"As a player of the Starfinder Roleplaying Game, the first thing you need to do is create a character. This is the in-world individual you’ll be playing during the game, and it’s up to you to create their background and personality. You’ll also want to build the character using the game’s mechanics to determine their starting capabilities at various tasks and the special abilities she can use during their adventures." (Starfinder rulebook)
What follows is a step by step guide to creating your character, including links to the various sections of this wiki that hold more elaborate information. The steps are given in the suggested order, but feel free to complete them in any order you wish.
Contents
- 1 Step 0: Preparation
- 2 Step 1: Character Concept
- 3 Step 2: Choose a race.
- 4 Step 3: Theme
- 5 Step 4: Classes
- 6 Step 5: Ability Scores
- 7 Step 6: Apply class effects.
- 8 Step 7: Assign Skill ranks and choose feats
- 9 Step 8: Buy Equipment
- 10 Step 9: Finishing touches
Step 0: Preparation[]
Please get yourself a charactersheet. You can download free charactersheets on Paizo.com, there are various sheets available from other online sources, or you could just use a blank sheet of paper. Also, get a writing implement. (Pencil and perhaps an eraser works best as you might need to update things, or in case you make a mistake)
Step 1: Character Concept[]
What kind of hero do you want to be? A rough smuggler with a heart of gold, a technomage with powerful spells boosted by magic, a charming negotiator, or a stealthy assassin? The possibilities are endless, but it helps to form at least the basic idea early on.
Start by deciding the general idea of your character's personality, the broad lines of their past, and why they adventure. These concepts will be expanded on, or completely changed later on, but they will give you some point of reference.
Decide what you want your character to be good at, what they are like. "Do you want to play a hulking lizardcreature with an enormous laser rifle? Then a vesk soldier with the mercenary theme is a perfect choice. If a scrappy bipedal rat who likes to burgle is more your style, a ysoki operative with the outlaw theme could be the way to go."
Step 2: Choose a race.[]
Your character's species is one of their most visible and telling characteristics. Would you like to be an enigmatic liberated Android, a traditionalist four armed Kasatha, or a mutated insectoid Shirren?
Your character's race is more than fluff though. It grants you certain abilities and languages as well as modifications to your ability scores. Lastly, your race gives you a number of starting HP, buit only at first level.
There are seven core races in Starfinder
| Race | Modifiers |
|---|---|
| Androids | +2Dex/+2Int/-2Cha |
| Humans | +2 to any one score |
| Kasatha | +2Str/+2Wis/-2Int |
| Lashunta Korasha | +2Str/+2Cha/-2Wis |
| Lashunta Damaya | +2Int/+2Cha/-2Con |
| Shirren | +2Con/+2Wis/-2Cha |
| Vesk | +2Str/+2Con/-2Int |
| Ysoki | +2Dex/+2Int/-2Str |
There are also six races from old Golarion in the Core rulebook. These are however rather rare in the world of Starfinder. Check with your GM before choosing one of these.
| Race | Modifier |
|---|---|
| Dwarves | +2Con/+2Wis/-2Cha |
| Elves | +2Dex/+2Int/-2Con |
| Gnomes Feychild | +2Con/+2Cha-2Str |
| Gnomes Bleachling | +2Con/+2Int/-2Str |
| Half Elves | +2 to any one score |
| Half Orcs | +2 to any one score |
| Halfling | +2Dex/+2Cha/-2Str |
Step 3: Theme[]
"Next, you can choose a theme for your character, which represents a core aspect of their background and motivations. A theme can help express your character’s approach to adventuring—weather they are a bounty hunter, a scholar, or the embodiment of another classic adventuring trope. In addition to reflecting a certain background, a theme provides benefits to an appropriate skill or skills at 1st level and also grants 1 extra
point to a specific ability score"
| Theme | Description | Bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Ace Pilot | Skillful operator of starships and other vehicles who is obsessed with all related knowledge and lore | +1Dex |
| Bounty Hunter | Unstoppable tracker who knows how to stay hot on the trail of those who flee | +1Con |
| Icon | Popular and respected celebrity who can leverage the public’s adoration for specific needs. | +1Cha |
| Mercenary | Well-trained soldier of fortune who can work equally well as a combat grunt or a squad leader. | +1Str |
| Outlaw | Wanted criminal with back-alley connections to black markets and associates who can fend off legal trouble. | +1Dex |
| Priest | Dedicated and knowledgeable adherent to a philosophy or religion who commands clout among other followers | +1Wis |
| Scholar | Skilled researcher and cutting-edge thinker with a broad base of knowledge and a thirst to expand it. | +1Int |
| Spacefarer | Restless explorer who has strong intuition and has collected deep knowledge about alien biology and topology | +1Con |
| Xenoseeker | Guru of alien life-forms who finds that meeting them is one of life’s most rewarding accomplishments | +1Cha |
| Themeless | One who doesn’t fit into any niche above but forges a personal path of determination and training | +1 to any |
Step 4: Classes[]
Choose which class you want to play. From the tough and dangerous soldier, to the stealthy operative or the diplomatic envoy, each class has its own strengths and each brings something different to the party.
