Badger Species Template

The race of anthropomorphic Badgers were created in the far future after the extinction of the European badger. Humans gathered DNA from the badgers, and other Earth animals, before they became extinct in an attempt to repopulate the species through cloning and genetic engineering. The Humans decided rather that than bring them back as plain old badgers, they would instead reform them as humanoids in order to function as slave labor and thuggee enforcers.. The Badgers were artificially grown in test tubes. The Badgers were low on the average human intelligence scale and slow to work things out. They were also easily prone to using violence as a solution. At least one large group of Badgers were used as a pirate force due to their aggression and mental malleability. However, this group revolted and slagged off their slavers. While they may be a bit slow, Badgers have often shown a surprising level of bravery and loyalty when it is called for.

Attributes
Fitness 3 [5]
- Vitality +1
Coordination 2 [5]
- Dexterity -1
Intellect 2 [5]
- Logic -1
Presence 2 [5]
Psi 0 [5]

Skills
Artistic Expression (choose specialization) 1 (2)
Athletics (choose specialization) 2 (3)
Culture (Badger) 2 (3)
History (Badger) 1 (2)
Language
- Standard 2
World Knowledge (Earth or other homeworld) 1 (2)

Advantages/Disadvantages

Submitted by Noah Soudrette
Source: "Doctor Who: The Pirate Loop" by Simon Guerrier

Skill: Strategic Operations (Intellect)

Strategic Operations covers the waging of large-scale interstellar and intragalactic warfare, specifically the planning of fleet operations, target selection, and so forth. The Narrator can use this skill to obtain general outcomes for theater-wide actions in specific sectors or other strategic zones.

Routine: Maintaining a patrol along a border
Moderate: Defending against pinprick raids by an inferior enemy
Challenging: Defending against an in-depth attack by an equal enemy
Difficult: Mounting an in-depth attack against an equal enemy
Nearly Impossible: Successfully invading and conquering a superior enemy
Specializations: Defense-in-Depth, Invasion Strategies, Border Strategies, Specific Naval Strategies (Dalek, Sontaran, Cyberman, Draconian)

Skill: Starship Tactics (Intelllect)

Starship Tactics covers the handling and disposition of starships in space combat or in support of ground forces. This skill is important during full scale space combat.

Routine: Defeating a technologically backward ship in a straight firefight
Moderate: Defeating an outnumbered force in a straight firefight
Challenging: Defeating a slightly superior force in a straight firefight
Difficult: Defeating a superior force while surprised
Nearly Impossible: Defeating a superior force at odds greater than 5-1
Specializations: Planetary Support Tactics, Specific Naval Tactics (Dalek, Sontaran, Cybermen, Draconian)

Skill: Planetary Tactics (Intellect)

Planetary Tactics covers all military tactical and strategic operations on the surface or in the atmosphere of a planet. Successful use of this skill by a commander can give her forces a -1 Difficulty modifier (for movement, attack and defense actions) for one round. Routine: Defending a well supplied strong point against technologically inferior attackers.

Moderate: Defeating an outnumbered force in a single battle
Challenging: Defeating an outnumbered army in a single campaign
Difficult: Defeating a superior force
Nearly Impossible: Defeating a superior force at odds greater than 10-1
Specializations: Guerrilla Warfare, Mechanized Ground Warfare, Sea Combat, Small-Unit Tactics

Skill: Persuasion (Presence)

The Persuasion skill represents the character's ability to put forward plausible and reasonable arguments in order to influence the beliefs or behavior of another character. Persuasion attempts should always be roleplayed when possible; the Narrator adds or subtracts dice based on good or bad roleplaying. Persuasion attempts require an Opposed Test against an unwilling target's Persuasion skill. If the target doesn't have the Persuasion skill , either use the target's Intellect or allow the target to use Persuasion untrained. Unlike Fast Talk — which is similar to Persuasion - the character is attempting to convince someone to go along with him without lying to or tricking the target. The Charm skill uses emotional contentions, or subconscious cues, and only attempts to influence a target favorably by making the character and his opinions seem attractive. Persuasion can be used to influence a target negatively (against someone or something else) without building up a positive view of the persuader.

Routine: Persuading a friend, fellow crewman, or relative who has similar views
Moderate: Persuading a neutral target to a position bolstered by obvious or well documented facts
Challenging: Persuading a neutral target to a position the character does not actually believe in; persuading an opposing target to a position bolstered by obvious or well documented facts
Difficult: Persuading a hostile target to a position supported only by strong logic
Nearly Impossible: Persuading an irrational, hostile target during combat
Specializations: Debate, Oratory, Storytelling

Skill: Espionage (Intellect)

The Espionage skill represents the character's knowledge of intelligence agencies, espionage operations and various techniques for gathering information covertly. Espionage also covers those skills specifically used by undercover agents, such as setting up covert communications systems, using codes and ciphers, and forgery. It also involves separating vital facts from random data or enemy disinformation,

