This page guides players through the creation of a new starting character, as described on page 13 of the SWSE Core Rulebook and in the Character Creation section of the houserules page.
For player characters that are late additions to a campaign or that are replacements for a deceased character, you can use this walkthrough to start building the character and then use the Leveling Up flowchart to bring them up to the appropriate level.
Is your character living (i.e. a human or some other alien species) or a droid?
Some of the traits particular to droid characters are given on page 187 of the Core Rulebook and in the Droid Characters section of the houserules page.
Determine the raw scores for your character's six abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. You'll generate six numbers, but you won't assign them to your six ability scores until after you've chosen a species and a character class.
There are three different methods to choose from for calculating your ability scores: Rolling dice, using a point-buy planned generation method, or taking the standard score package.
Roll 4 d6s and add together the 3 highest results. Repeat this roll 6 times to get your 6 ability scores.
If the sum of all of your raw ability score modifiers is zero or less, or if your highest score is less than 14, you can choose to reroll all of your ability scores.
Your character's ability scores all start at 8, and you can increase them by spending points as per the following table. You have 25 points to spend.
| Score | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 |
The standard package for ability scores is 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, and 8.
Your character can be Human, or you can choose a canonical alien species, or you can create your own custom near-human species
Each different choice of species can give ability score adjustments, bonus feats and skills, and other unique benefits.
Humans have no adjustments to their ability scores, but all human characters start out with one extra feat and one extra trained skill.
Humans characters are medium size, have a walking speed of 6 squares, and have Basic as an automatic language.
Choose a species from the list of Alien Species. The list gives the ability score adjustments, bonus feats, and other benefits and drawbacks for each species.
If you had a canonical Star Wars species in mind for your character but you don't see it in the above list, talk to the GM about creating new game statistics for it. Note that Beasts (species with a base Intelligence score of less than 3) generally cannot be used as player characters.
See the Custom Near-Human Species page for details on creating a custom near-human species for your character.
When creating a player character, the five available character classes are Noble, Scoundrel, Scout, Soldier, and Tech Specialist. Your character's class determines their attack and defense bonuses, their hit points, their class skills and number of trained skills, their bonus starting feats and proficiencies, and their available talent trees. See Base Classes for details on each class, and Class Skills for a list of each class's favored skills.
You can choose for your character to be force sensitive. If you do, your character will gain the Force Sensitivity feat, be able to make use of the Use the Force skill and treat it as a class skill, and have access to the Force and Jedi talent trees, in addition to all the benefits normally granted by their chosen class. However, taking the Force Sensitivity feat means forgoing all the other normal benefits for that level, and so force sensitive characters will effectively begin the game at level 1 while non-force-sensitive characters start at level 2.
Note that non-force-sensitive characters still only choose one character class. Multiclassing is allowed only after level 2.
Assign the six ability scores you generated previously to your character's six abilities (STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, and CHA). Resolve any ability score adjustments due to your character's species or age (see Aging Effects).
Determine your ability score modifiers, as given in the table below:
| Ability Score | 1 | 2-3 | 4-5 | 6-7 | 8-9 | 10-11 | 12-13 | 14-15 | 16-17 | 18-19 | 20-21 | 22-23 | 24-25 | etc. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modifier | –5 | –4 | –3 | –2 | –1 | 0 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +5 | +6 | +7 | etc. |
You can use your ability scores, species details, and class details to calculate your character's combat statistics.
Your size is determined by your species. With GM approval, you can also choose for your character to be one size category smaller than the normal size given for their species.
Your size provides modifiers to your Reflex defense, Hit Points, Damage Threshold, Grapple checks, Carrying Capacity, and Stealth checks as given below:
| Character Size |
Reflex Modifier |
HP Bonus |
DT Bonus |
Grapple Modifier |
Carrying Capacity |
Stealth Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fine | +10 | +0 | +0 | –20 | x0.01 | +20 |
| Diminutive | +5 | +0 | +0 | –15 | x0.25 | +15 |
| Tiny | +2 | +0 | +0 | –10 | x0.5 | +10 |
| Small | +1 | +0 | +0 | –5 | x0.75 | +5 |
| Medium | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | x1 | +0 |
| Large | –1 | +10 | +5 | +5 | x2 | –5 |
| Huge | –2 | +20 | +10 | +10 | x5 | –10 |
| Gargantuan | –5 | +50 | +20 | +15 | x10 | –15 |
| Colossal | –10 | +100 | +50 | +20 | x20 | –20 |
Your maximum hit points (HP) is equal to your class's starting hit points plus your CON modifier, plus a size bonus for characters larger than Medium size. If your character is not force sensitive, you begin at level 2 and have additional hit points equal to your class's hit die plus your CON modifier.
Your three defenses are calculated as follows:
Your damage threshold (DT) is equal to your Fortitude score. Species that are larger than Medium size get a bonus to damage threshold, as given in the table above.
Your Base Attack Bonus (BAB) is determined by your character class and level. Your melee, ranged, and grapple bonuses are calculated as follows:
Your base movement speed is determined by your species. If you are wearing medium or heavy armor, or carrying more equipment than your carrying capacity, your movement speed is reduced to 3/4ths of your base speed (rounded down).
