Stars without number revised free download pdf

Into the Waiting Night 1

Character Creation 3
Psionics 29
Systems 45
Equipment and Vehicles 61
Starships 93
The History of Space 121
Sector Creation 129
Adventure Creation 173
Xenobestiary 193
Factions 211
Game Master Resources 231
Transhuman Campaigns 248
Space Magic 266
Heroic Characters 274
True Artificial Intelligences 280
Societies 290
Mechs 300
Index 314

ISBN 978-1-936673-95-7
©2017 Sine Nomine Publishing, Inc.
Written by Kevin Crawford
Cover background provided by NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI), and edited by Jeff Brown.
Interior art by Jeff Brown, Christof Grobelski, Norah Khor, Aaron Lee, Joyce Maureira, Nick Ong, Grzegorz Pedrycz,
and Tan Ho Sim. Some art © grandfailure / Adobe Stock.
Character sheet by Brian McGillivray
 INTO THE WAITING NIGHT
Welcome, reader, to Stars Without Number, a science Stars Without Number is above all a set of tools
fiction role-playing game. Within the pages of this for players and game masters bent on sci-fi adventure.
book you will find all that you require to forge mighty While the setting is built to provide a wide scope for
tales both of victory and bitter defeat amid the silent daring deeds, the game is fundamentally meant to be
stars above. You will fashion heroes fit for this new reshaped and refocused to suit your particular interests
age of exploration and rediscovery, men and women and desires. Whether a gritty game of desperate mer-
capable of unearthing the lost wonders of humanity’s cenary gunmen in an interstellar war zone or a dashing
fallen empire. The scattered sectors of the old Terran campaign of star-faring adventurers in a space-operatic
Mandate have been out of communication for centu- sector, the game is meant to fit the needs and tone of
ries, and no one living can know all the strange won- your desired play.
ders that have been born in the Silence. Every fresh Stars Without Number belongs to the “old-school
world is a new marvel to discover, and the brave souls renaissance” trend in gaming, and draws much of its
willing to repair the broken web of contact can expect mechanical inspiration from the classic games of the
rich rewards for their efforts. seventies and the work of such authors as Gary Gygax,
Stars Without Number is not only a game of discov- Tom Moldvay, Zeb Cook, Marc Miller, and other lu-
ery, however. There are adventures to be had in more minaries of those days. While many people now prefer
familiar places as well. New polities and young empires different mechanical frameworks for their play, these
have sprung up in the centuries since the collapse of the “old-school” rules are understood by a tremendous
Terran Mandate, and they struggle with each other as number of gamers and form a convenient lingua franca
hotly as their technology and resources allow. The right between many different OSR games. These games are
hero at the right time can shift the fate of worlds, and usually broadly compatible with each other, and allow
heroes willing to fight for their beliefs can be the great- players to loot material from many different authors
est resources a struggling star nation possesses. There and time periods with limited effort at conversion.
are adventures to be had in dealing with the powers This game is also designed to be a “sandbox game”,
of a stellar sector, where men and women are needed one built to ease the creation of active, living campaign
to foil the sinister plans of enemies and bring victory. worlds where the PCs aren’t the only important figures,
Not every hero has a mind for high goals, howev- and where a hero doesn’t necessarily have any narrative
er. Many desire nothing more than freedom and the armor against failure and death. While it can certainly
credits to enjoy it. Whether hauling cargo to backwater be played in a more conventional adventure path or
worlds or selling their lasers to the highest bidder, these story-arc manner, Stars Without Number is stocked
mercenary adventurers go where the pay is good and with a wide range of tools, techniques, and guidelines
the danger is acceptable. Some have greater ideals than for easing sandbox play. The surprise and freshness
their next patron’s pay, while others have no devotion inherent in a good sandbox game can be a refreshing
to anything but their own interest. Stars Without Num- change of pace for many groups, and in this book you’ll
ber has room for both kinds of heroes, and tools to help find what you need to play in that style.
a game master provide the adventures they require. The book you hold in hand right now is the re-
vised edition of the original 2010 version of the game.
A Word to Newbies In compiling the revision, I have been careful to keep it
compatible with the existing material for the game, so
If Stars Without Number is your first tabletop you should be able to use original edition supplements
role-playing game, you’re a rare soul. Most of with minimal fuss. Rather than changing the bones of
the readers of this book will already be familiar the system, I have instead added additional material to
with the hobby, but fear not; tabletop RPGs aren’t help GMs and entertain players, expanding the scope
hard to understand. Just think of them as a pen- of the game. If you are reading the free PDF version of
cil-and-paper equivalent of a computer RPG, with this game, you will find everything you need for a full
a “game master” or “GM” in place of the computer, campaign in these pages. If you have the deluxe version
and 2-5 players playing “player character” avatars. in hand, you will find almost a hundred pages of bonus
You’ll need paper, pencils, and a set of poly- content to supply you with tools for transhuman sci-
hedral dice or a dice app to play the game. You fi campaigns, space-operatic heroes, stellar wizardry,
