, so you can ...

1. Start with this character at age 22.
2. Take your second term in a new career and continue CharGen from there.
3. Start over with a new character and try again.

For Choice 1 or 2 ... pick 2 skills from the Merchant list above and roll two times [2d6 each] for mustering out benefits.

For Choice 3 ... tell me your ability scores and pick a career to enlist in.

[Leitz]

Characters, Terms, and Age...

Hi, how old is a PC when he starts his first term? Thanks.

Age 18 at the start of 1st term is normal. There are some careers (like Belter and Barbarian) where you can start younger.

[houserule]
(For those with a reason and a concept, I have no objection to starting younger in other careers ... the trade-off is less education for more life experience.)

• term 0 = age 14-17 = -2 edu and gain 2 skills

You just need to explain why you were living on your own at age 14.

For the record, Ian is age 18, with one term under his belt. He has a mid-low education and sometimes misuses words. "Let's write this down for posterior's sake." He is working on it, though.

[Leitz]

So let’s go through your rolls one at a time ...

Merchant
TERM 1 = age 18-21
Enlistment: 7+ DM +1 if STR 7+, DM +2 if INT 6+
[2d6] = 11
The Merchant Service is glad to have you sign up for 36 “cycles” (4 standard years).

Survival: 5+, DM +2 if Int 7+
[2d6] = 7
You easily survive the Term.

Commission: 4+ DM +1 if INT 6+
[2d6] = 11
Your ability and hard work come to the attention of your superiors and you are Commissioned, leaving the ranks of the common seamen and becoming a ship’s Officer. You are made Fourth Officer (Rank O1).

Promotion: 10+ DM +1 if INT 9+
[2d6] = 9
Your service as Fourth Officer is good enough to earn you a promotion to Third Officer (Rank O2).

Re-enlist: 4+
[2d6] = 3
For some reason, your meteoric career comes to an abrupt end as the Merchant Service no longer requires your services.


So this would typically be the point where your character would begin his adventuring career as a 22 year old ex-Merchant with 1 term under his belt. I am more about fun than rules, so you can ...

1. Start with this character at age 22.
2. Take your second term in a new career and continue CharGen from there.
3. Start over with a new character and try again.

For Choice 1 or 2 ... pick 2 skills from the Merchant list above and roll two times [2d6 each] for mustering out benefits.

For Choice 3 ... tell me your ability scores and pick a career to enlist in.

And doesn't the character get a total of 4 skills; two for the term and one each for the commission and promotion?