Your carrying capacity is equal to your STR score divided by 2, squared. You can carry up to this many kilograms worth of armor, weapons, and other equipment with no penalty. The carrying capacity for a character larger or smaller than Medium size is multiplied by the amount given in the table above.
Your character class and INT score determine how many trained skills you have (See the Base Classes document). Skill training grants a +5 bonus on checks with that skill, and some uses of the skill can only be attempted by a character who is trained. See Skill Checks for a full list of possible uses of each skill.
You also get a +[level / 2] bonus (rounded down) to all class skills (e.g. a +1 bonus for a non-force-sensitive character starting at level 2). See Class Skills for the list of class skills for each character class.
Note that you can choose any skills as your trained skills, as opposed to being limited to choosing from just your class skills. The only skill that isn't available to everyone is the Use the Force skill, which can only be chosen as a trained skill by force sensitive characters.
In addition to any bonus feats granted by your class and species, every character chooses two starting feats from the list of Feats (or you can use the "Feats by Category" lists on the Rules Compendium page).
Force sensitive characters get only one extra starting feat (in addition to starting with the Force Sensitivity feat).
Choose two talents from the list of talents available to your class. See the "Talents by Class" lists on the Rules Compendium page.
Force sensitive characters get only one starting talent, but have the option of choosing from the list of Force Talents in addition to the talents normally available to their class.
Your species determines what automatic languages you know (see the Alien Species list). Additionally, if your INT mod is greater than zero then you know a number of bonus languages equal to your INT mod (see All Languages or Widely-Used Languages for a list of options to choose from).
Calculate how many credits your character starts with by using the dice rolls given in the table below:
| Character Class | Starting Credits |
|---|---|
| Noble | 3d4 x 400 credits |
| Scoundrel | 3d4 x 250 credits |
| Scout | 3d4 x 250 credits |
| Soldier | 3d4 x 250 credits |
| Tech Specialist | 3d4 x 250 credits |
Every player character begins with a short-range comlink, a basic datapad, and average clothing. Primitive characters can choose to start with average clothing and a knife instead.
Any additional weapons, armor, or equipment must be purchased using your starting credits. See the "Equipment" lists on the Rules Compendium page, or use the Standard Equipment page for a shorter list of common starting equipment. Tech Specialist characters can choose to start out with equipment modified by the Tech Specialist feat only if they pay for the modification cost out of their starting credits.
Keep track of the total weight of your equipment to make sure your character is not encumbered due to carrying more than your carrying capacity.
With the exception of your character's age (and possibly handedness in specific situations), the following traits do not mechanically affect the game and are simply cosmetic choices to help flesh your character out for immersion and roleplaying purposes.
If you are looking for inspiration, the SWSE rulebook sources for the various alien species give examples of common names for each species. Additionally, the Coruscant Phonebook is a third-party Star Wars random name generator website.
Note that gender in the Star Wars universe, and especially for many alien species, is not strictly limited to male or female.
Your character's chosen age may result in adjustments to their ability scores, as given in the following table:
| Age Category | Age Range (Human) | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child | 1-11 years | –4 | –2 | –4 | –2 | –2 | –2 |
| Young Adult | 12-15 years | –1 | –1 | –1 | –1 | –1 | –1 |
| Adult | 16-40 years | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 |
| Middle Age | 41-59 years | –1 | –1 | –1 | +1 | +1 | +1 |
| Old | 60-79 years | –3 | –3 | –3 | +2 | +2 | +2 |
| Venerable | 80+ years | –6 | –6 | –6 | +3 | +3 | +3 |
Different alien species age at different rates. See the SWSE rulebook source for your chosen alien species if you want to know what specific ages correspond to each age category for your character.
Your character's dominant hand is determined by rolling a d20:
Your character's handedness would mostly only be relevant for determining melee attack damage should you lose a limb.
The SWSE rulebook sources give average height and weight for each species. Think about your character's STR, CON, and/or class and background to determine how much you might deviate from the average.
Things like skin color, eye color, and hair color tend to be determined to some extent by species, but most species also have a range of different possible appearances. This is also the time to determine things like if your character has tattoos, piercings, or scars, or what styles of clothing or jewelry they might wear.
Your species and class can provide insight into possible personality traits for your character, but they aren't necessarily the determining factor. In particular, it's good to think about your character's code of ethics (their "alignment", in D&D terms), but also keep in mind that your character is free to change and grow over time.
Try to give your character a mixture of good and bad traits, and think about possible personality quirks that might help them to stand out and feel unique.
As with the character traits chosen above, your character's background and goals won't mechanically affect the game but will likely impact your role in the campaign. The following details need to be known by your GM, but don't necessarily need to be shared with the other players.
Choose a homeworld for your character. It doesn't necessarily need to be the main homeworld of your species. Think about why your character left home, and what your relations with your family and hometown might be.
Think about what you were doing before the beginning of the campaign, whether you got an education or had a career. Decide how you acquired your character class and your trained skills.
Think about your character's political ideals, and how they might feel about the Republic, Empire, and/or Rebel Alliance. You can also choose to have your character start out with friends, rivals, allies, or enemies from their past; talk with your GM if you want these relations to be relevant during the campaign. Additionally, this is the time to think about your relationships with the other party members; how you met, and whether you just met before the start of the campaign or have been acquainted for a long time.