Routine: Using a computerized encryption/decryption system
Moderate: Identifying a foreign code or item of covert equipment
Challenging: Establishing a network of informants on a foreign planet
Difficult: Using traffic analysis to determine the course plots of an enemy agency's fleet
Nearly Impossible: Turning a Martian official into a Earth double agent
Specializations: Covert Communications, Counter intelligence. Cryptography, Forgery, Intelligence Techniques (Martian, Draconian, etc.), Traffic Analysis

Skill: Diplomacy (Presence)

Diplomacy represents the character's ability to conduct negotiations between governments, planets or even corporations. Diplomacy also covers knowledge of the state of intergalactic politics and alliances. Diplomacy is related to Persuasion and Charm, but these skills have significant differences as well. Diplomacy provides a character with knowledge of how to negotiate with others to reach a mutual solution (and, one hopes, to achieve concessions from the persons with whom the character is negotiating). Persuasion is the ability to argue skillfully and forcefully, and thus convince others to agree with you. Charm is the ability to use personal charisma and emotional appeals to win friends and influence people. A successful Diplomacy Test directly affects the reactions of those involved in the negotiation; they view the character's position in a more favorable light. In game terms, reduce the Difficulty of any Tests involving the target's responses or reactions. An Opposed Diplomacy Test can also be used at a critical juncture to determine if a negotiation succeeds or fails.

Routine: Keeping an allied ambassador friendly
Moderate: Bringing a willing government into the UN
Challenging: Negotiating a boundary with a new, but not unfriendly, species
Difficult: Negotiating a peace with an enemy species
Nearly Impossible: Building a long-lasting alliance with an enemy species
Specializations: Commercial Treaties, Government Law, Intergalactic Affairs, Intergalactic Law, Planetary Affairs (Earth, Mars, Draconia, and so forth)

Skill: Command (Presence)

Command is a measure of a character's ability to convince other characters particularly subordinates - to follow instructions. It is very important that Command not be used against other player characters to force them to do something against their will - these situations should be handled through roleplaying interaction, not dice rolling. Command is also used when coordinating projects with many workers — such as overseeing engineering operations on a starship. It can also be used to coordinate the actions of several people working together, including other characters. When coordinating a Combined or Extended Test, a character who makes a successful Command Test may subtract his skill level (or specialization level) from the cumulative Test Result needed to complete the task. Alternately, the Narrator may rule that a successful use of the Command skill reduces the Difficulty of a Test by one (two for a Dramatic Success). Of course, characters can also use Command to convince others to follow their orders during times of emergency or crisis.

Routine: Military officer leading Miltary Academy cadets
Moderate: UNIT commander leading trained UNIT officers
Challenging: Military officer leading random civilians in a crisis
Difficult: UNIT officer leading allied but proud Torchwood personnel
Nearly Impossible: UNIT officer leading enemy alien personnel
Specializations: Combat Leadership, Military Training, Starship Command

Skill: Behavior Modification (Intellect)

Characters with the Behavior Modification skill can change the behavior of other persons, sometimes against their will. To use this skill requires an Opposed Test against an unwilling target's Behavior Modification skill. If the target doesn't have the skill, the Test is made against the target's Intellect or Presence (whichever is higher), modified by Perception or Willpower. Depending on the method used, a target may get an additional Test when ordered to act against his nature.

Routine: Generally, there is no routine use of Behavior Modification
Moderate: Hypnotizing a willing subject Challenging: Brainwashing an untrained draftee
Difficult: Hypnotizing an unwilling, but untrained, subject
Nearly Impossible: Brainwashing an elite subject
Specializations: Brainwashing, Hypnotism

Skill: Administration (Intellect)

The Administration skill measures a character's familiarity with bureaucratic systems and their procedures, the ability to manage datawork, organize tasks within a department and work within a hierarchy. It also encompasses logistics — the ability to organize the supply and deployment of personnel and material for an objective. The Administration skill can be used to improve the efficiency of groups of people attempting to accomplish the same task. If a character with the Administration skill "takes the lead" during certain Combined or Extended Tests, the Narrator may lower the target cumulative Test Result by an amount equal to the character's Administration skill level or specialization (assuming he makes a successful Skill Test first). Alternately, the Narrator may lower the Difficulty of the Test by one (or two if the character achieves a Dramatic Success). Administration represents pre-mission planning — requisitioning the proper equipment, making sure the most qualified people are involved in a task, ensuring that team members who work well together are paired and so on.

