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1616
1717 [...]
1818
19 ## Creating a Character
20
21 1. **Choose a [](#background).** Your [](#background) will give you dice that you can use in subsequent steps: in particular, it tells you the dice you can use for your **Stats**, your **Traits**, and your **Relationships**.
22
23 2. **Select your Stats.** Your Background specified a number of _stat dice_: take these and divide them up among your four **Stats**. The minimum value for a stat is 2d6, and there is no maximum beyond what your stat dice allow.
24
25 Your four stats are **Body**, **Mind**, **Soft**, and **Hard**.
26
27 3. **Decide on your [](#trait)s.** Your Background specified a number of _trait dice_: divide these up to give your character **Traits**. A **Trait** is a phrase or sentence that describes a feature of character's personality, acumen, or history that is interesting to your character's story. Assigning dice to a trait means that you think that the trait in question is important in a way that will affect the outcome of a conflict.
28
29 As a player, you have a lot of leeway in how to frame your traits. For example, you might want to phrase them:
30
31 - as a statment about your character's history: "I flew at the battle of Altera Prime."
32 - as a straightforward fact about your character: "I am a talented pilot."
33 - as a skill your character has: "Flying."
34 - as an attitude your character has: "I'm comfortable in a cockpit."
35
36 Assign each **trait** at least one die. You can assign more than one die to a trait, but each trait must have a consistent die size: you can assign *2d6* to a trait, but you can't assign *1d4 1d6* to a trait.
37
38 4. **Decide on a few of your [](#relationship)s.** Your Background specified a number of _relationship dice_: use a few of these to give your character **Relationships**. A **Relationship** represents your character's relationship and history with another person and how important that history is to your character's story, but doesn't necessarily need to reflect your character's feelings or a breadth of history. You can, for example, assign *1d4* to your character's spouse and *2d8* to a stranger whom your character met in Adullar Station: this doesn't mean that your character loves the stranger more than their spouse, but it does mean that you think the stranger is more interesting to your character's story.
19 ## Characters
20
21 A character in _The Emissaries of Guenašk_ is described by four broad things:
22
23 - The character's general adeptness and skill, as represented by the character's [](#stats)s.
24 - The character's specific areas of skill or experience, as represented by the character's [](#traits)s.
25 - The character's history and interactions with people, groups, or organizations, as represented by the character's [](#relationships)s.
26 - The character's belongings and tools, as represented by the character's [](#objects)s.
27
28 Each of these is represented in the game by a rating in dice, written like _3d6_. The number before the _d_ represents how _many_ dice, and the number after represents _how many sides_ those dice have, so _3d6_ means three six-sided dice. This game uses four kinds of dice: the _d4_, the _d6_, the _d8_, and the _d10_. Some things in the game might tell you to "go up a die size": this means you'd increase a _d4_ to a _d6_, a _d6_ to a _d8_, or a _d8_ to a _d10_. There's no way to increase the die size of a d10.
29
30 ### Creating a Character
31
32 To create a character, follow the following steps:
33
34 1. **Choose a [](#backgrounds).** Your [](#backgrounds) will give you dice that you can use in subsequent steps: in particular, it tells you the dice you can use for your [](#stats)s, your [](#traits)s, and your [](#relationships)s.
35
36 2. **Select your [](#stats)s.** Your [](#backgrounds) specified a number of _stat dice_: take these and divide them up among your four [](#stats)S. The minimum value for a stat is 2d6, and there is no maximum beyond what your stat dice allow.
37
38 Your four stats are **Body**, **Mind**, **Soft**, and **Hard**. Your **Body** stat indicates your physical prowess, which might be strength, agility, flexibility, dexterity, or endurance. Your **Mind** stat indicates your mental or spiritual prowess, which might be knowledge, knack, wisdom, or empathy. Your **Soft** stat indicates how well you work in non-confrontational situations or situations without direct pressure. Your **Hard** stat indicates how well you do in confrontational situations or situations with active and observable pressure.