Your character should have at least one goal that motivates you in your adventuring. Your goal(s) can be 'plotty' (e.g. "Find out what happened to my dad" or "Get revenge on the crime boss who gave me this scar") or they can be 'non-plotty' (e.g. "Bring honor and prestige to my clan name" or "Get super rich").
All characters start at level 2 and begin the game with 1000 experience points (XP).
Your character gains experience points by defeating enemies and overcoming obstacles (or sometimes for other reasons; see Experience Points). As your character gains experience, they will eventually advance in level; see the Leveling Up flowchart page for details.
You can choose to either play as a stock preexisting model of droid (such as a 3PO or R2 unit), a standard chassis design (such as protocol droid or astromech droid) or to create a new custom droid model.
Choosing to play as a stock model means having your droid's ability scores, class, skills, feats, talents, and systems preselected for you, and is generally better suited for quickly generating party-owned NPC droids. Playing as a standard chassis is generally recommended for droid PCs, unless a player is specifically looking to build a custom droid character that falls outside the bounds of the standard chassis options. Note that there is nothing stopping a player from using the standard chassis or custom droid options to build a droid character that they then style as a 3PO or R2 unit or other preexisting canonical model.
Choose a model from the list of Droid Models (or use the "Droids by Degree" lists on the Rules Compendium page). Note that not all models are available for use as player characters; in particular, models with a base price of more than 5000 credits or models of other than Small or Medium size are generally not allowed, though this is up to the GM's discretion. If you had a canonical Star Wars droid model in mind for your character but you don't see it in the above list, talk to the GM about creating new game statistics for it.
Your chosen stock droid model determines your character's ability scores, droid degree, class(es) and level, size, HP, trained skills, feats, talents, default systems and accessories, and base cost.
Each stock droid model begins with a set number of levels in preselected classes; see your model's source information in the SWSE rulebooks for details.
If your droid's model only has one or two levels in the non-heroic class and no levels in a heroic class, you are entitled to an additional level in one of the five heroic classes (Noble, Scoundrel, Scout, Soldier, or Tech Specialist), gaining the class's attack and defense bonuses and bonus starting feats and proficiencies. See Base Classes for details on each class.
Droid player characters automatically have a heuristic processor installed, even if your chosen stock model does not include one by default.
You can add on extra systems and accessories in addition to those included with your stock droid model, so long as the total cost of the added systems plus the stock model's base cost does not exceed 5000 credits. This could include additional forms of locomotion, extra appendages, extra software or internal systems, or droid armor plating or other add-ons, but usually cannot include weapons or other external equipment (which will be bought later with your character's starting credits).
See Droid Systems and Accessories for a complete listing of droid systems, or use the "Systems and Accessories" page of your Droid Character Sheet spreadsheet. The cost of some systems is multiplied by your Cost Factor, which is determined by your size as given in the table below:
| Droid Size | Cost Factor |
|---|---|
| Fine | x20 |
| Diminutive | x10 |
| Tiny | x5 |
| Small | x2 |
| Medium | x1 |
| Large | x2 |
| Huge | x5 |
| Gargantuan | x10 |
| Colossal | x20 |
You can use your ability scores, droid model details, and class details to calculate your character's combat statistics. Note that most of the statistics below are also given in your model's source information in the SWSE rulebooks; in theory, the calculations given below should match up with the numbers listed in the rulebook.
Your size is determined by your droid model. Your size provides modifiers to your Reflex defense, Damage Threshold, Grapple checks, Carrying Capacity, and Stealth checks as given below:
| Character Size |
Reflex Modifier |
DT Bonus |
Grapple Modifier |
Carrying Capacity |
Stealth Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fine | +10 | +0 | –20 | x0.01 | +20 |
| Diminutive | +5 | +0 | –15 | x0.25 | +15 |
| Tiny | +2 | +0 | –10 | x0.5 | +10 |
| Small | +1 | +0 | –5 | x0.75 | +5 |
| Medium | +0 | +0 | +0 | x1 | +0 |
| Large | –1 | +5 | +5 | x2 | –5 |
| Huge | –2 | +10 | +10 | x5 | –10 |
| Gargantuan | –5 | +20 | +15 | x10 | –15 |
| Colossal | –10 | +50 | +20 | x20 | –20 |
Your starting maximum hit points (HP) are determined by your model. If your character has an additional level in a heroic class, you have an extra number of hit points equal to your class's hit die plus your CON modifier.
Your three defenses are calculated as follows:
Your damage threshold (DT) is equal to your Fortitude score. Droids that are larger than Medium size get a bonus to damage threshold, as given in the table above.
Your Base Attack Bonus (BAB) is determined by your character class and level. Your melee, ranged, and grapple bonuses are calculated as follows:
Your base movement speed is determined by what locomotion system(s) you have installed. If you are installed with medium or heavy armor plating, or carrying more equipment than your carrying capacity, your movement speed is reduced to 3/4ths of your base speed (rounded down).
Your carrying capacity is equal to your STR score divided by 2, squared. You can carry up to this many kilograms worth of droid systems, armor, weapons, and other equipment with no penalty. The carrying capacity for a droid larger or smaller than Medium size is multiplied by the amount given in the table above.
