I have just found a group willing to teach me this game. I'm really excited but I don't want to look like an idiot (unavoidable due to being a novice I'm sure, but this group seems nice). I'm currently creating a character I made up a long time ago and am trying to transfer him to the game.

My character is a human bounty hunter with the specialization Assassin and Force Sensitive Exile. His obligation is Duty Bound +5 (+1000 credits). I currently have 90 XP and don't know what to spend it on.

The prevailing wisdom is take the opportunity to boost stats with the bulk of your beginning xp. So whatever skills you want to favor, focus the xp on that stat(s), any leftover grab a Talent or some extra skill level(s).

90 XP = three characteristics bumped to 3. That will give you a much easier time with several dice pools in the beginning of the game. A (rather obvious) Force Sensitive Assassin build might look like Agility 3, Willpower 3, and Cunning 3.

Ok. Looking at my characteristics combined with my general skills I selected, a better option is Brawn and Cunning up to three.

From the Assassin Tree: Stalker (5); Dodge (5)

From the Force Sensitive Exile Tree: Uncanny Reactions (5); Uncanny Senses (5); Convincing Demeanor (10)

How's this look?

What do you want to do with the character? That's super important, after that we might be able to get more specific.

But, yeah. Increase the characteristics (Brown, Agility, Intellect, Cunning, Willpower, Presence).

Honestly I'd skip all those talents and get another characteristic to 3. Nothing wrong with the Talents you chose...pick them up with your first session XP! You'll only notice those missing talents for a couple of sessions, but you'll notice that 2 for the life of the game.

Honestly I'd skip all those talents and get another characteristic to 3. Nothing wrong with the Talents you chose...pick them up with your first session XP! You'll only notice those missing talents for a couple of sessions, but you'll notice that 2 for the life of the game.

One counter point, if I may.

So you're looking at a character sheet and they have two 3s, and one 1, and three 2s. Not enough XP to make a 4, but they can make the 1 a 2 or a 2 a 3.

The 1 is fine, a character with a flaw is great. Maybe they're physically slow, or scrawny, or they have an obnoxious voice. It works.

The 2s aren't bad, really. Yeah, it sucks to have less yellows/greens, but it's, at worst, going to make things more interesting. You likely won't lose the character with a 2. Also, buying up the skills counters that point fine.

So a 3 can help, sure, but a 4 for their main characteristics would be awesome. And buying up talents with the 30XP can get you a 5, a 10, and a 15 out of one column. Getting you that much closer to a shiny 4 from Dedication.

There's an argument there for rushing a tree over a 3.

That said, I've never done this, BUT I DON'T GET TO NOT GM, SO WHATEVER.

Honestly I'd skip all those talents and get another characteristic to 3. Nothing wrong with the Talents you chose...pick them up with your first session XP! You'll only notice those missing talents for a couple of sessions, but you'll notice that 2 for the life of the game.

One counter point, if I may.

So you're looking at a character sheet and they have two 3s, and one 1, and three 2s. Not enough XP to make a 4, but they can make the 1 a 2 or a 2 a 3.

The 1 is fine, a character with a flaw is great. Maybe they're physically slow, or scrawny, or they have an obnoxious voice. It works.

The 2s aren't bad, really. Yeah, it sucks to have less yellows/greens, but it's, at worst, going to make things more interesting. You likely won't lose the character with a 2. Also, buying up the skills counters that point fine.

So a 3 can help, sure, but a 4 for their main characteristics would be awesome. And buying up talents with the 30XP can get you a 5, a 10, and a 15 out of one column. Getting you that much closer to a shiny 4 from Dedication.

There's an argument there for rushing a tree over a 3.

That said, I've never done this, BUT I DON'T GET TO NOT GM, SO WHATEVER.

I thought he was playing a human, thus all his stats are a baseline of 2?

At any rate I might be wrong since it's been awhile since I've looked at EotE char generation but do you really have enough starting xp to buy into a second career at start? Is it 90xp on top of what you start with from char generation or 90xp total from character generation. If it's the former then yeah buy into Force Exile. If it's the later then save Force Exile for later. If you're only working with the starting xp you get from char generation it is generally a bad idea to buy two careers as that xp could have been better used raising stats which can't be raised latter. And in the long run you are going to want to have some of your starting stats raised a bit (for instance Will of 3 for the use of Discipline checks)

Or if being a Force user is actual central to the character I would ditch Bounty Hunter and play a Seeker Executioner from Force and Destiny's Savage Spirits. The Seeker overall is great for building bounty hunter themed characters.

