Character Creation

Much of this has been handled in the Interest Check thread [link], but preserving it may be valuable for future generations... (er... replacement players, we don't want you breeding).

You all can create and submit character sheets to the game. I will Accept them without review (so they may as well be blank). This gives us a place to store and share the character as it shapes up.

We can post, here, about any significant changes to the character, both during the Character Creation process and during play. That way we can follow the evolution (even if it is messy), but mainly because changes to the sheet are invisible to others, there are no notifications and no record, so others may continue to play as though your character were still their old self.

We can deal with adjusting the proposals from the Interest Check to work as a group. Repost them here for reference.

Welcome to the Party
Work together to form a group that fits (in terms of Concept, Aim, Tone), but don't worry about forming a 'balanced party'. It is natural for people to tackle tasks they are suited for, so most of the game will involve you doing the things you made your character good at, those are, presumably, the things you find interesting (a 'character sheet' is filled with flags for the GM about what to include in a game, they are a fan of your character). Sometimes you will be put in situations you are not equipped to deal with (the principle of: "find where they are weak and push there"), but it is still about your character, and we are all eager to see how they get out of that nest of gundarks. :)

Basically, the game shapes itself around your characters.

Don't worry about defining everything. We can get to know the characters as we play, even our own ones. If you find yourself faced with a situation you never expected, but think your character would have the skills to deal with it, tell us how, we can talk about it, and we can add that to the character sheet if it makes sense.

Give your characters strengths and weaknesses. These can change as we play and grow.

Character Backstories
How you avoided death under Order 66 is up to you, it could be individually, or as a group, or a mix, whichever we prefer. Maybe you were at the temple when Anikin struck, maybe you were away with your master and they died saving you, maybe you were on a class outing and survived as a group? Options abound, make your backstory your own.

• You don't know what actually happened. All you have is 'the news' and rumor to inform you. You do know you need to stay hidden, you don't know for how long.

How you join up as a team is up to you as well. Maybe you were already all together when things went down, maybe you were responding to the recall beacon and were close together when it was changed to a warning and so you just stuck together, maybe you found each other over the following weeks? It need not be the same for everyone.

These choices will obviously affect where we start playing. It could be in the immediate aftermath of Order 66, or it could be a little while after, it depends on whether you want to start 'on the run' or 'in a place of relative safety'. I would like to get the PCs together as soon as possible, it is more fun if you have others to play off of. We can start separately and join up later, but PbP can make that take a lot longer than we might anticipate.

We can also start in media res, with everyone together, but have personal-story threads where we flashback to the chaos as you started your bid for freedom. Flashbacks are a powerful tool for storytelling.

You are old enough to have had some training, and to have made your lightsaber... but a lightsaber is an obvious 'tell' that you are Jedi, so using it may be a bad idea. Maybe you hid it away, maybe you sold it, maybe you turned it in for the reward, claiming to have killed the Jedi who wielded it? Maybe you keep it close, just in case? You could always (try) make another one later if it comes to that.

Character age ranges are probably between Ahsoka in Clone Wars and Obi-Wan in Episode I, so probably the equivalent of 'teenagers' (for whatever that means for your species), though teens who have been taught to be more mature than our current crop. :)

This idea was actually spawned from a discussion of 'low dopamine production in the teenage brain —making everything "sooo booooring!"— and high dopamine reward pathways —making risky behaviour appealing.' So it is 'Star Wars as an afterthought'.

Our characters will be mainly narrative, this is not a mechanical game. We still need to find how much 'mechanics' we need to sprinkle on, but we will play most of it by ear, even when we need to resort to dice.

Species
The Star Wars world is dominated (possibly literally) by 'humans'. Sure, this is probably mainly to help the SFX budget, but it is still what we see.

Humans are also the easiest to play, since we have some understanding of how they work. I usually want my 'aliens' to be alien, not just people with different coloured skin or pointy ears, but I am not sure how feasible that is in Star Wars.

I suggest we lean towards human, or humanoid or humanish characters, but we can talk about trying to make anything you want work. We can use the books and wikis for guidance about what they are like, but this is mainly about the narrative, so tell your story with that character rather than statting them out mechanically. Support that story with the 'mechanics', as needed.