Your droid model determines which skills you are trained in. Skill training grants a +5 bonus on checks with that skill, and some uses of the skill can only be attempted by a character who is trained. See Skill Checks for a full list of possible uses of each skill.
You also get a +[level / 2] bonus (rounded down) to all class skills (e.g. a +1 bonus for a character with 2 levels in a given class). See Class Skills for the list of class skills for each character class.
Your stock droid characters begin with preselected feats and talents determined by your model.
If your character has an additional level in a heroic class, you can choose one additional feat and one talent. See Feats for a list of feats (or you can use the "Feats by Category" lists on the Rules Compendium page). Droid characters also have access to the list of Droid-Only Feats. Your talent can be chosen either from the list of talents available to your class (see the "Talents by Class" lists on the Rules Compendium page), or from the list of Droid Talents.
Droid characters cannot gain feats through study, but they can have their known skills, feats, talents, and languages reassigned with a Use Computer check (see page 192 of the SWSE Core Rulebook).
Your choice of droid model determines what automatic languages you know. All droids know Binary, and in most cases know Basic as well. Additionally, if your INT mod is greater than zero and/or if your character has the Linguist feat, then you know a number of bonus languages as well. See All Languages or Widely-Used Languages for a list of options to choose from.
Note that if you do not have either a vocabulator or a video screen installed, you will not be able to communicate with characters that don't understand Binary.
Calculate how many credits your character starts with by using the dice rolls given in the table below:
| Character Class | Starting Credits |
|---|---|
| Noble | 3d4 x 400 credits |
| Scoundrel | 3d4 x 250 credits |
| Scout | 3d4 x 250 credits |
| Soldier | 3d4 x 250 credits |
| Tech Specialist | 3d4 x 250 credits |
Every droid player character begins with a short-range comlink, and some stock models come with other weapons or equipment included as well. Any additional weapons or external equipment must be purchased using your starting credits. See the "Equipment" lists on the Rules Compendium page, or use the Standard Equipment page for a shorter list of common starting equipment. Your starting credits can also be put towards additional internal systems and accessories, allowing you to go beyond the normal 5000 credit cap. Tech Specialist characters can choose to start out with equipment modified by the Tech Specialist feat only if they pay for the modification cost out of their starting credits.
Keep track of the total weight of your systems and equipment to make sure your character is not encumbered due to carrying more than your carrying capacity.
The following traits do not mechanically affect the game, and are simply cosmetic details to help flesh your character out for immersion and roleplaying purposes.
Droids of a stock model usually follow a pattern where their name is made up partly of letters or numbers that identify the model's series, and partly of letters or numbers that give the droid's individual serial number. Many droids also have nicknames, though, so feel free to name your droid character as you see fit.
Your height and weight are determined by your model.
Things like color and other visible features also tend to be determined by model, but there are many droid models where appearance can vary between individual droids, especially if your droid has been fitted with nonstandard replacement parts or paint jobs over the years.
Even brand new droids tend to have a somewhat unique personality, and a droid's individuality and personality tend to get more pronounced the longer it goes without a memory wipe. Your droid model and class can provide insight into possible personality traits for your character, but they aren't necessarily the determining factor. In particular, it's good to think about your character's code of ethics (their "alignment", in D&D terms), but also keep in mind that your character is free to change and grow over time.
Try to give your character a mixture of good and bad traits, and think about possible personality quirks that might help them to stand out and feel unique. See page 20 of the Scavenger's Guide to Droids rulebook for some possible droid quirks to choose from.
As with the character traits above, your character's background and goals won't mechanically affect the game but will likely impact your role in the campaign. The following details need to be known by your GM, but don't necessarily need to be shared with the other players.
Stock droid models usually specify the model's manufacturer. Additionally, it might be helpful to think about where your character was made and under what circumstances they were originally purchased or otherwise acquired.
Think about what your droid was doing before the beginning of the campaign. Decide how you acquired your character class and your trained skills, whether you were programed with them or whether you picked them up over time.
If you are playing as a fully independent droid, decide how you got to be that way, if you originally had an owner and what happened to them. Most droid player characters are not independent and are instead the property of either one party member or else the party as a whole. In that case, think about how you came into the party's possession, what your relationships are like with the other party members, and whether you had been with the party for a long time or only joined the party just prior to the start of the campaign. You can also choose to have your character start out with friends, rivals, allies, or enemies from their past; talk with your GM if you want these relations to be relevant during the campaign.
Your character should have at least one goal that motivates you in your adventuring. Your goal(s) can be 'plotty' (e.g. "Track down my first owner who went missing" or "Find out what happened to me before I had my memory wiped") or they can be 'non-plotty' (e.g. "Help my owner(s) to become rich and successful" or "Get really good at computer hacking").
Your droid character beings with the minimum amount of experience points needed for their starting level (e.g. 1000 XP for a level 2 droid, 3000 for level 3, 6000 for level 4, etc).
Your character gains experience points by defeating enemies and overcoming obstacles (or sometimes for other reasons; see Experience Points). As your character gains experience, they will eventually advance in level; see the Leveling Up flowchart page for details.
Determine the raw scores for your custom droid's five abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma (droid characters do not have a Constitution score). You'll generate five numbers, but you won't assign them to your five ability scores until after you've chosen a chassis, size, and character class.
