TEXT:  
  Fading Suns Guide to Character 
  Generation 
   
  Last updated May 10th, 1997  
   
  The page or pages of material that follow pertain to the Character Generation system for 
  the Fading Suns science fiction roleplaying game. The following is a guide to the 
  character generation process for the Fading Suns rpg that offers some tid-bits of advice, 
  some warnings, and other information that players (and possibly GMs) might want to 
  know before and during the character creation process. This set of guidelines and advice 
  are quite subjective and are based entirely on my perceptions of the game and on the 
  thoughts pertaining to this that I've heard from my players during the time that I've been 
  running the game. Everything here should be taken with a grain of salt, and a liberal dose 
  of coriander.  
  The sections to be found in this Guide to Character Generation include:  
  The Character Concept  
  Character Archetypes/Roles  
  Alien Races and the Characters  
  Of House, Church, and Guild  
  Characteristics  
  Skills  
  Benefices and Afflictions  
  Extra Points  
  The Occult (Psi and Theurgy)  
  Blessings and Curses  
  Cybernetics and the Character  
  Starting Money and Equipment  
  The Character Concept 
  
  The character concept for a player character in Fading Suns is probably the most 
  important element of the character when it comes right down to it. While it's important to 
  know something of the background of the Fading Suns universe before creating the 
  character, the concept that one comes up with will aid tremendously in determining some 
  of the numbers and game-based mechanics that go into the creation of the character. Give 
  plenty of thought to the character concept that you design for the game, since the richer 
  and more detailed the initial concept for the character, the easier the game mechanics and 
  numbers will fit into the concept.  
  While it is ideal to make the numbers fit the concept, and not the other way round, 
  sometimes it will be impossible to manage this feat. A lot of the time, whether the ideas 
  that you had for the character concept actually make it onto the character sheet and into 
  play are at the discretion and/or whim of the GamesMaster. If you make the concept 
  interesting enough that I want to see what happens with the character, or if you come up 
  with a concept that I feel I can work with, expand on as the campaign goes on, and that I 
  feel has enough material in the written section that I can work with (and sometimes use 
  against the character) in the campaign, then I'm most likely to allow it, even if it goes 
  against my better judgement at the time of character creation. I firmly believe this is true 
  of all GMs. And the Fading Suns game system encourages this sort of thing.  
  Character Archetypes/Roles 
  It is likely that one of the most misunderstood aspects of the Fading Suns rpg is the 
  nature and role that Character Roles and Archetypes play in the system and the character 
  design process. While at first, the Character Archetypes (I prefer to call them this rather 
  than Character Roles, since that doesn't strike me as how these are meant to be played) 
  may appear to be Character Classes (harking back to the days of D&D and other such 
  class- based games), they aren't. The Character Archetypes that are suggested are merely 
  guidelines and a way of presenting the common characteristics of a type of character that 
  you might wish to play in the game. The basic Fading Suns rulesbook presents some 
  thoughts about the "stereotypes" of the various Power groups on the sidebars on pages 
  39, 44, & 52. This is a good basis on which to start.  
  The basic Character Archetypes found in the book present a series of generalities and 
  guidelines for how to go about setting up a typical member of the given Noble House, 
  Church Sect, or League Guild, but do not require the player to stick to these limitations. 
  "Make the character archetype your own," is something I continually tell my players. 
  While I'm flexible enough to allow a lot of different things to pass and go into the 
  character sheet, it's important for the GamesMaster never to lose sight of the defined 
  parameters of the House, Sect, or Guild in question. A character who is totally dishonest 
  is not likely to be a member of House Hawkwood; a character who cannot use torture and 
  coercion is not likely to be an Avestite. Common sense is the basic rule here, but it is not 
  a hard and fast system. Each Archetype merely provides a few suggestions on how to 
  spend the points that you've been allotted in character generation, but doesn't force the 
  player to spend the points in this manner.  
  