can get gaming dice online easily. When the book mechs, artificial intelligences, and tools for building
tells you to roll “2d10+1”, for example, it means sci-fi societies.
to roll two ten-sided dice and add them together, Above all, Stars Without Number is your game now.
then add one to the result. “d00” means to roll two There is no one “correct” way to play it. There is only
10-sided dice and read them as ones and tens. your way to play it, and you should feel free to make it
the game you want to play.
 CHARACTER CREATION
Before you can begin playing Stars Without Number, empire that conquered my world”. Whatever it is, it
you need to roll up a character. While the game can should give your character an immediate reason to go
theoretically work with just a single player and a GM, out and do something.
things work best with 2–5 friends in addition to the This will to act is especially crucial in Stars With-
GM. A lone adventurer can get in a lot of trouble out out Number, because this game is designed to support
there, and a small group can find it hard to include all a “sandbox” style of gaming. Unlike many other games
the different skills and talents that are often required that encourage the development of a particular story
to survive a sticky situation. or the playing out of a specific plot line, Stars Without
With that in mind, you and the others in your Number presents an entire interstellar sector to your
gaming group should give a little thought to making characters and invites you to choose for yourself how
characters that work well together. Grim loners make to experience it. Stories will arise based on what your
good book protagonists, but they don’t survive well characters do and how they respond to the adventure
when there’s no author around to bail them out. situations provided by the GM.
When making a character, some players like to As a player, you need to cooperate with your GM.
simply throw the dice and see where they lead. Others This doesn’t necessarily mean following every lead and
prefer to know a little more about the game world and hook you’re given without demurral, but it does mean
like to have more detail provided beforehand about the that you need to respond to the situations and possi-
worlds and themes of the game. For those who’d prefer bilities that are given to you.
a more detailed discussion of the world of Stars Without You also need to keep in mind that your adven-
Number, you can skip ahead to page 120 and read up on turers exist in a very large world that is not scaled to
it there. For the rest of you… your characters’ abilities. If you insist on throwing your
characters into situations or challenges that seem over-
What Players Need To Know whelming, the odds are that they will overwhelm you.
Your character is an adventurer in the year 3200, a Scouting, reconnaissance, and careful intelligence gath-
dweller among the scattered worlds of a great human ering will help you recognize no-win situations before
diaspora. For whatever reason, he or she has decided you push ahead into them. By the same token, don’t
to leave their old life behind and take up a starfaring hesitate to flee if your party appears to be facing certain
existence, daring perils and seeking new frontiers in doom. A keen sense of when to decamp the field is
search of glory, riches, or their own personal ambitions. often an experienced adventurer’s most valuable asset.
Many worlds have recovered from the despera-
tion of the centuries-long Silence, and can once again Rolling a Character
manufacture spacecraft and other advanced technology.
Other worlds are “lost worlds”, still cut off from inter- Stars Without Number belongs to a somewhat older
stellar trade and forced to make do with the resources tradition in tabletop RPGs, one where characters
of their own planet. Lostworlders are often considered aren’t so much “built” as they are “rolled”. Players
barbaric by technologically advanced worlds. often don’t know who exactly they’re going to be
Tramp freighters, small merchant ships, and scout playing in a campaign, and rely on random rolls to
craft serve most worlds, even the most backward. If determine a hero’s aptitudes and skills. Part of the
your character comes from a primitive or isolated cul- pleasure of the game is throwing these new-rolled
ture, it’s probable that he or she hitched a ride aboard cyphers into play and exploring their personalities
such a ship to travel to a more cosmopolitan life. It may and motivations directly through the events of the
or may not have been a voluntary choice. adventures they undertake.
In actual play, your character should be motivated In most modern games, however, a player
to act, and to act as part of a group. The game does expects to be able to create exactly the kind of PC
not deal well with hostile loners, apathetic brooders, or they’ve envisioned before the campaign begins.
other characters that have to be coaxed into engaging They don’t want to rely on random rolls to give
with the world and cooperating with the rest of the them the character they’re going to be playing.
group. The world of Stars Without Number is danger- This is a perfectly valid preference, and play-
ous, and characters who cringe from peril or insist on ers who want to have full control over creating
facing it alone will find only boredom or an early grave. their hero can do so with an attribute array and
Every character should have a goal from the very skills picked from a selected background. Even
start. This might be something as simple as “become so, players without strong feelings on the matter
wealthy beyond my fondest dreams of avarice” or “be might find it refreshing to let their hero’s past be
known as the greatest pilot in the sector”. It might be discovered by the unpredictable chance of the dice.
as elaborate as “engineer the downfall of the interstellar
4• Summary of Character Creation

