Heroic Characteristics

Character Creation»Heroic Characteristics

Character Basics

Name
Invent or choose a name that fits your character’s species and class. A name is a great way for you to start thinking about your character’s background. For instance, a Rodian scout might be named after a great Rodian hunter of the past, and the Rodian may be striving to live up to that heritage. Alternatively, the name could be that of an infamous traitor, and the hero could be bent on proving that she’s not like her namesake.

A name can also tell a lot about a character and help establish an image in your mind and the minds of the other players. It doesn’t have to be descriptive, but you want it to fit the type of character you’re going to play. Use the sample names to help you make up a name that has the appropriate Star Wars feel.

Age
How old is your character? That’s pretty much up to you and your Gamemaster. A character reaches 1st level in a hero class at the point when he or she steps out of mundane life and into the dramatic existence of the story, either by choice or through circumstances beyond the character’s control. That could be as a young adult for a Padawan learner, as a 20-year-old adult (such as in the case of Luke Skywalker in A New Hope), or as an even older character, depending on your character concept.

There are other types of characters besides heroes. It’s presumed that your character was just like one of them before making that leap to the hero path. At that point, the character becomes a 1st-level soldier or noble or Jedi guardian, for example. Once you start onto the hero path, there’s no getting off it. For good or bad, you’re now the center of the action (at least in your GM’s campaign) and important things happen around you – whether you want them to or not.

As your hero ages, his or her physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution) decrease and his or her mental ability scores (Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma) increase (see Table 6-1). The effects of each aging step are cumulative. However, none of a character’s ability scores can be reduced below 1 in this way.

Table 6-1: Aging Effects
Category Modifiers
Child -3 to Str and Con; -1 Dex, Int, Wis, and Cha
Young Adult -1 to Str, Con, Dex, Int, Wis, and Cha
Adult No modifier
Middle Age -1 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha
Old -2 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha
Venerable -3 to Str, Dex, and Con; +1 to Int, Wis, and Cha

First generate your ability scores as defined in Character Creation. Then, once your starting age is determined, apply the modifiers shown on Table 6-1. Note that the methods described for determining ability scores yield the scores of an adult character. For example, when a character reaches middle age, her Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution scores each drop 1 point, while her Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores each increase by 1 point. When she becomes old, her physical ability scores all drop an additional 2 points, while her mental ability scores increase by 1 again. So far she has lost a total of 3 points from her Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity scores and gained a total of 2 points to her Wisdom, Intelligence, and Charisma scores due to aging.

On the other hand, a child would start with a total penalty of -4 to Strength and Constitution and a -2 penalty to all other abilities (adjustments are cumulative for both the child and young adult categories). As he advances to young adult, these penalties would be reduced to -1 for each ability score. He would thus “gain” 3 points to both his Strength and Constitution and 1 point to each of his other ability scores. When he later becomes an adult, he would gain 1 point to each of his ability scores.

Note: Jedi live longer than the average member of their speicies. While a typical Human lives well into his or her 80’s a Human Jedi might live well into his or her 100s. the upper limit for a character powerful in the Force can be twice as much or more than a typical member of a species.

If you don’t have a clear character concept in mind you might want to use Table 6-3 to generate the age of your 1st-level character. Just find your character’s class and roll die shown under “Young Adult +” column. Add the die roll result to the highest number under “Young Adult” for your character’s species, as shown in Table 6-2. So, if you roll 1d6 for your Human fringer character and get a 4 on the die roll, the character’s starting age is 19 (15 + 4 = 19).

For those who want to start a campaign with more experienced characters, use Table 6-4 as a guide. Remember that these tables are offered only as guidelines. You and your GM are free (and encouraged) to decide these details however you choose to fit the campaign and characters you have in mind.