  Alien Races and the Characters 
  One of the things that many players have noticed is that there are few guidelines for 
  playing aliens in Fading Suns, although the basic rules do not preclude the playing of 
  certain alien types, such as the Ur-Obun, the Ur-Ukar, and the Vorox. There are several 
  other species mentioned in the game rulesbook, such as the Shantor, the Gannok, and 
  others that one might wish to play, for which rules are not provided. Needless to say, it is 
  not appropriate for the GM to allow the players to create Vau or Symbiot characters for 
  the campaign, unless this is an element of the style of campaign that you, as GM, wishe 
  to run in the Fading Suns universe. The game system is flexible enough to allow the GM 
  to run this sort of campaign, but it's not the sort of campaign that I would encourage. Too 
  little is known about the Vau, especially their technology and the like, at this time, 
  although this will likely change in future Fading Suns supplements. As for the Symbiots, 
  well...let's just say that that (a) the campaign wouldn't be all that long, and b) you deserve 
  what you get, if you try this.  
  As mentioned earlier, there are are other alien races that can conceivably be played by 
  players like yourself who are looking to playing something more exotic than a Human. It 
  is expected that HDI will be doing supplements that include the characteristics and 
  archetypes for alien races (the Player's Companion includes a great many of the major 
  alien races, and the Children of the Ur: Obun and Ukar supplement details these two 
  as well); individual GMs will likely design additional races that can be played by players.  
  Of House, Church, and Guild 
  One of the most important elements in the game system is the structure of the Noble 
  Houses, the Church Sects, and the League Guilds. Many of my players have expressed a 
  strong feeling that, while it is desirable to play individuals who have no direct alignment 
  to one of these three Power bases, it is advisable to either create a character that is part of 
  or to join a House, Sect, or Guild. This is a matter of long-term survival and some back-
  up, since loners tend to be picked on, tend to have fewer resources available to them, and 
  tend to make enemies much more frequently than those who are part of a larger Power 
  base and organization. There are other advantages as well, and these are covered under 
  the sections dealing with Benefices and Afflictions and Blessings and Curses below.  
  When it comes right down to it, the player characters must somehow fit in with the 
  various powers that rule the Fading Suns universe. That usually implies one of the Noble 
  Houses, the Church Sects or the League Guilds. The real key here is to choose your 
  House, Sect, or Guild wisely. At this point and time, there is only the supplement that 
  covers the Nobles (Lords of the Known Worlds, but we are expecting the book 
  covering the Church Sects (Priests of the Celestial Sun) any time in June, 1997. The 
  Fading Suns rulebook gives basic details on all of the Noble Houses, Church Sects, and 
  League Guilds, and so far, Lords of the Known Worlds has done an admirable job; if 
  the supplements covering the Church and the League are as good, there will be plenty of 
  
  guidelines and advice for players choosing their Power group. For now, this section will 
  only cover the additional Houses that have been added to the Nobles category.  
  The Noble Houses provided in the Fading Suns rulebook are of the Ten; there are only 
  five left, fortunes waxing and waning with the centuries and political manueverings of 
  each House. There are numerous minor Houses that are available if you want to play a 
  Noble, but none of the major Houses catches your fancy. The official minor Houses are:  
  House Juandaastas  
  A spiritual House, with a strong belief in equal rights for humans and aliens. They 
  have powerful friends among the Hawkwood and al-Malik houses.  
  House Justinian  
  This is a House consisting of an extremely rigid, military family and lifestyle. 
  Quite differen than the Hazat. Their motto is "'Loyalty unto Death."  
  House Keddah  
  A proud, honourable family with a strong hatred for the Decados, even though 
  House Keddah is indirectly controlled by them.  
  House Masseri  
  A House directly under the thumb of House Decados, they are a weakened family 
  bound into war with the al-Malik.  
  House Shelit  
  While socially very dull, they are quite interesting from a historical basis, possibly 
  heretically so. They are a new House allied with House Hazat, having broken 
  away from the Kurga Caliphate (barbarians). Strangely enough, they have a much 
  more technological basis, and are considered at odds with the Church.  
  House Thana  
  A family of angelic looking, psychically powerful people from a previously Lost 
  World. They have become a target of constant persecution from the Church.  
  House Torenson  
  One of the Houses that nearly became extinct, the Torensons have become a much 
  sought after people due to their unrivaled expertise on matters of etiquette. They 
  wield more power than many Nobles might think.  
  House Trusnikron  
  Once a nearly barbaric family, this House has a strong, if not somewhat odd, code 
  of honour. They are close to nature and friends with Houses Hawkwood and 
  Hazat.  
  House Van Gelder  
  This is a bitter and twisted family, due to its near destruction and the persecution 
  to which they have been subject, who have become experts in espionage and 
  assassination. Unsurprisingly, they are allied to House Decados.  
  House Xanthippe  
  This is a matriarchal family, small in stature but tough, and fiercly independent. 
  They have survived through their cunning, trickery and wisdom. Mostly occupied 
  as mercenaries.  
  
