2025 Character Creation Challenge, Day 14: Cerulean Byrd-Skye, Android

It's the fourteenth day of the challenge! And it's back to Mothership. There's one class left - android. My concept for this character was Mr. Data, but made by Weyland-Yutani. Or Lore with better manners. Whichever works. I also wanted to make an androgynous android because of the wordplay.

Cerulean Byrd-Skye, Android

My rolls for Stats and Saves were alright. It helps that the low results went into things that received big bonuses from this character being an android - Intellect and Fear saves. Combat did take a hit, though. Maybe the manufacturer wanted to guard against an AI uprising? Finally, androids get an additional Wound, putting them on par with Marines.

Androids get a wide variety of skills: Linguistics, Computers, and Mathematics. Rather than getting an Expert skill, I picked out Geology and Archaeology to get a broad range of disciplines to be knowledgeable about. I find it interesting that an android can't start out with Piloting, given the inspirational material includes Aliens.

Rolling low for loadouts in Mothership results in more useful stuff. Rolling high offers quirky stuff. Maybe that Jump-9 Ticket (destination blank) will come in handy to get away from all this nonsense someday. Starting funds were enough to cover a flashlight and Geiger counter. My roll for Trinkets scored a copy of the I Ching, but missing some of the stalks used for divination. This character's patch displays the Mudflap Girl.

Cerulean Byrd-Skye was designed by the team of Doctors Byrd and Skye. They resemble a lean androgynous person of average height and indeterminate features. Or is supposed to. There's just enough uncanny valley to their appearance to mark them as synthetic. Byrd-Skye is intended to act in an advisory capacity. They are therefore soft-spoken, polite, and presents their arguments in a non-confrontational fashion. However, their ability to deliver accurate data and analysis is often hampered by company policies and directives. Byrd-Skye has therefore learned to lie effectively. If giving correct information will benefit them, they will do so and fail to report themself for violating regulations. If following company orders is in their best interests, they will knowingly offer falsehoods to those seeking advice. The effects this might have on others are less important to Byrd-Skye than their own continued existence.

2025 Character Creation Challenge, Day 13: Ayani, Necromancer

It's the challenge's thirteenth day and time to do something vaguely thematic. I'm now running our group through D&D adventure module X1 The Isle of Dread as part of our Old School Essentials campaign. The module features - among other things - indigenous peoples who animate their ancestors as zombies as part of their culture. The requires the participation of somebody who can cast Animate Dead. Rather than go with a Magic User, I'm using the Necromancer class recently re-released by Necrotic Gnome.

Since Animate Dead is a fifth level spell, even for Necromancers, this character needs to be at least ninth level. This will not be a trivial NPC. Thus, I need a plot line to go with this person.

The "Zombie Masters" of The Isle of Dread seem to based on David Cook's and Tom Moldvay's perceptions of African diaspora religions. This contrasts with the pre-Columbian Mesoamerican civilizations they draw upon for the rest of the module. I don't feel qualified to step into any of that. Thus, I'll be treading carefully and respectfully in both running the module and making this character.

The cycle between unlife, life, and death is firmly established by sources both divine and arcane. The necromancers of the Dread Isle in the Thanegioth Archipelago believe that undeath fits within that cycle. Their magics allow their honored ancestors to serve as workers in the gardens and soldiers on the wall as they did in life.

Ayani, Necromancer, part 1 of 2

Ayani is a 9th level Necromancer NPC. All OSE characters generated for this challenge use the Advanced Fantasy rules and the Advanced Method of character creation. A list of optional and house rules I use are provided in my day two post.

My dice were pretty spicy when rolling up Ayani's Ability Scores. The highest score naturally went into Intelligence. Ayani speaks the language indigenous to the Isle of Dread and picked up common from somewhere. She has two other language slots, but I don't see her having the opportunity to learn more. I put the next highest into Dexterity for the defensive bonus. Ayani comfortably meets the minimum Wisdom requirement for a Necromancer and gets a nifty bonus for saves against magical effects. The Constitution and Charisma bonuses are also handy. The Strength penalties should be irrelevant to a spell caster.