Routine: Managing a disciplined, professional group (i.e., a starship crew, a hospital staff) under non-crisis conditions
Moderate: Planning a mission to a known planet
Challenging: Planning a mission to a strange planet; managing a disciplined, professional group under crisis conditions
Difficult: Running a planetary government
Nearly Impossible: Planning an interstellar economy
Specializations: Bureaucratic Manipulation, Logistics, Specific Planetary Government, Starship Administration

Skills Overview

Skills represent learned talents, aptitudes and knowledges. Like attributes, skill levels range from 1 to 5 (and, rarely, can rise above 5), The higher the skill level, the better the character is at the skill . For example, an Engineer with Systems Engineering (Sensors) 2 (4) is assumed to know more and be capable of doing more than an Engineer with Systems Engineering (Sensors) 1 (2). Each skill is linked to an attribute, which is used when making Skill Tests; the attribute for each skill is listed in the skill's description. Whenever possible, Tests should incorporate skills as well as attributes.

When deciding which skill is most applicable to a given situation or Test, the Narrator should be flexible - - there is often more than one way to accomplish a particular task. The best method is usually to decide which skill would be most applicable in the situation, then increase the Difficulty Number needed to succeed with a less applicable skill (the less related the other skill, the greater the increase in the Difficulty Number).

Specialization
Some skills require Specialization. This represents the character's area of expertise, such as Systems Engineering (Computer Systems) and Life Sciences (Biology). A character cannot hope to know everything there is to know about broad, detailed subjects such as engineering, science or shipboard systems, so he must focus on one area of expertise. Specializations are written in parentheses following the base level of the skill . For example, a character might know Energy Weapon (Stazer) 2 (3), meaning that he has the Energy Weapon skill at level 2, but can use stazers at level 3. Initially, characters start with a Specialization one level higher than the base skill . During character creation, or as a result of game play, characters can choose to increase their Specialization, such as Energy Weapon (Stazer) 2 (5), which represents the character's extensive experience and training in that area. Specializations normally are higher than the base skill. If, for any reason—during character creation or gameplay,—the base skill equals or exceeds the specialization skill level, this means that the character's general skills have matched his specialization. However, a character who specializes still knows the basics in his field and can attempt to use his skill in other, related areas. An officer specializing in Flight Control has learned the basic principles of Shipboard Systems, and can use any other Specialization under Shipboard Systems at his base skill level. For example, an officer with Shipboard Systems (Flight Control) 2 (4) could operate the tactical station in a pinch, because he knows the principles that apply to most equipment. The Specializations listed under each skill are not exclusive; they simply represent prominent examples. Players who think up other Specializations for their characters to choose should be allowed to do so, subject to Narrator approval.

Attributes And Edges

Attributes and Edges
Attributes form the basis of your character. They tell you how strong, agile and smart your character is. Attribute scores normally range from 1 to 5, though some species can have higher scores. Your character's base attributes come from the Template, which represents your character's species. There are five attributes:

• Fitness: Fitness represents the physical makeup of your character. It governs how much that character can lift, how much damage she can withstand before falling unconscious and overall athletic ability.
• Coordination: Coordination represents a characters' gross and fine motor skills—how well she shoots, fights, dodges attacks, performs sleight of hand tricks, and so on.
• Intellect: Intellect measures your character's overall intelligence, deductive reasoning capability, technical acumen and perception. The ability to operate computers, provide medical assistance or realize that someone is following you are all linked to this attribute.
• Presence: Presence measures the character's personal magnetism. The character's ability to negotiate with alien diplomats, bully or interrogate a subject for information, or charm someone into doing her a favor are all linked to Presence.
• Psi: Psi represents a character's innate extrasensory mental abilities — telepathy, empathy, telekinesis and so forth. Most characters will have a Psi attribute of zero, indicating that they have no innate mental abilities. Characters with Psi 0 cannot buy Psionic skills or raise or lower their Psi edges; however, with the Narrator's permission they may be allowed to spend Experience Points on Psi, Psi edges, and Psionic skills to develop whatever latent psionic powers they have.

Edges
Each attribute can be further broken down into two aspects, called edges. Edges make attributes a bit more flexible. One person may be slightly stronger than another, even though both have the same general Fitness. Edges are expressed in terms of "+" or"-" values. The value of an edge indicates a bonus or penalty that modifies the amount of dice players roll in appropriate situations. For example, a security officer might have a high Intellect, but she may also buckle under pressure (giving her a -1 Willpower edge). On the other hand, a diplomatic attache may be sorely lacking in Presence, but his affinity for people and negotiation gives him a +2 Empathy edge. Under normal circumstances, edges range from -2 to +2. (For more about Tests, see the Tactical Chapter).

Fitness Edges
• Strength: Strength modifies a character's ability to lift heavy objects and exert physical force. The Strength score indicates that the character receives fewer or extra dice when making Strength-based Fitness Tests.
• Vitality: Vitality modifies the general energy level and health of the character. Vitality modifies the character's ability to withstand the effects of fatigue, poisons, illness and injury.

Coordination Edges
• Dexterity: Dexterity modifies a character's manual dexterity - - his ability to move quickly and gracefully. It modifies many Coordination Tests, such as jumping, gymnastics, moving stealthily and attacking accurately.
• Reaction: Reaction modifies a character's ability to respond to sudden changes in the immediate situation - - dodge enemy disrupter fire, parry melee attacks and so on. It also affects who acts first in combat.