A Summary of Character Creation

For your convenience, here’s a quick summary of the you can add two points to either Intelligence,
character creation process. Experienced players can Wisdom, or Charisma, or divide the bonus be-
simply go down the list to generate their next interstel- tween two of them.
lar freebooter, while those new to the game can use it as
a guide reference as they go through the steps detailed 6. Choose your class, representing those talents
on the following pages. A blank character sheet can be you have that are most relevant to an adven-
found at the end of the book. turer’s lifestyle. If your hero isn’t well-described
Note that some steps indicate that you should roll by Warrior, Expert, or Psychic, you can choose
or pick skills, as described on page 7. The first time you Adventurer and mix your class abilities.
roll or pick a skill, it starts at level-0. The second time,
it becomes level-1. The third time, you can instead pick 7. Choose your foci, representing the side talents
any other non-psychic skill of your choice that’s less or particular specializations of your hero. You
than level-1. No novice hero’s skills can exceed level-1 can pick one level of a focus of your choice.
during character creation. Characters with the Expert class or the Partial
Expert feature of the Adventurer class get one
1. Roll your six attributes or assign them from an level of a non-combat, non-psychic focus for
array, using Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, free in addition to this. They can spend both
Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Attributes levels on the same focus, starting with level 2
reflect the basic potential of your hero. Roll 3d6 in it if they wish. Characters with the Warrior
six times and assign them in order, or use an class or Partial Warrior feature of the Adventur-
array of 14, 12, 11, 10, 9, 7 assigned as you wish. er class can do the same in choosing one level of
If you randomly roll your scores you may then a combat focus.
pick one attribute to change to a score of 14.
8. Optionally, if your GM is allowing alien PCs or
2. Mark down your attribute modifiers for each VI or True AI PCs, you can make your character
score. When rolling dice that are affected by an into one such creature by spending your focus
attribute, you don’t apply the whole score; in- level on the appropriate origin focus. Aliens and
stead, you apply the attribute modifier. A score VIs are described in the Xenobestiary chapter,
of 3 is a -2, 4—7 is a -1, 8—13 is no modifier, starting on page 192, while True AIs are part
14—17 is +1, and 18 is +2. of the deluxe Stars Without Number core book,
starting on page 280.
3. Pick a background from the list on page 9, one
that most closely reflects your hero’s past ex- 9. Now pick one non-psychic skill of your choice to
periences. You gain the skill listed under the reflect your hero’s outside interests, natural tal-
background name at level-0, which equates to ents, hobby expertise, or other personal focus.
an ordinary working knowledge of it.
10. If you’ve chosen the Psychic class or chosen to be
4. Decide whether to roll for additional skills or an Adventurer with the Partial Psychic ability,
pick them. If you pick skills, you can choose two you are a psychic PC, with powers described
more skills from the Learning table for your in the following section, starting on page 28.
background, with the exception of entries that Psychics can pick two psychic skills from those
say “Any Skill”, which you may not pick. You listed on page 8, while Partial Psychics can pick
cannot pick entries from the Growth table. If one. If a Psychic picks the same skill twice, they
you’re not sure what to pick, just take the “Quick get it at level-1 expertise, and can pick a free
Skills” listed for your background at level-0, level-1 technique from those listed for that dis-
which include your background’s beginning skill. cipline. Both Psychics and Partial Psychics get
the level-0 abilities associated with their skills,
5. If you choose to roll for your skills, you can roll up as described under each discipline they possess.
to three times, dividing up your rolls between Both also have a maximum Effort score equal to
the Growth and Learning tables as you wish. 1 plus their highest psychic skill plus the better of
When you roll on the Growth table, some re- their Wisdom or Constitution modifiers.
sults may say “+2 Physical” or “+2 Mental”. In
the former case, you can add two points to ei- 11. Roll your maximum hit points on 1d6, adding
ther Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution, or one your Constitution modifier. Even a penalty can’t
point to two different stats. In the latter case, reduce your hit points below 1. Warrior PCs
 Summary of Character Creation •5