The optional racial abilities that humans get are not amazing, but are handy. Choices for her weapon proficiencies are limited. She knows her way around the dagger and staff. Her d4 hit dice go further than one would think with the Blessed racial perk and "re-roll 1s and 2s for hit points" optional rule. Still, a hit point total of 41 is nothing to write home about.

I made Ayani Lawful due to her accepted role within her culture. It's not popular, but necessary due to protect her people from the dangers of the Dread Isle. She's not doing it for selfish reasons.

Ayani, Necromancer, part 2 of 2

Below is Ayani's "walking around" spell list. She has access to a wider array of magic in her spell book. For example, Ayani might memorize Speak With Dead when needing extensive information from beyond the grace, but Death Recall's more timely nature meets her daily needs.

Ayani's Spell Selection:
1st level (3): Protection From Evil, Read Magic, Undead Servitor*
2nd level (3): Bone Armor, Choke, Death Recall
3rd level (3): Bone Staff, Drag From Death's Door, Hold Person
4th level (2): Inter, Wall of Bones
5th level (1): Animate Dead

* Ayani will only use Undead Servitor on the bodies of outsiders. Her honored ancestors deserve Animate Dead.

Ayani dutifully serves her role in the cycle of unlife, life, death, and undeath. Her matriarch speaks of opening trade with the wider world. Ayani has heard whispers on the ethereal winds of one who will come to the isle. They will exchange much knowledge and both will become wiser. It is with this power that Ayani will protect her people - both living and undead.


Resources:

The Necrotic Gnome has made the Necromancer class available as a free download on DriveThruRPG.

The character sheet I used is by William Braidis Lee and is available on itch.io. It's serviceable, but doesn't seem to support ascending Armor Class. There's also no place for spells.

2025 Character Creation Challenge, Day 12: Tamlyn Sakai, First Officer

Welcome to day twelve of the challenge! Back to Star Trek Adventures (1e) and introducing another Starfleet officer. Every starship needs a Number One and USS Phoenix is no exception.

Tamlyn Sakai, First Officer

Lieutenant Commander Tamlyn Sakai was born on a Federation colony along the Cardassian border. Finding life as a farmer unfulfilling, she left her home for Starfleet Academy. Completing Command training, her career was unremarkable until she was recruited by Starfleet Intelligence. Sakai found covert operations to her liking. She heard rumors of some secret group interested in her, but news from home was taking all of her attention. The trading of colonies and the creation of the Demilitarized Zone between the Federation and Cardassian Union didn't sit well with Sakai. It came to a head when she learned of the Maquis. At first, she leaked a few intelligence reports to former Starfleet officers she knew in the Maquis. It quickly escalated to her grabbing what she could and making for the Badlands with Starfleet Security hot on her heels.

It all went well, at first. With the Obsidian Order destroyed, the Cardassians didn't have the means to effectively counter an interstellar insurgency. The Maquis were running rings around them. With the Klingon invasion of the Cardassian Union came a fresh source of support. Some spoke of a Maquis nation forming in the DMZ.

Then the Dominion came. Sakai was returning from a raid when she found out the hard way that Jem'Hadar attack ships had sensors that could peer through the murk of the Badlands. Worse, those ships were also small enough to navigate plasma storms. It took everything in Sakai's bag of tricks to get her ship and crew back to base. There they found that the bombardments had caught anyone out in the open. The Jem'Hadar went into the tunnel and had killed everyone else. There was nothing but bodies around her, panic on the Maquis communications network, and Dominion ships on the sensors. Sakai had no options. The Dominion was giving no quarter. She loaded her ship with every survivor who would go with her, escaped the Badlands, and found someone wearing a Starfleet uniform she could surrender to.

Sakai spent some time being rehabilitated before Starfleet came to her with an offer. Return to Starfleet and fight the Dominion in exchange for a pardon. Starfleet's causalities in the Dominion War left it short of experienced officers. It was willing to overlook "past misunderstandings" in redeemable former officers. Sakai thought the pardon was nice, but she would've accepted any deal for a shot at the Dominion.