Table 6-2: Ages by Species
Species Child Young Adult Adult Middle Age Old Venerable
Human 1-11 12-15 16-40 41-59 60-79 80+
Bothan 1-11 12-16 17-45 46-65 66-84 85+
Cerean 1-10 11-15 16-35 36-53 54-64 65+
Duros 1-9 10-14 15-35 36-49 50-69 70+
Ewok 1-9 10-13 14-29 30-44 45-59 60+
Gamorrean 1-6 7-12 13-29 30-39 40-44 45+
Gungan 1-12 13-15 16-35 36-54 55-64 65+
Ithorian 1-13 14-17 18-44 45-69 70-84 85+
Kel Dor 1-11 12-15 16-44 45-59 60-69 70+
Mon Calamari 1-11 12-16 17-40 41-57 58-79 80+
Quarren 1-11 12-16 17-40 41-57 58-79 80+
Rodian 1-12 13-15 16-35 36-49 50-59 60+
Sullustan 1-9 10-14 15-39 40-55 56-69 70+
Trandoshan 1-11 12-14 15-34 35-49 50-59 60+
Twi’lek 1-12 13-15 16-44 45-59 60-79 80+
Wookiee 1-12 13-17 18-300 301-350 351-399 400+
Zabrak 1-8 9-14 15-44 45-55 56-69 70+
Table 6-3: Random Starting Ages
Class Young Adult +
Fringer 1d6
Noble 1d8
Scoundrel 1d4
Scout 1d4
Soldier 1d6
Tech Specialist 1d8
Force Adept 1d4
Jedi Consular 1d4
Jedi Guardian 1d4
Jedi Sentinel 1d4
Table 6-4: Starting Levels and Ages
Age Category Level
Young Adult 1st
Adult 1st
Adult (limited experience) 3rd
Adult (moderate experience) 5th
Adult (high experience) 7th
Middle Age (moderate experience) 6th
Middle Age (high experience) 8th
Old 9th

Appearance
Decide what your character looks like using the descriptions of the various species in Chapter Two: Species as a starting point. Characters with high Charisma scores tend to be better looking than those with low Charisma scores, though a character with high Charisma could have strange looks, giving him or her a sort of exotic beauty.

Your character can be right-handed or left-handed. (The Ambidexterity feat allows her to use both hands equally well).

You can use your hero’s looks to tell something about his personality and background. For example:

  • Deel Surool, the Twi’lek scoundrel, always has a smirk on his lips, no matter what situation he finds himself in. He treats life as a joke where only he knows the punch line. He wears the latest fashions and comes off as being mildly superior to everyone around him.
  • Vor’en Kurn, the Human soldier, has a rough, dark look that speaks of the life he has led. His mercenary nature shows through in the way he moves, the way he wears his armor, and the way his twin blasters hang at his sides. His eyes are cold, dead, uncaring. You know he means business and that he’ s dangerous just by looking at him.
  • Sia-Lan Wezz, the Human Jedi guardian, appears confident and in control. She wears her Jedi robes and lightsaber proudly, and her fresh, young face glows with enthusiasm and hope. You know you can trust her, and you know she takes her role very seriously. Perhaps even a bit too seriously.

Height and Weight
Determine your character’s height and weight using the ranges shown on Table 6-5. Think about what your character’s abilities might say about her height and weight. If she is weak but agile, she may be thin. If she is strong and tough, she may be tall or just heavy. Feel free to select an appropriate height and weight for your character, or roll dice for random results.

The die roll given for the height modifier increases the character’s height by tenths of meters (decimeters) beyond the base height. The weight modifier is a die roll multiplied by 10 kilograms, which is then added to the base weight.