  It should be noted that if you're an ambitious players, you can, in consultation with the 
  GamesMaster, create your own Minor House. Or even Major House, for that matter... An 
  equally important fact to note is that the majority of the major alien races (ie., the Ur-
  Obun, the Ur-Ukar, and the Vorox), even if imposed by Humanity, have nobility 
  structures of sorts, and you can play an alien Noble or something along those lines as 
  well.  
  While it might seem that as a player you're rather limited in regard to what kind of 
  character you can play in Fading Suns, this actually isn't the case. There are plenty of 
  Character Archetypes that aren't provided for various reasons in the game system; there 
  will be more with every passing supplement, and the GamesMaster and her players are 
  encouraged to create new Character Archetypes and character occupations.  
  Each of the Noble Houses, Church Sects and League Guilds have armies, and many of 
  them have other internal organizations. Some of the more notable of these include the 
  Imperial Eye, the Emperor's secret service and agents of espionage; The Jakovian 
  Agency, the infamous espionage unit of the Decados, complete with its own very special 
  stormtroopers; and The Dervishes, the Hazat's elite psychic troops (now offically 
  disbanded, of course). Bear in mind that all Houses, supposedly, have secret sevices, 
  although some are more secret than others.  
  Characteristics 
  Once you have determined the Character Role that you want to play, or created your own, 
  it's time to start plugging some numbers into these things. The Characteristics of the 
  player character consist of the Body characteristics (Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance), 
  the Mind characteristics (Wits, Perception, and Tech), and the Spirit characteristics 
  (Extrovert/Introvert, Passion/Calm, Faith/Ego, and Human/Alien). It's important during 
  this step, and later on, to add points wisely into the character that one is playing, since 
  each of the Characteristics has certain functions.  
  While the Character Role that you have chosen gives some guidelines as to which 
  characteristics to emphasize, you must be true to your own vision of the character. If you 
  don't want to play a military-oriented Hazat, don't necessarily put a lot of points into the 
  Body characteristics. Similarly, if you want your character to practice Psi or Theurgy, 
  bear this in mind for later in the character generation process, since Psi and Theurgy use 
  some of the various characteristics and skills more often than others. See the section on 
  the Occult below. Bear in mind that Endurance determines Vitality later on in the 
  process, and that Wyrd points depend on Passion or Calm, Extrovert/Introvert, or Faith.  
  For the most part, the Characteristics that represent Body and Mind are really quite basic, 
  and don't need any expounding. Several exceptions are noted here for these sets of 
  Characteristics. Strength provides a character with a damage bonus, and this is a 
  consideration that you should take into effect depending on the type of Archetype you 
  chose for your character. Endurance, as noted above, acts to determine your character's 
  Vitality levels later on. Tech is an unusual characteristic, and not one found in most rpgs. 
  