There are three different methods to choose from for calculating your ability scores: Rolling dice, using a point-buy planned generation method, or taking the standard score package.
Roll 4 d6s and add together the 3 highest results. Repeat this roll 5 times to get your 5 ability scores.
If the sum of all of your raw ability score modifiers is zero or less, or if your highest score is less than 14, you can choose to reroll all of your ability scores.
Your character's ability scores all start at 8, and you can increase them by spending points as per the following table. Droid characters have 21 points to spend.
| Score | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 |
The standard package for ability scores is 15, 14, 13, 10, and 8.
Choose a chassis from the list of Standard Droid Chassis. Your choosen chassis gives you modifiers to your ability scores and bonus skills and feats, and determines your droid's default locomotion, appendages, and other systems.
Choose a size category for your droid. Note that without special GM permission, custom droids for player characters are usually restricted to being either Small or Medium size. Your droid's size affects its rolled ability scores and the cost factor it uses when adding systems and accessories (other size-based modifiers to combat statistics are given later in the "Determine Combat Statistics" step).
| Droid Size | Ability Score Adjustments | Cost Factor |
|---|---|---|
| Fine | –8 STR, +8 DEX | x20 |
| Diminutive | –6 STR, +6 DEX | x10 |
| Tiny | –4 STR, +4 DEX | x5 |
| Small | –2 STR, +2 DEX | x2 |
| Medium | (none) | x1 |
| Large | +8 STR, –2 DEX | x2 |
| Huge | +16 STR, –4 DEX | x5 |
| Gargantuan | +24 STR, –4 DEX | x10 |
| Colossal | +32 STR, –4 DEX | x20 |
When creating a player character droid, the five available character classes are Noble, Scoundrel, Scout, Soldier, and Tech Specialist. Your character's class determines their attack and defense bonuses, their hit points, their class skills and number of trained skills, their bonus starting feats and proficiencies, and their available talent trees. See Base Classes for details on each class, and Class Skills for a list of each class's favored skills.
Assign the five ability scores you generated previously to your droid's five abilities (STR, DEX, INT, WIS, and CHA). Resolve any ability score adjustments due to your chassis or size.
Determine your ability score modifiers, as given in the table below:
| Ability Score | 1 | 2-3 | 4-5 | 6-7 | 8-9 | 10-11 | 12-13 | 14-15 | 16-17 | 18-19 | 20-21 | 22-23 | 24-25 | etc. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modifier | –5 | –4 | –3 | –2 | –1 | 0 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +5 | +6 | +7 | etc. |
You can use your ability scores, chassis details, and class details to calculate your character's combat statistics.
Your size provides modifiers to your Reflex defense, Hit Points, Damage Threshold, Grapple checks, Carrying Capacity, and Stealth checks as given below:
| Character Size |
Reflex Modifier |
HP Bonus |
DT Bonus |
Grapple Modifier |
Carrying Capacity |
Stealth Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fine | +10 | +0 | +0 | –20 | x0.01 | +20 |
| Diminutive | +5 | +0 | +0 | –15 | x0.25 | +15 |
| Tiny | +2 | +0 | +0 | –10 | x0.5 | +10 |
| Small | +1 | +0 | +0 | –5 | x0.75 | +5 |
| Medium | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | x1 | +0 |
| Large | –1 | +10 | +5 | +5 | x2 | –5 |
| Huge | –2 | +20 | +10 | +10 | x5 | –10 |
| Gargantuan | –5 | +50 | +20 | +15 | x10 | –15 |
| Colossal | –10 | +100 | +50 | +20 | x20 | –20 |
Your maximum hit points (HP) at level 2 is equal to your class's starting hit points plus your class's hit die plus two times your STR modifier, plus a size bonus for droids larger than Medium size.
Your three defenses are calculated as follows:
Your damage threshold (DT) is equal to your Fortitude score. Droids that are larger than Medium size get a bonus to damage threshold, as given in the table above.
Your Base Attack Bonus (BAB) is determined by your character class and level. Your melee, ranged, and grapple bonuses are calculated as follows:
By default, a standard droid chassis has a base movement speed of 6 squares, though your speed may change if you choose to modify your locomotion system or install a new one. If you are installed with medium or heavy armor plating, or carrying more equipment than your carrying capacity, your movement speed is reduced to 3/4ths of your base speed (rounded down).
Your carrying capacity is equal to your STR score divided by 2, squared. You can carry up to this many kilograms worth of droid systems, armor, weapons, and other equipment with no penalty. The carrying capacity for a droid larger or smaller than Medium size is multiplied by the amount given in the table above.
Your character class and INT score determine how many trained skills you have (See the Base Classes document). Skill training grants a +5 bonus on checks with that skill, and some uses of the skill can only be attempted by a character who is trained. See Skill Checks for a full list of possible uses of each skill.
You also get a +[level / 2] bonus (rounded down) to all class skills (e.g. a +1 bonus for a character starting at level 2). See Class Skills for the list of class skills for each character class.
Note that you can choose any skills as your trained skills, as opposed to being limited to choosing from just your class skills. The one exception is the Use the Force skill, which is unusable by droids.
In addition to any bonus feats granted by your class, every character chooses two starting feats from the list of Feats (or you can use the "Feats by Category" lists on the Rules Compendium page). Droid characters also have access to the list of Droid-Only Feats.
