Character Points

Skill Points

Attribute Costs

Players purchase Attributes to flesh out the rough mental image of their character. A certain number of Character Points (CPs) are available to purchase Attributes. The cost in CPs of an Attribute rating is listed in the Attribute Costs table. Purchasing very low stats "gives back" some CPs. A rating must be purchased in all ten Attributes. None are truly more important than the others and all have their usefulness. If any CPs are left over, each point becomes one Emergency Die or a Skill Point, at the player's choice.

Though normal humans cannot have Attributes above +3 or below -3, the cost table can be extended further to accommodate creatures and alien beings. The point cost is equal to the Attribute plus one, squared: e.g., +4 would cost (5 x 5) or 25 points. For negative Attribute, the cost is the rebate in points: e.g., -4 would cost (-3 x -3), giving back nine points.

* These values are added to available CPs instead of being subtracted.

Skill Level Costs

Players should now choose Skills for their characters with their stock of Skill Points. The Skill Costs tables list the Skill point costs for both Level and Complexity. Starting Skill Levels and Cpx are generally low, but can be improved through experience.

Complexity Costs

Skills begin with a free Complexity of 1. Additional levels of Cpx can be purchased at a cost in Skill Points. A higher Complexity allows the character to use higher technology or more versatile tools with his Skill and also provides him with additional breadth of knowledge that will make completing a task easier. Complexity is noted as a second number after a slash, such as "2/4" for a Skill level of 2 with a Complexity of 4.

Unless specifically noted in their description, all Attributes and Skill tests, equipment and weapons are Complexity 1.