To her own surprise, Sakai not only survived the Dominion War, but stayed in Starfleet. It was more than not having a home to return to. She liked being back. Still, her more "practical" approach to problems marks her as different. Some believe that it is a result of being a Maquis. They're wrong - it was the reason she joined.

Captain Sulok doesn't seem to mind. Although he is encouraging Sakai to embrace the idealism of Starfleet again. A nice, quiet exploration cruise sounds like a pretty good chance for that. Still, Sakai has a feeling that something's off with the ship's counselor. She's spoken to the security chief about it, but neither of them have anything solid to bring to the captain. In the meantime, Sakai is avoiding Counselor Benoit's attempts to speak with her in private until she can put her finger on what's bothering her.

2025 Character Creation Challenge, Day 11: Sage Green, Intraplanetary Adaptive Pioneer

It's day eleven of the challenge. The name of the game for this post is Entity from Candlenaut. Entity is a solo TTRPG where you play a synthetic astronaut exploring a planet all on their lonesome. I'll be trying out this game after the challenge, so making a character for it now will save me a little time whenever.

The cover for Entity. Also not the character I'm making.

A few notes before I get started. Many examples I've found online of characters for this game seem to be waifus in spacesuits. I'm not here to kink shame, but I'm also not doing that. Also, because "astronaut" or "cosmonaut" is too boing, Entity uses "Intraplanetary Adaptive Pioneer" or "IAP" instead. I've be using the abbreviation to save myself some typing. Finally, I couldn't find a form fillable character sheet in time for this post. The stats for this IAP are therefore buried in the text.

There are three Traits that define an IAP: Technology, Analytics, and Adaptivity. Each Trait is divided into Edges, representing specializations within its Trait. As Entity has no combat, there is no "guns" or "beat folks up" equivalents. The Edges within each Trait are:

Technology: Robotics, Engineering, Information Technology.
Analytics: Physics, Biology, Chemistry.
Adaptivity: Survival, Communication, Navigation.

Character creation in Entity is not random. Instead, sets of numbers are allocated to each Trait and Edge. This is detailed on in the core rulebook. Here's my picks for what numbers go where:

Technology 4
Robotics 2
Engineering 3
Information Technology 1

Analytics 3
Physics 3
Biology 1
Chemistry 2

Adaptivity 5
Survival 3
Communication 1
Navigation 2

Our IAP can improvise and has a good working knowledge of hardware. His grasp of theory could use work. He's also not much of a talker.

What would be described in terms of hit points, armor class, and gear in other systems is covered by the Spacesuit in Entity. There are a limited number of Slots that can be filled with Strains (repairable damage), Impairments (permanent damage), and Upgrades (abilities that can be activated for bonuses). If all slots fill up with Strains and Impairments, the Spacesuit is destroyed - make a new character. Three Starting Upgrades are already built into the Spacesuit at the start of the game. These are basic tools. There are plenty of others that can be found in the game.

The Spacesuit also stores Energy (for activating Upgrades), Resources (for building Upgrades and fixing Strains), and Data (expended for bonuses during Encounters). Every Mission starts with 10 Energy, 0 Resources, and 0 Data. All of these things can be found while wandering around the planet.

Sage Green was created and launched from the solar system ten millennia ago. The humanity that sent his kind to seek out new homes among the stars is long dead. Green has opinions about that, but he also has a job to do. Little things like his makers dying out, the meaning of continuing to explore the galaxy, being the sole survivor of his ship's destruction, and getting stuck on an alien world are not going to stop him from getting that job done. Because if Green ever stops, ever gives himself a moment to reflect, he might realize that he's getting too old for this stuff.

Good thing Green likes to keep busy.

2025 Character Creation Challenge, Day 10: Steve Bor, Scientist

It's day ten and a return to Mothership for the challenge. Let's make a scientist with a personality suited for climbing the corporate ladder this time. In his defense, he's not as completely useless as some folks depicted in space horror. He does have skills other than backstabbing others for a percentage. Make no mistake, though. He'll do the backstabbing thing too.