Table 6-5: Height and Weight for Heroic Characters
Race Base Height Height Modifier Base Weight Weight Modifier
Human, male 1.2 meters +2d4 55 kilograms +2d4 x 10 kg
Human, female 1.0 meters +2d4 39 kilograms +1d4+1 x 10 kg
Bothan 1.0 meters +2d4+1 40 kilograms +1d6 x 10 kg
Cerean, male 1.4 meters +1d6 58 kilograms +2d4 x 10 kg
Cerean, female 1.2 meters +1d6 42 kilograms +1d4+1 x 10 kg
Duros 1.4 meters +2d4 45 kilograms +1d4+1 x 10 kg
Ewok 0.8 meters +1d4 35 kilograms +1d4 x 10 kg
Gamorrean 1.2 meters +1d8 70 kilograms +1d4+3 x 10 kg
Gungan 1.2 meters +2d4+2 48 kilograms +1d4 x 10 kg
Ithorian 1.5 meters +2d4+1 58 kilograms +1d6+1 x 10 kg
Kel Dor 1.2 meters +2d4 50 kilograms +1d4+1 x 10 kg
Mon Calamari 1.2 meters +1d6 42 kilograms +1d2+2 x 10 kg
Quarren 1.1 meters +1d8 42 kilograms +1d2+2 x 10 kg
Rodian 1.4 meters +1d6 40 kilograms +1d4+2 x 10 kg
Sullustan 1.0 meters +2d4 42 kilograms +1d4 x 10 kg
Trandoshan 1.4 meters +2d4 60 kilograms +1d4+4 x 10 kg
Twi’lek, male 1.2 meters +2d4+1 60 kilograms +1d2+1 10 kg
Twi’lek, female 1.0 meters +2d4+1 40 kilograms +1d4 x 10 kg
Wookiee, male 1.8 meters +1d6 70 kilograms +2d4+1 x 10 kg
Wookiee, female 1.6 meters +1d6 57 kilograms +2d4+1 x 10 kg
Zabrak 1.4 meters +2d4 50 kilograms +2d4+1 x 10 kg

Personality
Decide how your character acts, what she likes, what she wants out of life, what scares her, and what makes her angry. Your character’s species is a good place to start when thinking about personality, but it’s a bad place to stop. Make your Wookiee (or whatever) different from every other Wookiee.

Personality is a summary of how your character usually acts. Make sure it’s interesting and fun for you to play. Give your character good points and bad points. Think about his code of ethics. Will your character do anything for the right price, or is there a line he just won’t cross? Is your character cheerful or dour, optimistic or pessimistic, honorable or dishonorable? These are just some of the factors that could go into your character’s personality.

A handy trick for making an interesting personality for your character is including some sort of conflict in his nature. For example, Deel the scoundrel is generally self-centered, but he looks out for his close friends. He may be tempted to help them, even if it goes against his best interests, so long as he can justify doing so.

Your character’s personality can change over time. Just because you’ve written some personality notes on your character sheet doesn’t mean you can’t let your character grow and develop the way real people do.

Background
Decide what your character’s life has been like up until now.

Here are a few questions to get you thinking:

  • How did she decide to become a hero?
  • How did she acquire her class? A Soldier, for example, might have been in a planetary militia, she may come from a family of soldiers, she may have trained in a martial school, or she may be a self-taught mercenary.
  • Where did she get her starting equipment from? Did she assemble it piece by piece over time? Was it a parting gift from a parent or mentor? Do any items have special significance to her?
  • What’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to her?
  • What’s the best thing that’s ever happened to her?
  • Does she stay in contact with her family? What do they think of her?
  • Has she traveled around the galaxy a lot?
  • What’s her home planet like?
  • What does she think of the Republic (or Rebellion, or Empire, or whatever)?
  • Does she know any of the other players’ characters from before the campaign started? If not, what’s her connection to the rest of the team?

Only your GM needs to know all the details of your background. You can tell the other players as much or as little as you see fit. You can get as complex as you like, or keep your character’s background simple.

Goals
Your character might have a number of objectives that he or she hopes to accomplish. These are the things that motivate your character. Does he seek wealth or love? Revenge or power? That’s up to you and your GM.

Goals can be immediate or long-term. They can also change during play, and new goals can be added all the time. Think of goals as what’s motivating your character right now, though some long-term goals might fade to the background until circumstances warrant.

