Creating a character #

Tell me — what brings you out this way, spacefarer? What makes you tick? We’re going to spend an awful lot of time together — you, me, all of your friends, some of your enemies — so we might as well get to know each other, don’t you think?

To create a character, first choose a background and homeworld, fill in your personal details, and choose your starting equipment. Second, collaborate with your fellow crew members to build the relationships between your characters.

Backgrounds #

Before you were a beginning necromancer, you lived another life, developed other skills, and had other relationships. Roll 1d10 or choose from the following backgrounds, and then roll 1d6 or choose again to determine a specific goal that you were pursuing when you were offered the chance for eternal life.

Criminal #

You’re motivated by loyalty and greed. You were going to:

1. Deliver a shipment of stolen goods
2. Collect protection payments
3. Run a gambling ring
4. Pick up a shipment of illegal drugs
5. Train new recruits
6. Break some kneecaps

Starting gear

3d6x100 credits, disassembly ray, secure enclave, vacuum suit w/ therm-optic camouflage

Diplomat #

You’ve made a career of representing your society throughout the system. You were on your way to:

1. Negotiate a treaty between regional powers
2. Review the terms of a trade agreement
3. Deliver a gift to an allied power
4. Exchange prisoners with a rival power
5. Speak at a diplomatic summit
6. Visit an ambassador

Starting gear

3d6x100 credits, defense shield, plasma knife, universal translator

Junker #

There’s plenty of claims to be had for an enterprising salvager. You were planning to:

1. Harvest cocoons from bio-engineered silkworms
2. Reclaim fuel cells from a dormant terraforming facility
3. Retrieve a lost cache of anti-venom
4. Strip parts from exosuits left on an old battlefield
5. Extract blackrock from an abandoned mine
6. Recover the neural network from a derelict cargo vessel

Starting gear

3d6x100 credits, hazard suit, inertial blaster, matter condenser

Mercenary #

You risk your life in exchange for money. You were contracted to:

1. Quell a rebellion in a newly established community
2. Provide security for a very important person
3. Train the troops of a developing nation
4. Protect a mining expedition from dangerous threats
5. Provide humanitarian assistance after a natural disaster
6. Enforce a cease-fire between two hostile forces

Starting gear

3d6x100 credits, inertial armor, nanochems x6, proton rifle

Merchant #

You seize every opportunity to make money by buying and selling goods. You were trying to:

1. Buy a swarm of used nanobots
2. Sell a pair of overly chatty, refurbished construction robots
3. Deliver a load of fuel to a stranded spacecraft
4. Sell food and water to a recently established community
5. Deliver medicine to treat a deadly pandemic
6. Buy a crate of semi-legal weapons

Starting gear

3d6x100 credits, matter condenser, defense shield, plasma knife

Miner #

Your skills are in demand throughout the Alfajiri system. You had a job to extract:

1. Blackrock from the fossilized juggernauts of Kivuli
2. Hematite from the Red Mountains of Jangwa
3. Fruiting bodies in the mycelial belt
4. Titanium to build spaceships in the asteroid belt
5. Ice to produce fresh water on Barafu
6. Hydrocarbons on Malaika

Starting gear

3d6x100 credits, geoscanner, hazard suit, mining tool

Pilgrim #

There is nothing more important to you than your faith. You were on your way to:

1. Contemplate your sorrow at the Crimson Monoliths
2. Inhale the divine spores of the Mycelial Belt
3. Circumambulate the Tower of Eyes
4. Have your code blessed at the Temple of the Great Architect
5. Bathe in the sulfurous waters of the Black Springs
6. Attend the recitation of the Stellar Sutras

Starting gear

3d6x100 credits, article of faith, vacuum suit, plasma knife

Scientist #

You are motivated by solving problems and gaining knowledge. You were attempting to:

1. Research a new species
2. Lead an engineering project
3. Develop a biological enhancement
4. Translate a new language
5. Test a nanotech device
6. Investigate a cosmic anomaly

Starting gear

3d6x100 credits, bio scanner, laser scalpel, vacuum suit

Surveyor #

You had an important job to do. You were en route to:

