Character Creation

STEP 1: CONCEPT
The first thing you need to do is decide on a concept for your character. Will you play a hacker? Perhaps a mercenary or bounty hunter is more your speed. Are mercs and hunters too cutthroat for your style of play? If so, you might think about playing a ronin, an urban warrior who follows his own code of honor. Maybe you want to be the guy (or gal!) who backs the team up with drones capable of laying down covering fire or scouting ahead to see where the bad guys are hiding. You don’t need to have your concept locked in right now, but at least have a basic idea of the type of character you want to play. Take a few minutes and skip ahead to the archetypes section in this chapter to see a variety of options available to you.

STEP 2: RACE
The next thing you need to do is choose a race. In 2090, humanity has reached the point where the word “human” is almost irrelevant. Human DNA is no longer a mystery; It’s a mathematical code technomancers hack, re-write and copy at will, producing genetically superior beings: the human 2.0. Others snip and paste animal DNA and splice it with human DNA to create genetic hybrids: a fusion of man and animal. Science has even advanced to such an extent that we can create entirely new life forms — living beings known as simulacra — in amniotic vats, growing them until they have matured, filling their synthetic brains with memories and skills they’ll need to do the jobs for which they were created.

STEP 3: TRAITS
Traits are the building blocks of any Savage Worlds character. They define how strong or fast your character is, and what she knows. Traits determine how much cyberware she can put into her body, how much damage she can take before dying, her standing with others, and a variety of other things, all of which are essential to the game.

ATTRIBUTES
Five attributes are used to define your character’s physical characteristics. These are Agility, Smarts, Spirit, Strength, and Vigor. Each attribute starts at d4. You have 5 points with which to raise these attributes, and one point equals a rise in a die type (d4 to d6, d6 to d8, etc.). No attribute may rise higher than d12 during character creation, unless stated under a racial ability. For more information on attributes, refer to the Savage Worlds core rules.

SKILLS
You have 20 points to spend on your character’s skills. Your character doesn’t start with any skills and must spend 1 point to get a skill at a d4. He spends 1 point to raise a skill to a higher die type, as long as the skill level is equal to or less than the linked attribute. Raising any skill above the linked attribute costs 2 points per step. No skill may rise above d12 during character creation. Each new specialization costs 1 skill point during character creation. When your character advances, she may purchase 2 skill specializations for an advance, or a new skill and a single specialization.

NEW SKILLS
The following are new skills introduced in Interface Zero 2.0. For information on all other skills, see Skills in the Savage Worlds core rules.

Athletics (Vigor): Athletics as a catch-all for a number of physical endeavors, ranging from climbing to swimming to moving around effectively in a no — or low-gravity environment. Athletics should be used instead of Agility in foot chases, and effectively replaces both the Climbing and Swimming skills.

Hacking (Smarts): The Hacking skill is used whenever a character wants to hack a computer network. Characters who wish to use the Global DataNet for everyday purposes such as research or finding news pertaining to the Deep, do so with their existing Investigation and Streetwise skills.

Knowledge (Demolitions): Successful use of demolitions can mean the difference between destruction of the target as planned, and unplanned loss of life and property. The skill also lets the character have an understanding of what the best type of explosive is for the obstacle, and how much they will need to remove such an obstacle. In addition, a raise on the result will let them know the exact distance they need to be from the explosion, based upon the size of the charge, the confines, and damage created by said explosion. This skill is used any time a character wants to put a satchel charge together, or set explosives. A Critical Failure will result in immediate detonation. Simple failure will result in premature detonation or no detonation at all.

Knowledge (Programming): Characters use this skill when attempting to make any kind of change to a network they have hacked. This skill allows a character to undo damage done as a result of a hack. With it, a character can do things like undo an edit to a data file or video, reconstruct a deleted file, repair an AMS (see Active Memory Sectors on page 274, in the Setting Rules chapter), recover a deleted skill Engram, or reconnect a TAP that has gone offline.