I never thought the 'playable' races in Star Wars were very distinct. I generally just modeled the different species as 'flavour'. Sometimes you need to back it up with your skills: If you are aquatic, you would naturally say you are 'good at swimming', you might also be able to breath underwater, but need to keep yourself wet. If you don't breath 'our atmosphere' (accept it, it's Star Wars), you might need to wear a mask at all times, this is a vulnerability, but also means you don't need to worry about poison gas or lack of atmosphere.

• Don't be a dick. Don't abuse the freedom of the system.

• Be a fan of the other players' characters. Use your specialness to make them shine. If everyone else is allergic to water, don't make a character that can live and breath in water, or don't expect that ability to come up except in very special circumstances where you might get your one chance to shine.

We may run into problems if we choose to play species with very different lifespans. Since we are teenagers, having someone who is hundreds of years old but still a teenager could be fun, but, after the game has progressed a year or two, and the others have grown up, your still being the same as you were at the start ("your adolescence lasts fifty years, and you don't change much in a mere year") could be a drain. Just something to consider.

Being 'old enough to get a job' might make things easier, but I am sure there a lots of places that don't have strict child-labor laws, so needing to contend with being considered 'too young' can also be a fun complication.

The group can decide on an age range we like. We don't care about the actual numbers and 'galactic standard years' and such. You don't all have to be the same age, but it might help.

I don't care how alien you are. No Hard to type names, please! This is Star Wars, but it is also PbP. Let's be kind to each other and not make us type the impossible. :)

Name: Brenya So’luppa (she/her)
Species: Gungan
Age: ~15 standard years
Lightsaber: Simple, single-bladed, sea-glass green — currently disassembled and hidden in pieces, probably
Personality: Easygoing and playfully curious
Strengths: Intuition, awareness, "luck", smarts
Weaknesses: Alter, Control, overt combat, brute strength, agility, etc

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Brenya So’luppa never saw the point of rules that didn’t feel right.

Born in the luminous underwater city of Otoh Gunga, from a very early age she was known for sneaking off to poke at things she wasn’t supposed to — glowing plants, ancient junk, even half-sunken ruins teetering on the sea floor (+ Curious). Elders called her "full of bubbles," but there was something about her questions — the kind that made people uncomfortable — that hinted at deeper waters.

She didn’t exactly mean to get chosen by the Jedi. She just sort of... ended up there, after a visiting Jedi caught her exploring an ancient Gungan shrine no one was allowed near. She’d been curious (+ Curious), slipped past a patrol, and found herself face-to-face with a relic humming faintly with the Force. The Knight didn't scold her. He watched. Then took her with him.

Training at the Temple was... weird. The other younglings were more serious. Brenya laughed too much. She asked too many "what if" questions. She often got distracted halfway through lessons (- Impulsive). But she was friendly, easy to like, and rarely let stress get to her. Her quiet confidence and playful humor made her well-liked by most of her peers (+ Easygoing).

She was never much good at the flashy Force stuff. Her pushes were weak (- Alter), and she couldn’t hold a saber to save her life (- Combat) — not without tripping over her own feet. But she felt things others missed. She could sense (+ Sense) when someone was about to speak, when a room’s energy shifted, when a wrong turn could be right. She couldn’t know the future, but she always seemed to step the right way at the right time. Her Master often said, "The Force whispers to her in odd little ways."

That whisper saved her life.

On the day of the purge, Breenya had been missing from her scheduled training. Again. She’d found a sealed maintenance hatch in the lower Temple levels and had decided to follow it "just for a peek" (+ Curious, - Impulsive). By the time she emerged, the halls were scorched and silent. She felt it then — a deep pull in the Force (+ Sense), tugging her away from the light, away from death. She ran, not knowing why, only that she had to.

Somehow, she survived — not with violence, but with intuition and instinct. She isn’t a hero. Not yet. She’s just a girl trying to listen to the Force and stay one step ahead.

So... how did we come together as a team? I think it's an interesting story to tell, but we need to be careful not to start off too far apart from each other. If you all agree, I want to discuss OOC in this thread how we met (or will meet) and leave to the game, in Character, how we became a team.

Sounds good. We can have 'met' very recently, so the 'becoming a team' might not have happened yet, and could take time. You might already know each other from training, or not, whatever you prefer.