Reputation

Every character has a reputation of one sort or another. As the character advances in levels, he or she gains a Reputation bonus that the Gamemaster sometimes allows the character to use with certain Charisma-based skills in certain situations. There are a number of ways and situations in which Reputation comes into play.

In general, a high Reputation bonus benefits a character. Those who recognize the character are more likely to help him (or do what he asks). However, a high Reputation bonus also makes it difficult for the character to mask his identity which can be a hindrance if someone is looking for him or he’s trying to go unnoticed.

In general, a character doesn’t get a choice of whether or not to apply a Reputation bonus. When the GM decides that a character’s Reputation can be relevant to a scene or encounter, the character’s player must apply the Reputation bonus to the check. Roll the appropriate skill check and add the character’s Reputation bonus.

Fame and Infamy

Most characters with a high Reputation bonus (+4 or higher) are considered “famous”. That is, their reputation is generally positive. The Fame feat adds to this positive reputation.

However, some characters are infamous, which results in different reactions. As a general rule, a character with the Infamy feat is considered infamous. (No character can select both the Fame feat and the Infamy feat). Also, at the GM’s option, a character might be considered infamous in certain situations due to events that have transpired in the campaign. For example, if your character got into trouble with the Hutts on Tatooine, he or she would be considered infamous when attempting to interact with those close to the Hutts of Tatooine.

Using the Reputation Bonus
Whenever the Gamemaster decides that a character’s reputation can be a factor in an encounter, the character’s Reputation bonus is added to the following skill checks:

Bluff, Diplomacy, Entertain, Gather Information, and Intimidate

In situations where the character’s positive reputation or fame can help sway another character’s reaction, the bonus adds to the skill check. For example, when Senator Padme Amidala stops by Merchant’s Row in the city of Theed to ask some questions about a mysterious stranger who recently visited all the shops, her fame and positive reputation grants her a Reputation bonus to her Gather Information check.

In situations where the character’s negative reputation or infamy can help sway another character’s reaction, the bonus adds to the skill check. For example, when Jango Fett confronts a petty thief in a seedy nightclub deep in the bowels of Coruscant and demands to know who’s been asking about him, his notoriety and reputation as a dangerous bounty hunter grants him a Reputation bonus on his Intimidate check.

In situations where the character’s negative reputation or infamy makes another character react poorly toward him, the Reputation bonus is subtracted from the skill check (it becomes a penalty instead of a bonus). For example, when Jango Fett tries to Bluff Obi-Wan Kenobi on Kamino, the negative feelings that Obi-Wan already has towards Jango turn Jango’s Reputation bonus into a penalty when he make his Bluff check.

Remember that the GM must determine that a character’s fame or infamy can come into play in a given situation for the Reputation bonus to apply. A character who doesn’t know you from Han Solo can’t be influenced by your reputation. Other notes regarding Reputation bonuses and these Charisma-based skills follow.

Bluff: In general, being either famous or infamous aids Bluff checks. However, any Bluff check made to deny or hide your identity (“No, I’m not that smuggler. You must be thinking of someone else.”) automatically turns the character’s Reputation bonus into a penalty for that check.

Diplomacy: Infamous characters use their Reputation bonus as a penalty when making Diplomacy checks (it’s tough to negotiate a peace treaty when they think you’re a killer).

Entertain: A famous individual generally gets a better reception for his performance than an infamous one.

Gather Information: People are more willing to help someone they know, whether happily (for a famous individual) or fearfully (for an infamous individual).

Intimidate: A famous character can use his reputation to “throw his weight around,” but he gets to use only half of his Reputation bonus (round down). An infamous character, on the other hand, uses his full Reputation bonus when making an Intimidate check.