SKILL SPECIALISATIONS
Interface Zero 2.0 is an advanced setting where knowing how to do one thing doesn’t necessarily mean you can do something which, under the regular skill rules, would technically be possible with the same skill. Take the various Driving, Boating, and Piloting skills for example. Using the regular skill rules, a character with Driving could theoretically drive anything from a motorcycle to a semi-truck or a tank. Similarly, Piloting assumes a character has the skills to pilot all types of aircraft including fighter jets and spacecraft! The following list of skill specializations are provided to get you started. This isn’t intended to be a comprehensive list of appropriate skill specializations, but rather a broad cross-section of specializations we feel are appropriate. If something doesn’t appear on the list, make it up if it seems right. But remember: the GM always has the final say on what is or isn’t appropriate for her campaign.

SPECIALISATIONS LIST

 * Athletics: Climbing, Leaping, Running, Sport (specific), Swimming, Zero-G Maneuvers
 * Boating: Powered, Sailed, Submersible
 * Driving: Car (4 wheels), Hovercraft, JUMP Bike, Motorcycle, Truck (6+ wheels), Tracked
 * Fighting: Axe, Blades, Blunt, Cyberweapon, Long Blade, Martial Arts (by style; judo, karate, etc.), Pole Arm
 * Gambling: By game
 * Hacking: Hyper Combat, Firewall Penetration, Intrusion Detection, Object Control, Object Editing, Run Program, Trace
 * Healing: Cyber Surgery, First Aid, Surgery
 * Intimidation: Interrogation, Mental, Physical
 * Investigation: Global DataNet, Libraries, Newspapers
 * Knowledge: Each Knowledge skill is technically a specialization of Knowledge, so it isn’t broken down into further specializations. Suggested Knowledge Skills: AIs, Battle, Corporations, Cybernetics, Demolitions, Global DataNet, Local Area (specific), Politics, Programming
 * Lockpicking: Disarm Trap, Electronic, Manual
 * Notice: Audio, Body Language, Searching, Visual
 * Persuasion: Bluffing, Diplomacy, Fast-Talking, Seduction
 * Piloting: Golemmech, Helicopter, Plane, Spacecraft, VTOL
 * Psionics: Freek, Peek, Tweek
 * Repair: Armor, Cybernetics, Electronics, Mechanical, Structures, Weapons
 * Riding: By animal
 * Shooting: Bow, Pistol, Rifle, Shotgun, Submachine Gun, Vehicle Weapon, or by weapon category
 * Stealth: Disguise, Hiding, Sleight of Hand, Sneaking
 * Streetwise: Area/Region (Corporate Zone, Gang Turf, etc.)
 * Survival: Aquatic, Arctic, Desert, Forest, Jungle, Mountain, Space, urban, or any specific environment
 * Taunt: Verbal, Visual
 * Throwing: Darts, Grenades, Knives, Spears
 * Tracking: Animals, Global DataNet, Humans, Urban, Vehicles

LANGUAGES
All characters speak their native language, plus a number of additional languages equaling one-half their Smarts die. The major trade languages used in Interface Zero 2.0 are Chinese, English, Hindi, Portuguese, and Swahili. Additional languages can be learned by using an advancement opportunity.

DERIVED STATISTICS
There are a few statistics which are important in any Savage Worlds game: Charisma, Pace, Parry, and Toughness.

CHARISMA
Charisma is an abstract measure of your character’s appearance, how she deals with others socially, and generally how likeable she is. Charisma starts at 0, but can be modified by Edges and Hindrances. Charisma is also added to Streetwise and Persuasion rolls. The Game Master uses Charisma to figure out how NPCs react to your character. For more information on Charisma, see the Savage Worlds core rules.

PACE
Pace is a measure of how far your character can walk in a standard combat round. Human characters have a base Pace of 6, and can run at an additional 1d6”. Other races in Interface Zero 2.0 can have different starting Pace scores based on the racial template you choose. For more information on Pace, see the Savage Worlds core rules.

PARRY
Parry is equal to 2 plus half your character’s Fighting skill, plus modifiers gained from use of shields or certain weapons. If your character does not have the Fighting skill, base Parry starts at 2. For more information on Parry, see the Savage Worlds core rules.