39
40 3. **Decide on your [](#traits)s.** Your [](#backgrounds) specified a number of _trait dice_: divide these up to give your character [](#traits)s. A [](#traits) is a phrase or sentence that describes a feature of character's personality, acumen, or history that is interesting to your character's story. Assigning dice to a trait means that you think that the trait in question is important in a way that will affect the outcome of a conflict, which means that not every feature of your character needs to have a trait! You can, for example, decide that your characters is very talkative, but not assign trait dice to them being talkative: that just means that your character being talkative doesn't have any bearing on how their conflicts turn out.
41
42 Assign each [](#traits) at least one die. You can assign more than one die to a trait, but each trait must have a consistent die size: you can assign *2d6* to a trait, but you can't assign *1d4 1d6* to a trait.
43
44 4. **Decide on a few of your [](#relationships)s.** Your Background specified a number of _relationship dice_: use a few of these to give your character [](#relationships)s. A [](#relationships) represents your character's relationship and history with another person or group of people. This can be a personal relationship (e.g. a family member, a spouse, a friend), a professional relationship (e.g. a ranking or fellow Guenaški, a planetary official you regularly interact with, a scientist you send samples to), or just indicental (e.g. the salesdroid down at the noodle shop that your character frequents), although the relationship should probably be one you find interesting. You can also choose groups, whether it be small ones (e.g. the two bounty hunters employed by Mx. Yenn), medium-sized ones (e.g. the Chaksku crime family), or even very large ones (e.g. the entire Outer Worlds Coalition). A good idea is to have a relationship with the _Guenaški Order_ itself!
3945
4046 Unlike with your _trait dice_, your _relationship dice_ don't need to be—and shouldn't be!—all assigned at the beginning. Keep some unassigned and then choose to assign them as events progress.
4147
4248 Additionally, if you have or come across members of your character's family, you can give your character a _1d6_ relationship die with them for free, without having to assign it from your pool of relationship dice. If you want your character to have a relationship with that person other than _1d6_, then you can still assign them dice out of your pool, but if you don't want to, you always have the option of letting that relationship be a _1d6_, both at character creation and in play.
4349
44 5. **Decide on a few of your Belongings.** The Guenašk order tends to give you the necessary equipment and the exigencies of your situation don't allow you to amass much of a fortune or a large set of belongings, but you do have some objects. All operatives will have at least a high-quality data-pad (2d6) and their Lun (2d6). If you can come up with another few objects that are important to you—and that you could easily keep in a small starship—you can also list them and assign them dice.
45
46 Be sure to specify any important details of your Lun, including the color of its plasma disc and the material and shape of its handle. Each Emissary builds their own Lun out of materials from their home planet, so each Lun is unique. Unless you have a good reason to argue otherwise, your Lun should be a 2d6 item, as it's a small but excellent item.
50 5. **Decide on a few [](#objects)s you might own.** The Guenašk order tends to give you the necessary equipment, and the exigencies of your situation don't allow you to amass much of a fortune or a large set of belongings, but you do have _some_ [](#objects)s. All Guenaški operatives will have at least a _high-quality data-pad 2d6_ and a _Lun 2d6_, the signature Guenaški tool and weapon. If you can come up with another few objects that are important to you—and that you could easily keep in a small starship—you can also list them and assign them dice. Notice that, unlike with the other categories that are dictated by your background, you don't actually have a specific number of dice to assign to [](#objects)s: you can propose as many as you want, up to the GM's approval, but try not to exceed four or five items to start.
51
52 When you assign dice for an [](#objects), use the following criteria:
53
54 - If it's an average item, _1d6_.
55 - If it's an _excellent_ item, _2d6_.
56 - If it's _big_ for what it is, then _1d8_.
57 - If it's _both big and excellent_, then _2d8_.
58 - If it's bad, no matter how big it is, then _1d4_.