  The scientific method is by no means all that commonplace in the universe of Fading 
  Suns. The Tech characteristic represents your knack and understanding of technology, 
  aiding in repairing broken equipment and the comprehension of high-tech devices and 
  sciences.  
  Spirit Characteristics 
  The Spirit characteristics are probably the most important in the game, since they define 
  the basic psychological elements of your character. They are also the most difficult group 
  of characterstics to understand and deal with, since they largely work on a situational 
  basis. While the Faith and Ego Characteristics are oriented around the Church, and the 
  Alien and Human Characteristics revolve around one's Humanity and Alienness 
  (including how cybernetic devices fit into the psyche of your character), it is the 
  Passion/Calm and the Extrovert/Introvert that most often are important to the overall 
  interaction that your player character will have with others, notably the other player 
  characters. (You remember them?)  
  The Extrovert and Introvert pair of characteristics are the simplest to work with and 
  define, since many players can associate most closely with them. This pair of 
  characteristics directly affects interpersonal relationships. The Extrovert tends to reach 
  out to others, preferring social situations to sitting alone in a room reading a book. The 
  Introvert is one who is more comfortable with herself than with others, and tends to avoid 
  social situation that they cannot control. Neither characteristic implies social abilities - 
  the Extrovert could be a nebbish nobody likes who keeps butting into others 
  conversations, while the Introvert could be the famous author everybody flocks around, 
  but who avoids parties.  
  Passion, and its opposing characteristic, Calm, represent two emotional extremes. As 
  with most emotions, they have a tendency to govern the character as much as she governs 
  them. Some people are hotheads (Passion) and find it hard to control their outbursts. 
  Other people are laid back (Calm) and may actually find it hard to get excited about 
  something. Both Passion and Calm have uses in the game that your character can take 
  advantage of, but for the most part, this pair of traits is somewhat of a powderkeg waiting 
  to be triggered by a person or situation with the right psychological match. You should 
  choose your Passion and Calm values with caution, being faithful to the character concept 
  that you have.  
  Faith and Ego are the two characteristics that relate to religious belief, or the lack thereof. 
  It's actually more a matter of the soul and determining identity. Faith and Ego are rarely 
  rolled by characters during the game, used most often when using Occult powers and 
  weird Ur artifacts. Most characters go through life without ever having their Faith or Ego 
  tested, but sometimes the characters will find situations that test their sense of identity.  
  The Human and Alien characteristics are certainly the oddest pair in the game. They are 
  meant to emphasize both the isolation of humans in the wide universe and the strangeness 
  of alien races and to set a series of benchmarks for transcending these differences. 
  Evolutionary steps for humans or aliens, whether they are cybernetic or genetic, usually 
  
  require some level(s) in the opposing characteristic of this pair. It's important to realize 
  that a Human with a high Alien trait does not turn into an alien being; she is simply 
  farther from her racial or cultural norm. Likewise, the measure of an alien's strangeness 
  or deviation from his racial or cultural norm is her Human trait, while her Alien 
  represents how well she epitomizes her own culture.  
  As a basic guideline for the players who are considering creating characters for Fading 
  Suns, make a few notes about the personality of the character you want to play before 
  you get to this step and go into full gear on character creation, once your GamesMaster 
  has described the nature of what these sets of Characteristics represent. If you have a firm 
  view of your character, if you have a strong idea of what kinds of activities you tend 
  towards, whether you're religious or self-reliant in your faith, whether you let your 
  emotions rule you, and any or all combinations in between, this step in determining some 
  numbers will go much easier for you.  
  Skills 
  Skills in the Fading Suns system take one of two forms, Natural and Learned. Natural 
  skills are those innate abilities that all characters begin with; these include skills such as 
  fighting and stealth. Learned skills are those skills that a character learns through 
  training and/or experience; these skills include learning to work with think machines and 
  the ability to debate a topic with someone. Certain skills in the system can only be taken 
  by specific groups; for example, only the Guild characters can take Redemption (repair) 
  skills, and only Church characters can take Academia. You can choose to have your 
  character take a Benefice (more on this later) that allows you to pick up skills that you 
  would normally not be allowed to take, but this decision is one that has to be weighed 
  heavily by the player. Make sure that the skills that you take are relevant to the concept of 
  the character that you've come up with, and that the character *needs* the skill(s) for a 
  reason that makes sense.  
  Each of the Character Roles that you can choose from include guidelines when it comes 
  to the skills that the character might have. You should weigh the merits of these skills, 
  evaluating them in the context of the player character that you wish to create. The 
  character is never obliged to be a stereotype of a given Character Role, and you should 
  choose the skills that you *want*, not the ones that you should take or feel obliged to 
  take, because the Character Role shows them to be typical. Having a basic section written 
  up on personality, including some history pertaining to what the character does for a 
  living will help significantly in determining what skills to have or not to have. The 
  available histories of the Houses, Sects, or Guilds might make these choices somewhat 
  easier for you, or might complicate your choices. The key here is to be faithful to the 
  character concept that you have in mind, while still fitting it in with the Character Role 
  that you've chosen, and with making the player character viable in the game universe.  
  Benefices and Afflictions 
  
