The world of Eclipse is one of consensual reality. Players and staffers work together in order to create a solid, consistent, and intriguing world in which the stories are told. When creating a character, it is recommended that players first consider the questions below before looking at creation points or how to allocate them. Once the questions are answered, it is further recommended that new players send their character ideas to Plot, so that the staff is able to address any possible issues before the game begins, and so that the player can be woven into any appropriate ongoing stories.
The Eclipse staff strongly recommends that players submit a full character history for their characters before the beginning of play. This helps to establish several basic fundamentals of any new character, be they new players or experienced players. Knowing why a character has come to the game location, who they might possibly know, and their past experiences help to establish a deep and rich sense of the character before play begins, allowing a quick and seamless integration into the game’s on-going story. Players that submit a character history before their first event receive three (3) additional character points with which to build their character.
Steps of Character Creation
Step One: Character Race
Are you a Human or a Tribe? If Human, are you Imperial, Atlantean, Free Szgany, Fringer, or Meurlain? If Tribe, are you Dahhak, Midir, Nasu, Kshathran, or Yazata?
Step Two: Starting Settlement
What in-game settlement on Eclipse do you come from?
Step Three: Character Concept
This is where the character history questions help to create a rich character concept. Is your character a former Imperial from the planet Spentha who discovered he was a mutant in his teens and fled to Fringe space before ending up on Eclipse? Perhaps your character was the daughter of a master armor smith on Vairya now living in Downings, with aspirations of becoming one of the skilled Atar defenders that protects your fellow man and keep them safe. There are many paths and options to explore. Don’t feel tied to what has done before. Experimentation and expansion are the lifeblood of any world.
Step Four: Choose Advantages and Disadvantages
Any Disadvantage you choose adds to your starting forty (40) “at creation” character points total. Any Advantage chosen costs points from your starting “at creation” character points. Many Advantages and all Disadvantages may only be selected at character creation. Be careful, your choices here will remain with your character for the rest of his or her career. Remember that you may only take Disadvantages if you have a character history on file with the Eclipse committee. Additionally, make sure you are able to effectively roleplay any Disadvantages you choose. You may only take a maximum of ten (10) points of Disadvantages, increasing the “at creation” build to a total of fifty (50) from base and Disadvantages.
Step Five: Assign Character Points
You must now assign your character points wherever you feel is appropriate for your character. Make sure that the Talents and Abilities chosen are appropriate to the character concept you have chosen. You have a total of one-hundred (150) character points to spend at creation, forty (40) of which are “at creation” points and are used to purchase Advantages. The other hundred and ten (110) points are experience points, and may not be used to purchase Advantages. An approved character history garners an additional three (3) “at creation” points, and Disadvantages may be taken for up to an additional ten (10), for a possible maximum of fifty-three (53) “at creation” points, and a maximum of one-hundred sixty-three (163) total character points.
If you’re having trouble with buying skills and abilities, here is a handy list of all the skills and their costs. Details about Advantages, Disadvantages, Talents and Abilities are available in the Eclipse Rulebook.
If you have Buttons, you may additionally buy up to fifty (50) additional character points. The cost is two (2) Buttons per character point, and these character points cannot be used for “at creation” skill discounts. This brings the possible maximum character points for a new character to two-hundred thirteen (213).
Step Six: Starting Equipment
Every character gets 250 credits to start. If you buy the Fortune advantage, you get an additional 200 credits per level. The Increased Wealth advantage adds an additional 20 credits per level. The last option for increasing the amount of your starting gear is to buy additional equipment with Buttons. At character creation, you can get 200 credits per 5 Buttons spent, with a limit of 1000 credits / 25 Buttons. Buttons spent on equipment can only be used for equipment – you cannot get credits with buttons at that rate.
Cost of equipment can be found on the production lists. The formula for most things is Material Unit(MU) cost times 10. If a Level 1 Energy Crystal is required, add 20 credits to the cost of the item. You are limited to 10 items from each Tech (batches count as one item per batch). The production lists specify which items are available to new characters.
Here are some tips for planning out how you are spending your starting cash:
- Cybernetics purchased with creation points are installed and do not have a monetary cost.
- Psionic Shards do not cost money if purchased with creation points. If purchased afterward, you will have to find it in play.
- If your Martial Discipline requires Superior Quality equipment at Rank 1 or at higher ranks, it can be purchased at creation. This is an exception to the rule that Superior Quality items cannot be purchased.
- Firearms require a case of basic ammo. You need a case of ammo for each firearm you want to carry.
- Medical Diagnosis, Tech Diagnosis, Forensics, and Environmental Diagnosis require a Diagnostic Scanner (found on the Energy Tech list).
- Field Surgery requires a Field Surgery Kit.
- Hacking requires a Computer and an ICE Breaker. Security Countermeasures requires a Security Countermeasures Device.
- Flashlights and glowsticks don’t need tags.
- Anyone can use a Dermal Patch. A wise traveler usually has some healing Dermal Patches handy.
- Got a radio? Get a Communication Device tag. Camera? Get a tag for it to take pictures in play. Got a USB key? Get a Data Storage Device.
Bringing a list to check in can help speed things up. If you have questions about item costs, please post on the boards. Some of them can be a little confusing, but we’re more than willing to help.
Step Seven: Send it all in!
Once you have your build, character history, and equipment all settled, the next step is to send it all to plot. If you have any questions or concerns, or want to make sure things fit correctly, we can help you with that too. Just email us. We look forward to hearing from you, and getting to know your character!
Restrictions and Plot Approval
There are things you can do at Character Creation that require Plot interaction and permission (Requires submitting a character history at least 30 days in advance of the event you are starting at):
- Starting at 2nd Tier Psionics
- Starting at Commercial Cybernetics
- Starting at Moderate Mutation
- Atlantean Race and Culture
- Free Szgany Race and Culture
- Dahhak starting with cybernetics (requires Compound settlement)
- Tribes with Mutations (requires White Falls settlement)
- Settlement-based Martial Schools
- Purchase a Martial School after Creation Points
- Purchase Novice Psionics after Creation Points
- Humans purchasing Mild Mutation or Consumer Neural Interface after Creation Points
Other things may be possible but are more difficult or restrictive. If you are interested in incorporating some of these into your character, it is recommended that you put together your character concept and submit it to Plot before developing a full history – Plot may have some guidelines about how the above ideas can be incorporated.