59
60 A rule of thumb here is that you should consider something to be excellent or big only if someone, upon seeing the object, would notice or remark on it. If they'd see it and think, "That's a really high-quality repair kit," then it'd be excellent; similarly, if they'd see it and think, "That's a huge veq-knife," then it's big.
61
62 Your _Lun_ is a handle-shaped object which is held in one hand, and has a small fingerprint-keyed pressure switch which activates a arc of shining and dangerous plasma that emanates in a half-circle from the two sides of the handle. Be sure to specify any important details of your Lun, including the color of its plasma disc and the material and shape of its handle. Each Emissary builds their own Lun out of materials from their home planet, so each Lun is unique. Unless you have a good reason to argue otherwise, your Lun should be a 2d6 item, as it's a small but excellent item.
4763
4864 6. **Decide on an Accomplishment you hope your character had while at the Guenaški Academy.** You don't yet know if your character _actually_ succeeded at their Accomplishment, as that will depend on a short section of play to be explored in a minute, but you have reasonably free reign, subject to the approval of both your GM and your fellow Operatives, to decide on an Accompliment that you think is interesting. It might be a specific event that happened during their time at the Academy: "I hope that my character bested their instructor in the Utebna Belt Starskiff-race," or, "I hope that my character rescued and healed a wounded Tanga-bird on Rakhmus Alpha." It might also be a broader statement about how you grew as a Guenaški: "I hope that I learned restraint," or, "I hope that I won honor in the eyes of the instructors."
4965
5066 After you've done this, you and your GM can [...]
67
68 ### Backgrounds
69
70 There are five backgrounds to choose from. Each one will give you the raw materials to build your character: a collection of dice that you can move around and reassign as you see fit. These backgrounds differ both in how many dice you get in each category as well as the size of the dice they supply. A good intuition for understanding the tradeoffs contained in the different backgrounds is that *stat dice* can always come into play, but *trait dice* and *relationship dice* come into play based on specific situations: if you have specific ideas in mind for where you want your story to go (e.g. specific allies or nemeses you'd like to see, specific parts of your past you'd like to incorporate, specific skills or abilities that you want to see in play) then try to express those in dice.
71
72 Additionally, lower [](#traits) dice don't imply that your character's trait is bad, and lower [](#relationships) dice don't imply that your character's relationship is sour or spiteful. Low dice instead mean that *those things complicate your character's life*. If I give my character a [](#traits) that says _I'm a spectacular pilot 1d4_, then my character is still a spectacular pilot, but things will likely get messy when they get into a cockpit. If I give my character a [](#relationships) with _my husband 2d4_, that doesn't mean that my character's relationship with their husband is bad, or that there's any kind of ill will in that relationship: rather, when my character's husband is involved in conflicts, things will likely be messier.
73
74 The backgrounds are the following:
75
76 #### Well-Rounded
77
78 Choose this background if you'd like a balanced character, without wanting to focus too much on any specific part of your character's past. If you want a *well-rounded* character, then use the following to build your character:
79
80 - **17d6** to divide among your stats.
81 - **1d4 4d8 2d8** to divide among your [](#traits)s.
82 - **4d6 2d8** to divide among your [](#relationships)s.
83
84 #### Strong History
85
86 Choose this background if you'd like a character with a lot of education, specialized training, or experiences. This background gives you lots of trait dice, but fewer stat dice. If you want a character with a *strong history*, then use the following to build your character:
87
88 - **13d6** to divide among your stats.
89 - **3d6 4d8 3d10** to divide among your [](#traits)s.
90 - **1d4 3d6 2d8** to divide among your [](#relationships)s.
91
92 #### Complicated History
93
94 Choose this background if you'd like a character who has overcome a troubled, dangerous, or challenging past to get to where they are now. This background gives you a wide range of trait dice to reflect varying past experience. If you want a character with a *complicated history*, then use the following to build your character:
95
96 - **15d6** to divide among your stats.
97 - **4d4 2d6 2d10** to divide among your [](#traits)s.