If you don't know (or know of-) each other, then something needs to have brought you together. 'The beacon' could be a good excuse, as could 'the force', or your masters last words, or anything. I don't think it will be hard to prove to each other that you are ... were... padawans, but we can play out that 'proving' if we are interested in that story?

Note that the names we enter in the 'Character Name' field at the top of the sheet is the name used in the 'Characters' menu in the red bar at the bottom of the screen (and next to our posts). We can click on the Quill icon (feather and ink-bottle) to the left of the name in the menu to insert it into our post to save on typing the name each time (though it might be faster to type), this is especially useful with hard-to-type names. (Same for usernames.)

Maybe use the name you prefer to be referred to as, there, and, if you have a full name, enter that as part of the character sheet data?

Reposting
Tyra Voss – Survivor of Order 66
Species: Human
Age: 17
Background: Jedi Padawan
Force Talent: Force Echo (Psychometry)
Physical Traits:

Slim and youthful, but heavily scarred
Cybernetic legs (mismatched, droid-grade, functional but graceless)
Oversized mechanical arm (from a cargo droid, powerful but crude)
Dark cropped hair, pale skin, haunted eyes

Origin & Trauma
Tyra was aboard a small Jedi frigate when Order 66 was issued. Ambushed by clone troopers—including one with a heavy blaster cannon—she was blown apart in the crossfire, left barely alive. Her fellow survivors stabilized her in a bacta tank, hastily replacing her limbs with whatever mechanical parts were on hand. The ship fled into hyperspace as she drifted near death.

When she awoke, her body was no longer hers—and the Jedi Order was gone.

Psychological Profile
Resentful of the Empire and the betrayal by clones she once trusted
Guilt-ridden, believing she’s a burden her friends risked too much to save
Body dysmorphic, disconnected from her cybernetic limbs and her reflection Emotionally overwhelmed, unable to process the trauma or let go of her pain
Struggling with identity, caught between being a Jedi and just… surviving
Force talent: Force Echo (Psychometry)
Tyra can feel the past imprinted on objects and places. When touching something saturated with emotion—especially pain, fear, or death—she experiences vivid sensory flashbacks.Was it one of the other players who saved her?

Posting from character sheet.

Basics


Appearance

WIP

Backstory
A privileged Alderaanian noble-turned-padawan, Taryn was raised with wealth, manners, and the expectation of success.

At young age, she was found to be force sensitive. She was brought to Coruscant for training.

She viewed her Jedi training not as a burden, but as a personal accolade—proof that she was chosen, destined for greatness. Taryn followed the rules, yes—but not without rolling her eyes. The Jedi way of detachment clashed with her upbringing, where emotions were artfully expressed and beauty was meant to be appreciated.

Family
Lord Croven Devrane was proud of Taryn's acceptance into the Jedi, not because he admired the Order, but because it raised the Devrane name even higher. He always spoke of duty and honor—but viewed them through a lens of social gain. Taryn learned her pride and polish from him.

Lady Ilessa Devrane adored her daughter and resented the Jedi for taking her away so young. She saw the Jedi life as a cold, cruel necessity.
Taryn inherited her sense of drama, appreciation for beauty, and emotional instincts from her mother—but tried to suppress it under Jedi stoicism.

Master
Master Solen was a frustrating paradox to Taryn. Where Taryn was passionate, Solen was quiet. Where Taryn sought praise, Solen offered silence. But beneath the quietness was a watchful, deep wisdom. He didn’t try to break Taryn’s ego—just to let her realize, in time, that the ego wasn’t necessary.
Taryn often claimed Solen was "too slow, too dull," but deep down, she admired her master’s unshakable calm and skill with the lightsaber. She may now find herself emulating Solen’s teachings more than she expected… even if she’s still sarcastic about it.

Personality
Taryn feels robbed. Her path to becoming a Jedi Knight, the title she was "meant" to have, was stolen—along with the Republic and the Order. She’s angry, but Jedi teachings conflict with that anger. She was taught to release attachment and yet… how can she not cling to what was hers? She has a complicated attachment to her master—admiration tangled with resentment that he didn't prepare her for this.

Taryn tries to keep up a polished front, almost as if the fall of the Republic is just a temporary scandal. But beneath the surface, she’s frightened, furious, and lost. Her grace and nobility are her shield, but the cracks are showing.