1. Assess the repairability of a salvage site
2. Measure the boundaries of a construction site
3. Assess the mining potential of an asteroid
4. Adjudicate a dispute in a recently settled area
5. Map a trade route in a hostile area
6. Scout ideal locations for terraforming equipment

Starting gear

3d6x100 credits, hazard suit, reconnaissance drone, stun baton

Teamster #

No one is more critical to the free flow of trade throughout the Terran Republic than you. You were on your way to:

1. Take your last vacation before you hit 30 years and retire
2. Haul a tanker of water from Barafu to Kivuli
3. Move a load of antimatter between Mwewe and Barafu
4. Start a new job as a dock worker on Maono
5. Work the underwater ports of Msituni
6. Attend a union meeting on Nyumbani

#Starting gear

3d6x100 credits, exoskeleton, plasma knife, vacuum suit

Homeworld #

The stellar system, Alfajiri, was first discovered and settled by East Africa Stellar Engineering, one of the largest terraforming and orbital infrastructure conglomerates of the 22nd century. The colony ship, Victorious, carried just over one hundred thousand engineers, scientists, politicians, artists, and farmers.

Three thousand years later, humans have spread throughout the system. Roll 1d12 or choose what part of the system you come from:

Maono is the jump gate that connects the Alfajiri system with the rest of the Terran Republic. It is the largest trading hub in the system and is also the seat of the Alfajiri System Leadership Council.

Almasi is a massive mining and refining station. Its half-billion residents are predominately laborers.

Jangwa is a dry and mountainous rocky planet. With a thin atmosphere and sparse resources, Jangwa attracts those who value isolation and self-sufficiency.

Msituni is a terrestrial planet with crystal clear oceans, lush jungles and forests, and massive amounts of volcanic and tectonic activity. It is the second most populated planet at a little under one billion humans.

Barafu is an ice-covered moon with small settlements powered by geothermal energy. It has become a popular destination for explorers and thrill seekers.

Nyumbani is the most Earth-like of the planets in the Alfajiri system and is also the most populous at over ten billion people. Every culture found on Earth can be found on Nyumbani.

Mwewe is a human-built moon of Malaika, a carbon planet, which is uninhabitable. Most of its hundred-million residents refine hydrocarbons collected from the vast oceans of tar and methane that cover the surface of the planet below.

Kivuli, the dark planet, orbits well outside the habitable zone. It is home to observatories, research stations, and camps dedicated to exploring the space beyond.

Details #

Next, fill in a few pertinent details.

1. Choose your name and pronouns.
2. Choose a physical description and personality
3. Choose your age or roll 2d20+16.

Ability scores #

You have three ability scores that represent your ability to withstand the various challenges that you’ll encounter on your quest for immortality.

• STR — physicality, brawn, and toughness.
• DEX — speed, ability to sneak, and hand-eye coordination.
• CTRL — willpower, strength of personality, and ability to tolerate the unknown.

Roll 3d6 for each of your ability scores, in order. You may choose to swap any two of the results.

Hit protection #

Roll 1d6 to determine your starting HP. Hit protection does not measure your health but reflects your ability to avoid damage and stress — both of which will reduce your HP and then affect your ability scores. HP can be recovered after a few moments rest.

Inventory slots + starting gear #

You have a total of ten inventory slots that represent your ability to carry items. Most items take up one slot, but small items can be bundled together. Bulky items take two slots and are awkward or difficult to carry, often requiring two hands.

If you are carrying a full inventory, you are reduced to 0 HP.

You begin with the gear specified by your background. In addition, the equipment chapter contains a wide selection of weapons, armor, and adventuring gear for you to choose from. When you’re in close proximity to civilization, you generally have easy access to any common items that you might need.

The voice #

Everyone hears the voice differently. You know the one — the one that whispers in your ear, tells you things you shouldn’t know, and offers to teach you the dark arts — that one. What does yours sound like? Is it human? Artificial? Gendered? Does it speak with an accent? Do you hear words, see images, or simply feel it nudging you slowly down the path of darkness?

When did you first hear the voice? Roll 1d6, choose, or create your own triggering event.

1. You were physically attacked.
2. Your loved one suddenly passed away.
3. You witnessed an unspeakable act of violence.
4. You contracted a debilitating illness.
5. Your most closely held secret was publicly revealed.
6. Your financial accounts were hacked.