TOUGHNESS
Toughness is a measure of how much damage your character can take before becoming Shaken or wounded. Toughness is 2 plus half your character’s Vigor, plus any Armor she might be wearing. For more information on Toughness, see the Savage Worlds core rules.

NEW DERIVED STATS
Interface Zero 2.0 introduces three new derived statistics - Firewall, Strain, and Street Cred.

FIREWALL
Unless your character has the Unplugged Hindrance, she has a Tendril Access Processor (TAP), and therefore has a builtin firewall. The firewall protects against attempts to hack a character’s TAP. A character’s Firewall rating starts at 4, but can be modified by Edges, Hindrances, or software.

STRAIN
Strain measures the amount of stress cyberware and bioware puts on your body when you install it. Strain starts at zero and each piece of cyberware adds to your Strain stat. High levels of Strain can lead to death. More details on Strain are located at Augments on page 262.

STREET CRED
Street Cred is a measure of your character’s reputation on the streets. All characters begin play with 2 points of Street Cred, modified by Edges or Hindrances, and gain another 2 points every time they gain a new Rank. The maximum Street Cred a character can normally achieve is 10 (some Edges and Occupations can increase this number). Unlike Charisma, which measures your ability to persuade someone, Street Cred is a point pool that can be spent to obtain services, temporary contacts, information, and a variety of other benefits during the course of an adventure. This pool refreshes each adventure unless circumstances in the prior adventure (like not getting the job done, failing to protect someone, killing an innocent, etc.) cause the character’s Street Cred score to drop. Characters can also pick up Minor or Major Hindrances that have a lasting effect on their Street Cred score during the course of an adventure. These Hindrances can be removed by spending an Advance, with the GM’s permission. For more information, see Street Cred on page 264.

CONTACTS
Each character can choose two contacts: people the character knows who he can call upon for aid or information during the course of an adventure. These contacts can be anyone from a bartender, or a hacker, to a corporate executive or military commander, as long as it makes sense that your character would know the person(s).

STEP 4: OCCUPATIONS
Occupations are integral to your character concept, providing a basic framework to enhance your character’s background in a very organic way, helping you create a more well-rounded character concept. Each occupation has a requirement that the character must meet to take it, the character’s bonus credits gained each Advance, and a special perk (like gear or special abilities) the character gets for being part of that profession.

STEP 5: EDGES AND HINDRANCES
Edges are special qualities that separate characters from the average sprawler. Hindrances are physical and mental flaws that add more depth to the character, albeit in a negative way. See the Savage Worlds core rules for more information on purchasing Edges and Hindrances. New Edges and Hindrances are provided later in this chapter.

STEP 6: EQUIPMENT
In Interface Zero 2.0, characters select equipment, cybernetics, weapons and armor based on the power level the Game Master sets for the campaign. Power Level: This is the starting Power Level of the Campaign as determined by the Game Master. If the GM wants to tell a story of gang members barely scraping by, she’ll most likely choose Gutter Punk as the Power Level. If she envisions a campaign where the players are a special government task force dedicated to hunting down super terrorists, the Hyperchrome Warriors or Elite Operatives levels might be more appropriate. The Street Soldier Power Level (designed for ronin-style games) is considered the default Power Level for Interface Zero 2.0. Starting Credits: This is the amount of money characters start with at the beginning of the campaign. These credits may be spent on anything the player wishes and the GM has not barred from the campaign, including augments, drones, weapons, and armor. Augments: Every Power Level above Gutter Punk allows the players to start with at least one augment from the core book equal to or below the monetary amount listed. Unspent Credits from this pool do not carry over when the game starts. These augments must be chosen from the master list of augments, not augment packages.

STEP 7: BACKGROUND
They say the devil is in the details, and here is where you decide how devilish you’re going to be. You don’t need to write a novel, and frankly, this step isn’t mandatory. That said, it’s a good idea to jot down a few notes on your character’s background, any major events in her life, any friends, the names of contacts, or even enemies she might have. Share these ideas with your Game Master! GMs are always looking for good plot hooks and little tidbits they can use to personalize your experience at the table. The more detailed your background is, the better.