She often blames herself and others silently, but rarely says it out loud.

Is there a way back to her family? Back to her privileged position on Alderaan. Surely there is no safer place in the galaxy.

Taryn is snide, but not cruel. She might scoff at a muddy campsite, but she’ll still pass someone her cloak when they’re cold.

Taryn might often surprise herself with her courage.
She will protect younger ones in a sisterly way, especially if they admire her.

Lightsaber
Taryn's lightsaber has a gold hilt and a greenblade. She will never depart with it, even if it is dangerous to keep around.

Taryn has started training in Makashi due to her noble background and interest in elegance—but her personality gravitated toward the drama and showmanship of Ataru.

She liked being admired. The spinning strikes, soaring flips, and unpredictable style made her feel powerful, even adored. In sparring matches, she could dazzle crowds.

She’s physically agile, trained from a young age in Alderaanian dance and fencing. Ataru felt like home—a way to express herself as well as fight.

She tries to find her own style by mixing Makashi and Ataru.

Makashi: elegance, Dooku
Ataru: fast, twrling, Yoda

Force powers
Taryn's force powers are mostly physical.

Force jump

Force speed/run

Blaster deflection.

Taryn was being trained to fight, prepared for the clone wars.

I think we already at least know each other a bit. We were all in some form of training at the same time. So in a certain way were were/are "schoolmates".

I think it would be best if we all start together. Getting together first can be quite time consuming, especially in a pbp.

We could have been in the temple and need to escape Coruscant together? Or all be on a mission together elsewhere?

Are we saying the only Jedi Temple was the Jedi Grand Temple on Coruscant? There were other temples at various times, but it might be that at the time of the attack this was the only one.

We can decide.
This is true, PbP can make everything take longer. I would prefer if we start play together.

But that does not mean we have to been together at the time of Order 66. We can, if we want, see the time before our first thread, in flashbacks and show, over time, how we got together.

Don't worry about the logistics of making it work in PbP. Rather decide what you would like to see for the game.

This decision can affect your relationships for the whole game. If you were already friends or rivals, that is different to if you are meeting for the first time and need to get to know each other and learn to trust each other.

Some of you might know each other well, some of you might only have seen each other in passing, some of you might never have met before... whatever we feel like can work.
It would need to be a mission to make Tyra's backstory work [ref]. But that is simple enough to engineer.
runekyndig: Would you like it to be one (or many) of the other PCs who saved you and found you limbs?

If not we need to decide what happened to those who did. Maybe they were not Jedi, so you had to leave them. Maybe they stick around as NPCs? Up to you.
Do you want some NPC 'younger ones' to protect? It might be hard to get rid of them later. :)

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runekyndig and Owlbeer: The names Tyra and Taryn might be too close for comfort, they are bound to create confusion, especially when written. Maybe we can look at changing them, but we can wait and see what everyone else comes up with before doing so, else we risk another conflict.

Balthazar Does the surname 'Renn' mean anything? I think it may be a loaded term in Star Wars?

Do you want some NPC 'younger ones' to protect? It might be hard to get rid of them later. :)

It is something Taryn would do, or would have done. Maybe she will if the opportunity arises. But it's not like a direct request to add such a thing in. Maybe it will happen, maybe not.
Yeah. Indeed. Fair point. I shall go through a few other name options.

I'll stick to the name Voss.
I have no strong feelings about how Voss came to be where she is. I mostly hope that someone else will pick up on the idea and we can develop something together. The key element of my character is that she used to be beautiful, and now have a lot of ugly machine parts.
I haven't decided yet if she still has her lightsaber or it was lost trying to deflect the heavy blaster fire

That doesn't need to be permanent decision. If it is important to us we can quest to make new lightsabers... even if it is a foolish quest. :)
Losing it in a doomed bid to save yourself and others sounds like a cool aspect?

Cool! Do you think you two were close before that event? Were you 'friends' or just 'training together'?

Anyone else could be part of this too. But no pressure.

I think we were training together before that, but I don't know what happened after. Brenya is selfless and would do whatever it took to save any Padawan's life. I'll leave to Runekyndig if they become friends after that. I don't know how Voss would handle it. Gratitude? Guilt? Would she avoid Brenya if they were not Jedi and needed to stay together?