Followers

In addition to the normal benefits of a high Reputation bonus, a character can make a Reputation check to attract followers to her cause. These followers may be troops, minions, personal servants, accomplices, trainees, acolytes, or whatever other type of dedicated follower the player chooses. (If a character stands for some cause, she may win followers to the cause as well as personal followers, but that should be handled on a case-by-case basis.)

Beginning at 10th level and at each level thereafter, a hero may make a special Reputation check (DC 20) to see if she attracts one or more followers to her cause. (This check isn’t mandatory; if the character doesn’t want followers, she doesn’t have to roll.) If the roll succeeds, the hero attracts a number of followers, who arrive in the next few weeks. If the roll fails, the hero can’t try again until she gains another level.

The maximum total levels of a hero’s followers can’t exceed her Reputation bonus. (For purposes of this total, professional characters count as one-half their level, and commoners count as one-half of a 1st-level character.)

Example: Arani Korden, a 10th-level noble with a Reputation bonus of +6 (+3 for her class, +3 for the Fame feat), decides it’s time to build a power base of loyal protectors and servants. Her player rolls an 18 on 1d20, which is modified to 24 – a success. Going for a mix of quality and quantity, Arani decides that she wants a single 2nd-level soldier (as a personal bodyguard), two 1st-level thugs (as a private retinue), a 2nd-level diplomat (as her major-domo), and a 2nd-level scoundrel (as a general troubleshooter). The 2nd-level [[[Soldier Class | soldier] is “worth” two levels, the two 1st-level thugs are worth one more level, the 2nd-level diplomat is worth one level, and the 2nd-level scoundrel is worth two levels, for a total of six levels.

After the first successful roll, a character can continue to try to attract additional followers every time she gains another point of Reputation bonus.

Followers remain loyal to the character unless treated with extreme abuse or disdain (GM’s discretion). Followers who leave the character’s service (or die while serving) create “open space” under the total cap. These open spaces can be filled with later successful Reputation checks made to attract additional followers.

Note: The Gamemaster is free to disallow the use of followers, particularly during missions when it simply wouldn’t be feasible for a player to run both a main hero and an array of minor characters.

Missions

Rorworr, Sia-Lan Wezz, Deel Surool, and Vor’en Kurn have been given a new mission by Chancellor Palpatine. They’ve been ordered to investigate rumors that the ruins of a Sith temple have been found on the isolated planet Puloorn. They start out by making sure their ship is ready for the trip, that they have all the supplies they need, and that they dig out all the information they can uncover about Puloorn. There’s not a lot. It’s a cold, snow-covered world that has no recorded settlements. The last official survey report dates back more than a decade and makes no mention of any inhabitants or signs of civilization – ancient or otherwise.

The mission starts with the research and outfitting. Then the team travels through hyperspace to reach distant Puloorn. Along the way, they might run into marauders attempting to hijack their vessel, or an uncharted asteroid field, or some other hazard. When they reach the planet, they must battle the elements as they try to locate the ancient ruins. When they discover that the ruins actually exist (and Sia-Lan gets a bad feeling about the place), the team sets off to explore the dark interior. They may run afoul of dark, twisted creatures drawn to the blackness of the place. Or they might have to deal with the ancient defenses that protect the temple. There may even be a group of cultists using the ruins as a base for their own dark purposes.

When the team has learned enough to make a solid report to the Chancellor and the Jedi Council, or when they’ve taken enough damage and used up enough supplies to make further exploration too dangerous, they return to their ship and head back to Coruscant. They’ve learned a lot about themselves and their capabilities, and the mission has made them all stronger thanks to the experience they have earned.

The rest of this chapter deals with rules that aren’t necessarily combat-oriented but may come up during the missions your characters take on.

Saving Throws
Generally, when you are subject to an unusual attack or hazard, you get a saving throw to negate or reduce its effect. A saving throw is a 1d20 roll plus a bonus based on your class, level, and ability score. To succeed at a saving throw, you must achieve a result that is equal to or higher than the Difficulty Class (which is determined by the attack or hazard itself). A saving throw automatically fails on a natural 1 and automatically succeeds on a natural 20. You can’t take 10 or take 20 when making a saving throw.

