Character Design

Who Are You?

Whether drawn to the colossal Megastructure by desire, necessity, or sheer happenstance — the towering, self-contained society of concrete, steel, and the perpetual oppression of low-income residence. The world is unkind to those who don’t perfectly fit the mould of corporate staff and those willing to be part of the corporate machine; and one way or another, your character has ended up here.

Surely there is a better life than this for a person with your skills — for whatever reason, corporate work isn’t in your future, but surely there is something better than living day to day. Until you can break free, though, this structure matters to you.

When need and opportunity arises, will you take it? You certainly can’t do it alone.
Fortunately, you know people; connected and like-minded.

For the common person, life within the cities is one of infinite compromises. Bending one's morality and culpability for a life of status and wealth as a member of the corporations, accepting weakness and struggle by daring to succeed in their shadow, or simply trying to escape the myriad of eyes both real and imagined that dare track the lives of every humble denizen of the world.

You, are not common.

For whatever reason dares strike - a life under the corporate thumb is not in your future, nor does a path of muddling by in the margins of society strike as a life worth holding. Whether it is the morals you cling to, the quest for independence, or a mere knowledge that your skills belong to none but yourself, you find yourself looking down a path that promises the brightest candle snuffed most quickly.

That of a mercenary. An independent agent, skirting the lines between survivor, criminal, vigilante, and hero - blurred into one mass of ever growing risks and rewards. The first steps are forever the most difficult, and it is a life that rarely works alone. Fortunately, you know people. Connected and like-minded.

What Are You?

While there are far more intelligent species in the world of Niyala, some of which are even civilized enough to be characters — at least for this first campaign, it is recommended to stick to the suggested species below, as these are those that aren’t just civilized and intelligent but are also the species that are ingratiated into society on some level, and lack major natural difficulties that may make playing them additionally challenging. Though there are certainly other options...

• The Huvarin are a dark-skinned species with an astounding sense for survival and danger — a species built for adaptation. They are the primary species of Mattok City.
• The Selaphae are a long-lived species of pale, tall figures and impressively resistant to death.
• Taki-Ori are small-statured, empathic creatures with unique, personal mutations.
• The four-armed, reptilian Kashaskan are powerful, hunger-driven carnivores.
• Durable and earthen-toned, the resilient Morazham bear unassailable willpower and focus.
• The fox-featured Lyestra are natural magicians of combined power and fragility, driven by emotion and impulse.
• Feline humanoids with claw, tooth, and tail alike — the Ma'uzzur are the most populous beastfolk species.

Only individuals who are born fortunate enough to be Mana-Blooded can become magicians, so consider this decision early — though all Lyestra are mana-blooded by nature. Be aware that being Mana-Blooded is an observable trait on inspection; this is great for identifying people that have magical potential, but also makes these individuals occasionally hunted for their blood in certain kinds of magic, and targeted in battle. Being mana-blooded is a random chance in-universe, and not hereditary, so it leaves the rest of your character’s history and background wide open! Many individuals in the world have mana-blood but never manage to learn a spell.

What Can You Do?

While it's possible your character isn't a merc yet, they surely have skills — or at least, potential, that will make the transition to a mercenary lifestyle profitable and prosperous.

There are some skills that all will eventually need and are worth thinking about. Whether they have these skills already, or will learn them later. These are Melee and Ranged Combat, Sneaking, any mobility skills like Climbing and Swimming, Perceptive skills, and at least knowing the basics of how to handle Basic Technology. Your teammates can often pick up the slack otherwise; but remember, if the team's escape driver dies, do you really think that bus pass will help?

Otherwise, the world is your proverbial oyster. So consider the below descriptions often associated with all manner of famous mercenaries — and what they can do and their role entails. Note that nothing stops your medical professional from also being a decker. Just consider that you only start with so many points — the wider you stretch, the less specialized you'll be.

• Those skilled in melee combat take many forms, from simple Brawlers to talented Martial Artists. Some even take up the sword or use concealed, implanted weapons.
• In a world of ranged combat, everything from agile Gunslingers to methodical Snipers exist; to say nothing of those that best fit into the role of a simple Shooter.
• Underestimated are the social chameleons, infiltrators, manipulators, or contact-brokers. Often called a Face, they use charisma and social interaction to get anywhere, and anything.
• When being unseen and unheard matters, Sneaks and Infiltrators are often the first to be called. Using the arts of stealth, they exist to get to anywhere they don't belong.
• Many problems require complex solutions, and Technicians of all varieties are there. From picking locks to breaching walls, they do as the Engineer does. Practical problems, practical solutions.
• Some prefer to field technology as an extension of their will. Whether Racers performing daring escapes as drivers, or Riggers remote-controlling and commanding specialized drones.
• Those skilled with medicine are invaluable, as while Medics and Street-Docs patch up the wounded — they might even know how to repair augmentations or manage drugs.
• Magicians are of course a special bunch. Whether they can learn from all disciplines of magic or just a few, the spells they learn can let them be anything from a Blaster to an Illusionist.
• In the digital age, hackers are an ever-present tool. Deckers use daemon-laden malware and portable kit called 'Decks' to cause mayhem in a hurry — from disabling firearms to spying on tech.
• There's the methodical approach. Netrunners use specialized equipment and virtual reality to delve deeply into otherwise secure systems — subverting them from within, for good or ill.

There are, of course, numerous other options — thinking about the setting may give you a swathe of ideas. These might include things such as Alchemists using magically-active compounds, to Beast Masters training and handling creatures.

What Makes You Unique?

Just being skilled isn't always enough — though it's your skill and talent that people will employ, many individuals have something that gives them an edge. Do you have a faithful, trustworthy companion — whether a beast, an AI, or even a fellow fighter? Do you have the ability to use magic, or have you augmented yourself with your savings? Perhaps you have a stellar reputation already.

Not everything about you that's special may be helpful; perhaps you have a Code of Honour you just won't break, or a dangerous weakness to magic. Perhaps you suffer from Neuron-Interface Rejection Syndrome also known as 'Khyre's Disease', preventing you from ever likely receiving augmentation. Or even a bad deal with a spirit has left you with a curse or two, to say nothing of the burden of dealing with dependent family members.

Of course, being entirely normal has its perks — without the deficit of investment into the unusual, you can truly be a person of skill, talent, and expertise. In a world of chromed-up magicians and dragons — no one fails to respect the power of one simply skilled person with a drive.
Especially if they killed your dog and stole your car.

Who Do You Know?

^{And who knows you?}

In a world of reputations, information, planning, and insiders; the people around you are resources all their own, and that’s to say nothing of the specialized skills they may possess.

Most player characters in the campaign have a personal attachment to Megastructure B7, and know each-other through reputation and passing long before the first corporate bullet was fired. Characters created after this event are not tied to this requirement - but may still make use of it for the easiest of introductions. The campaign does however start in Mattok City, and here reputations spread and mutate as the most cursed virus. If you are worth knowing - chances are, everyone else knows something about you too.

As such, it's more than reasonable that player characters have heard of each-other ahead of time. This makes building initial teams and group dynamics easier, allowing one to dance gracefully past that first stand-offish phase solely comprising of 'what the fuck do you want'. And yet, people still enjoy exploring their characters and not setting things in stone.

To facilitate this, while a complete backstory for your character is not required, the GM will ask you to make five rumors about your character... Of which, a random number of them will be false, and a sixth will be made by the GM — it’s up to you whether this last rumor is true or not. These will be provided to other characters as equal parts ice-breakers, character-building, and just a way for you all to bounce off of each other.