Stars Without Number Character Sheet

Name
18 Background
Administer
Connect
Pilot
Program
Work
Biopsionics
Hitpoints / Conditions Max: Attributes
3 (-2) | 4-7 (-1) | 8-13 (+0) | 14-17 (+1) | 18 (+2)
Exert
Fix
Punch
Shoot
Metapsionics
Precognition 11 STR 1, 2
3 Heal
Know
4, 5, 9
Sneak
Stab
Telekinesis
Telepathy
(1D6 + Con) x Level Warriors: Additional +2 per level DEX

Lead Survive Teleportation System Strain Permanent:

Class CON
Notice Talk
6 Perform Trade
+3sp per lvl (Experts: +1 bonus non-combat) Cost: new value + 1 Max: +2 at lvl 3 | +3 at lvl 6 | +4 at lvl 9 Max = CON
INT

Level XP
Warrior = +Lvl | Other = +(Lvl ÷ 2) Saves WIS

Homeworld Lvl 2 = 3xp Lvl 7 = 39xp

Base Atk Bonus +
12
Partial Warrior = +1 at lvl 1 & lvl 5
Skill Points
Physical Evasion Mental

Employer
Lvl 3 = 6xp
Lvl 4 = 12xp
Lvl 5 = 18xp
Lvl 8 = 54xp
Lvl 9 = 72xp
Lvl 10 = 93xp
Foci +1 Focus at lvl 2, lvl 5, lvl 7 & lvl 10 17 CHA

Boosts: 1st: 1sp (lvl 1) | 2nd: 2sp (lvl 1)

Lvl 16 - lvl - [Str | Con] 16 - lvl - [Dex | Int] 16 - lvl -[Wis | Cha] 3rd: 3sp (lvl 3) | 4th: 4sp (lvl 6) | 5th: 5sp (lvl 9)
Species Lvl 6 = 27xp Lvl 11+ = +24
Cybernetics / Innate Abilities
Weapons Range and Ammo Total Atk Bonus
Lvl
Name
Mods
+
Lvl
Name
Mods 14, 15 + 7,8 Lvl
Psionic Techniques +1 on new Psychic Skill Lvl

Name
Mods
+
Lvl
Name
+
Mods

Name
Lvl 10
Mods
+
Readied Items Max Enc = STR ÷ 2
Armor

Name
Mods
AC
13
Name AC
Mods 16 Credits Debts
Psionic Effort Effort: 1 + Highest Psychic Skill + Highest of Wis or Con Max:

