This is Your Life
The character creation rules in the Player’s Handbook provide all the information you need to define your character in preparation for a life of adventuring. What they don’t do is account for all the circumstances that shaped your character during the years between your birth and the start of your career as a member of a class.
What did your character accomplish or experience before deciding to become an adventurer? What were the circumstances of your birth? How large is your family, and what sorts of relationships do you have with your relatives? Which people were the greatest influences on you during your formative years, for better or worse?
To answer these questions and more, you can use the tables and the advice in this section to compose a well-developed backstory for your character — an autobiography of sorts — that you can use to inform how you roleplay the character. Your DM can draw from this material as the campaign proceeds, creating situations and scenarios that build off your previous life experiences.
Ideas, Not Rules
Even though these pages are full of tables and die rolls, they don’t make up a rules system — in fact, the opposite is true. You can use as much or as little of this material as you desire, and you can make decisions in any order you want.
For instance, you might not want these tables to help you decide who your parents and siblings are, because that’s among the information you’ve already come up with. But you can still use other parts, such as the section on life events, to provide added depth and detail.
How and When to Use the Tables
If you’re comfortable with letting the dice decide a certain fact about your character, go ahead and roll. If not, you can take charge and make the decision, choosing from among the possibilities on a table. Of course, you also have the option of disregarding the result of a die roll if it conflicts with another result. Likewise, if the text instructs you to roll on a table, that’s not meant to be taken literally. You can always make your own choice.
Although these tables are meant to augment the step-by-step character creation process in the Player’s Handbook, they don’t occupy a specific place in that process. You can use some of them early on — for instance, it’s possible to determine your parents and other family members immediately after deciding your character’s species — but you could also wait until later in the process. You might prefer to establish more facts about your character’s game identity — such as your class, ability scores, and alignment — before supplementing that information with what’s offered here.
Section by Section
This material is divided into four sections, each addressing a different aspect of your character’s backstory.
Origins. To find out who and where you came from, use the “Origins” section. When you’re done, you will have a summary of facts about your parents, your siblings, and the circumstances under which you grew up.
Personal Decisions. After you have selected your character’s background and class, use the appropriate tables to determine how you came to make those choices.
Life Events. Your character’s existence until now, no matter how brief or uneventful, has been marked by one or more life events — memorable happenings that have had an effect on who you are today.
Supplemental Tables. Your life has intersected with the lives of plenty of other people, all the way from your infancy to today. When a result mentions such a person, you can use the supplemental tables to add needed details — such as race, class, or occupation — to that person. Some tables in the other sections direct you to one or more of the supplemental tables, and you can also use them any other time you see fit.
Origins
The usual first step in creating your character’s life story is to determine your early circumstances. Who were your parents? Where were you born? Did you have any siblings? Who raised you? You can address these questions by using the following tables.
Parents
You had parents, of course, even if they didn’t raise you. To determine what you know about these people, use the Parents table. If you want, you can roll separately on the table for your mother and your father. Use the supplemental tables as desired (particularly Class, Occupation, and Alignment) to learn more about your parents.
If you are a droid, replace the word "parent" with "maker".
Parents
| d100 | Parents |
|---|---|
| 01-95 | You know who your parents are or were. |
| 96-100 | You do not know who your parents were. |
Half-Human Parents. If your character is a half-human, you can use the table below to determine the species of each of your parents. When you have a result, randomly determine which part of the result refers to your father and which to your mother.
| d8 | Parents |
|---|---|
| 1-5 | One parent was an alien and the other was a human. |
| 6 | One parent was an alien and the other was a half-human. |
| 7 | One parent was a human and the other was a half-human. |
| 8 | Both parents were half-humans. |
Birthplace
After establishing your parentage, you can determine where you were born by using the Birthplace table. (Modify the result or roll again if you get a result that’s inconsistent with what you know about your parents.)
| d100 | Location |
|---|---|
| 01-50 | Home |
| 51-55 | Home of a family friend |
| 56-63 | Medcenter |
| 64-65 | Speeder, hovertruck, walker, or other ground transport |
| 66-68 | Barn, shed, or other outbuilding |
| 69-70 | Cave |
| 71-72 | Field |
| 73-74 | Forest |
| 75-77 | Temple |
| 78 | Battlefield |
| 79-80 | Alley or street |
| 81-82 | Brothel, cantina, or inn |
| 83-84 | Castle, keep, tower, or palace |
| 85 | Sewer or rubbish heap |
| 86-88 | Among people of a different species |
| 89-95 | On board a starship |
| 96-97 | In a prison or in the headquarters of a secret organization |
| 98-99 | In a scientist's laboratory |
| 00 | In the World Between Worlds |
Siblings
You might be an only child or one of many children. Your siblings could be cherished friends or hated rivals. Roll on the Number of Siblings table to determine how many brothers or sisters you have. Then, roll on the Birth Order table for each sibling to determine that person’s age relative to yours (older, younger, or born at the same time).