98 - **5d6 2d8** to divide among your [](#relationships)s.
99
100 #### Strong Community
101
102 Choose this background if you'd like a character who came from a supportive or tight-knit family or community that has affected your character's life. This background gives you fewer stat dice, but lots of relationship dice that can help bring important people to you into the game. If you want a character with a *strong community*, then use the following to build your character:
103
104 - **13d6** to divide among your stats.
105 - **1d4 3d6 2d8** to divide among your [](#traits)s.
106 - **4d6 4d8 3d10** to divide among your [](#relationships)s.
107
108 #### Complicated Community
109
110 Choose this background if you'd like a character who came from a broken, in-crisis, or destructive family or community that has affected your character's life. This background gives you a wide range of relationship dice to reflect the complicated and messy relationships your character has with people. If you want a character with a *complicated community*, then use the following to build your character:
111
112 - **15d6** to divide among your stats.
113 - **6d6 2d8** to divide among your [](#traits)s.
114 - **4d4 2d6 2d8 2d10** to divide among your [](#relationships)s.
115
116 ### Traits
117
118 As a player, you have a lot of leeway in how to frame your traits. For example, you might want to phrase them:
119
120 - as a statment about your character's history: "I flew at the battle of Altera Prime."
121 - as a straightforward fact about your character: "I am a talented pilot."
122 - as a skill your character has: "Flying."
123 - as an attitude your character has: "I'm comfortable in a cockpit."
124
125 ### Objects
126
127 blah
128
129 ### Relationships
130
131 blah
51132
52133 ## Conflicts
53134
119200 And then anyone affected by that raise will see.
120201
121202 > You have to see an 11, so you put forward your 7 and your other 4. "It's not a choice between stealing from the Ayihuatar and feeding our hometown. There are other ways of making money, even if they're not quite so easy and lucrative." You put forward your remaining dice: two 1's. "Look, just bring the egg back now, and I'll make sure the Ayihuatar accept it back and don't send worse people than me after you."
122
203 >
123204 > Captain Thoss sees with his 6, which reverses the blow. "That's a threat, and a toothless one at that. How soft you've gone since you joined these wackos." Because he reversed the blow, he can use it for his next raise; he adds 1 to it. "Go back to your temples, for whatever good it does anyone."
124
205 >
125206 > So now you have only 1 left. You can't see, so Captain Thoss wins the stakes: they beam you back to the Guenaški ship, dejected, and they continue on, sell the egg, and make trillions of credits.
126207
127208 But that's not a great way to end the conflict. Let's see what happens if it escalated instead.
128209
129210 > "Go back to your temples, for whatever good it does anyone."
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211 >
131212 > You shake your head. "I had hoped you'd listen to reason." You dash away from the table and grab the egg.
132213
133214 Now that the approach has changed, you need to roll new dice. You've moved from arguing to chasing: because it's physical but not harmful, it's an unopposed physical conflict, which means you need your Body plus Soft.
134215
135216 > Let's say your Body plus Soft is 7d6. You roll: 1 3 4 5 5 5 6. Let's also say you have the trait _cybernetic leg enhancements 1d8_, so you roll that d8 as soon as you dash forward, as well. You roll a 4 on that, and you still have a 1 left over from before.
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217 >
137218 > So you see the 7 from before with a 4 and a 3, and put forward 5 and 5 to raise.
138219
139220 Others can decide if they want to escalate independently.
140221
141222 > Captain Thoss leaps to his feet. He's not just gonna give up: he's going to chase you. He rolls his Body plus Soft: 1 1 2 2 2 5. He's got no relevant traits, and two 1's leftover from before.
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223 >
143224 > He has to see your 10: he uses a 5, two 2's, and a 1, which means he's taking the blow. He tries to leap after you as you grab the egg, but one of the crates is in the way and he stumbles against it. Because both Body and Hard are in play, he takes 3 fallout.