Droid characters cannot gain feats through study, but they can have their known skills, feats, talents, and languages reassigned with a Use Computer check (see page 192 of the SWSE Core Rulebook).
Choose two talents, either from the list of talents available to your class (see the "Talents by Class" lists on the Rules Compendium page), or from the list of Droid Talents.
A standard droid chassis comes installed with two automatic languages: Binary, and one other language chosen by the manufacturer (typically Basic). Additionally, if your INT mod is greater than zero then you know a number of bonus languages equal to your INT mod (see All Languages or Widely-Used Languages for a list of options to choose from).
Note that if you do not have either a vocabulator or a video screen installed, you will not be able to communicate with characters that don't understand Binary.
Calculate how many credits your character starts with by using the dice rolls given in the table below:
| Character Class | Starting Credits |
|---|---|
| Noble | 3d4 x 400 credits |
| Scoundrel | 3d4 x 250 credits |
| Scout | 3d4 x 250 credits |
| Soldier | 3d4 x 250 credits |
| Tech Specialist | 3d4 x 250 credits |
Your droid character is installed with a heuristic processor by default, along with the other default locomotion, appendages, and systems determined by your chassis. Additionally, every droid player character begins with a short-range comlink. Any additional systems and equipment must be purchased from your character's starting credits.
See Droid Systems and Accessories for a complete listing of droid systems, or use the "Systems and Accessories" page of your Droid Character Sheet spreadsheet. For other equipment, see the "Equipment" lists on the Rules Compendium page, or use the Standard Equipment page for a shorter list of common starting equipment. Tech Specialist characters can choose to start out with equipment modified by the Tech Specialist feat only if they pay for the modification cost out of their starting credits.
Keep track of the total weight of your systems and equipment to make sure your character is not encumbered due to carrying more than your carrying capacity.
The following traits do not mechanically affect the game, and are simply cosmetic details to help flesh your character out for immersion and roleplaying purposes.
Droid names usually follow a pattern where the name is made up partly of letters or numbers that identify the model's series, and partly of letters or numbers that give the droid's individual serial number. Many droids also have nicknames, though, so feel free to name your droid character as you see fit.
Your height and weight are determined by your model. For your custom droid model, take into account your size and also things like your locomotion systems and STR score when deciding your height and weight.
You should also choose things like color and other visible features for your custom model. Decide what body type your droid has, whether it has a humanoid-looking face (if it has a face at all), or what creatures or objects it might be visually reminiscent of.
Even brand new droids tend to have a somewhat unique personality, and a droid's individuality and personality tend to get more pronounced the longer it goes without a memory wipe. Your droid's degree and class can provide insight into possible personality traits for your character, but they aren't necessarily the determining factor. In particular, it's good to think about your character's code of ethics (their "alignment", in D&D terms), but also keep in mind that your character is free to change and grow over time.
Try to give your character a mixture of good and bad traits, and think about possible personality quirks that might help them to stand out and feel unique. See page 20 of the Scavenger's Guide to Droids rulebook for some possible droid quirks to choose from.
As with the character traits above, your character's background and goals won't mechanically affect the game but will likely impact your role in the campaign. The following details need to be known by your GM, but don't necessarily need to be shared with the other players.
Choose a manufacturer for your custom droid model, either by selecting a preexisting droid manufacturing company from the Star Wars canon or else by making a company up. Decide what stereotypes might be associated with droids made by your manufacturer, or who the typical customers might be. Additionally, it might be helpful to think about where your character was made and under what circumstances they were originally purchased or otherwise acquired.
Think about what your droid was doing before the beginning of the campaign. Decide how you acquired your character class and your trained skills, whether you were programed with them or whether you picked them up over time.
If you are playing as a fully independent droid, decide how you got to be that way, if you originally had an owner and what happened to them. Most droid player characters are not independent and are instead the property of either one party member or else the party as a whole. In that case, think about how you came into the party's possession, what your relationships are like with the other party members, and whether you had been with the party for a long time or only joined the party just prior to the start of the campaign. You can also choose to have your character start out with friends, rivals, allies, or enemies from their past; talk with your GM if you want these relations to be relevant during the campaign.
Your character should have at least one goal that motivates you in your adventuring. Your goal(s) can be 'plotty' (e.g. "Track down my first owner who went missing" or "Find out what happened to me before I had my memory wiped") or they can be 'non-plotty' (e.g. "Help my owner(s) to become rich and successful" or "Get really good at computer hacking").
All custom droid characters start at level 2 and begin the game with 1000 experience points (XP).
Your character gains experience points by defeating enemies and overcoming obstacles (or sometimes for other reasons; see Experience Points). As your character gains experience, they will eventually advance in level; see the Leveling Up flowchart page for details.
Determine the raw scores for your custom droid's five abilities: Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma (droid characters do not have a Constitution score). You'll generate five numbers, but you won't assign them to your five ability scores until after you've chosen a droid degree, size, and character class.
There are three different methods to choose from for calculating your ability scores: Rolling dice, using a point-buy planned generation method, or taking the standard score package.
Roll 4 d6s and add together the 3 highest results. Repeat this roll 5 times to get your 5 ability scores.
