MoonSwordSciFi/CharacterCreation

Character creation for player characters (heroes) follows the same basic path as heroic mortals in Exalted 2e. The exact process is repeated here with changes for the sake of completeness. The term hero refers to characters made for and at the level of player characters, ordinaries are built like standard heroic mortals in Exalted, and extras are normal mortals.

Step One: Concept
Create a vision of the character in your mind. Get a clear image of who they are, where they come from, and how they got where they are today. Also, choose a motivation. Heroes of space opera and science fiction are rarely as epic in their chosen careers as the Exalted but they aren't without their goals, after all. Choose a motivation that fits with the character's vision. Remember that a motivation can change at the appropriate time. Examples include Han Solo, who went from a freelance star pilot with the simple, short-sighted goal of survival to the grand vision of helping Leia and the Rebels defeat the Galactic Empire, or Honor Harrington, whose motivation is to do her duty and answer life's challenges to the best of her ability.

Step Two: Attributes
Player characters and other 'heroic' characters get seven dots for their primary attributes, five for their secondary, and four for their tertiary attributes. While strong, perceptive, and possessed of silver tongues, the heroes of space opera are not demigods of legend and do not have the overwhelming power of the Chosen of the Sun. The normal heroic mortal spread from Exalted may be used to create lesser 'heroes' while ordinary mortals must suffice with their usual allotment.

Step Three: Abilities
Heroes first need to choose six favored Abilities (they do not have Caste or Aspect Abilities, nor does anyone else in the setting). They then get 25 ability points to distribute as they see fit; starting abilities cannot exceed three dots without spending bonus points. Mortals, as in the core rules, purchase specialties in the same manner as an Exalt would.

Heroes take the normal -2 penalty for using Abilities they don't actually have, assuming that one of their defaults doesn't cover it at -1.

Step Four: Advantages
Heroes get 12 Background dots to distribute freely among the normal Backgrounds and those outlined below. The Artifact background is very, very different and may not be appropriate to all campaigns while Manses are typically non-existent, due to the lack of magic.

Heroes also purchase Virtues as normal, with five dots to spend however they choose, but they have neither Limit Breaks nor Virtue Flaws. Heroes may choose six Techniques, provided they meet all requirements for that Technique. Ordinaries can choose three Techniques.

If a character is psionic, note that at this stage.

Step Five: Final Touches
Heroes and mortals do not have Essence scores but rather Levels. More a measure of a character's significance and impact, Levels run from 1 to 5. Heroes start out at Level 2, while ordinaries and extras start at Level 1. This mainly matters for determining their Skill Pool and access to some advanced Techniques. Any ordinary that becomes a hero becomes Level 2 and receives the difference between their starting scores and a hero's to distribute as they see fit.

Heroes and ordinaries have a Skill Pool in place of an Essence Pool; extras most assuredly do not! This is calculated as 10 + Level*3 + Willpower + sum of their two highest Virtues. A few Techniques may also raise the size of a hero's Skill Pool. Skill Points are mainly spent on Techniques. Characters can also buys Merits and Flaws on a 1 dot to 1 bonus point basis. Many characters have one or more points in the Languages Merit.

Heroes get 25 bonus points to distribute freely while ordinaries receive only 20. They use the Dragon-Blooded cost charts for bonus points. All characters use the normal experience charts (for Solars; there doesn't seem to be one for mortals, oddly enough...)

Psionics are paid for out of bonus points. Otherwise, use the rules as written in [i]Second Sight[/i], 34-67. Note that Merits are bought on a 1 dot to 1 bonus point basis.

Abilities

All Abilities are listed alphabetically with a page reference, rather than broken down by non-existent Castes. If an Ability is listed with "No changes" use all rules from the given page reference. Melee, Dodge, Integrity, and Thrown, for example, don't really need to be messed with in and of themselves, while Craft and Lore both received major overhauls. Sailing doesn't exist anymore, having been replaced by Pilot. Many Abilities now have mandatory specializations attached, similar to Craft, and will have defaults listed (Pilot (Starship) defaults to Pilot (Aircraft) at -1, for example).