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225 >
145226 > All he has left now is a 2 and some 1's, and you have much better dice remaining. He grabs his comm and tells his ship AI to let you go as he staggers up from the pile of plasteel chests.
146227
147228 You don't need to wait until the last moment to escalate: you can escalate as soon as you'd like. However, you can only roll any given stat once per conflict. If you wanted to fight the Captain directly, you could switch to an opposed physical conflict, which would normally have you roll Body plus Hard, but you've already rolled Hard when you were just talking, and Body when you were running, so if a fight broke out, then neither character in the example would get more dice.
149230 However, switching to fighting would let characters bring weapons into play, which are objects that would give them more trait dice. Let's see how that would go, starting from when you left the table.
150231
151232 > All he has left now is a 2 and some 1's, and you have much better dice remaining. He grabs his blaster and takes aim. "I didn't want it to come to this, sister," he says.
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233 >
153234 > If he hadn't rolled Body or Hard already, he would now. He's rolled both, so those don't come into play. He does roll dice for the blaster: 1d4 plus 1d8. He rolls a 3 and a 7. He also has a trait: _the best sharpshooter in this sector 2d6_, so he adds those as well: a 3 and a 4.
154
235 >
155236 > He could raise with a 7 and 4, and since your highest are a 6 and a 4, that would force you to take the blow. He doesn't want you to get too hurt, and at this point, you'd be taking 4 fallout (1 for Body, 1 for Hard, and 1 for the blaster). He wants the egg back, sure, but you're still his sister. He puts forward a 3 and a 4.
156
237 >
157238 > You have another trait on your sheet: _disarming enemies 2d8_. You twist around and knock the barrel of the blaster, so Captain Thoss shoots the wall, which lets you roll those dice: a 3 and an 8. You see with 6 and 1, and then raise with 8 and 4 as you wrestle the weapon out of your brother's hands. The Captain sees with 7, 3, and 2, taking the blow (and 4 fallout in the process.) With those dice, he can't win, so he drops the blaster and slumps back into the heap of nutristicks that have spilled out of the plasteel crates.
158239
159240 ### Variations on Conflict
160241
161 There are obvious ways that this conflict structure applies to combat, but there are other ways of approaching it, as well. Consider some of the following:
162
163 - A tense political stand-off as you negotiate peace between two warring planets: do you broker peace. Raises on both sides might include political concessions, rhetorical flourishes, or clandestine operations for informational or positional advantage.
242 There are obvious ways that this conflict structure applies to combat, with raising and seeing treated as attacks and defenses, but there are other ways of applying it to non-combat situations, as well. Consider some of the following:
243
244 - A tense political stand-off as you negotiate peace between two warring planets: do you broker peace? Raises on both sides might include political concessions, rhetorical flourishes, or clandestine operations for informational or positional advantage.
164245 - A valka-beast jumps towards you in midair: do you jump in time? All raises and sees must happens in the split-seconds between noticing and moving. Raises on your side might include tensing of your muscles, pinpointing the beast's exact path, fear of what happens if you fail to move, remembering having seen this animal in a zoo on your homeworld. Raises on the valka-beast's side might include the thick jungle around you, the light flickering in your eyes, the distracting pounding in your chest, and the confounding patterns on its skin.
165246 - The thief has gone to ground in the Dan Kurbala arcology: do you track them down? The raises and sees might happen over the course of months: you raise with clues, informants, chases through the marketplace, happenstance meetings in line for noodles. The thief raises with payoffs, passageways, disguises, unsavory friends, and patience.
166247 - Emissary Uru is suspended in a tank of biofluid as she fights for her life: do you save her from the bioweapon? Your raises might include advanced technology, critical research, under-the-wire experiments, or flashbacks to past experiences with the bioweapon. Your opponent here is the threat that Emissary Uru might die, which means its threats are more amorphous: its raises might include unexplained symptoms, mechanical failure, lack of good help on your ship, or the ticking of the clock.