Intellect Edges
• Logic: Logic modifies a character's problem solving and deductive-reasoning ability.
• Perception: Perception modifies a character's ability to notice events and items in his environment.

Presence Edges
• Empathy: Empathy modifies a character's ability to read the body language and emotional state of people he encounters.
• Willpower: Willpower modifies a character's ability to withstand pain, illness or psionic manipulation.

Psi Edges
• Focus: Focus modifies the degree of precision with which Psi-talented characters can use their mental powers.
• Range: Range modifies the distance over which Psi-talented characters can effectively use their mental powers.

Universal Background List

These Advantages, Disadvantages and Skills can be taken at any stage of your character's Background History.

Advantages
Ally (+2 to +5)
Athletic Ability (+2)
Bold (+1)
Contacts (+1 to +3)
Curious (+1)
Famous Incident (varies)
Favors Owed (+1)
Medical Remedy (varies)
Patron (+2 to +4)
Quick-Draw (+2)
Resolute (+3)
Sexy (+2)
Shrewd (+1)
Strong Will (+2)

Disadvantages
Argumentative (-1)
Chronic Pain (-2)
Code of Honor (-2 to -5)
Dark Secret (-1 to -3)
Dependant (-2)
Fanatic (-2 to -3)
Greedy (-1)
Hides Emotions (-2)
Hypochondria (-1)
Impulsive (-1)
Intolerant (-1 to -3)
Medical Problem (-1 to -3)
Obligation (-1 to -3)
Obsessive Tendencies (-3)
Pacifism (-1 to -5)
Phobia (-2 to-5)
Physically Impaired (-1 to-3)
Poor Chemoreception (if later in life, due to disease or chemical exposure) (-1)
Poor Hearing (if later in life, due to trauma or increasing deafness) (-1)
Poor Sight (if later in life, due to injury, radiation, or increasing blindness) (-2)
Rival (-1 to -3)
Sworn Enemy (-1 to -3)

Skills
Acrobatics
Any Sciences
Area Knowledges
Artistic Expression
Athletics
Bargain
Charm
Computer
Culture
Demolitions
Diplomacy
Disguise
Dodge
Engineering
Fast Talk
First Aid
Gaming
History
Intimidation
Languages
Law
Merchant
Personal Equipment
Persuasion
Planetary Tactics
Planetside Survival
Primitive Weaponry
Search
Sidearm
Sleight of Hand
Stealth
Unarmed Combat
Vehicle Operation

Character Creation

Character Creation Basics
Characters are built using three basic elements: Attributes and edges, advantages and disadvantages and skills. When constructing your character, you will receive some attributes, skills and advantages and disadvantages for free, taken from the Template and Overlay you choose. You can purchase others with Development Points, which are discussed below.

Attributes represent the character's innate physical and mental characteristics - - everything from how much weight he can lift, to how quickly he reacts to how smart he is. Attribute scores are "openended," meaning there is no limit to how high they can go, though normally they range from 1 to 5. Your character's base attributes come from the Template, which represents your character's species/race.

Edges represent facets of an attribute. For example, two characters may both have Fitness 2, but one might be stronger, while the other character possesses greater stamina. Each attribute has two edges (as shown on the accompanying chart) which are expressed in terms of "+" or "-" values. Edges make the core attributes a bit more flexible. For characters, edges can only range from -2 to +2.

Skills represent a character's learned abilities and knowledge — everything from how to shoot a [gun] or use a computer, to speaking strange alien languages. Skills are rated from 1 to 5, representing how much your character knows about that skill. A Flight Control officer with Shipboard Systems (Flight Control) 2 (3) knows more about navigating in space than a Science Officer with (Flight Control) 1.

Attribute Scale
Here are some rough guidelines as to what the different levels of Attributes mean:

VALUE - MEANING
0 - Nonexisten
1 - Weak
2 - Average (for Humans)
3 - Good
4 - Excellent
5 - Legendary

Although Attributes normally can only go as high as 5, some races can go even higher.

Step One: The Template
Now that you have a character concept, it is time to choose a Template. The Template represents the character's species Human or [Time Lord], for example. It provides the character's innate qualities, inherited characteristics and cultural aspects. Each Template provides you with the attributes and skills for an average specimen of a particular species. After considering the type of character you want to play, choose one that fits your concept. Templates are free; they do not cost Development Points. The first thing the Template tells you are the character's basic attributes. They define who the character is: How strong is she? How fast are her reflexes? How intelligent? Every character possesses five basic attributes — Fitness, Coordination,
Intellect, Presence and Psi. The numbers appearing in brackets are the maximum levels a character of that race can possess. For example, Humans cannot possess a Fitness greater than 5. Record the numbers listed on the Template on your character sheet. Later on, you will be able to assign additional points to these attributes, to personalize your character further. Second, the Template provides you with a number of background skills and abilities. They define what your character knows; a [Draconian] character, for example, knows the history, customs and language of his people. Record the skills and skill levels listed on the Template on your character sheet. Some Templates list advantages or disadvantages common to the species. All [Cats], for example, have Excellent [Balance]. Record any advantages or disadvantages on your character sheet.