Your class will tell you what ability scores are important. A Solarian requires Charisma, and perhaps Strength, while a Technomancer is better off with Intelligence and Dexterity. Your class also gives you access to certain powers and abilities that will help you on your adventures.
This table shows key ability scores for each class. The most important one is shown first. Those after the slash are suggestions for other abilities the class likely uses a lot
| Class | key stats |
|---|---|
| Envoy | Cha/ Dex and Int |
| Mechanic | Int/ Dex |
| Mystic | Wis/ Cha |
| Operative | Dex/ Int and Cha |
| Solarian | Cha/ Str |
| Soldier | Str or Dex/ Con |
| Technomancer | Int/ Dex |
Step 5: Ability Scores[]
"Now that you’ve made the most important decisions about your character, it’s time to fill in their statistics. Your character’s ability scores determine a wide array of their capabilities and consist of six values: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.
There are three ways to calculate starting Ability scores. Point buy, Array, or rolling
The Standard way to decide starting ability score is the point buy version.
In this method, you customize your ability scores by “buying” them using a pool of points. Since the purpose of this system is to help you build exactly the character you want, before starting to customize your ability scores, first decide what you want your character’s race, class and
theme to be. Once you’ve got those firmly in mind, follow the steps below in order.
Step 1: Start with a score of 10 in each ability. On your character sheet or a piece of scratch paper, write down all six abilities—Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma—and put a 10 next to each of them.
Step 2: Add and subtract points for race. Races in Starfinder are often naturally gifted in some abilities and less so in others. Each race entry lists these advantages and disadvantages in terms of points you add or subtract from specific starting ability scores. For instance, a shirren starts out with +2 points in Constitution and +2 points in Wisdom, but –2 points in Charisma Some races, like humans, are so versatile as a race that they get points they can put in any single ability. Once you know your racial modifiers, add or subtract those points from your starting scores of 10.
Step 3: Add points for theme. Each theme gives you a single ability point to apply to an ability score. For instance, choosing the ace pilot theme gives you +1 point in Dexterity, while the themeless option lets you apply an extra point to any ability score you choose. The points granted by each theme can befound in its description Once you know your theme, add that point to the designated ability.
Step 4: Spend 10 points customizing your scores. Now that you’ve got your baseline scores, which incorporate modifications for class and theme, you get a pool of 10 extra points to assign to your ability scores as you see fit. You apply these to your existing ability scores on a 1-for-1 basis—if you have a Dexterity score of 12 and you add a point from your pool, you now have a Dexterity score of 13. You can divide these points up however you want, but you can’t make any individual score higher than 18. (Later on, as you level up and gain ability-boosting gear, your ability scores may rise above 18, but 18 is the highest value any character can start out with.) Be sure to spend all 10 of your
ability points—you can’t save them for later.
Please be aware that you cannot lower ability scores to gain extra build points. You can lower ability scores voluntarily if you feel that would better fit your character, but you don't get anything back for that.
Step 6: Apply class effects.[]
"Now, determine the powers, special abilities (called class features), and other key statistics your character gains from being 1st level in their class. The table at the beginning of each class section includes your character’s base attack bonus, which helps determine how good she is at attacking. You’ll add this base value to their melee and ranged attacks That table also indicates your character’s base bonuses for their Fortitude, Reflex, and Will saving throws. See Step 9 for more information on saving throws. Additionally, your character’s class affects their total Stamina Points (SP). Stamina Points measure how much punishment she can absorb before it begins to really hurt their and reduce their Hit Points. At 1st level, you gain the number of Stamina Points listed in your class + your Constitution modifier. At 1st level, you also add the number of Hit Points indicated in your class to the number of Hit Points you gain from your race. Finally, your character’s class influences how many skill ranks she can assign per level (see Step 7), and determines their armor and weapon proficiencies (see Step 8)."
