Character Creation

Welcome to the Character Creation page, contained here are all the steps you will need to build a fully playable Character in Meat Space.

While this process can be done alone, the steps of Character Creation are recommended to be done as a group. Meat Space is as much a collaborative story telling game as a rules based RPG. This gives everyone a chance to create both individually fun and flavourful Characters as well as even intertwining their backstories and tying them more strongly into the narrative that will be told over the course of the campaign.

Please Note: While a Character sheet can be made with pen and paper, we have a digital version that can be found Here, to help with tracking the various Ratings and Stats available to your Character.

Please Note: As a Game Master, when creating Non-Cast Characters you perform the same steps as if making a Cast Character.

The first step in creating a Character is to come up with a simple concept for who or what they are. This is known as your Elevator Pitch. It serves as the foundation for every choice you make during Character Creation and gives you a clear idea of who your Character is once play begins.

Whenever you are asked to make a choice, there may be many good reasons to select one option over another. If you are ever unsure, your Elevator Pitch should be used as the tie-breaker. It can also help guide your decisions during play by giving you a better understanding of what your Character would do and the role they are intended to fill, both narratively and mechanically.

An Elevator Pitch can be as simple as:

“I'm playing someone who beats up people with their fists.”

Or as detailed as:

“I want to play a noir-style detective focused on narrative encounters, solving mysteries and supporting the group, with only a light combat presence.”

Once everyone has had an opportunity to pitch their Character, move on to Step 1.

Please Note: If you are creating Characters as a group, this is a great time to go around the table and share your Elevator Pitches with one another. Doing so allows everyone to see if any ideas overlap, complement one another or create interesting opportunities for teamwork. It also gives everyone a chance to make sure they are happy with how the group fits together before moving on. Also, it's fun.

Now that you have a core idea in mind, the next step of Character Creation is to choose one of the following Races you think will be most in line with your pitch. This will be the mechanical foundation of your Character, giving them their Starter Stats, Physiology and a number of Abilities unique to their Race.

While Races have cultural practices and histories in the Meat Space, your Character is an individual, and can participate as much or as little in their peoples' quirks and culture as you wish. The lore and average attributes are just that, the average or common norm for those people, your Character may be exceptionally tall for a Gnome or quite light for an Oricalcai, feel free to go outside these commonalities.

Atlantean	Devlin	D'Jinn	Draeck	Dwarf	Elf
A member of the sapient aquatic tribes of Atlantas, using advanced Mod-Suits to walk among the stars as proud members of the Federation since its inception.	Short-lived but impossibly lucky, these hardened Elvenoids are celebrated across the Federation as daring pilots, skilled crews and survivors of the impossible.	Beings of living electromagnetic energy, they shape bodies from magnetic particles and are renowned for their immense magical power and natural affinity for both the Cyber Space and Meat Space.	Proud, dragon-like Elvenoids with four powerful arms, they maintain the traditions of an ancient empire where status is earned through achievement, ambition and strength.	Tough, stalwart and honest to a fault, these dense Elvenoids possess little affinity for magic but are renowned throughout the galaxy for their exceptional tolerance for Cyberware.	Among the oldest cultures in the Federation, these agile and magically gifted Elvenoids often spend centuries pursuing a single passion to perfection.

Gnome	Human	Orc	Oricalcai	Tipua	Troll
Though small in stature, these cunning Elvenoids are renowned for their arcane talents, clever schemes and fondness for elaborate pranks.	Though blind to magic and new to the Federation, these ambitious Elvenoids are famous for their improbable good fortune and remarkable ability to thrive in unfamiliar circumstances.	Packed with redundant musculature and remarkable survival instincts, these combative Elvenoids are renowned throughout the Federation for their fearlessness and flippant attitude toward death.	Though possessed of tremendous size, weight and strength, these sapient stone beings are best known for their peaceful traditions and love of philosophy and art.	Psychic plant beings that require living hosts to survive, they inherit the memories of their ancestors and hosts alike, making them as controversial as they are insightful.	Possessed of immense size, strength and regenerative abilities, these agreeable Elvenoids are renowned throughout the Federation as hardworking, dependable and exceptionally difficult to kill.

Once you have chosen your Race note down their Starter and Maximum for both their Mundane and Mystical Stats. Keeping in mind that your Mundane Stats may be changed in the following section.

Also note down your Race's Perceptions, Size, Physiology and any unique Abilities they may have.

Now that your Character has their generic Racial Stats, you can modify them to better represent the individual your Character is.

You gain one free Stat Rank to increase any one of your Mundane Starter Stats.

You then may additionally reduce any Starter Stat by up to 2 to increase any other Starter Stat by the same amount.

During this step no Stat can be increased or reduced by more than 2 from the amount given by your Race, nor can they be increased past their Maximum.

Once you are finished with your Character's Starter Stats, they now become your Character's Current Stats. This is important for ranking up Stats later on. Here we have the basic Human Stats for the noir detective from our example pitch earlier. Humans are exceptional allrounder's, but are uniquely high in Grit, showing off their exceptional luckiness, so we have a decent starting point for our hard boiled detective.

With the meat and bones of your Character in place, it's time to choose a Job.

Every Character in Meat Space has gained some special set of expertise or knowledge that helps them survive and flourish, this special knowledge is represented by Jobs.