Name AC
Mods

and Adventurers with the Partial Warrior class 16. Record your Armor Class, the measure of how
option add 2 points to this total. Hit points in- hard it is to hurt your hero in a fight. Different
dicate how close your hero is to being defeated. suits of armor grant different Armor Classes; if
you aren’t wearing any armor at all, your base
12. Note down any base attack bonus you may have. AC is 10. Add your Dexterity modifier to this. In
The higher the attack bonus, the easier it is for order to hurt your PC, an enemy has to roll an
your hero to land a telling blow or shot on a attack roll on a d20, adding their attack bonus
hostile opponent. For most PCs, this bonus is and equaling or exceeding your Armor Class.
+0. If you are a Warrior or an Adventurer with
the Partial Warrior class option, it’s +1. 17. Note down your beginning saving throw scores
for your Physical, Evasion, and Mental saving
13. Choose one of the equipment packages on page 25 throws. Physical saves against poison, disease,
or roll 2d6 x 100 to find out how many starting or exhaustion are 15 minus the best of your
credits you have with which to buy gear. Strength or Constitution modifiers. Evasion
saves to dodge sudden perils or dive away from
14. Mark down your total hit bonus with your weap- explosives are 15 minus the best of your Intelli-
onry. This is equal to your base attack bonus, gence and Dexterity modifiers. Mental saves to
plus either your Punch, Stab, or Shoot skill de- resist psychic influence or mind-bending tech-
pending on the kind of weapon it is, plus your nology are 15 minus the best of your Wisdom or
relevant attribute modifier. The weapon tables Charisma modifiers. To resist these perils, you
starting on page 66 will tell you what attribute need to equal or beat the save on a d20.
is used for a particular weapon. If two attributes
are listed, use the best one for your hero. If you 18. Lastly, wrap up your PC with a name and a goal.
haven’t even got level-0 skill, take a -2 penalty. Every hero needs to have a goal when they set
out adventuring. This goal might change, but
15. Note down the damage done by your weapons. your PC should always have some reason to go
This is equal to its base damage dice plus its at- out and interact with the world before them.
tribute modifier. If it’s a Punch weapon, you can Stay-at-home PCs and those unwilling to dare
add your Punch skill as well. greatly for their aims are rarely fun to play.
6• Attributes

Attributes
The first step in creating a character is to determine Attribute Affects....
the character’s six attributes. Attributes describe how Strength Physical prowess, melee combat,
strong, quick, clever, perceptive, hardy, or charming carrying gear, brute force
your hero might be. Attributes are measured by scores
ranging from 3 to 18, with 3 reflecting an attribute Dexterity Speed, evasion, manual dexterity,
so weak that the PC is barely fit for adventuring and reaction time, combat initiative
an 18 marking the maximum possible aptitude for an Constitution Hardiness, enduring injury, resisting
ordinary human. toxins, going without food or sleep
To generate a character’s attributes, roll 3d6 six Intelligence Memory, reasoning, technical skills,
times and assign the results in order to Strength, Dex- general education
terity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charis- Wisdom Noticing things, making judgments,
ma. You may then change one attribute of your choice reading situations, intuition
to 14 if you wish to ensure that your new adventurer
is gifted in at least one way. Charisma Commanding, charming, attracting
If you prefer not to roll, you may instead assign attention, being taken seriously
the following scores to your attributes in any order you
wish: 14, 12, 11, 10, 9, and 7. If you assign your scores,
you cannot replace one of them with a 14.
Attribute Score Modifier
Once you’ve assigned your attributes, record the
modifier for each of them. This modifier is applied to 3 -2
relevant skill checks or other rolls related to the attri- 4—7 -1
bute. If your attribute score changes during play, ei- 8—13 +0
ther from some crippling injury or from improvements
14—17 +1
granted by your background or experience, you should
make sure to update any changed modifier. 18 +2