The three different types of saving throws are Reflex, Fortitude, and Will.

Reflex Saves reflect physical (and sometimes mental) agility. They test your ability to dodge massive attacks or hazards, such as explosions or falling debris. They incorporate quickness, nimbleness, overall coordination, speed, and reaction time.

Reflex Saving Throw: 1d20 + base save bonus + Dexterity modifier

Fortitude Saves reflect physical toughness. They measure your ability to stand up to massive physical punishment or attacks against your overall health, such as those inflicted by poison or disease. They incorporate stamina, ruggedness, physique, bulk, metabolism, resistance, and immunity.

Fortitude Saving Throw: 1d20 + base save bonus + Constitution modifier

Will Saves reflect inner strength. They measure your resistance to mental influence and domination (including some uses of the Force). They incorporate willpower, mental stability, the power of the mind, level-headedness, determination, self-confidence, self-awareness, and resistance to temptation.

Will Saving Throw: 1d20 + base save bonus + Wisdom modifier

Movement
Characters spend a lot of time getting from one place to another. The GM moderates the pace of a game session, so he or she determines when movement is so important that it’s worth measuring. During casual scenes, you usually won’t have to worry about movement rates. If your character arrives at a new spaceport and takes a stroll to get a feel for the place, no one needs to know exactly how many rounds or minutes the circuit takes.

There are four movement scales in the game:

  • Tactical, for combat, measured in meters per round
  • Local, for exploring an area, measured in meters per minute
  • Overland, for getting from place to place on a planet, measured in kilometers per hour or day.
  • Space, for getting from planet to planet, measured in light-years per hour or day.

Modes of Movement
While moving at the different movement scales, characters generally walk, hustle, or run.

Walk: A walk represents unhurried but purposeful movement at five kilometers per hour for an unencumbered Human.

Hustle: A hustle is a jog covering about ten kilometers per hour for an unencumbered Human. Taking two move actions in a round represents a hustle.

Run (x3): Moving three times your normal speed is a running pace for a character in heavy armor. Run is a full-round action, and running character lose their Dexterity bonus to Defense (if any).

Run (x4): Moving four times your normal speed is a running pace for a character in light, medium, or no armor. Run is a full-round action, and running characters lose their Dexterity bonus to Defense (if any).

Table 6-7: Movement and Distance
One Round (Tactical) Speed 4m Speed 6m Speed 10m
Walk 4m 6m 10m
Hustle 8m 12m 20m
Run (x3) 12m 18m 30m
Run (x4) 16m 24m 40m
One Minute (Local) Speed 4m Speed 6m Speed 10m
Walk 40m 60m 100m
Hustle 80m 120m 200m
Run (x3) 120m 180m 300m
Run (x4) 160m 240m 400m
One Hour (Overland) Speed 4m Speed 6m Speed 10m
Walk 2km 3km 5km
Hustle 4km 6km 10km
Run - - -
One Day (Overland) Speed 4m Speed 6m Speed 10m
Walk 16km 24km 40km
Hustle - - -
Run - - -

Hampered Movement
Obstructions, bad surface conditions, or poor visibility can hamper movement. The GM determines the category that a specific condition falls into (see Table 6-8). When movement is hampered, multiply the standard distance by the movement covered. For example, a character who could normally cover 20 meters with a double move (hustle) can only cover 10 meters if moving through undergrowth.

If more than one condition applies, multiply the normal distance covered by all movement penalty fractions that apply. For instance, a character who could normally cover 20 meters with a double move (hustle) could only cover 5 meters moving through thick undergrowth in fog (one-quarter as far as normal).