Step Two: Overlays
After deciding upon a Template, choose an Overlay. The Overlay represents your character's profession. If the Template represents who you are, the Overlay represents what you do. It defines what your character has learned, rather than his innate abilities. You should choose the appropriate Overlay for your character's conception. The Overlay provides players with a list of skills necessary for the character to complete his duties; every doctor knows how to perform surgery; every officer at Conn knows how to pilot a starship. The first group of skills listed on the Overlay are the primary skills for that profession. Overlays are free; they do not cost Development Points.

What If I Get the Same Skill Twice?
Sometimes, you will get the same skill from two different sources during the Character Creation process, for example, an Overlay might provide a character with a skill he already received from his Template.

• If both sources provide the same skill with different Specializations at the same level, the character simply knows two Specializations.
• If both sources provide the same skill with different Specializations at different levels, the character takes the higher level skill, and knows two Specializations.
• If both sources provide the same skill with the same Specialization at the same level, the character adds one point either to his skill or to the Specialization.
• If both sources provide the same skill with the same Specialization at different levels, the character takes the higher skill level, and can then add one point to either his skill or to the Specialization.
• Skills without specializations (such as Dodge) simply add.

Step Three: Background
After putting together a Template and Overlay, you should have a solid basis for a good character. You know how strong or smart he is, and what he can do. Yet not all [Human Torchwood Agents] are the same; one might be stronger than another, or faster than another. One may have specialized in exobiology, while another is an expert on nuclear physics. Players can personalize their characters through the Background History process. At this stage, you get to go back and add additional traits to your character, determining what she learned as a child or at [school, or some for of training]. Every character has a past. When your character was a child, did he learn to play a musical instrument? While at [school], did he take particle physics as an elective course? Did he pick up any new abilities during his early years in [training]? The Background History allows you to customize your characters, while at the same time building a past for them. Traits chosen at a specific stage in a character's past represent events and developments that occurred at that particular time. If your character learned to play the piano as a child, you would purchase the Artistic Expression (Piano) skill during the Early Youth stage in her Background History. You should explain how your character's various background elements fit together. They should form a story of the character's life up to the point of entering play. For example, you might choose the Sworn Enemy and Vengeful disadvantages for your character. You and the Narrator might put these traits together by saying that the character's home planet was attacked by an enemy who killed thousands of inhabitants, but who was driven off. The character has sworn revenge on the enemy leader, who in turn has vowed to kill the character. If you want to select a character element not listed for a particular stage, you should work with the Narrator to come up with a credible explanation. A character who learned particle physics while still a child might be a prodigy, while someone who learned [military] protocol could have been obsessed with [joining the military]. The Background History is designed to help you explore these aspects of your character by tracing his growth from early age to a [successful, or not so successful] career. At each stage, you receive a number of Development Points with which to purchase better attributes and edges, new skills, additional skill levels and other character creation elements. You can choose to spend a number of Development Points on the attributes, edges, skills, advantages and disadvantages listed in the Universal Background List. The number of points you have to spend depends on particular stages in the character's past. All Development Points must be spent for each stage of the Background History process; they cannot be "saved" or "carried over" for later stages. Throughout this process, additional ideas and refinements may occur to you. This is natural, and you should follow these instincts; you might end up with a more interesting character. Whereas before you had the bare bones of a character, at this stage you make decisions that make you care about your character more, and make the character better fit your initial conception.

Background History Stages
Early Life History: The character receives 5 Development Points to spend during Early Life.
Education and Training: The Character receives 9 development points to spend during Education and Training.
Practical Experience: The Character receives 10 development points to spend during Practical Experience.

Development Point Costs
Attributes: 2 points
Edges: 1 point
Skill: 3 points
Specialization: 1 point
Advantages: Variable
Disadvantages: Variable