  One of the most convoluted and rather mysterious aspect of Character Creations in the 
  Fading Suns system for many players is the choosing of Benefices and Afflictions. 
  Benefices are the elements that define the birthrights, monies, or other societal 
  advantages that your character will have. Afflictions are negative Benefices, social 
  handicaps that hinder your character to some extent. While it may not appear so at first, 
  there is a distinct difference between Benefices and Afflictions and Blessings and Curses 
  (which are covered later in this guide).  
  When generating the player character using the Character Generation rules, the player is 
  permitted no more than ten (10) points worth of Benefices. Any number of points worth 
  of Afflictions can be taken, since these points will be treated as Extra Points (see the next 
  section of the Guide for more on this).  
  The guideline for choosing which Benefices and which Afflictions to choose is simple: 
  Take Benefices and Afflictions which fit the concept for the character that you came up 
  with. While some Benefices and Afflictions are noted as being the common ones that 
  characters of the various Houses, Sects, and Guilds have, there is no forced imposition of 
  these Benefices and Afflictions on your character. Indeed, your character can have 
  Benefices or Afflictions that are opposites of those taken by your affiliated group 
  traditionally, but this may make your character at odds with her House, Sect, or Guild 
  during the campaign, something that may be more of a hindrance than anything else. This 
  is a matter that you and the GM should resolve to your mutual satisfaction, but it's 
  something that every player has to think about and every GM should caution her players 
  about.  
  It is important to note here that some alien races begin with certain Benefices and 
  Afflictions, and these generally do not cost the player when creating a character of the 
  alien race in question. Sometimes, the Benefices or Afflictions are paid for out of the 
  Extra Points (see below) that a character receives during the process. This section may or 
  may not be revised, as more information on the Fading Suns alien races becomes 
  available.  
  Extra Points 
  Once you have alloted the Benefices and Afflictions that you wish to place on the 
  character, the Afflictions points are added to those available to the character for Extra 
  Points. A player will begin with a total of forty (40) Extra Points that can be alloted to the 
  character's abilities, plus the points that have been gained through the acquisition of 
  Afflictions. A character also gains Extra Points by taking Curses, which can only be 
  chosen during the time during which the player uses his or her Extra Points. (See the 
  section on Blessings and Curses for more on this.)  
  You can use the Extra Points that you have to purchase abilities for your character, at the 
  following costs:  
  Characteristics (including Occult) cost 3 points/level  
  