I previously stated that I'll be changing over to the advanced character sheet at some point. I'm having second thoughts about that. The basic sheet better explains the process to those unfamiliar with Mothership, so I might stick with that throughout the rest of this challenge.

Steve Bor, Scientist

My rolls for Stats were suboptimal. Intellect gets a boost since he's a scientist. I boosted Speed to since running would be a priority for this guy. He's not the guy to depend on in a fight. My dice warmed up when I rolled for Saves. The big fat bonus to Sanity is going to be handy when he starts poking at Things Humanity Really Doesn't Want To Find Out About.

The scientist class is the only one with access to a Master skill as a starting character. This makes sense, as those skills cover doctorate level stuff. However, it does make scientists a little more narrowly focused than the other classes. As command, engineering, hyperspace, and surgery are Master skills, it is possible to create a military officer, engineer, interstellar pilot, or medical doctor using the scientist class.

But this guy is chasing money and fame. I choose Exobiology and prerequisites Pathology and Zoology. Finding intelligent alien life would be his ticket to success. I picked Chemistry for his other Trained skill, since it would compliment his biological knowledge.

Rolling for a loadout turned up the quirky result. I'll say he uses the prescription pad for notes, since he's not that kind of doctor. The fountain pen/poison injector seems fun. He's going to wish he had better gear and something more protective than civilian clothes, though. I used part of his starting funds for a sample collection kit. For his trinket, he gets a moonstone ring. The image of an inverted cross adorns his patch.

Steve Bor is ambitious and cunning, but undisciplined and unimaginative. He was born of wealthy parents, coasted through his education, and landed a cushy job thanks to his connections. He'll eagerly steal the ideas and hard work of others to promote them as his own. Bor's growing reputation is that of a brilliant innovator, but he lacks the knowledge and dedication to be either. Bor will seize anything that looks like an opportunity to advance himself, no matter the cost to others. Favors black turtlenecks, black slacks, and black windbreakers.

2025 Character Creation Challenge, Day 9: Jax Wigglewort, Gnome Entrepreneur-Explorer

It's the ninth day of the challenge and let's circle back to Old School Essentials. This time, I'm filling out details for a NPC in the Nostalgia Tour campaign - Wigglewort. He was randomly encountered while leading an expedition into The Lost City. This gnome entrepreneur-explorer will be playing a role in the next installment of the campaign. Filling out some details are in order.

"We were sent out from our town on a simple mission: explore the underworld. To seek out new markets and trade partners. To boldly go where no gnome has gone before!"
- Wigglewort to anybody standing still long enough to listen.

Jax Wigglewort, not a GMPC, page 1 of 2

Jax Wigglewort is a level 2/2 gnome Illusionist/Thief. He prefers to rob people at the negotiating table or gambling hall. However, he recognizes the value of a long term trading relationship over any single deal. His spell selection makes up for the weaknesses of a thief build by giving him options to get away when he misjudges the strength of his bargaining position or hand of cards. It also comes in handy when he decides to do some old fashioned larceny.

Although Wigglewort is a NPC, I rolled him up as a PC rather than pick out his stats. All OSE characters generated for this challenge use the Advanced Fantasy rules and the Advanced Method of character creation. A list of optional and house rules I use are provided in my day two post.

My dice rolls for Wigglewort's Ability Scores resulted in a flat, but decent set of numbers. As an Illusionist/Thief, his highest scores are Intelligence and Dexterity. This grants him an additional language - I selected deep common - and a bump to Armor Class. The next best score went into Charisma to reflect his skill at negotiation. I put an 11 into Constitution to bump up his Magic Resistance.

As a gnome and a thief, Wigglewort has a long list of things he can do outside of combat. And a few sneaky things he can do in a fight. He has access to all weapons as a thief, but being a gnome places some limitations to what he can wield (no two handed swords). I selected short bow, hand axe, and dagger as his weapon proficiencies to give him a plenty of options. Unfortunately, both illusionists and thieves use d4 when rolling hit points. This makes a stand up fight undesirable even when using the optional "re-roll 1s and 2s for hit points" rule.