I don't see it mentioned in this thread, so I thought I should mention why it's recommended to buy characteristics at initial character creation with XP over other things (like skills, talents, and secondary specializations).

Anything you can buy at character creation can be later purchased during the course of play with XP you earn after game sessions, and at the same rate. You can boost Ranged (Heavy) to rank 2 now for 10 XP, or wait until later and raise it for the same cost.

Characteristics are different. Once your character is created they're basically locked in stone. You won't be able to raise them again with XP. At least not in the same way. You can raise them by taking the "Dedication" talent in each specialization tree later, though those talents are deep in the trees and will come only after a long time and a lot of XP spent on the way.

Again, the other things you could buy at creation you can just buy later, and probably quickly. So make those a lower priority.

My suggestion is to have the character come into his force powers a few sessions in ("Oh, he always was force sensitive, he just hid it from everyone else.")

That way you can have all starting xp and spend it on characteristics.

When and how do I buy weapons and equipment?

Honestly I'd skip all those talents and get another characteristic to 3. Nothing wrong with the Talents you chose...pick them up with your first session XP! You'll only notice those missing talents for a couple of sessions, but you'll notice that 2 for the life of the game.

One counter point, if I may.

So you're looking at a character sheet and they have two 3s, and one 1, and three 2s. Not enough XP to make a 4, but they can make the 1 a 2 or a 2 a 3.

The 1 is fine, a character with a flaw is great. Maybe they're physically slow, or scrawny, or they have an obnoxious voice. It works.

The 2s aren't bad, really. Yeah, it sucks to have less yellows/greens, but it's, at worst, going to make things more interesting. You likely won't lose the character with a 2. Also, buying up the skills counters that point fine.

So a 3 can help, sure, but a 4 for their main characteristics would be awesome. And buying up talents with the 30XP can get you a 5, a 10, and a 15 out of one column. Getting you that much closer to a shiny 4 from Dedication.

There's an argument there for rushing a tree over a 3.

That said, I've never done this, BUT I DON'T GET TO NOT GM, SO WHATEVER.

I thought he was playing a human, thus all his stats are a baseline of 2?

At any rate I might be wrong since it's been awhile since I've looked at EotE char generation but do you really have enough starting xp to buy into a second career at start? Is it 90xp on top of what you start with from char generation or 90xp total from character generation. If it's the former then yeah buy into Force Exile. If it's the later then save Force Exile for later. If you're only working with the starting xp you get from char generation it is generally a bad idea to buy two careers as that xp could have been better used raising stats which can't be raised latter. And in the long run you are going to want to have some of your starting stats raised a bit (for instance Will of 3 for the use of Discipline checks)

Or if being a Force user is actual central to the character I would ditch Bounty Hunter and play a Seeker Executioner from Force and Destiny's Savage Spirits. The Seeker overall is great for building bounty hunter themed characters.

My argument isn't necessarily for this exact situation. I even posted previously in this thread saying to just up the characteristics.

I'm simply arguing that there can be a method to the espoused madness of not dumping all of your XP into the characteristics at the start of the game.

When and how do I buy weapons and equipment?

You'll get a starting value of credits, which can be increased with Obligation, and you can spend all of that in starting equipment from the book(s).

I would definitely spend most, if not all, xp getting boosts to you characteristics. I'd even ignored Force Sensitive for a session or two and I'd use that boost to obligation for more xp for a skill bump or talent and instead buy a slugthrower rifle. Less good, but you'll have opportunities to get better gear later.

Cunning is huge for assassins. As is agility. Willpower is awesome for the force.

Maybe bump those three, if your married to the Force exile, buy that and spend the extra 5 on a talent like dodge or something?

All I want to say is, HistoryGuy, welcome to role-playing games! I'm sure you'll find them to be the greatest art form humanity has ever created.

Welcome to roleplaying games, and welcome to Edge of the Empire !

Conventional wisdom says to spend as much starting XP on Characteristics as possible, and for the most part I agree. However, this is your character, and an extra point in a Characteristic is really only a little help on individual rolls (though it does help with getting Triumphs!). Just keep in mind that characteristics won't be able to be changed after character creation except with the Dedication talent (only once per Specialization) and cybernetics (which can be expensive!).

I don't want to look like an idiot

Then this is definitely the wrong game for you! Meh, getting to look like an idiot is the main reason I play this game!

But srsly, welcomes.