Table 6-8: Hampered Movement
Condition Example Speed Penalty
Moderate obstruction Undergrowth x3/4
Heavy obstruction Thick Undergrowth x1/2
Bad Surface Steep Slope or Mud x1/2
Very Bad Surface Deep Snow x1/4
Poor Visibility Darkness or fog x1/2

Tactical Movement
Use tactical speed for combat, as detailed in Chapter Eight: Combat. Characters generally don’t walk during combat – they hustle or run. A character who moves his or her speed and takes some action, such as attacking, is hustling for about half the round and doing something else the other half.

Local Movement
Characters exploring an area use local movement, measured in minutes.

Walk: A character can walk without a problem on the local scale.

Hustle: A character can hustle without a problem on the local scale. See Overland Movement, below, for movement measured in hours.

Run: A character with a Constitution score of 9 or higher can run for a minute without a problem. Generally, a character can run for about a minute or two before having to rest for a minute (see Run above).

Overland Movement
Characters covering long distances cross-country use overland movement. Overland movement is measured in hours or days. A day represents 8 hours of actual travel time. For vehicles, it represents a full 24 hours. (If a vehicle isn’t operated for a full 24 hours, multiply the distance by the fraction of the day the vehicle was moving.)

In general, each meter per round in tactical speed equates to half a kilometer per hour in overland speed. Thus, a character with a speed of 10 meters walks 5 kilometers in an 8-hour day. While a landspeeder (with a speed of 400) can travel 4,800 kilometers per 24 hours of travel.

Walk: A character can walk 8 hours in a day of travel without a problem. Walking farther than that can wear you out (see Forced March, below).

Hustle: A character can hustle for 1 hour without a problem. Hustling a second hour in between sleep cycles causes the character to lose 1 vitality point, and each additional hour causes twice the damage taken during the previous hour.

Run: A character can’t run for an extended period of time. Attempts to run and rest in cycles effectively work out to a hustle.

Terrain: The terrain through which a character travels affects how much distance he or she can cover in an hour or day (see Table 6-9). Travel is quickest on a highway, somewhat less quick on a road or trail, and least quick through trackless terrain. A highway is a straight, major, paved road. A road is typically a narrow highway. A trail is a dirt track that allows for only single-file style travel and does not benefit a party traveling with vehicles. Trackless terrain is a wild area with no paths.

Forced March: In a day of normal walking, a character walks for 8 hours. He or she spends the rest of the daylight time making and breaking camp, resting, and eating.

A character can walk for more than 8 hours in a day by making a forced march. For each hour of marching beyond eight hours, the character makes a Constitution check (DC 10 +1 per extra hour). If the check fails, the character loses 1d6 vitality points. The character can’t recover this damage normally until he or she halts and rest for at least 4 hours. It’s possible for a character to march into unconsciousness by pushing too hard.

Mounted Movement: A mount can walk at its listed speed. A mount bearing a rider can move at a hustle. It can also be force-marched, but it automatically fails its Constitution checks.

Table 6-9: Terrain and Overland Movement
Terrain Highway Road Trackless
Plains x1 x1 x1
Scrub, Rough x1 x1 x3/4
Forest x1 x1 x1/2
Jungle x1 x3/4 x1/4
Swamp x1 x3/4 x1/2
Hills x1 x3/4 x1/2
Mountains x3/4 x1/2 x1/4
Sandy Desert x1 - x1/2
Ice, Snow x3/4 x1/2 x1/4

Vehicle Movement: See Chapter Ten: Vehicles for information on vehicle movement.

Encumbrance

Encumbrance rules determine how much a character’s equipment slows him or her down. Encumbrance comes in two parts: encumbrance by armor and encumbrance by total weight. Bear in mind, we don’t see a lot of evidence in the Star Wars movies of characters carrying loads of equipment or wearing tons of armor. It just isn’t done. More often, extra equipment is stored in a ship and retrieved when needed.

Encumbrance by Armor
Your armor defines your maximum Dexterity bonus to Defense, your armor check penalty, your speed, and how fast you move when you run. (See Armor for details). Unless your character is weak or carrying a lot of gear, that’s all you need to know. The extra gear your character carries, such as weapons and medpacs, won’t slow your character down any more than his or her armor already does.