Appearance #

Optionally, roll 1d6 on each list or choose visible traits that help to distinguish your character from other aspiring necromancers.

Cyberware #

1. Telescopic irises
2. Illuminated skin
3. Mechanical limb
4. Titanium exoskeleton
5. Storage hatches
6. Mounting points

Biological enhancements #

1. Limb graft
2. Melanin/chlorophyl replacement
3. Prehensile tail
4. Bioluminescent hair
5. Horns
6. Fungal skin infusion

Personality traits #

These five traits are an optional but useful tool for developing your character’s personality. Choose or roll 1d6 for each trait, where the descriptive words are presented from low expression of the trait to high.

• Openness describes your appreciation for adventure, creativity, and emotion.
• Conscientiousness describes your tendency to display self-discipline and be organized.
• Extraversion describes your tendency to be outgoing and high in social energy.
• Agreeableness describes your general concern for social harmony.
• Stability describes your tendency to be emotionally stable, especially when under pressure.

Focus #

Roll d66, choose, or create your focus, an object that has special meaning and which is the source of your magical power. You can never lose it or have it forcefully removed — it will always reappear in your hand — but you can willingly give it away, severing your connection to the Negaverse forever.

Roll d66 three additional times to determine the symbolic ingredients you’ll need to create your anchor – the mystical object that will tether your spirit to the physical universe, granting you eternal life. Unlike your focus, these items can be lost, stolen, or destroyed.

1. length of rope, frayed and broken
2. straight razor, stained with blood
3. bottle of pills, empty
4. bullet casing, slightly warm to the touch
5. keycard, grants access to the roof of a tall building
6. train ticket, unused
7. rat skull, squeaks happily when held
8. shark’s tooth, smells of the sea
9. dog collar, floats around excitedly if left unattended
10. rabbit’s foot, twitches occasionally
11. horse shoe, well worn
12. feather, immune to gravity
13. hologram, someone you know very well
14. engraved locket, initials of someone you’ve never met
15. book of poems, well-read
16. hymnal, mint condition
17. bottle of perfume, half used
18. satchel, floral potpourri
19. wooden animal, hand-carved
20. child’s doll, hand-sewn
21. porcelain figurine, dancer
22. bronze statuette, hunter
23. crystal pendant, bird
24. figurine of an unknown animal, bone
25. pocket watch, perpetually wound
26. fountain pen, blood red ink
27. lighter, eternally fueled
28. notebook, black
29. pocket knife, sharp
30. paperweight, onyx pyramid
31. trumpet, only plays jazz
32. pair of headphones, kickin’ bass
33. guitar, tuned perfectly
34. violin, golden
35. drum, skin of dubious provenance
36. harmonica, plays itself

Your crew #

Finally, describe your team and your ship.

Disposition + relationships #

First, roll 2d6 or choose a starting disposition for your crew.

Next, choose one of the other characters, then roll 1d6 or choose one of the following options:

1. You see them as your closest friend. They get to decide how your friendship came about and how close they feel to you.
2. You owe them a debt of some significance. They get to decide what the debt is for and how hard it will be to repay.
3. You have been rivals in the past. They get to decide what the rivalry was about and how you’ve set that aside.
4. You have been dreaming about them. They get to decide what the dreams are about and how they fit into them.
5. You worked together. They get to decide what your working relationship looked like and how you felt about each other.
6. You admire their abilities. They get to decide what talents of theirs you admire and how you’ve been expressing your admiration.

Ship #

Every spacefaring crew needs a ship, and every ship needs an AI. As a group, roll 1d6 four times or choose from the tables below to create your ship, its name, and its personality.

Every ship is outfitted with an anti-matter-powered positron drive for interplanetary travel, an alpha-rated jump drive for interstellar travel, an alpha-rated cargo container capable of holding 60 units of cargo, and a cryochamber to keep your crew from experiencing adverse effects from hyperspace.

Your ship begins with 1d6 breech protection (BP) and is filled with 20 fuel. If you reach 0 BP, then any breech damage your ship takes destroys it. If you reach 0 fuel, then you are adrift.