Notes from the Campaign: Character Generation Homebrew Tweaks

[u/HeavyJosh]

I have recently started a new campaign in my sector, and have subjected my players to new character generation rules that I have been tinkering with for a while. I present them to you all here for your amusement. Please comment vociferously.

1. Roll 4d6 keep the best 3 dice, six times, and allocate the attributes wherever you like. It produces some pretty strong results, but that's ok.

2. Backgrounds:

I like the SWN:Revised backgrounds and the Growth/Learning tables, but I much prefer the old SWN Core (1e) Rules and their Backgrounds. I adapted the old backgrounds to the Revised rules some time ago, and decoupled them entirely from class selection. Each PC gets 4 background skills at level 0, and there's no chance to increase attributes. I have the PDF floating around somewhere if anyone wants it.

3. Additional skills:

PCs get an additional level 0 Hobby skill, and if they wish (they always do), a free Level 0 "Connection" skill if they can explain how they know one of the other PCs. I stole this rule from Mongoose Traveller, and it's a great way to create a team of level 1 PCs with very little effort.

4. Random Tables:

Cepheus Universal has a dedicated random character background generator that I have given my players access to. Only two of them used it to its fullest potential, but it's great for really fleshing out the character's origins at level 1, without a multi-page backstory.

5. Edges: The biggest change

Since Stars Without Number Warriors start with 4 Edges (Focused, On Target, Veteran's Luck, Hard to Kill), I gave each PC 1 Edge choice at level 1, and then another Edge at levels 2-4, for a total of four. If the player wants to play a Partial Psychic, that counts as 2 Edge picks up front*, and they get the rest at levels 3 and 4 (I decided to exclude Full Psychics from this campaign, but if I did, that would count as all 4 Edge picks). I use the Ashes Without Number edges primarily, though I think I threw in a couple of the Cities Without Number edges for good measure where they were appropriate.

This has really been the biggest change for all of us at the table vis-a-vis character generation and capabilities. I really like it, because it really pushes character growth organically and dramatically at those lower levels. It also maximizes character customization, and opens up some really interesting mechanical and character choices. For example, three of the characters have opted for On Target, because they want to be really combat effective without having to go all-in on becoming a Warrior. None of them have taken Veteran's Luck. One character has taken On Target and Killing Blow, and we realized that he wouldn't have to take Gunslinger or Armsman because he'd get a damage bonus that scales with character level, freeing up a focus pick. Or he could also take Gunslinger and become the most lethal, damaging shooter around (at level 9, he'd have Shoot 4, so a total damage bonus of +9 just from Edges/Foci!)

One thing I really like is On Target. It's such a great Edge pick for making generally effective combatants: PCs that are good in a fight, but are not highly skilled professionals. Like the difference between Amos and Bobbi in The Expanse: both combatants, but Bobbi has all that extra training that Amos doesn't. Just take On Target, and your character won't really have to boost their combat skills all that much if they decide to become the mechanic, the medic, or the pilot.

I really look forward to using these custom character class rules moving forward. They're really interesting.

*I know that the rules state that Partial Psychic counts as 1 Edge pick, but I figure that with 4 Edges, Partial Psychic can count as 2 picks, and this keeps them roughly in line with the SWN character classes as written. Partial Expert is 2 Edges (Educated and Focused) and Partial Warrior is 2-ish (Focused, Hard to Kill, and a small attack bonus at levels 1 and 5 to keep them competitive, which seems to have been discarded in subsequent rules and we discard here.)

6. Hit Dice Cap: SIX

This is a rule I brought along with me from my last SWN campaign. No more hit dice after Level 6. Basically "Name Level" in old BECMI terminology. The PC still gets all other benefits when increasing levels (skills, foci, etc), but can only ever roll 6 HD. The Constitution, Hard to Kill, and Die Hard bonuses also cap out at level 6. Every level after 6, they get +1 added to the HD rolls when they level up (just like in BECMI). This has been a great innovation, because it keeps the players on their toes, and forces them to think and plan at high levels.

As one player at level 9 in my last campaign said: "The sense of peril remains. That's good." How much peril could there be when he was playing a warrior with a thunder gun and 51HP is a cause for speculation.

7. Minor Tweaks:

If someone with Veteran's Luck takes Specialist/Pilot, I let them apply their autododge to a starship. I'd likely do the same with the Road Warrior focus if anyone picked it (for starships, as it already works for vehicles at level 2).

We're 6 sessions in, and it's going well so far!

[u/sermitthesog]

That’s a lot of changes! We play char gen RAW. Which is unusual for our table, but we like how it goes with SWN.

As GM, I personally don’t like how quickly a PC can become supremely expert by L2 if they go all in on a theme (like Pilot, or hacker) with the foci, but I haven’t homebrewed any “fix”. It is what it is.

[u/HeavyJosh → u/sermitthesog]

RAW is nice, but having the well-defined and named background choices is appealing for my players.

The Foci are really rare (like the Edges), so it's important to be judicious about their use. I've never \ever** seen a character with L2 in Specialist, for example. L1 will nearly always be sufficient. I try to keep the players busy with all sorts of different kinds of adventures so that they tend to not optimize early on. But it's ok, let them have their shining moment of awesome with their dearly-spent foci resources.

[u/Von_Loch]

These are fascinating changes! I'm especially grateful for the Cephius Universal rec. One of my players was disappointed there was no life-path system like in Traveler. This might help. I hadn't thought about Edges yet. I'm only just reading SWN and starting our first campaign. So we were going to do character creation RAW. But I had my eye on CWN and AWN for expanded options in the future. Name level is also an innovation that I'd like to know if worked out for your campaign in higher levels. Personally, I like high lethality games, but that can be hard sell for long campaigns where players spend hundreds of hours becoming emotionally attached to their PCs.

[u/HeavyJosh → u/Von_Loch]

The level 6HD cap is really a big way of making the late game interesting and meaningful. I've run two campaigns to level 9-10. The first we ran with 10HD, and it got a little boring, honestly. One of the warriors had upwards of 80HP (from Warrior, Die Hard, and +1HP from CON) and a Field Emitter Panoply. This made him effectively indestructible. The other characters had lower HP totals, but all told, the HP totals made tactics and planning optional. The peril of combat was gone. That shouldn't be the case.

I capped the HD at 6, and recomputed the HP as an experiment. Now that warrior still has about 70+HP, and there's still some peril for the group as a whole. It's not high lethality, it's just less epic godling PCs in a realistically tuned system. The only thing that is nerfed is the CON bonus, which stops at level 6. The Focus and Edge bonuses for HP (Die Hard and Hard to Kill) remain, because those are significant resource sinks and I didn't want to nerf them.