Background History Notes and Limitations
When spending Development Points, attributes cost 2 Development Points per attribute point; lowering your attribute from the starting value gives you 2 extra Development Points to spend per attribute point lowered.
Positive edges cost 1 Development Point for each point raised; negative edges give you 1 extra Development Point to spend per point lowered (to spend either on other edges or on attributes). (These costs include paying for the 0 level; for example, taking an edge from -1 to +1 costs 2 Development Points—one point to go from -1 to 0, and another point to go from 0 to +1.) Characters cannot make more than four changes to their edges during character development (not including changes from the character's Template). Each increase or decrease in an edge by a point counts as a "change." Thus, for example, raising a character's Dexterity and Vitality each by 1 counts as two changes, and decreasing that same character's Strength to -1 counts as a third change. That character can only make one more change to his edges during character development. (Characters can change their edges as much as they want after game play begins, provided the players get the Narrator's permission for all changes.) If as a result of choosing a Template or Overlay you make more than four changes to your edges, simply take the additional point and put it someplace else. Furthermore, characters who have Psi 0 are not allowed to lower their Range and Focus edges to gain extra Development Points. Each skill point costs 3 Development Points. The first Specialization in any skill is free; additional Specializations within skills cost 1 Development Point apiece. Improving an existing skill's level costs 3 Development Points per level; for example, improving from Dodge 2 to Dodge 3 costs 3 Development Points. A character may not start the game with a skill higher than 4 (5), except with the Narrator's permission. Advantages cost a-variable number of points, depending on the strength of the benefit, while disadvantages give a character more points to allocate, based on the severity of the flaw. These costs are listed [under each advantage or disadvantage]. Characters may only take a certain number of disadvantages at the start of the game. Typically, a character can have no more than eight points worth of disadvantages. Beginning Narrators may also want to restrict the number or degree of advantages that characters can start with, if only to keep the game balanced and fun for all players.

Step Four: Finishing Touches
By this point, you should have a well developed character, complete with attributes, skills, advantages, disadvantages and a fairly detailed background. In this final step, you calculate the few finishing touches needed prior to entering play, such as your character's starting Courage and Renown.

Courage Points
Each character receives 3 Courage Points, Courage can be spent to increase a character's chance to succeed at actions during dramatic situations, thus allowing characters to perform heroic feats in times of stress. Record
your Courage Points on your character sheet,

Renown
Renown is a measure of your character's fame or reputation. The higher your character's Renown, the more people have heard of him or his exploits. For example, a character with a low Renown might only be known to crewmen in the same deck of his Starship, while one with a high Renown has made a name for himself throughout the [Galaxy]. In addition to representing general fame or notoriety, Renown is divided into five Aspects: Initiative, Aggression, Skill, Discipline and Openness. Characters gain Renown in those individual Aspects; the total of these Aspects is the character's overall Renown. Starting characters begin play with 1 Renown, in any Aspect of your choosing. Aspect Renown can be positive or negative. A character with a -5 Skill Renown is known for his incompetence; a character with a +5 Skill Renown is just as widely known for her ability. When calculating a character's total Renown for any reason (such as Renown Tests), only the degree of Renown is considered, not whether it is positive or negative.

Renown Aspects
Initiative: Initiative covers risk-taking, experimentalism, boldness; and willingness to disobey others. Characters with high Initiative Renown are seen as mavericks or daredevils.

Aggression: Agression covers the willingness to resort to violence or the threat of violence to solve a problem. Characters with high Aggression Renown are seen as hotheads or warmongers. Negative Aggression Renown conveys a sense of pacifism

Skill: Skill covers personal skill, ability, competence, resourcefulness, and similar traits. It is not necessary actually to be particularly skilled to possess Renown for personal Skill; a consistently lucky character or a fraud might gain a high Skill Renown.

Discipline: Discipline covers the character's conformity to and consideration for the larger group, and for its rules and restrictions. Repeatedly violating orders for selfish personal gain is usually perceived as negative Discipline, although if such violation results in a success for others or for the group, negative Discipline can be
tied to positive Initiative.

Openness: Openness is the willingness to consider and adapt to tie views of others, to invite external input, and to be influenced by foreign influence. Negative Openness Renown connotes xenophobia, chauvinism, or cultural conservatism.

Wound Levels
Every character can resist a number of points of damage equal to their Fitness + Vitality. This is called the character's Resistance. Additionally, every character has seven Wound Levels to describe the effects of damage (usually as a result of combat). At each level, a character can take damage equal to their resistance. Calculate your Wound Levels and write them on your character sheet in the space provided.

Advanced Character Creation
The Character creation rules presented above are sufficient to create virtually any type of Doctor Who RPG character. When you become more comfortable with the rules, or if you are an experienced role-player, going through all the character creation steps described above may not be necessary. Instead, you can simply take a certain amount of Development Points (the number depends upon how effective and capable you want starting characters to be) and spend them. For starting characters similar to characters built with the Basic Character Creation Process, allocate 125 points among the Attributes, Edges, Skills, advantages and disadvantages you desire for your character. Just make sure you figure out when the various advancements or changes in the character's life took place.


Excerpted from the Star Trek: The Next Generation Roleplaying Game by Last Unicorn Games and modified by Noah Soudrette.

Glossary of Terms

The following game terms appear throughout the [Doctor Who] Roleplaying Game.

Action: Almost anything a character does can be described by an action. Making an attack, dodging a blow, and using a Skill are all actions. Actions are divided into Immediate Actions, which take no time in combat (for example, dropping a weapon), and Timed Actions (actions which take time in combat and must be declared; for example, making or dodging an attack).

Advantage: A special ability, benefit, or advantage which a character possesses. Examples include having a Contact in [a planetary government], being especially adept at Engineering tasks, or having a particularly acute sense. Advantages cost a number of Development Points equal to their value; for example, a +2 Advantage costs 2 Development Points.