  Wyrd costs 2 points/level  
  Skills have a cost of 1 point/level  
  Benefices cost 1 point/point of Benefice  
  Blessings cost 1 point/point of Blessing  
  Occult Powers cost 1 point/level  
  The manner in which one chooses how to spend one's Extra Points varies from individual 
  player to individual player, but there are several guidelines that can be offered.  
  First of all, you should consider incrementing those skills that you believe are an inherent 
  part of your character, or to a series of levels that you deems appropriate. This should 
  also take into account your character's affiliations, background, mannerisms, and goals in 
  life and any other elements of personality that you can think of. Needless to say, by the 
  time you reach this stage of character generation, you should have a bit more detail 
  fleshed out about the character's history and personality, and this will simplify matters 
  tremendously.  
  A major concern in spending the Extra Points that you have rests also upon whether you 
  have chosen to be a Psi or Theurge. In this case, you will find that you're going to have to 
  sacrifice points that might have gone into Skills or Characteristics to purchase the Psi or 
  Theurgy Characteristic, as well as the actual Occult Powers that your character will 
  possess. You're also going to require somewhat more Wyrd Points, since these are used 
  in the use of Occult powers, and this should be another consideration.  
  The second guideline deals with the acquisition of Blessings for the character in question. 
  Blessings (and Curses) are covered in more detail later in this guide, but you should 
  consider the purchase of Blessings using some of the Extra Points you have simply 
  because this will add a bit more depth to your character, and thus give you more 
  motivation, more more background with which to work, as well as allowing the GM 
  some means of giving you and your character some moral dilemmas, decision, and 
  headaches (which are at the heart of the Fading Suns rpg.  
  It should be noted that while a player can spend Extra Points to purchase Wyrd points, 
  the same is not true of Vitality levels. Vitality levels can only be increased at this point 
  through the increase of the Endurance characteristic, and this is something that many 
  players forget, concentrating more on the other characteristics.  
  The Occult (Psi and Theurgy) 
  The GamesMaster may have noted, on reading the Fading Suns rulesbook, that there 
  appears to be a correlation between Occult abilities and the jumpgates. Ever since their 
  first travels through jumpgates, Humanity and the other races have displayed Occult 
  abilities to an increasing extent and level of power. Whether there is indeed any 
  correlation between the two is a matter of conjecture, but the Occult is a matter of fact in 
  the universe of the Fading Suns. Those who are religious can access Theurgical abilities, 
  
  others may have Psionic talents, and there is darker, third force of the Occult, called 
  Antinomy that is not covered here and is not relevant to player character generation.  
  As a general rule, if you choose to have your character be an Occultist, you must take 
  either the Psi or Theurgy characteristic. A side effect of this is that the value of the Psi or 
  Theurgy characteristic determines the maximum level of any of the Occult abilities that 
  your character may take. Thus, if your character has a Psi rating of 6, she can choose only 
  Psi abilities that are Level 6 or less. All Occult abilities are powered by Wyrd, and have a 
  cost in Wyrd points to use. Thus, you might wish to increase the starting value of your 
  character's Wyrd points to reflect this additional need for such abilities. Three skills that 
  you should consider taking for the character, in the event that you want to play a 
  character with Occult abilities, are Stoic Mind, Empathy, and Focus; these three skills 
  have benefits to Occultists that make them extremely worthwhile in taking, even if one 
  has to sacrifice other, more mundane skills to do so.  
  Another element to consider when deciding whether to take Occult abilities is the 
  stigmata that come with these abilities. The stigmata is a sign of the character's 
  supernatural differences from normal Humanity, a physical manifestation on the user that 
  is either always present or occurs when the character utilizes an Occult power. Psychic 
  stigmas are more like mediaeval folk superstitions: nosebleeds; an odd birthmark; hair 
  between one's eyebrows; hair on the palms of the hands; when looked at from the right 
  angle, the person is obviously a werewolf. Theurgic stigmas tend to be more religious in 
  nature: lash marks on the arms, tears run down the cheeks when not appropriate; 
  sleepwalking; unnaturally long beard, which when cut, grows back in less than a day; 
  clothing that is worn eventually stains red in a particular area. As a player, you have the 
  right to choose a stigma for your character that you consider to be appropriate, but the 
  player and the GM should work together to come up with something in this regard on 
  which they can both agree.  
  In addition to the dark arts of Antinomy, there is also a dark side to the use of Psi and 
  Theurgy abilities, called Urge and Hubris, respectively. Players should be very aware of 
  both the Urge and Hubris side of their Psionics or Theurgy respectively, since this 
  consideration adds tremendously to the roleplaying element of the game and also gives 
  the character pause for the darker actions that she might contemplate. Urge is the dark 
  side of Psionics; whenever a character fumbles a psi power role or an actual Psi role, the 
  dark side of the psionics stirs. Ths dark side takes the form of a Dark Twin, that actively 
  takes part in the life of the character, in a manner dependent on its level at the time. It is 
  actually the character herself who is acting, because the ego has been split into two 
  distinct personalities, one of which remains hidden in the unconscious. With more power 
  (ie., Urge levels), this dark personality begins to grow, eventually becoming an entirely 
  physical, separate person. Hubris, for those who practice Theurgy, is very similar to 
  Urge, but takes the form of sin, in this case, sins that stay with the Theurgy user for the 
  rest of her life until she has lost the level of Hubris which empowers them. Hubris is not a 
  split personality or a dark entity growing in the character; it is the character's own human 
  fallibility before the divine. Urge and Hubris are both powerful forces for roleplaying in 
  
