Contempt of Death
Character Creation
Assign this array to your character attributes: 14, 12, 11, 10, 9, 7. Replace one score with a 14.
Pick your class from the options in the core.
Pick two backgrounds. You may pick the same background twice. Take the free skill each time, and either roll or pick skills for each background selected.
Take two hobby skills. You may pick the same skill twice. If you don't have any combat skills, consider taking them here. If you don't have any social skills, consider taking them here. If you have a ship roll to fill, consider taking them here.
Select foci as granted by class, plus one for being a player character.
Pick an equipment package.
Take an additional 1,200 credits to save or purchase additional equipment with.
Pick a signature item. This is a weapon, armor or piece of equipment with a TL4 base. We will adjust power as needed.
Setting Basics
Your characters are from Wyrm Sector [1]. The general feel is retro-future from the 1920's and '30's. Grav vehicles have big chunky bumpers and generous running boards. Ships are chromed, tend to be shaped like flying wings, vertical towers or rockets, and are generally appointed like the interior of the Titanic. Things are valuable, disposable culture isn't really a thing. There are print-o-mats to do 3d printing of goods and objects, robo-diners exist, etc.
Most people will be from Phoenicia. It's the sector hegemon, has a billion citizens and is actively establishing colonies and protectorates across the sector. The Phoenician Authority are not exactly white hats, but they aren't monsters either. Of the colonies, Tyre has been a functional agricultural colony for a while, while Sidon is a built-up mining establishment that is just becoming self-sufficient.
The psychics in the group might consider being from Delann. Delann is a psychic matriarchy that made the leap to postech just a few years ago. Before that, Phoenicia has imposed a quarantine on them to prevent them from gaining interstellar drives. Delann has a population of roughly 500 million and has a full psychic academy, the only complete psychic training facility in Wyrm sector.
If you like space bats, be from Koilia. They're essentially Mycenaean Catholic bat people. Their culture is Bronze Age, but New Horizons has been running a Promethean project there with the blessing of the Bat Pope, so your character would be a graduate from the inaugural class of their college, and one of a few thousand Koilians who understand postech tools and vehicles.
New Horizons
The characters are in the employ of New Horizons, a powerful and rather famous company helmed by a group of adventure capitalists. They made quite a stir a few years back, fighting rebels and making first contact with the Koilians, and are also rumored to have something to do with Delann's acquisition of spike drive tech. Tremendously popular with the people, but not always on the same page as the Authority, New Horizons decided to follow rebel star charts to a new sector and have founded a colony there. Shenanigans with an alien artifact gave them a complete map of this new sector, but issues in Wyrm have the attention of the leadership, and they've elected to send a new crew out to explore, trade and establish diplomatic contact with the denizens of this new sector.