Yes, it is generally accepted wisdom that the best starting stat-line for a human is four 3's and two 2's. This is a game where all the attributes are useful to some degree, and Charisma is used to determine initiative in combat

BUT - let us also say that this isn't Pathfinder, and you are under no obligation to min-max the hell out of your character. Seriously, you can play it however you like and you won't be a burden to your fellows because you're not 'optimised'. Don't worry about 'builds' or all that MMO nonsense. Play what you like; putting XP into anything will make you good at something .

By and large, the game is balanced between muggles and Force-users. Force-sensitives can be awesome but you need to put quite a bit of XP to get there. You can throw multiple ATATs using Move, even raise the dead (and kill off your enemies at the same time!). But it takes quite a bit of your XP to be really good with the Force. I know everyone wants to be a 'Jedi', but the conventional wisdom here is 'go big or go home' with the Force.

That said, it's your character, and the game happily supports you playing it however you like.

The best character is probably the one that is most in tune with the sort of stuff your GM will have you doing. So talk to the other players and the GM about that first.

(Also, if you're a Force user, it's probably worth asking if the GM is using the Conflict rules from Force & Destiny. Is this a 'Pulp Fiction' kind of game where the PCs kill lots of people and nobody really cares? Or does doing Bad Stuff turn you all Dark Side? Not that 'Dark Side' is necessarily a bad thing in this game; it's a perfectly valid option. But ask about this stuff anyway, especially if you're going to be an Assassin and shooting people for credits, because that's not a very Jedi-like thing to do...)

What do you want to do with the character? That's super important, after that we might be able to get more specific.

Winner winner chicken dinner.

Do not focus on the stats, young grasshopper, for you will miss all your character's heavenly glory.

What is his story. Where do you want to go with him? What's the end game? How do you get there. In all my years of roleplaying, I have had characters that just drifted along with the flow from adventure to adventure and I have had characters that had something to achieve in life (find missing family, right a wrong, get revenge on someone or whatever) and the characters with an end goal have been uniformly more satisfying to play.

For your first time out, it doesn't have to be big - you don't have to save your father from the Dark Side and assassinate a head of state. But some kind of something for the GM to work with will boost your overall enjoyment and experience.

I don't want to look like an idiot

Rule number one: Go ahead and look like an idiot.

Every single one of us in the hobby was a beginner at one time. We all had to crawl, stumble and make mistakes as we went. Hell, I still screw up rulings and have to search the rule books for details and I've been playing for 4 years (and/or playing for 25 years). You will make mistakes. You will be slow to compute dice results. You will get lost tracking things on your character sheet.

Do not worry about making mistakes.

Rule number one: Go ahead and look like an idiot.

Every single one of us in the hobby was a beginner at one time. We all had to crawl, stumble and make mistakes as we went. Hell, I still screw up rulings and have to search the rule books for details and I've been playing for 4 years (and/or playing for 25 years). You will make mistakes. You will be slow to compute dice results. You will get lost tracking things on your character sheet.

Do not worry about making mistakes.

I'm going to second this.

Heck, the first step to becoming a GM is deciding you are going to look like an idiot in front of other people. Then hoping the next session you run that you will look less like an idiot.

How many credits do you start off with?

It should be 500 at character creation, plus any you get from taking on additional Obligation. Then you have 1d100 extra one the first session starts.

How important is backstory to game play?

How important is backstory to game play?

From my way of thinking? Completely vital - otherwise you simply have an oddly colored spreadsheet with some funny numbers on it. It gives the GM something to work with, allows them to craft games that have adventure hooks geared towards your character, and it lets you say "Hey, I want to see these sorts of games."

For my Princess politico I fleshed out her family, her enemies, her homeworld, and why she had to go on the run from all of that. All of which came into play over the lifespan of the campaign, eventually coloring the end of the story arc, We wrapped up our game by leading a Republic fleet to repulse a Sith occupation of her home - and it was awesome. And none of that would have been possible without a background.

The flip side of that? I have a player right now who has the absolute bare minimum of a backstory. Family, a home world, a reason for existing, but just. And there's no meat to it, no interesting hooks or things to hang a game off of. Try as I might as a GM, there's simply nothing to work with and I think her interest level suffers for it. But there's nothing I can do - my hands are tied, to an extent.

So yes, backstory is VERY important, easily as important as just stats alone.

I have an idea for a back story but it's not done yet.

What do you want to do with the character? That's super important, after that we might be able to get more specific.

My character wants to be the "enforcer" of the group. He is very much the ends justifies the means character. "Oh, you won't give us the information we need?" Cracks knuckles. "Let me see if I can refresh your memory."

He is also a CQB fighter, preferring small pistols, vibro-knives, and fists over long range rifles.