Rolling a PC’s Attributes

Simon’s rolling up a character for a new campaign. Simon takes three six-sided dice in hand and
The first step is to figure out what kind of hero he’s rolls them six times, assigning each number in order
going to be playing in the upcoming game, and that to his Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence,
means determining attributes. Wisdom, and Charisma scores. His results are 10, 4,
If Simon had a particular concept he knew he 13, 16, 8, and 7.
wanted to play, choosing to use the array might be Since 10 or 11 is an average human score, Simon
a good idea. It provides a predictable set of numbers can see that this PC has a very considerable intel-
he can put in whatever order he wishes, and unless lect counterbalanced by pronounced clumsiness and
his concept requires that his PC be particularly gifted poor social skills. Because he rolled his statistics, he
in more than one attribute, the 14 that’s part of the can replace one of the rolls with a score of 14. After
array would ensure that he was capable in whatever some consideration, Simon decides that swapping
natural aptitude was most important to the concept. out his bad Dexterity score makes the most sense.
On the other hand, even if he rolls the dice, he Now Simon notes down the attribute modifi-
knows his hero is going to be good at something. He ers for each of his scores: a Strength of 10 is +0, a
can put that free 14 in any attribute he wishes, so if Dexterity of 14 is +1, a Constitution of 13 is +0, an
all he cares about is making sure his PC is quick, he Intelligence of 16 is +1, a Wisdom of 8 is +0, and a
can rest assured that random rolling will still pro- Charisma of 7 is -1.
duce a quick PC. When rolling skill checks, attack rolls, or other
Simon, however, really doesn’t have any partic- things modified by an attribute, Simon will be using
ular concept he knows he wants to play for this cam- the modifier rather than the full attribute score. The
paign. He decides he’s going to let the dice determine scores themselves might change a little due to his
what kind of hero he’s going to play. Letting the dice hero’s background or future personal training, but
make the decision helps him break out of any ruts he mostly they’ll serve as cues for playing the PC. With
might be in when it comes to character concepts, and a Wisdom of 8, for example, Simon’s hero might not
it can make him consider ideas that might be fresher have a penalty to rolls, but he probably makes the
in play than his usual fare. occasional decision he lives to regret.
 Skills •7

Skills
Your hero’s learned capabilities are skills, and every
star-faring adventurer has their share of them. A hero Skill Checks
can usually attempt to do anything, whether it’s to Your hero is assumed to be competent at all the ordi-
climb a sun-scorched cliff on an alien world, talk down nary functions of their role and background. If he’s a
an enraged lostworlder warlord, or fire a mag rifle at moisture farmer from a back-of-nowhere desert world,
a charging xenomorph, but having the right skill can he’s going to know how to keep a dew still running and
make a vast difference in results. how to put on a coolsuit. If she’s a corporate magnate’s
Skills are measured in a rating from level-0 for succession-groomed daughter from a megacorp-dom-
competent practitioners to level-4 for the best in the inated hiveworld, she’s going to know how to read a
sector. Novice heroes start with level-0 or level-1 in balance sheet and speak during a meeting with C-level
their skills. You’ll choose or roll skills in the next sec- executives. They will never fail at these basic tasks un-
tion, when you select a background for your character. less some situation makes them much harder than usual.
Sometimes, however, the hero will be faced with
Skill Level a situation outside their usual experience, or will try
to accomplish a normal task while under considerable
Level-0 Basic competence in the skill, such as
strain or disadvantage. In those cases, you’ll need to
an ordinary practitioner would have
roll a skill check.
Level-1 An experienced professional in the To roll a skill check, roll 2d6 and add the most
skill, clearly better than most applicable attribute modifier and skill level. If the total
Level-2 Veteran expert, one respected even is equal or greater than the difficulty of the check, you
by those with considerable experience succeed. If less, something goes wrong, or you fail out-
Level-3 Master of the skill, likely one of the right in the attempt, or something unexpected happens.
best on the planet If you haven’t even got level-0 in the relevant skill
you take a -1 penalty to the roll. Some particularly tech-
Level-4 Superlative expertise, one of the best
nical or difficult feats might not be achievable at all
in the entire stellar sector.
without some grounding in the skill.
8• Attributes

