Character Building Process

charactercreationguide

Last updated: 2/3/2026

Creating a character in Worldlines follows a structured process that builds your survivor from the ground up. This section walks you through each step in order, ensuring you understand how your choices interact and what they mean for gameplay.

Your character isn't a hero. Your character is someone who has learned to endure in a galaxy that doesn't care about their survival. Every choice you make shapes their place in the complex web of politics, prejudice, and opportunity that defines life among the stars.

5.1 Step-by-Step Character Creation

Step 1: Choose Your Species

Refer to Section 3.1 for complete species descriptions.

Your species determines:

  • Base Health and Energy bonuses
  • Social standing and legal restrictions
  • Natural abilities and limitations
  • How other characters will initially react to you

Step 2: Choose Your Homeworld

Refer to Section 3.2 for complete homeworld descriptions.

Your homeworld provides:

  • Skill bonuses representing cultural education
  • Background knowledge of local politics and customs
  • Potential contacts and enemies in that system
  • Language and cultural assumptions

Step 3: Select Your Job

Refer to Section 4.0 for complete job descriptions.

Your job determines:

  • Starting Health and Energy (modified by species bonuses)
  • Starting credits and social standing
  • Equipment and licenses
  • Skill bonuses and unlocked techniques
  • Access to specific technique trees

Step 4: Assign Trait Dice

You have four dice to assign: d4, d6, d8, d10

Each Trait must receive a different die. Consider your job and intended playstyle:

  • Combat — Physical prowess, reflexes, survival instincts
  • Wisdom — Awareness, intuition, environmental adaptation
  • Intellect — Technical knowledge, academic learning, problem-solving
  • Charisma — Social presence, leadership, emotional intelligence

Step 5: Select Skills

Each Trait covers multiple skills. You automatically have access to all Combat, Wisdom, and Charisma skills. For Intellect skills, you may choose five at character creation (some jobs modify this limit so be sure to read your job carefully).

Intellect Skills (Choose 5):

  • Academic: History, Linguistics, Cryptography, Planetary Science, Law
  • Scientific: Engineering, Chemistry, Medicine
  • Practical: Piloting/Navigation, Demolitions, Surveying, Programming, Commerce

Your job may unlock additional skills or grant bonuses to specific skills.

Example: Maya's Operative job unlocks Cryptography automatically. She chooses Programming, Engineering, History, Linguistics, and Planetary Science for her remaining four Intellect skills.

Step 6: Record Job Benefits

Copy the following from your job description:

  • Starting equipment and items
  • Skill bonuses (add these to your character sheet)
  • Unlocked techniques (these are free)
  • Professional licenses and credentials
  • Any special restrictions or abilities

Example: Maya gains +2 to Weapons, Hand-to-Hand, Athletics, Awareness, Deception, and Stealth from her Operative training.

Step 7: Spend Starting Credits

Your job determines your starting credits. You may spend these on:

  • Additional items and equipment from Section 8.0
  • Upgraded versions of your starting gear
  • Additional licenses or credentials

Unspent credits remain available for use during play.

Example: Maya starts with 5,000 credits from her Operative job. She buys additional ammunition, a backup weapon, and saves the rest for emergencies.

Step 8: Spend Your Technique Point

All characters begin with 1 Technique Point (TP) to spend on any available technique. You may:

  • Purchase a technique from your job's tree
  • Buy a universal technique (Combat Improvements or General Support)
  • Save the TP for later use

Example: Maya spends her 1 TP on Quick Draw from the Universal tree, allowing her to switch weapons as a free action.

Step 9: Calculate Final Statistics

Add all bonuses together:

Health: Job base + Species bonus + any equipment modifiers

Energy: Job base + Species bonus + any equipment or technique modifiers

Skills: Note all bonuses from job, homeworld, and species

Example: Maya's final statistics:

  • Health: 20 (Operative) + 2 (Human) = 22
  • Energy: 12 (Operative) + 1 (Human) = 13
  • Persuasion: d6 (Intellect) + 1 (Metronis homeworld) + 0 (no job bonus) = d6+1

Step 10: Character Details

Flesh out your character's personality, background, and goals:

  • Name and appearance
  • Age and personal history
  • Motivations and fears
  • Relationships and contacts
  • Personal goals and secrets

Consider how your species, homeworld, and job interact. A Human Operative from Metronis might be a former corporate spy, while a Hybrid Operative from Titan could be an escaped mining slave.

Character Creation Summary

  1. Species (Section 3.1) → Health/Energy bonuses, social position
  2. Homeworld (Section 3.2) → Skill bonuses, cultural background
  3. Job (Section 4.0) → Base stats, equipment, techniques, credits
  4. Trait Dice → Assign d4, d6, d8, d10 to Combat, Wisdom, Intellect, Charisma
  5. Skills → Choose 5 Intellect skills (plus job bonuses)
  6. Job Benefits → Record equipment, bonuses, and free techniques
  7. Spend Credits → Buy additional gear and items
  8. Spend TP → Purchase one technique or save for later
  9. Calculate Stats → Add all bonuses together
  10. Character Details → Name, personality, background, goals

Common Questions

Q: Can I change my species or homeworld later? A: No. These represent your character's fundamental nature and formative experiences.

Q: What if I want equipment my job doesn't provide? A: Use your starting credits to purchase additional gear, or acquire it during play.

Q: Can I learn skills from other Traits later? A: Combat, Wisdom, and Charisma skills are always available. Additional Intellect skills can be learned through training during downtime.

Q: What happens if I can't afford all the equipment I want? A: Start with essential gear and acquire the rest through missions, salvage, or trade. Scarcity is part of the game's theme.

Q: Should I optimize my character for combat? A: Combat is dangerous in Worldlines, but so is social isolation, technical incompetence, and political naivety. Well-rounded characters often survive longer than specialists.

Example Character: Maya Chen

Species: Human (+2 Health, +1 Energy)

Homeworld: Metronis (+1 Persuasion)

Job: Operative (20 Health, 12 Energy, 5,000 credits)

Trait Dice:

  • Combat: d8 (for weapon accuracy)
  • Wisdom: d10 (primary operative attribute)
  • Intellect: d6 (technical competence)
  • Charisma: d4 (her weakness)

Final Statistics:

  • Health: 22 | Energy: 13
  • Notable Skills: Stealth d10+2, Weapons d8+2, Programming d6

Background: Former corporate security specialist turned freelance investigator. Knows the dark corners of Metronis Station and has contacts in both legitimate business and criminal organizations. Seeks to uncover the truth behind her partner's suspicious death during a corporate espionage operation.