Step 7: Assign Skill ranks and choose feats[]
"Next, figure out what skills you want your character to be good at, whether it’s using technology or surviving in the wilderness. At each level, she gains skill ranks, representing their growing know-how and training. The number of ranks she gains at each level equals their Intelligence modifier + an amount determined by their class (but she always gains at least 1), and you can allocate the ranks to any skills you want. Some
skills are called out as class skills in your class entry—these are skills tied to your class, and you automatically get a +3 bonus if you put a skill rank into them. (You can still put ranks into skills that aren’t class skills; you just don’t get the special +3 bonus when you do.) See Skills
Once you’ve assigned your character’s skill ranks, choose their feats. Most characters begin play with one feat, though humans gain a racial bonus feat. Feats are a good way to boost an element of your character that might be lacking. For example, Toughness grants extra Stamina Points, while Bodyguard lets you protect nearby allies from attacks. See Feats"
Step 8: Buy Equipment[]
At 1st level, your character has 1,000 credits to spend on armor, weapons, and other supplies Armor and weapons are often the most important—keep in mind that your character’s class determines the types of weapons and armor that she is proficient with. Your character’s weapon determines the damage she can deal in combat, while armor affects their Energy Armor Class (EAC) and Kinetic Armor Class
(KAC)—see Step 9 for more on Armor Class. Additionally, there are other staples that can help your character during play.
Step 9: Finishing touches[]
Now add the following details to your character sheet.
Alignment
Note your character’s alignment, which plays a role in their personality.
Armor Class
Energy Armor Class (EAC) and Kinetic Armor Class (KAC) represent how difficult your character is to hit in combat. Energy Armor Class represents their ability to avoid injury when hit with energy attacks, such as lasers. Kinetic Armor Class represents their ability to avoid injury when hit with physical attacks, such as bullets. The values for EAC and KAC each begin at 10. Add your character’s Dexterity modifier to each value. Then add the EAC bonus and KAC bonus that their armor provides to the respective values. You’ll also want to note your character’s Armor Class against combat maneuvers, which is their KAC + 8.
Attack Bonuses
You noted your character’s base attack bonus in Step 6, but you still need to calculate their total attack bonuses with melee, ranged, and thrown weapons. To do so, add their Strength modifier to their melee and thrown attacks, and add their Dexterity modifier to their other ranged attacks. Then add any miscellaneous modifiers from feats or class features to the appropriate attacks.
Carrying Capacity
This is how much bulk your character can carry based on their Strength score. She is encumbered when carrying an amount of bulk equal to or greater than half their Strength score, and overburdened when carrying an amount of bulk equal to or greater than their total Strength score
Deity
Note the deity your character worships, if any.
Home World
This is where your character was raised, whether it’s a planet, a space station, or even an asteroid.
Initiative
Your character’s initiative modifier is added to their initiative checks to determine the order in which she acts in combat. It’s equal to their Dexterity
modifier plus modifiers from feats or other abilities that affect initiative.
Languages
Your character begins play speaking and reading Common, their racial tongue (if any), and the language of their home world (if any). If she has a positive Intelligence modifier, she knows a number of additional languages equal to that value.
Resolve Points
Your character can use Resolve Points for many important purposes, including replenishing their Stamina Points and powering some class features and other abilities. At 1st level, your character has a number of Resolve Points equal to 1 + the ability score modifier for their class’s key ability score.
Saving Throws
From time to time, your character will need to determine whether she can avoid or shake off an effect or spell. When this happens, the GM will call for a Fortitude, Reflex, or Will saving throw, depending on the situation. A saving throw is a d20 roll to which you add your character’s
base saving throw bonus of the appropriate type and other applicable modifiers. Your character’s class determines their base bonus to each type of saving throw. Additionally, you apply their Constitution modifier to their Fortitude saving throws, their Dexterity modifier to their Reflex saving throws, and their Wisdom modifier to their Will saving throws—and you must do so even if a relevant ability score modifier is negative. Finally, you apply any additional modifiers to specific saving throws as appropriate, such as bonuses from feats or ottheir abilities.
Size
Your character’s race determines their size
Speed
Your character’s land speed at the beginning of play is 30 feet, unless she has an ability that modifies it (or penalties from armor or encumbrance).