Some if not many of these changes serve to make the characters less 'epic', remember that Exalted is normally intended to chronicle the actions of larger-than-life people chosen by the gods. While many, many science fiction characters are unquestionably heroic, they are not demigods and the rules need to reflect that difference. Remember that this is an overhaul to the mechanics of Exalted to make it usable with such characters. It is not intended to be Exalted in Space and is not expected to be played on such a, well, exalted level of power.

• Archery - Archery is referred to as Firearms; slug-throwers and beam weapons have entries in the Supplemental Rules section to cover the differences between them and bows and arrows. Firearms explicitly does not cover vehicle-mounted weapons; for those, see Gunnery below. Defaults to Gunnery-1. (EX2, 106)

• Athletics - No changes. (EX2, 108)

• Awareness - No changes. Note that many devices grant bonuses or offset penalties to Awareness. Also, social awareness is now covered by the imported nWoD skill Empathy below. (EX2, 108)

• Bureaucracy - No changes. (EX2, 109)

• Craft - The basic format of the Craft skill is identical to the core rules. However, the specialties available are very, very different. They are, in order, Artwork, Chemistry, Electronics, Mechanical, Natural Materials, and Structural. Cooking is, technically, a specialty of either Chemistry or Natural Materials. (EX2, 107)

• Dodge - No changes. Note that against many advanced weapons, it is a better idea to avoid damage than attempt to soak it. The Chosen of the Sun can laugh off exploding railgun rounds or parry laser beams with barely a thought; normal humans, even heroic ones, are advised not to attempt such feats. (EX2, 108)

• Electronics - The skills related to operating and working with electronics, such as computers or sensor equipment. This skill generally uses the rules for Computers on pages 56-57 of the new World of Darkness rulebook.

• Empathy - See pages 79-80 of the new World of Darkness rulebook.

• Firearms - See Archery, above. Defaults to Gunnery-1.

• Gunnery - Gunnery Techniques are very similar to Firearms Techniques except that they cover vehicle-mounted weapons and major artillery pieces (read: howitzers). Defaults to Archery-1.

• Integrity - No changes. If a rule mentions the nWoD Attribute Composure, generally assume it instead refers to Integrity. (EX2, 106)

• Investigation - See the rules on pages 59-60 of the new World of Darkness rulebook. (EX2, 107)

• Larceny - No changes. Remember that Larceny covers setting up security competently as well as evading it. (EX2, 109)

• Linguistics - No longer an Ability. See the new Languages Merit below. (EX2, 109-110)

• Lore - No changes expect that characters may purchase an unlimited number of different specialties in Lore, but only three dots in each one. Each specialty must represent a distinct branch of knowledge such as the physical sciences, history, or philosophy. Most astrogators, for example, have Lore 1 (Specialty: Geography +1, Physical Sciences +1). Most characters have at least Lore 1 but this is not required for basic literacy. Research is now a function of Lore, not Investigation, and uses the rules on pages 55-56 of the new World of Darkness rulebook. (EX2, 108)

• Occult - No changes. Note that Occult includes psionics and psionic phenomena. (EX2, 108)

• Pilot - Generally follows the rules on pages 69-72 of the new World of Darkness rulebook. However, like Craft, Pilot requires that the character has a general proficiency with that sort of vehicle. Pilot (Ground Vehicles) is not much use when piloting interstellar warships! Pilot (Spacecraft) and Pilot (Aircraft) default to each other at -1. Further specialties are in different classes of vehicles, such as space fighters, cargo aircraft, or hovercars.

• Presence - No changes. Note when reading nWoD material that Presence is an Attribute, not a Skill or an Ability, in that system, while Appearance is a Merit. (EX2, 106)

• Sail - See Pilot, above. Sail's exact purview has been altered. (EX2, 110)