  the game, but they can also lead a character into situations that are very deadly, quite 
  messy, and sometimes confusing.  
  As a player, you should give a great deal of thought to whether you wish to play an 
  Occultist, and if so, the type of Occult character to be played. Many factors come into the 
  decision as to whether to attempt to play a character with Occult abilities.  
  Blessings and Curses 
  As noted in the section on Benefices and Afflictions (see above), there is some confusion 
  between the Benefices and Afflictions and Blessings and Curses, which are covered here. 
  Blessings and Curses, unlike the other two, represent a character's psychological quirks 
  or physical endowments and/or handicaps. Blessings add positive modififers to a 
  characteristic or skill in a particular situation, while Curses subtract from a characteristic 
  or skill in the same fashion.  
  When generating the player character using the Character Generation rules, you are 
  permitted no more than seven (7) points worth of Blessing modifiers, and cannot choose 
  more than seven (7) points worth of Curses. These traits are meant to emphasize a few 
  select character quirks, not to detail every neurosis possessed by the player character. 
  Cybernetics is an exception to this rule, but that is covered in its own section below.  
  It is important to note that Blessings and Curses cannot be bought or taken until the 
  player has reached the point of spending the Extra Points that he or she has (see the 
  section above for more details). A player who takes Curses during this part of character 
  generation adds the value of the Curses to the Extra Points that he or she has to buy 
  Blessings, Skills, and other game related variables.  
  The guideline for choosing which Blessings and which Curses to take is simple: Take 
  Blessings and Curses which fit the concept for the character that you came up with. 
  While some Blessings and Curses are noted as being the common ones that characters of 
  the various Houses, Sects, and Guilds have, there is no forced imposition of these 
  Blessings and Curses. Indeed, your character can have Blessings or Curses that don't fit 
  within the organization of which you're a part, or are personality quirks that might seem 
  somewhat unusual for you to take given a House or Sect affliation, but this will add 
  roleplaying zest to the character, something that the GamesMaster should be 
  encouraging. This is a matter that the GM and the player should resolve to their mutual 
  satisfaction, but it's something that every player has to think about and every GM should 
  caution the players about.  
  It is important to note here that some alien races begin with certain Blessings and Curses, 
  and these generally do not cost the player when creating a character of the alien race in 
  question. Sometimes, the Blessings or Curses are paid for out of the Extra Points (see 
  below) that a character receives during the process. This section may or may not be 
  revised, as more information on the Fading Suns alien races becomes available.  
  