Attribute: A character’s innate capabilities, such as his agility or intelligence. There are five attributes: Fitness,
Coordination, Intellect, Presence, and Psi. Attributes range in value from 1 to 5 (and, rarely, higher).

Attribute Test: A Test (q.v.) made using only an attribute (no skill is involved).

c: The scientific notation for the speed of light. For example, a starship moving at .25c moves at one quarter light-speed.

Combined Test: A Test made by several characters working together. The best Test Result acts as a base, and each additional successful result adds +1 to it; failures may subtract from the total or delay completion of the task.

Courage Points: Courage represents a character’s bravery, ingenuity, and fortitude in the face of adversity. Characters use Courage Points to improve rolls and increase Test Results. A character’s overall Courage Point total is sometimes referred to as his Courage Pool.

d6: A six-sided die. Six-sided dice are used to make all Tests in the [Doctor Who] Roleplaying Game.
Development Points: Points which characters use to buy Attributes, Edges, and Advantages. Characters receive a certain number of Development Points at each stage of their Background History.

Difficulty: How easy or hard it is to accomplish a task. Each task is given a Difficulty (or Difficulty Number) indicating how hard it is—the higher the number, the harder the task. Difficulty Numbers are organized into categories (from lowest to highest, Routine [3-5], Moderate [6-8], Challenging [9-11], Difficult [12-14], and Nearly Impossible [15+]). When trying to accomplish a task, a character rolls a Test (q.v.); if his Test Result equals or exceeds the Difficulty, he succeeds.

Disadvantage: A limitation, hindrance, or other problem which afflicts a character. Examples include having a
Sworn Enemy, being Physically Impaired (for example, blind), or hiding one’s emotions.

Drama Die: When a player rolls a Test, one of the dice he rolls is a different color. This die is called the Drama Die. If the Drama Die rolls a 6, it indicates a great degree of success; if it rolls a 1, it may indicate a great failure.

Dramatic Failure: A failed Test which is 6 or more below the Difficulty Number (for example, a Test Result of 5 when the Difficulty is 12). This indicates a grievous failure which may have terrible consequences for the character.

Dramatic Success: A successful Test which is 6 or more above the Difficulty Number (for example, a Test Result of 12 when the Difficulty is 5). This indicates an amazing success which may have especially beneficial results for the character.

Edge: Aspects of attributes which represent a character’s particular level of talent (or lack of talent) with some
functions of an attribute. For example, the edges associated with Intellect are Perception and Logic. Edges range in value from +2 to -2, and act as modifiers to related Tests.

Extended Test: A Test which requires an extensive amount of time, or which is broken up into segments so that the Narrator can gauge the character’s progress by requiring multiple Skill Tests.

Initiative: Determines who goes first in combat or similar situations. Characters must make Initiative Tests based on the Skill they are about to use, modified by their Reaction edge.

Level: A character’s level of ability in a skill or attribute. For
example, a character who buys a skill has a level of 1 in
that skill; as his ability improves, the level increases to 2,
3, 4, and so on.

Opposed Test: A Test (q.v.) which another character opposes
or resists. For example, a character who uses his Stealth
skill to sneak past a guard will engage in an Opposed Test
with the guard, who uses his Search skill in an attempt to
locate the character. The character who rolls the highest
Test Result in an Opposed Test wins the Test.

Overlay: A character creation tool which represents the character’s
profession, such as Engineer or Doctor. Each
Overlay includes the basic skills and other abilities needed
to perform the profession.

Renown: Renown measures how well known a character is.
Renown has five Aspects (Initiative, Aggression, Skill,
Discipline, and Openness), and can be positive or negative.
Each character starts the game with 1 point of
Renown in one Aspect (player’s choice).

Resistance: A character’s ability to withstand damage.
Resistance equals a character’s (Fitness + Vitality). If the
character wears armor or other protection, it will add to
his Resistance.

Result: Test Result. See Test.

Round: A measure of time in combat, equal to five seconds.

Skill: A character’s learned abilities, aptitudes, and knowledges.
Examples include the ability to fire energy
weapons, the ability to diagnose illness and perform surgery,
and the ability to operate [a] ship’s sensors. Skills range
in value from 1 to 5 (and, rarely, higher). Most skills have
specializations (q.v.).

Skill Test: A Test (q.v.) in which a character rolls a number of
dice equal to the attribute upon which a skill is based, and
adds the highest result on any die to his skill level. If the
total equals or exceeds the Difficulty Number for the task,
the character succeeds.

Specialization: Areas of particular expertise and ability within
a skill. Many skills require a character to specialize, since
they are so broad that few characters will ever learn all
aspects of the skill in depth.

Template: A character creation tool which represents the character’s
race or species, such as Human or [Time Lord]. Each
Template includes the basic attributes and other abilities
common to an average member of the race.

