Quick 'n dirty and alternative methods of Character Generation

The Character Generation system is basically designed around players generating their own characters to use in the game. It can also be used by referees to create interesting NPCs for their games.

But there are short cut methods for Referees to create NPC stats and skills, or pre-generated characters for players especially crafted for the referee's specific adventures, with the skills that they are going to need. They can also help players create characters that fit a specific idea they have for a character they want to play.

It terms of characteristics, referees can roll these randomly or assign the values that they want instead. If you want a character that is a muscle-bound monster start by giving them Strength C and take it from there. If you want a genius professor character give them at least Intelligence A and Education C+ and roll or assign other characteristics. Want some sort of slave, give them a Social Status of 2. Want a noble, give them Social Status of C+.

Next off there is skills. As a rule of thumb in full character generation a character will get a skill roll for every Term of service plus one for their first term, a number of skills corresponding to their rank, and any appropriate default skills. So if a character had a career in the Army, served 3 Terms and achieved the Rank of Captain (Rank 2) they will have 6 Skill Rolls (3+2 plus 1 for first term) plus default skills. From there on in either just choose the skills that you want or roll for them as you prefer.

Remember a character can only get a Rank level in at the quickest one Term less than the Rank Level itself. So a Merchant Captain (Rank 6) will have at a minimum of 5 terms.

If you want a specific type of character, such as a Ship's Navigator or Ship's Engineer, start by assigning them that skill and taking it from there.

Skill Rolls = Terms served+ Rank number+1 (+Default Skills)

The exception to this are Careers with no Ranks. They under most rules get 2 Skills per term instead.

Note that normally a skill roll will translate into a skill, but the Personal Advancement Tables also include enhanced characteristics instead (eg. Strength +1) so not every skill roll will always give a skill.

If you are creating a character cooperatively with a player you obviously have to balance the player's natural desire to get the best characteristics and as many skills as they can. One method is to let them make 6 rolls and assign them to whatever characteristic they want. If they want to increase one characteristic further make them reduce another. The career path taken, the number of terms that they have served and ranks agreed can be agreed or rolled for in the normal way, and similarly for skills.

If a player really has a strong desire to be a Computer Hacker type character and the referee is ok with that you can work cooperatively on that. They maybe want high Intelligence and Education stats but are willing to sacrifice physical skills and Social Status to get it. They will have to choose a career that offers Computer skill, but after that let them chose a few levels of Computer skill, and agree to roll for the rest.

At the end of the day the Character Generation system is just one part of the Traveller toolbox, and Traveller is a game to be enjoyed. Use it where it is useful, but as a referee adapt it how you like to give you the game that you want.

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Example (Classic Traveller)

I have decided I want a quick NPC who is a young Naval Officer who is a Navigator.

Getting commissioned and promoted in the Navy is hard, and usually takes a good Social Status and Navigation is an Advanced Skill needing Education 8+, so I am going to set Education at 8 and Social Status at 9.

Otherwise the dice can just determine the rest of the stats. So I roll, and with my pre-determined stats get this:

586789

I've decided that they will be a Navy Ensign (Rank 1). I have decided he has 3 Terms (12 years) of experience in the Navy. So they will be 30 years old (18+4+4+4),

So for Skill Rolls I add 3 (Terms) + (Rank) 1 + 1 (for two skills in first term) = 5 Skill Rolls.

I want Navigation -1 to be one skill. The other 4 I roll or decide. I choose Vacc Suit, Blade Combat, Electronic and a roll on the Personal Development table that got them Endurance +1.

There are no default skills for a Navy Ensign (only Navy Captains and Admirals).

I am not interested in their money or benefits for this NPC so ignore it. Ageing rolls only start at 34 so don't have to be considered.

So my NPC looks like this:

Navy Ensign     587789     Age 30

Navigation-1, Vacc Suit-1, Blade Combat-1, Electronic-1