Jax Wigglewort, still not a GMPC, page 2 of 2

Using the (optional) Advanced Spell Book rules, Wigglewort started with three spells in his book of illusion magic. I used GM fiat to give him one more to reflect something he found (or acquired) in his travels.

Wigglewort's Spell Book:

• Color Spray
• Glamour
• Read Magic
• Spook

Wigglewort only memorizes glamour if his plans call for it and read magic if he needs it. Otherwise, he typically has color spray and spook memorized as "get away from trouble" spells.

I gave him a set of weapons and armor, but didn't bother with the rest of the equipment. He's a NPC, so I didn't see the need.

Jax Wigglewort is an ambitious young gnome with a keen eye for opportunity. He represents a wave of gnomes sent to explore the underground river network discovered under his home town. Trade has always been the lifeblood of his community. Going underground is simply an expansion of their existing river and coastal mercantile operations on the surface. Wigglewort's recent success in finding trade partners in The Lost City has elevated his status and validated his decision to leave the family farm. He now leads a bigger crew on a proper ship on a new mission. A large island has been discovered in the tropical regions to the south. There is potential for trade, but significant danger as well. Perhaps that adventuring party he met in The Lost City might be persuaded to lend a hand?

The character sheet I used is by William Braidis Lee and is available on itch.io. It's serviceable, but doesn't seem to support ascending Armor Class. There's also no place for spells.

2025 Character Creation Challenge, Day 8: Kara Benoit, Ship's Counselor

It's day eight of the challenge and a return to Star Trek Adventures, 1e. This one proved to be more difficult than I initially thought. Stats-wise, there's only one canonical Main Character sheet that I can use as a guide - Deanna Troi. Migleemo is presented as a Supporting Character and Ezri Dax doesn't seem to have an officially published character sheet.

Even so, certain things stand out. Both Troi and Migleemo have excellent scores in Insight and Presence for their Attributes. In terms of Disciplines, both have a high Medicine. Troi also has a high Command to reflect her better interpersonal skills.

This character, though, has a twist of something sour.

Kara Benoit, Ship's Counselor

Kara Benoit is human and was born and raised on Earth. Her parents operated a small, but prosperous import/export business. It shipped in genuine, non-replicated products from outside the Federation for distribution in the Federation core systems. Allegations that this company was a front for other activities have never been conclusively proven.

Counselor Benoit was temporally displaced from 2354 when her ship - USS Sphinx - encountered an unstable wormhole. The starship emerged, crippled and with the bridge destroyed, in 2377. As the senior surviving officer available, Benoit took command and broadcast a distress call. She was able to keep the situation from destabilizing further until help arrived.

Benoit and the other survivors of USS Sphinx were shocked by the future they found. The golden age of exploration that was once ahead of them - heralded by the end of the border wars and coming launch of the Galaxy-class - had been cut short by the threat of the Borg and the devastation of the Dominion War. After a period of Starfleet counseling, she took a sabbatical for further adjustment. On her return, she accepted a quiet assignment at a Starbase. She now feels ready for starship duty once more and has joined the crew of USS Phoenix.

All of this conceals dark secrets. USS Sphinx was conducting a mission for Section 31. Their cover was an assignment from Starfleet Security. The wormhole was due to modifications made to the warp drive. Benoit was never told the details.

She was contacted by Section 31 during her sabbatical for debriefing. Her Starbase assignment was cover for her real role of surveying the staff for potential recruits. These are the kinds of tasks she had been carrying out for Section 31 since joining early in her Starfleet career.

Counselor Kara Benoit is perfectly placed as a Section 31 recruiter. Her access to psychological profiles allows her to select officers who are suited for covert operations as part of a rogue organization. Therapy sessions allow her to converse with fellow operatives and recruits in privacy.