The Skill List Pilot: Use this skill to pilot vehicles or ride beasts. Roll
The following skills are standard choices for most cam- it to fly spaceships, drive vehicles, ride animals,
paigns. Games set in unusual reaches of space or unique or tend to basic vehicle repair. This skill doesn’t
settings might alter this list. help you with things entirely outside the scope
Skills are general, and some of them may overlap of your background or experience, though with
in some situations. A hero trying to clear a jammed dis- some practice a PC can expand their expertise.
ruptor cannon before the aliens break through the door Program: Operating or hacking computing and com-
might plausibly check either Fix to repair it or Shoot to munications hardware. Roll it to program or hack
represent their familiarity with weapons maintenance. computers, control computer-operated hardware,
Assuming the GM agrees, you can roll whichever skill operate communications tech, or decrypt things.
is better for you. Punch: Use it as a combat skill when fighting unarmed.
If your PC means to make a habit of this rather
Administer: Manage an organization, handle paper- than as a recourse of desperation, you should take
work, analyze records, and keep an institution the Unarmed Fighter focus described later.
functioning on a daily basis. Roll it for bureau- Shoot: Use it as a combat skill when using ranged weap-
cratic expertise, organizational management, le- onry, whether hurled rocks, bows, laser pistols,
gal knowledge, dealing with government agencies, combat rifles, or ship’s gunnery.
and understanding how institutions really work. Sneak: Move without drawing notice. Roll it for stealth,
Connect: Find people who can be helpful to your pur- disguise, infiltration, manual legerdemain, pick-
poses and get them to cooperate with you. Roll pocketing, and the defeat of security measures.
it to make useful connections with others, find Stab: Use it as a combat skill when wielding melee
people you know, know where to get illicit goods weapons, whether primitive or complex.
and services, and be familiar with foreign cultures Survive: Obtain the basics of food, water, and shelter
and languages. You can use it in place of Talk for in hostile environments, along with avoiding their
persuading people you find via this skill. natural perils. Roll it to handle animals, navigate
Exert: Apply trained speed, strength, or stamina in difficult terrain, scrounge urban resources, make
some feat of physical exertion. Roll it to run, jump, basic tools, and avoid wild beasts or gangs.
lift, swim, climb, throw, and so forth. You can use Talk: Convince other people of the facts you want them
it as a combat skill when throwing things, though to believe. What they do with that conviction may
it doesn’t qualify as a combat skill for other ends. not be completely predictable. Roll it to persuade,
Fix: Create and repair devices both simple and complex. charm, or deceive others in conversation.
How complex will depend on your character’s Trade: Find what you need on the market and sell what
background; a lostworlder blacksmith is going to you have. Roll it to sell or buy things, figure out
need some study time before he’s ready to fix that where to purchase hard-to-get or illicit goods, deal
broken fusion reactor, though he can do it eventu- with customs agents, or run a business.
ally. Roll it to fix things, build things, and identify Work: This is a catch-all skill for professions not repre-
what something is supposed to do. sented by other skills. Roll it to work at a particular
Heal: Employ medical and psychological treatment for profession, art, or trade.
the injured or disturbed. Roll it to cure diseases,
stabilize the critically injured, treat psychological Psychic Skills
disorders, or diagnose illnesses. Unlike other skills, psychic skills are restricted to char-
Know: Know facts about academic or scientific fields. acters with the Psychic class or the Partial Psychic class
Roll it to understand planetary ecologies, remem- option for Adventurers. You cannot choose or roll
ber relevant history, solve science mysteries, and these skills in character creation unless specifically told
know the basic facts about rare or esoteric topics. to pick a psychic skill.
Lead: Convince others to also do whatever it is you’re
trying to do. Talk might persuade them that fol- Biopsionics: Master powers of physical repair, body aug-
lowing you is smart, but Lead can make them do mentation, and shapeshifting.
it even when they think it’s a bad idea. Roll it to Metapsionics: Master powers that nullify, boost, and
lead troops in combat, convince others to follow shape the use of other psychic abilities.
you, or maintain morale and discipline. Precognition: Master the ability to sense future events
Notice: Spot anomalies or interesting facts about your and control probability.
environment. Roll it for searching places, detect- Telekinesis: Master the remote control of kinetic energy
ing ambushes, spotting things, and reading the to move objects and fabricate force constructs.
emotional state of other people. Telepathy: Master the reading and influencing of other
Perform: Exhibit some performative skill. Roll it to sapient minds.
dance, sing, orate, act, or otherwise put on a con- Teleportation: Master the arts of physical translocation
vincing or emotionally moving performance. of yourself and allies.
 backgrounds •9