If the sum of all of your raw ability score modifiers is zero or less, or if your highest score is less than 14, you can choose to reroll all of your ability scores.
Your character's ability scores all start at 8, and you can increase them by spending points as per the following table. Droid characters have 21 points to spend.
| Score | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 16 |
The standard package for ability scores is 15, 14, 13, 10, and 8.
Classify your custom model as one of the following five Droid Degrees, based on its usual function. Your model's degree adjusts its rolled ability scores as per the following table:
| Droid Degree | Typical Roles | Ability Score Adjustments |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Degree | Science and Medical Droids | –2 STR, +2 INT, +2 WIS |
| 2nd Degree | Technical Droids | +2 INT, –2 CHA |
| 3rd Degree | Protocol and Service Droids | –2 STR, +2 WIS, +2 CHA |
| 4th Degree | Combat and Recon Droids | +2 DEX, –2 INT, –2 CHA |
| 5th Degree | Labor Droids | +4 STR, –4 INT, –4 CHA |
Choose a size category for your custom model. Note that without special GM permission, custom droid models for player characters are usually restricted to being either Small or Medium size. Your custom model's size affects its rolled ability scores and the cost factor it uses when adding systems and accessories (other size-based modifiers to combat statistics are given later in the "Determine Combat Statistics" step).
| Droid Size | Ability Score Adjustments | Cost Factor |
|---|---|---|
| Fine | –8 STR, +8 DEX | x20 |
| Diminutive | –6 STR, +6 DEX | x10 |
| Tiny | –4 STR, +4 DEX | x5 |
| Small | –2 STR, +2 DEX | x2 |
| Medium | (none) | x1 |
| Large | +8 STR, –2 DEX | x2 |
| Huge | +16 STR, –4 DEX | x5 |
| Gargantuan | +24 STR, –4 DEX | x10 |
| Colossal | +32 STR, –4 DEX | x20 |
When creating a player character droid, the five available character classes are Noble, Scoundrel, Scout, Soldier, and Tech Specialist. Your character's class determines their attack and defense bonuses, their hit points, their class skills and number of trained skills, their bonus starting feats and proficiencies, and their available talent trees. See Base Classes for details on each class, and Class Skills for a list of each class's favored skills.
Assign the five ability scores you generated previously to your droid's five abilities (STR, DEX, INT, WIS, and CHA). Resolve any ability score adjustments due to your custom model's degree or size.
Determine your ability score modifiers, as given in the table below:
| Ability Score | 1 | 2-3 | 4-5 | 6-7 | 8-9 | 10-11 | 12-13 | 14-15 | 16-17 | 18-19 | 20-21 | 22-23 | 24-25 | etc. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modifier | –5 | –4 | –3 | –2 | –1 | 0 | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +5 | +6 | +7 | etc. |
Your custom droid model only includes a heuristic processor by default. You have 2000 credits to spend on all other desired systems and accessories, including locomotion, appendages, a vocabulator, other software or internal systems, or droid armor plating or other add-ons. The 2000 credits usually cannot be put towards weapons or other external equipment (which will be bought later with your character's starting credits).
See Droid Systems and Accessories for a complete listing of droid systems, or use the "Systems and Accessories" page of your Droid Character Sheet spreadsheet.
You can use your ability scores, droid model details, and class details to calculate your character's combat statistics.
Your size provides modifiers to your Reflex defense, Hit Points, Damage Threshold, Grapple checks, Carrying Capacity, and Stealth checks as given below:
| Character Size |
Reflex Modifier |
HP Bonus |
DT Bonus |
Grapple Modifier |
Carrying Capacity |
Stealth Modifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fine | +10 | +0 | +0 | –20 | x0.01 | +20 |
| Diminutive | +5 | +0 | +0 | –15 | x0.25 | +15 |
| Tiny | +2 | +0 | +0 | –10 | x0.5 | +10 |
| Small | +1 | +0 | +0 | –5 | x0.75 | +5 |
| Medium | +0 | +0 | +0 | +0 | x1 | +0 |
| Large | –1 | +10 | +5 | +5 | x2 | –5 |
| Huge | –2 | +20 | +10 | +10 | x5 | –10 |
| Gargantuan | –5 | +50 | +20 | +15 | x10 | –15 |
| Colossal | –10 | +100 | +50 | +20 | x20 | –20 |
Your maximum hit points (HP) at level 2 is equal to your class's starting hit points plus your class's hit die plus two times your STR modifier, plus a size bonus for droids larger than Medium size.
Your three defenses are calculated as follows:
Your damage threshold (DT) is equal to your Fortitude score. Droids that are larger than Medium size get a bonus to damage threshold, as given in the table above.
Your Base Attack Bonus (BAB) is determined by your character class and level. Your melee, ranged, and grapple bonuses are calculated as follows:
Your base movement speed is determined by what locomotion system(s) you have installed. If you are installed with medium or heavy armor plating, or carrying more equipment than your carrying capacity, your movement speed is reduced to 3/4ths of your base speed (rounded down).
Your carrying capacity is equal to your STR score divided by 2, squared. You can carry up to this many kilograms worth of droid systems, armor, weapons, and other equipment with no penalty. The carrying capacity for a droid larger or smaller than Medium size is multiplied by the amount given in the table above.