Occupation. For each sibling of suitable age, roll on the Occupation supplemental table to determine what that person does for a living.
Alignment. You can choose your siblings’ alignments or roll on the Alignment supplemental table.
Status. By now, each of your siblings might be alive and well, alive and not so well, in dire straits, or dead. Roll on the Status supplemental table.
Relationship. You can roll on the Relationship supplemental table to determine how your siblings feel about you. They might all have the same attitude toward you, or some might view you differently from how the others do.
Other Details. You can decide any other details you like about each sibling, including gender, personality, and place in the world.
Number of Siblings
| d10 | Siblings |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | None |
| 3-4 | 1d3 |
| 5-6 | 1d4 + 1 |
| 7-8 | 1d6 + 2 |
| 9-10 | 1d8 + 3 |
Birth Order
| 2d6 | Birth Order |
|---|---|
| 2 | Twin, triplet, or quadruplet |
| 3-7 | Older |
| 8-12 | Younger |
Family and Friends
Who raised you, and what was life like for you when you were growing up? You might have been raised by your parents, by relatives, or in an orphanage or temple. Or you could have spent your childhood on the streets of a crowded city with only your fellow runaways and orphans to keep you company.
Use the Family table to determine who raised you. If you know who your parents are but you get a result that does not mention one or both of them, use the Absent Parent table to determine what happened.
Next, refer to the Family Lifestyle table to determine the general circumstances of your upbringing. (Chapter 5 of the Player’s Handbook has more information about lifestyles.) The result on that table includes a number that is applied to your roll on the Childhood Home table, which tells you where you spent your early years. Wrap up this section by using the Childhood Memories table, which tells you how you were treated by other youngsters as you were growing up.
Supplemental Tables. You can roll on the Relationship table to determine how your family members or other important figures in your life feel about you. You can also use the Species, Occupation, and Alignment tables to learn more about the family members or guardians who raised you.
Family
| d100 | Family |
|---|---|
| 01 | None |
| 02 | Institution, such as an asylum |
| 03 | Temple |
| 04-05 | Orphanage |
| 06-07 | Guardian |
| 08-15 | Paternal or maternal aunt, uncle, or both; or extended family such as a tribe or clan |
| 16-25 | Paternal or maternal grandparent(s) |
| 26-35 | Adoptive family (same or different species) |
| 36-55 | Single father or stepfather |
| 56-75 | Single mother or stepmother |
| 76-00 | Mother and father |
Absent Parent
| d4 | Fate |
|---|---|
| 1 | Your parent died (roll on the Cause of Death supplemental table). |
| 2 | Your parent was imprisoned, enslaved, or otherwise taken away. |
| 3 | Your parent abandoned you. |
| 4 | Your parent disappeared to an unknown fate. |
Family Lifestyle
| 3d6 | Lifestyle* |
|---|---|
| 3 | Wretched (-40) |
| 4-5 | Squalid (-20) |
| 6-8 | Poor (-10) |
| 9-12 | Modest (+0) |
| 13-15 | Comfortable (+10) |
| 16-17 | Wealthy (+20) |
| 18 | Aristocratic (+40) |
*Use the number in this result as a modifier to your roll on the Childhood Home table
Childhood Home
| d100* | Home |
|---|---|
| 0 or lower | On the streets |
| 1-20 | Rundown shack |
| 21-30 | No permanent residence; you moved around a lot |
| 31-40 | Encampment or village in the wilderness |
| 41-50 | Apartment in a rundown neighborhood |
| 51-70 | Small house |
| 71-90 | Large house |
| 91-110 | Mansion |
| 111 or higher | Palace or castle |
*After making this roll, apply the modifier from the Family Lifestyle table to the result
Childhood Memories
| 3d6 + Cha mod | Memory |
|---|---|
| 3 or lower | I am still haunted by my childhood, when I was treated badly by my peers |
| 4-5 | I spent most of my childhood alone, with no close friends |
| 6-8 | Others saw me as being different or strange, and so I had few companions |
| 9-12 | I had a few close friends and lived an ordinary childhood. |
| 13-15 | I had several friends, and my childhood was generally a happy one. |
| 16-17 | I always found it easy to make friends, and I loved being around people. |
| 18 or higher | Everyone knew who I was, and I had friends everywhere I went. |
Personal Decisions
Your character’s life takes a particular course depending on the choices you make for the character’s background and class.
