I'm attempting to generate a character and am finding the rules a bit complicated. I have a few questions.

1. I'm using Age of Rebellion to create a Soldier (Career) Medic (Specialization). The Soldier begins with a career skill of Medicine. Is this the same as having a level one rank in the skill or does it simply denote how many points it costs to invest in it?

2. In addition to the Career skill of Medicine, the Medic gets a "bonus skill" of medicine also. Does this mean he gets an additional rank?

Again, any help would be greatly appreciated. Just trying to work my way through the source book and it isn't always easy to make heads or tails of the rules.

Thanks in advance.

-Jardun-

While a bit wordy, if you follow the book exactly in the character creation section it actually steps you through this pretty well. Follow the steps exactly, and read the entire section. When you get to your career and spec, read the first paragraph of them for the details.

Name your character

Pick a race (apply racial bonuses) and write down initial characteristics (brawn, etc)

Pick a career. Each Career has a set of class skills, mark these on your sheet as class skills (they are cheaper to rank up later). The book will indicate that you can pick a rank in any 4 of these (I think it's four, been awhile since I rolled a character). So you add a rank to any 4 of those class skills.

Pick a specialization within that career. Each specialization has a set of class skills. Mark these on your sheet as class skills. The book will indicate that you can pick a rank in any 2 of these (again, I think it's two). So add a rank to any 2 of those class skills.

You can never start with more than 2 ranks in any skill. So if a race gives medicine, and the career and spec can also give medicine, you can't increase it to 3 when starting your character.

After those steps, it's time to spend you starting experience. Refer back to your race, and include any bonus xp, and start putting that xp into characteristics or skills. Generally it's a good idea to spend most of this on your characteristics as those are harder to level up later. Raising your intelligence would be a good idea, as would a combat skill probably (agility if using ranged weapons).

When adding new specs later, you don't get career class skills, but you do gain the new spec's class skills as class skills. You get NO bonus ranks from either though. Ranks in skills will only come from XP expenditures after character creation.

So, for example, assuming you built a human soldier medic....

Solider makes athletics, brawl, knowledge (warfare), medicine, melee, ranged (light), and ranged heavy class skills. You can pick 4. (medicine, ranged light, athletics, and ranged heavy for instance)

Medic makes knowledge (xenology), medicine, resilience, and vigilance class skills. You can pick 2 (medicine, and vigilance for instance)

Being a human allows you to pick 2 ranks in 2 non-class skills. (computers and mechanics for instance)

Now you have 1 rank in ranged light, ranged heavy, athletics, vigilance, computers, and mechanics. You also have 2 points in medicine.

Hope this helps!