Your character class and INT score determine how many trained skills you have (See the Base Classes document). Skill training grants a +5 bonus on checks with that skill, and some uses of the skill can only be attempted by a character who is trained. See Skill Checks for a full list of possible uses of each skill.
You also get a +[level / 2] bonus (rounded down) to all class skills (e.g. a +1 bonus for a character starting at level 2). See Class Skills for the list of class skills for each character class.
Note that you can choose any skills as your trained skills, as opposed to being limited to choosing from just your class skills. The one exception is the Use the Force skill, which is unusable by droids.
In addition to any bonus feats granted by your class, every character chooses two starting feats from the list of Feats (or you can use the "Feats by Category" lists on the Rules Compendium page). Droid characters also have access to the list of Droid-Only Feats.
Droid characters cannot gain feats through study, but they can have their known skills, feats, talents, and languages reassigned with a Use Computer check (see page 192 of the SWSE Core Rulebook).
Choose two talents, either from the list of talents available to your class (see the "Talents by Class" lists on the Rules Compendium page), or from the list of Droid Talents.
Your custom droid model comes installed with two automatic languages: Binary, and one other language chosen by the manufacturer (typically Basic). Additionally, if your INT mod is greater than zero then you know a number of bonus languages equal to your INT mod (see All Languages or Widely-Used Languages for a list of options to choose from).
Note that if you do not have either a vocabulator or a video screen installed, you will not be able to communicate with characters that don't understand Binary.
Calculate how many credits your character starts with by using the dice rolls given in the table below:
| Character Class | Starting Credits |
|---|---|
| Noble | 3d4 x 400 credits |
| Scoundrel | 3d4 x 250 credits |
| Scout | 3d4 x 250 credits |
| Soldier | 3d4 x 250 credits |
| Tech Specialist | 3d4 x 250 credits |
Every droid player character begins with a short-range comlink. Any additional weapons or external equipment must be purchased using your starting credits. See the "Equipment" lists on the Rules Compendium page, or use the Standard Equipment page for a shorter list of common starting equipment. Your starting credits can also be put towards additional internal systems and accessories, allowing you to go beyond the normal 2000 credit cap. Tech Specialist characters can choose to start out with equipment modified by the Tech Specialist feat only if they pay for the modification cost out of their starting credits.
Keep track of the total weight of your systems and equipment to make sure your character is not encumbered due to carrying more than your carrying capacity.
The following traits do not mechanically affect the game, and are simply cosmetic details to help flesh your character out for immersion and roleplaying purposes.
Droid names usually follow a pattern where the name is made up partly of letters or numbers that identify the model's series, and partly of letters or numbers that give the droid's individual serial number. Many droids also have nicknames, though, so feel free to name your droid character as you see fit.
Your height and weight are determined by your model. For your custom droid model, take into account your size and also things like your locomotion systems and STR score when deciding your height and weight.
You should also choose things like color and other visible features for your custom model. Decide what body type your droid has, whether it has a humanoid-looking face (if it has a face at all), or what creatures or objects it might be visually reminiscent of.
Even brand new droids tend to have a somewhat unique personality, and a droid's individuality and personality tend to get more pronounced the longer it goes without a memory wipe. Your droid's degree and class can provide insight into possible personality traits for your character, but they aren't necessarily the determining factor. In particular, it's good to think about your character's code of ethics (their "alignment", in D&D terms), but also keep in mind that your character is free to change and grow over time.
Try to give your character a mixture of good and bad traits, and think about possible personality quirks that might help them to stand out and feel unique. See page 20 of the Scavenger's Guide to Droids rulebook for some possible droid quirks to choose from.
As with the character traits above, your character's background and goals won't mechanically affect the game but will likely impact your role in the campaign. The following details need to be known by your GM, but don't necessarily need to be shared with the other players.
Choose a manufacturer for your custom droid model, either by selecting a preexisting droid manufacturing company from the Star Wars canon or else by making a company up. Decide what stereotypes might be associated with droids made by your manufacturer, or who the typical customers might be. Additionally, it might be helpful to think about where your character was made and under what circumstances they were originally purchased or otherwise acquired.
Think about what your droid was doing before the beginning of the campaign. Decide how you acquired your character class and your trained skills, whether you were programed with them or whether you picked them up over time.
If you are playing as a fully independent droid, decide how you got to be that way, if you originally had an owner and what happened to them. Most droid player characters are not independent and are instead the property of either one party member or else the party as a whole. In that case, think about how you came into the party's possession, what your relationships are like with the other party members, and whether you had been with the party for a long time or only joined the party just prior to the start of the campaign. You can also choose to have your character start out with friends, rivals, allies, or enemies from their past; talk with your GM if you want these relations to be relevant during the campaign.
Your character should have at least one goal that motivates you in your adventuring. Your goal(s) can be 'plotty' (e.g. "Track down my first owner who went missing" or "Find out what happened to me before I had my memory wiped") or they can be 'non-plotty' (e.g. "Help my owner(s) to become rich and successful" or "Get really good at computer hacking").
All custom droid characters start at level 2 and begin the game with 1000 experience points (XP).
Your character gains experience points by defeating enemies and overcoming obstacles (or sometimes for other reasons; see Experience Points). As your character gains experience, they will eventually advance in level; see the Leveling Up flowchart page for details.