Background
Roll on the appropriate table in this section as soon as you decide your background, or at any later time if you choose. If a background includes a special decision point, such as an outlaw’s defining event or the specialty of a criminal or soldier, it’s best to make that determination before using the pertinent table below.
Agent
| d6 | I became an agent because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | I ran away from home at an early age and took refuge at the faction's headquarters. |
| 2 | My family gave me to the faction, since they were unable or unwilling to care for me. |
| 3 | A member of the faction saved my life, and I joined up out of gratitude. |
| 4 | Agents of the faction took me from my home as a baby, sensing that I might be an asset to the faction. |
| 5 | I followed a childhood friend, a respected acquaintance, or someone I loved into service in the faction. |
| 6 | After encountering an agent of the faction and witnessing their devotion to the faction's ideals, I was so inspired that I immediately joined. |
Bounty Hunter
Use the table for the Agent or Criminal background to determine why you became a bounty hunter.
Criminal
| d6 | I became a criminal because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | I resented authority in my younger days and decided that a life of crime was the best way to fight against tyranny and oppression. |
| 2 | Necessity forced me to take up the life, since it was the only way I could survive. |
| 3 | I fell in with a gang of reprobates and ne'er-do-wells, and I learned my specialty from them. |
| 4 | A parent or relative taught me my criminal specialty to prepare me for the family business. |
| 5 | I left home and found a place in a syndicate or some other criminal organization. |
| 6 | I was always bored, so I turned to crime to pass the time and discovered I was quite good at it. |
Entertainer
| d6 | I became an entertainer because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | Members of my family made ends meet by performing, so it was fitting for me to follow their example. |
| 2 | I always had a keen insight into other people, enough so that I could make them laugh or cry with my stories or songs. |
| 3 | I ran away from home to join a band. |
| 4 | I saw a jizz wailer perform once, and I knew from that moment on what I was born to do. |
| 5 | I earned credits by performing on street corners and eventually made a name for myself. |
| 6 | A traveling entertainer took me in and taught me the trade. |
Force Adept
| d6 | I became a Force adept because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | I don't know why I've always had uncanny reflexes, senses, and insight. When other people notice my special abilities, I brush it off and attribute it to luck. |
| 2 | The Force is strong in my family. One or both of my parents passed their Force sensitivity on to me, and as I grew up, they taught me how to understand and wield my gifts. |
| 3 | I was taken by the Jedi or the Sith as a baby and trained, but I left the order to pursue my own destiny. |
| 4 | One of my companions was being threatened by monsters or troopers. In desperation, I lashed out, striking the aggressors with a telekinetic burst or a blast of Force lightning. |
| 5 | There was nothing special about me until I came into contact with a lightsaber, holocron, or other Force artifact, which awakened the latent Force abilities within me. |
| 6 | I've always felt darkness tugging at my heart, driving me to an all-consuming hatred. When I give in to the anger, it makes me stronger and more focused. |
Gambler
| d6 | I became a gambler because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | I owe an enormous debt to a Hutt crime lord. Gambling is the only way I can pay it off before he puts a bounty on my head. |
| 2 | I visited a casino once and found the risk and thrill of gambling addictive. I've never been able to shake the habit. |
| 3 | I have a head for numbers and a photographic memory. I can count the cards and guarantee I'll always win. |
| 4 | My mentor was a notorious gambler who was banned from every casino in the Outer Rim. They taught me how to play so that I could continue in their place. |
| 5 | I love getting to know new people. Playing a game of chance with someone is the best way to learn what makes them tick. |
| 6 | I've lost my entire fortune to gambling. But I can't quit now--this game will be the one where I finally break my losing streak. |
Investigator
| d6 | I became an investigator because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | Someone dear to me was murdered. The murder remains unsolved, but I'm determined that I'll one day find the murderer and bring them to justice. |
| 2 | I was disgusted by the corruption and injustice in the law enforcement system, and I decided that the only way to reform the system was from the inside out. |
| 3 | I loved reading mystery holobooks as a child. When I grew up, I stayed true to my childhood dream of becoming an investigator myself. |
| 4 | I used to be a professional criminal, but I was reformed. Now, my past gives me insider knowledge that is invaluable in catching other criminals. |
| 5 | I believe strongly in the importance of law and order. The law must be enforced, without partiality or mercy. |
| 6 | The law enforcement agency hired me after I solved a case that professional investigators couldn't crack. |
Jedi
Use the table for the Agent or Force Adept background to determine why you became a Jedi.