  Cybernetics and the Character 
  Cybernetics and cybertechnology can be found in most science fiction roleplaying games 
  on the market these days, and Fading Suns is no exception to the rule. If there is any 
  difference in how cybernetics and cybertechnology is portrayed in this game than most sf 
  rpgs out there, it is the fact that the Church has outlawed cybertechnology and 
  cybernetics, but allows dispensations for certain groups and individuals. A player must 
  spend Extra Points for the character to have cybernetics, and this is the only time during 
  the character generation process during which cybertech can be purchased. The 
  cybernetics section in the basic Fading Suns manual was somewhat unwieldy, and a 
  revised version of the rules for cybernetics appeared in the Forbidden Lore: Technology 
  sourcebook.  
  What may not be clear to you, as a player, whether you should buy cybernetics and why 
  you should buy cybernetics. As a general rule, you may envision a character that 
  possesses an artificial hand (due to some accident that required a limb replacement) or 
  has enhanced visual capabilities (perhaps as part of one's past occupation); in such a case, 
  the cyberhand or the cyber- eye are part of the character concept, and the GM should 
  have no problems with allowing the character to take cybertraits during the Extra Points 
  phase of character generation; I know that under circumstances like this, I wouldn't have 
  a problem with it. You still need to justify the cybernetic devices to me, or to the GM, as 
  part of character generation but both player and GM should be able to work out 
  something to their mutual satisfaction. Some other element of the character background 
  or history may cause you to want cybernetic devices, but such is a matter best left 
  between you and the GM, and hopefully you can work it out together.  
  It is equally true that some players want cybertech for the wrong reasons. Without going 
  into detail, a player decides to enhance his or her combat statistics and/or abilities, and 
  decides the cybernetic devices is the way to achieve this. The *reason* for taking 
  cybertech is important, but it has a strong bearing on one of the pairs of the character's 
  Spirit characteristics: Alien and Human. By their very nature, cybernetic devices tend to 
  make their recipients less Human (or Ur-Ukar, etc.) Less normal, than the normal person. 
  Even when the implants are concealed, their bearers may seem odd, somehow not in line 
  with the rest of their culture, race, or whatever. This is represented by the Alien trait. A 
  character can only possess so many cybernetic devices before his or her mind or body 
  rejects them. The higher the Alien trait, the higher the rejection threshold - but this also 
  reduces the Human trait appropriately, since the pair of traits must have a combined total 
  of no more than 10.  
  The key here is to weigh the reasons for buying the cybernetic devices and make a 
  decision on that basis. While you can choose to buy cybernetic devices for the sake of 
  combat, there are more mundane, cheaper ways to do this, and these don't affect your 
  Human or Alien traits as much. A strong personality trait or a strong background/history 
  reason to buy cybernetic devices is acceptable, provided the player and the GM come to 
  an understanding about these devices and the reasons for the character having them. 
  Make the taking of the cybernetic devices fit in with the character concept and give it a 
  
  rationale. Don't take the cybernetic devices just because they're cool to have. Consider the 
  ramifications of the cybernetic devices for your character, from the point of view of the 
  personal, social, cultural, and psychological well-being of the character.  
  Starting Money and Equipment 
  The general rule of thumb, as most GamesMasters of the system know, is that starting 
  money and equipment is derived as a function of Benefices and Afflictions, and possibly 
  some Blessings and Curses. Many of the Character Roles provide certain guidelines for 
  starting equipment for characters, notably energy shields, weapons, and the like, but other 
  possessions tend to be ignored.  
  The Forbidden Lore: Technology supplement provides some guidelines for economics 
  in the universe of the Fading Suns, and there are plenty of of guidelines for salaries, 
  yearly earnings, stipends, and the like there. But that covers mere money; it doesn't deal 
  with the concept of family heirlooms, personal items (like photos of a beloved family 
  member and the like) that a character might have, and other such mundane items. The 
  player should sit down and think about the type of starting items and equipment he or she 
  would want. When a list is prepared and presented to the GamesMaster, the player and 
  the GM can hammer out some sort of compromise between them of what the player 
  character can start the game with.  
  The player should think of personal items, objects and other stuff that is personal in 
  nature, that has meaning for the player character. Other items, such as hygienic kits or 
  items, timepieces, work clothes, casual clothes, identification card and credit chits, and so 
  forth should be considered by the player for his or her character. Player character should 
  also be permitted by the GM to start with some money in their pockets. Social class, 
  standing, and group affiliation might have something to do with a character's starting 
  monies, but the GM should come up with a reasonable means of determining starting 
  money-in-hand for the characters.  
   
  FS Intro | Madarian's Guide | Page Top 
  This page first went on-line May 2nd, 1997  
  Fading Suns is a trademark and copyright of Holistic Design Inc. The Fading Suns Logo and all graphics are a copyright of Holistic 
  Design Inc, and are used with their permission. No attempt is being made here to supercede that copyright. 
   
   
  Born on: November 1, 1998 
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Fading Suns/Fading Suns Guide to Character Generation.pdf