Test: Tests are dice rolls used to determine whether a character
succeeds with a particular action. Most Tests are based
on a skill + an attribute, but there are also Tests based
solely on an attribute. Typically, the highest die rolled in a
Test is added to the relevant skill level; if that total, or Test
Result, equals or exceeds the Difficulty of a task, the character
succeeds.

Test Modifier: Circumstances which modify a Test. These
include edges, poor visibility, using the off hand, being
wounded, or trying to perform tasks in zero gravity.

Wound Level: An indication of a character’s current injury status.
There are seven Wound Levels: Healthy, Stunned,
Injured, Wounded, Incapacitated, Near Death, and Killed.
A character can withstand a number of points of damage
equal to his Resistance per Wound Level; when he takes
more damage than that, he drops to the next level.

Exerpted from the Star Trek Deep Space Nine Roleplaying Game

Whifferdill Species Template

Whifferdills are a race of a shape-changers. Their natural form is humanoid, pale yellow in color, three to four feet in height, with a round, featureless head. Whifferdills lack stable DNA and have total control over their physical shape. They're often hungry and are driven by quick metabolic rates. Whillerdills can change their size and become anything from a full grown Slitheen, to a bowl of soup complete with soup and bread. Whifferdills can assume liquid states hot enough to generate steam. They can also morph individual limbs or form holes in their bodies. Whifferdills can be killed by electricity which turns them into sludge. However, they can withstand something powerful, like an ultrasonic disruptor.

Attributes

Monoid Species Template

Monoids are one eyed, mute humanoids who look seemingly identical to one another. Though the Monoids are mute they use electronic voice modulators to speak. They use numerical emblems to distinguish between each other.

Attributes

Homo Superior Species Template

Homo Superior is the next stage in human evolution. At some point between childhood and late adolescence, some human children with the Homo Superior mutation experience a a process referred to as "breaking out". This is when the psychic powers of Homo Superior mature enough to be come active. All members of the Homo Superior race develop three psychic abilities. These abilities are telepathy, telekinesis, and jaunting (which is technologically aided teleportation). Homo Superior is physically incapable of deliberate killing. This inability is commonly referred to as the "prime barrier". Most Homo Superiors live in seclusion or hide their powers from normal humans, fearing the negative backlash that might come down on them if they are found out to be different, or that their abilities might be exploited for military purposes. Because of this, many Homo Superiors form small circles or groups made up of their own kind. This provides a circle of supprt and protection.

Attributes
Fitness 2 [5]
Coordination 2 [5]
Intellect 2 [5]
- Logic +1
Presence 2 [5]
- Willpower +1
Psi 1 [5]
- Range +1

Skills
Artistic Expression (choose specialization) 1 (2)
Athletics (choose specialization) 2 (3)
Culture (Human) 2 (3)
History (Human) 1 (2)
Jaunt 1
Language, Any 2
Projective Telepathy 1
Receptive Telepathy 1
Telekenesis 1
World Knowledge (Earth or other homeworld) 1 (2)

Advantages/Disadvantages
2 extra Courage Points
Pacifism -3

Submitted by Noah Soudrette

Uvodni Species Template

The Uvodni are a race of humanoid insects. Their homeworld is located thirty four thousand light years away from Earth in the spiral cluster of the Dragon Nebula. The Uvodni were part of a planetary alliance that fought the Malakh in the Ghost Wars of the Horsehead Nebula. The Uvodni are a proud species and continued to fight the Malakh long after their allies in the planetary alliance had fallen. They were eventually victorious. The single lens compound eye of the Uvodni give them a much larger field of vision than that of a human, without sacrificing sharpness. They believe in honor and the undoing a wrong (if serious enough) by offering up their lives.

Attributes
Fitness 3 [5]
- Vitality +1
Coordination 2 [5]
Intellect 2 [5]
Presence 2 [5]
Psi 0 [5]

Skills
Culture (Uvodni) 2 (3)
History (Uvodni) 1 (2)
Language
- Uvodni 2
Science, Any (choose specialization) 1 (2)
World Knowledge (Uvodni) 1 (2)

Advantages/Disadvantages
Excellent Sight +2

Muragaru Species Template

Attributes
Fitness 4 [6]
- Vitality +2
Coordination 3 [5]
- Reaction +1
Intellect 5 [6]
- Logic +1
Presence 3 [5]
- Empathy +1
Psi 0 [0]

Skills
Artistic Expression (choose specialization) 1 (2)
Culture (Muragaru) 2 (3)
History (Muragaru) 1 (2)
Language
- Muragaru 2
Science, Any (choose two specializations) 2 (3) (3)
World Knowledge (Muragaru Swarm) 1 (2)

Advantages/Disadvantages
Ambidexterity +2
Eidetic Memory +3
Night Vision +2
Sexy +2
Code of Honor (Muragaru Code) -2
Pacifism -3
Poor Chemoreception -1
Slow Healing -2

Submitted by Noah Soudrette