Each Job comes with a number of benefits when first chosen and whenever they are Ranked up. The important benefits we need to note for this step are those from your Job's starting package which include:

Ace	Chromer	Gambler	Merc	Rigger	Suit
Masters of both piloting and vehicle customisation, Aces possess the skill, confidence and swagger to push any vehicle beyond its limits and the arrogance to believe they can do it again.	The moment they installed their first implant, everything clicked. Chromers pursue perfection through cybernetic augmentation, modifying themselves with a dedication few can match.	Masters of both magic and manipulation, Gamblers bargain with fate itself, borrowing impossible power from beyond time and space to alter the odds in their favour.	The quintessential Spacer, Mercs are hardened professionals who rely on training, experience and adaptability to succeed in any situation.	Addled by Th00l and possessed of an uncanny mechanical intuition, Riggers are immensely strong engineers who can tear apart almost any machine and rebuild it better than before.	Employed by the giga-corps, Suits wield the two oldest powers in the universe: money and education, applying them to everything from commerce and diplomacy to espionage and intrigue.

Tamer	Tanker	Technomancer	Voker	Whizz	Zerk
Tamers forge lifelong bonds with powerful Kindred Spirits, gaining a loyal monster companion that can carry them through dangers no vehicle ever could.	Tankers lead the charge with oversized weapons and overwhelming firepower, bringing the same destructive force to vehicular combat as they do on foot.	Brilliant inventors and master mages, Technomancers combine magic and technology into a single discipline, achieving feats neither could accomplish alone.	Masters of pure magic, Vokers fuel powerful Invocations with magical reagents, unleashing levels of arcane power that other mages can only dream of.	Whizzes draw magical power from speed itself, chasing ever-faster vehicles and impossible acceleration in their pursuit of greater power.	Forged by their environment, be it social, spiritual or biological, Zerks become its apex predators, relentless warriors best avoided in a narrow alley.

With a Race and Job, your Character has everything they need to put their Ratings together. These Ratings, along with Skills in the following section, are the primary way in which a Character will determine how effective they are in all aspects of the game.

Each Rating is a combination of two Stats or a bonus such as those from your Job's starting package. Below is a table of each Rating and how they are made. Fill in each Rating, or if using the Digital Character Sheet check that your Ratings are correct and as you would like them.

Skills are the core of how any Character interacts with the Meat, Cyber and Astral Spaces. Skills are how any Check or Attack is performed in Meat Space, if your Character is meant to be competent at something, Skills are how they'll show it.

You gain 10 free Ranks in any Skills of your choice under the following restrictions.

You may not have more than 3 Ranks in a single Skill during Character Creation, nor can your Ranks in any Skill exceed your Skill Rank Maximum.

[Masteries] are how your Character has specialised in their capabilities, someone handy in the Tech Skill may be more broadly useful, but will never reach the heights of someone with many ranks in [Fabricate] or [Mechanics].

[Masteries] are the primary way in which a Character transforms from a collection of Skills and Stats, to an iconic individual ready to take on the universe.

You gain 1 free Rank in a [Mastery] of your choice, gaining an Ability of the same Rank from that [Mastery] as well.

You may not have more than 3 Ranks in a [Mastery] during Character Creation.

Click the following link for the full list of available [Masteries] or refer to the [New Hire Packages] page to see suggested [Masteries] for your chosen Job.

Now is a good time if performing Character Creation as a group to shift into a discussion to help find the most Appropriate [Masteries] for everyones Characters. There are quite a few options available and taking the time to lock in a [Mastery] and Ability here and now may take some time, making a shortlist of candidates with the advice and info of your group to take home and review is recommended.

Jobs give you a Budget to spend now during Character Creation, your Personal Budget may be used to purchase any Items or Cyberware your Character would have before the start of the campaign.

Much like the previous step, fitting out your Character completely can take some time. We recommend discussing and making a shortlist of Items you may want for your Character and making your full set of purchases at home.

Alternatively each Job offers a number of recommended Item bundles here: [New Hire Packages].

Any Credits unspent from your Personal Budget are kept and carry on to regular play.

Please Note: When purchasing Apparel pay attention to Belts, as they are very powerful for their cost.
Please Note: Cyberware is expensive and a large investment early on so consider carefully. See Chromer if you're looking to really chrome yourself out.

Jobs also give you a Vehicular Budget, these Credits are used in the construction or purchase of a personal or group [Vehicle] that will serve as both transportation, and if needed, a combat vessel.

[Vehicles] benefit greatly from being built with a goal in mind, so take the time now to discuss and gain an understanding of what [Setting] is being used, how the Characters intend to travel, be it in one large group ship, or a fleet of smaller single person [Vehicles]. This information will help greatly when either building or purchasing a [Vehicle].

Please Note: Some Jobs, such as Tamer or Suit have break from the norm with their Vehicular Budgets and should be taken into cosideration if present in the group.

See [Vehicle Construction] for more detailed instructions on building a [Vehicle], or head over to [Vehicle Prebuilts] for a pre-made, off the lot ship.

That's that! by now you should have a fully functional Character to play Meat Space with.

Of course if you've taken our advice and performed a “session zero” with your group the time until your session 1 can be spent refining your choices and locking in others that may have left till after.

We hope you and your Character have a great time making it big out there in the Meat Space!