Section 31 is placing increasing pressure on Benoit to take a more active role. Section 31 did not emerge from the Dominion War unscathed and needs more from its surviving operatives. Benoit has resisted so far. Captain Sulok's experiences during the Dominion War soured him on Section 31. He is likely to treat her as an immediate danger if he ever learns of her true allegiance. And USS Phoenix's First Officer has sensed that something is definitely off with their Ship's Counselor.

Benoit firmly believes in the ideals of the Federation and Starfleet. However, she also believes that extra measures are sometimes needed to survive in an increasingly dangerous galaxy. Joining Section 31 was supposed to square that circle, but has only put herself at greater risk.


Resources used:

The unofficial Star Trek Adventures character creator app

Star Trek Adventures: The Next Generation Player Characters

Star Trek Adventures Lower Decks Season 1 Crew Pack

2025 Character Creation Challenge, Day 7: Is a Kaiju a Character?

Sure, let's go with that!

I decided to devote space in this challenge to the lesser known products in my collection. Just to keep things interesting. This time around, I'm making a giant monster using Kaiju Generator by N. Robinson at Bardic Inquiry. It's a pay-what-you-want 14-page zine that I received as part of the TTRPGs for Reproductive Rights bundle on itch.io a couple of years ago.

Cover of Kaiju Generator.

Kaiju Generator mostly uses random results, so I'll mostly be commenting on my reactions. This is the first time I've encountered the 1d66 dice mechanic. A pair of six-sided dice are rolled and read like percentile dice. Thus, a result of 1 and 3 would be read 13.

The form of the kaiju can be determined randomly or chosen. I picked "lizard" due to tradition. Although "platypus" and "hare" were tempting. If "cow" was an option, I would've gone with that.

Next came the kaiju's ability. "Can channel and release electricity through its body" was the result. Now I'm regretting not making this kaiju a hare. Or that "mouse" wasn't an option for form. Perhaps the ability to generate electricity can be harnessed for good?

I got "hatched from an egg" for origin. Which is incredibly mundane for a lizard, even a kaiju lizard. Maybe there are more eggs out there? "Investigating a giant egg" has been used in the plot of plenty of kaiju movies.

At this point, the goal of the kaiju is determined. The addition of a motivation is where the kaiju goes from a threat to a character. "Trying to reach evolutionary perfection." I'll ignore the use of popular misconceptions concerning evolution and move on. Maybe this lizard is actually a pocket monster? What does a giant electric lizard that hatched from an egg evolve into? It this kaiju actually a dinosaur? Does that mean that the next step is becoming a giant electric bird? Will this kaiju then gain the ability to fly or run fast? Why would that be desirable? Maybe what our kaiju really wants is plumage?

Raiju - named for the Shinto "thunder beast" - is a recently hatched kaiju. Initially encountered as an egg, a monitoring station was established to study her. All nearby sources of electrical power were drained shortly after the monitoring station became operational and Raiju emerged from the egg. Raiju's ability to generate and project electricity has been repeatedly demonstrated during clashes with military forces and other kaiju. Observations of Raiju's movements indicate that she is seeking certain materials to consume. It is believed that these materials will have a mutagenic effect, forcing her to develop in certain ways. So far, Raiju has already sprouted feathers after devouring a gemstone of unknown composition. Continued tracking and study is recommended.

Link to Kaiju Generator by N. Robinson on itch.io.

2025 Character Creation Challenge, Day 6: Kristen Shane Vassen, Marine

It's the sixth day of the 2025 Character Creation Challenge. Let's make another Mothership character! I'll be using the basic character sheet again so folks unfamiliar with Mothership can better follow along.

I've selected the Marine class this time around. And now, I move beyond the Alien franchise for inspiration. The idea for this Marine comes from the television series "Space: Above and Beyond" - one of many sci-fi shows canceled by Fox after only one season. Most of the characters on that show were young Marine aviators serving in the 58th "Wildcards" Fighter Squadron off the carrier USS Saratoga. I selected my second favorite character from the show for this post, as I didn't feel I could do Lieutenant Colonel Tyrus Cassius McQueen justice with a starting character. Kristen Vassen often goes by her middle name of Shane.