Choosing a Background
It’s unlikely that your character sprang forth full-grown
from the endless depths of space, so it’s probable that he Training Skills and Attributes
or she had some sort of background before adventuring When your character is allowed to pick or roll a skill,
and some kind of training in a field suitable for the life you learn it at level-0 expertise the first time you re-
of an interstellar wayfarer. Of course, the call of adven- ceive it. If you receive it a second time, it becomes lev-
ture is somewhat indiscriminate, and some people from el-1. If some mechanic or skill choice allows or obliges
very unlikely walks of life might find themselves hurled you to pick it a third time, you can instead choose any
into the potentially-lethal excitement of deep space. To non-psychic skill in its place. The only way to raise
determine your hero’s past training, you need to choose psychic skills during character creation is via special
or roll a background. abilities or foci that specifically boost them. No starting
A background is simply a thumbnail description character can begin with a skill level higher than level-1.
of the kind of life your hero lived before they took up Sometimes you’re allowed to pick “Any Skill”. This
adventuring. It may not have been the only thing they means you can choose any non-psychic skill to improve.
did with their life, but it’s the thing that taught them Other entries that read “Any Combat” mean that you
most of their existing skills. can pick either Stab, Shoot, or Punch as you choose.
When you’ve chosen or rolled your background, You cannot raise psychic skills with “Any Skill” picks.
take a moment to think about your character’s past. Rolls on the Growth table that improve your basic
Decide how your character came to take up that pro- attributes can boost them up to a maximum of 18. A
fession, and what made them put it down to follow a bonus that applies to “Any Stat” can be applied to any
more adventurous lifestyle. Did they do it for excite- attribute. If the roll says to add the bonus to Physical at-
ment? Friendship? Money? Or were they just running tributes, you can add the bonus to either Strength, Dex-
from a situation they couldn’t handle? terity, or Constitution. If the roll says to add a bonus
You will also want to pick a homeworld for your to your Mental attributes, you can apply the points to
PC. Your GM can give you some suggestions for worlds either Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. If the bonus
in their campaign that would fit your character concept, is +2, you may split the points between two different
or you might simply make up your own homeworld or attributes of the appropriate type if you wish.
native space habitat with the GM’s permission, as you
might be from some far-distant sector of space. d20 Background
Twenty backgrounds are provided on the follow-
1 Barbarian, born of a primitive world
ing pages. You may roll randomly to see where your
hero comes from, or pick one that suits you. If none of 2 Clergy, a consecrated man or woman
the backgrounds appeal to you, you can simply describe 3 Courtesan, trading on pleasurable company
your hero’s prior life to the GM and pick any three
4 Criminal. thief, rogue, liar, or worse
skills that fit that past.
5 Dilettante, with money if not purpose
Backgrounds, Skills, and Growth 6 Entertainer, artful and beguiling
Once you pick a background, your hero gains several
7 Merchant, whether peddler or far trader
skills associated with their past.
First, you get the free skill associated with the 8 Noble, by blood or by social capital
background. Every member of that role or profession 9 Official, a functionary of some greater state
needs this skill to function competently, so your hero Peasant, whether primitive or high-tech
10
gets it as well.
Next, you may either pick two other skills from 11 Physician, a healer of the sick and maimed
the Learning table for your background, or make three 12 Pilot, or rider, or sailor, or vehicle-driver
random rolls divided between the Growth and Learn- 13 Politician, aspiring to leadership and control
ing tables. If you pick skills, you can select exactly the
talents you want for your hero, while going with ran- 14 Scholar, a scientist or academic
dom rolls allows your character a little wider range of 15 Soldier, whether mercenary or conscript
competence and the option of attribute improvements 16 Spacer, dwelling in the deep-space habs
at the cost of perfect control over their development. If
17 Technician, artisan, engineer, or builder