If your character is weak or carrying a really heavy load, however, then you’ll need to calculate encumbrance by weight. Doing so is most important when your character is trying to carry some heavy object, such as a pack full of survival gear or an unconscious comrade.

Weight
If you want to determine whether your character’s gear is heavy enough to slow him or her down (more than any armor already does), add up the weight of all the armor, weapons, and gear the character is carrying. Compare this total to the character’s Strength on Table 6-10: Carrying Capacity. Depending on how the weight compares to your carrying capacity, you will be carrying a light, medium, or heavy load. Like armor, your load gives you a maximum Dexterity bonus to Defense, a check penalty (which works like an armor check penalty), speed, and a run factor, as show on Table 6-11: Carrying Loads. Carrying a light load does not encumber a character.

If you are wearing armor, use the worse figure (from armor or from weight) for each category. Do not stack the penalties.

Lifting and Dragging
A character can lift up to the heavy load weight over his or her head.

A character can lift up to double the heavy load weight off the ground, but he or she can only stagger around with it. While overloaded in this way, the character loses any Dexterity bonus to Defense and can only move 2 meters per round (as a full-round action).

A character can generally push or drag along the ground up to five times the heavy load weight. Favorable conditions (smooth ground, dragging a slick object) can double these numbers, and unfavorable conditions (broken ground, pushing an object that snags) can reduce them to one-half or less.

Bigger and Smaller Creatures
The figures on Table 6-10: Carrying Capacity are for Medium-size creatures. Larger creatures can carry more weight depending on size category: Large (x2), Huge (x4), Gargantuan (x8), and Colossal (x16). Smaller creatures can carry less weight depending on size category: Small (3/4), Tiny (1/2), and Diminutive (1/4).

Tremendous Strength
For Strength scores not listed, determine the carrying capacity this way: Find the Strength score between 20 and 29 that has the same ones digit as the creature’s Strength score. Multiply the figures by four if the creature’s Strength is in the 30s, 16 if it’s in the 40s, 64 if it’s in the 50s, and so on.

Table 6-10: Carrying Capacity
Strength Score Light Loada Medium Loada Heavy Loada
1 1.5kg 3kg 5kg
2 3 kg 6.5 kg 10 kg
3 5 kg 10 kg 15 kg
4 6.5 kg 13 kg 20 kg
5 8 kg 16.5 kg 25 kg
6 10 kg 20 kg 30 kg
7 11.5 kg 23 kg 35 kg
8 13 kg 26.5 kg 40 kg
9 15 kg 30 kg 45 kg
10 16.5 kg 33 kg 50 kg
11 19 kg 38 kg 57.5 kg
12 21.5 kg 43 kg 65 kg
13 25 kg 50 kg 75 kg
14 29 kg 58 kg 87.5 kg
15 33 kg 66.5 kg 100 kg
16 38 kg 76.5 kg 115 kg
17 43 kg 86.5 kg 130 kg
18 50 kg 100 kg 150 kg
19 58 kg 116.5 kg 175 kg
20 66.5 kg 133 kg 200 kg
21 76.5 kg 153 kg 230 kg
22 86.5 kg 173 kg 260 kg
23 100 kg 200 kg 300 kg
24 116.5 kg 233 kg 350 kg
25 133 kg 266.5 kg 400 kg
26 153 kg 306.5 kg 460 kg
27 173 kg 346.5 kg 500 kg
28 200 kg 400 kg 600 kg
29 233 kg 456.5 kg 700 kg
+10 x4 x4 x4
aUp to the weight shown
Table 6-11: Carrying Loads
-Speed-
Max Load Dex Check Penalty (10m) (6m) Run
Medium +3 -3 6m 4m x4
Heavy +1 -6 6m 4m x3
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