Kristen Shane Vassen, Marine

My rolls for Stats were alright, but Saves weren't as high as I would've liked. However, the adjustments from the Marine class helped offset my low rolls. The Health roll was also nothing to write home about.

Marines automatically get the skills Military Training and Athletics. Marines get a choice between one Expert Skill or two Trained Skills. The only two options for an Expert Skill are Firearms and Hand-To-Hand Combat. Both have appeal, but I have something else in mind for this character. There's no way to make Vassen a pilot like the Space: Above and Beyond character that inspired her, but I could take the prerequisite for Piloting: Zero-G. My other choice for a Trained Skill came down to Jury-Rigging. This gives Vassen the prerequisites for some interesting Expert Skills, if she survives long enough to get more skills.

The result for her loadout turned out well. Standard Battle Dress is good protection, a Pulse Rifle is one of the better weapons, and Infrared Goggles aren't bad. And, yes, the game uses the term "mags" rather than "clips" or anything else that might make firearms enthusiasts erupt with rage. I used her starting money to buy a combat knife (using the stats and cost for a scalpel) and 50m of paracord. This left her with 10cr for beer money.

Vassen's Trinket is the "PANIC: Harbinger of Catastrophe" manual. I'm sure it's full of useful advice. Her patch reads "Keep Well Lubricated" and I'm not going to leave a comment on it.

Kristen Shane Vassen comes from a family of Marines. She was already knowledgeable about Marine traditions and legends before she entered training. Unfortunately, her rosy view of the organization often clashed with the mundane reality. Her career has also been impacted by the high expectations her superiors have because of standards set by prior generations of Vassens. Kristen has held up well under these pressures. So far.

The TV Tropes entry for Space: Above and Beyond.

2025 Character Creation Challenge, Day 5: Trasadon Faestar, Wood Elf Ranger

Welcome to the fifth day of the 2025 Character Creation Challenge. I'm circling back to Old School Essentials with another convention-defying character - a wood elf ranger. I promise I'll be more original with the next OSE character As before, I focus on the decisions I made rather than presenting a blow by blow of the process.

Trasadon Faestar, Wood Elf Ranger, page one of two

All OSE characters generated for this challenge use the Advanced Fantasy rules and the Advanced Method of character creation. The wood elf can be found in Issue #2 of Carcass Crawler. A list of optional and house rules I use are provided in my day two post.

My dice were pretty hot, except for one roll. Let's say that our wood elf ranger spends much of his time alone for a reason. My lowest roll got consigned to the traditional dump stat of CHA. Everything else was straightforward. The highest score went to STR, the prime requisite for a Ranger. Anticipating the adjustments from being a wood elf, I put a 15 in WIS.

Wood elves have minimum requirements of DEX 9 and INT 9 that this character met comfortably. The ability modifiers for a wood elf are -1 CHA and +1 WIS. This makes this guy slightly more unlikable and increases his WIS enough for a bigger modifier.

Both rangers and wood elves have a bunch of special abilities. This combines into a truckload of stuff this guy can do. The most influential to this build is the bonus that wood elves get to missile attack rolls. To nobody's surprise, he's going to be an archer.

Specializing in the long bow further maximizes his potential as an archer. The remaining weapon proficiencies go to the sword and hand axe.

Most of the results of the Secondary Skills table would be nonsensical for this character. I selected Huntsman. Although animal trainer or bowyer/fletcher might have fit as well.

Trasadon Faestar, Wood Elf Ranger, page two of two

Background:

Trasadon Faestar never set out to be a murderhobo. It was simply the most expedient way to leave his woodland home, see the world(s), and earn a living. He is beginning to regret his decision. The world(s) are more full of people than he imagined. He plans on returning to the woods once he has enough to gold to meet his modest needs for awhile.


The character sheet I used is by William Braidis Lee and is available on itch.io. It has some quirks, but I like it so far.