Mandalorian
| d6 | I became a Mandalorian because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | I was born on Mandalore and brought up in its proud traditions. |
| 2 | The Mandalorians took me in as a foundling and raised me as one of their own. |
| 3 | My people were conquered by the Mandalorians. Faced with the choice to resist them and die or join their ranks, I chose the latter. |
| 4 | I heard stories of the Mandalorians and was inspired by them. I sought them out, swore the Creed, and was accepted as one of them. |
| 5 | I saved a Mandalorian's life. He paid me back by training me in his ways and offering me a place in his clan. |
| 6 | As a Child of the Watch, I follow the ancient traditions that most Mandalorians have forsaken. I have never removed my helmet, nor has it ever been removed by others. This is the way. |
Mercenary
Use the table for the Outlaw or Soldier background to determine why you became a mercenary.
Noble
| d6 | I became a noble because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | I come from an old and storied family, and it fell to me to preserve the family name. |
| 2 | My family has been disgraced, and I intend to clear our name. |
| 3 | My family recently came by its title, and that elevation thrust us into a new and strange world. |
| 4 | My family has a title, but none of my ancestors have distinguished themselves since we gained it. |
| 5 | My family is full of remarkable people. I hope to live up to their example. |
| 6 | I hope to increase my family's power and influence. |
Nomad
| d6 | I became a nomad because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | I spent a lot of time in the wilderness as a youngster, and I came to love that way of life. |
| 2 | From a young age, I couldn't abide the stink of cities and preferred to spend my time in nature. |
| 3 | I came to understand the darkness that lurks in the wilds, and I vowed to combat it. |
| 4 | My people lived on the edges of civilization, and I learned the methods of survival from my family. |
| 5 | After a tragedy I retreated into the wilderness, leaving my old life behind. |
| 6 | My family moved away from civilization, and I learned to adapt to my new environment. |
Outlaw
| d6 | I became an outlaw because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | I learned what was right and wrong from my family. |
| 2 | I was always enamored by tales of heroes and wished I could be something more than ordinary. |
| 3 | I hated my mundane life, so when it was time for someone to step up and do the right thing, I took my chance. |
| 4 | A parent or one of my relatives was an adventurer, and I was inspired by that person's courage. |
| 5 | An old Jedi spoke a prophecy when I was born, saying that I would accomplish great things. |
| 6 | I have always stood up for those weaker than I am. |
Pirate
Use the table for the Criminal or Spacer background to determine why you became a pirate.
Scientist
| d6 | I became a scientist because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | I was naturally curious, so I packed up and went to a university to learn more about the world. |
| 2 | My mentor's teachings opened my mind to new possibilities in that field of study. |
| 3 | I was always an avid reader, and I learned much about my favorite topic on my own. |
| 4 | I discovered an old library and pored over the texts I found there. That experience awakened a hunger for more knowledge. |
| 5 | I impressed an engineer who told me I was squandering my talents and should seek out an education to take advantage of my gifts. |
| 6 | One of my parents or a relative gave me a basic education that whetted my appetite, and I left home to build on what I had learned. |
Scoundrel
| d6 | I became a scoundrel because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | I was left to my own devices, and my knack for manipulating others helped me survive. |
| 2 | I learned early on that people are gullible and easy to exploit. |
| 3 | I often got in trouble, but I managed to talk my way out of it every time. |
| 4 | I took up with a confidence artist, from whom I learned my craft. |
| 5 | After a scoundrel fleeced my family, I decided to learn the trade so I would never be fooled by such deception again. |
| 6 | I was poor or I feared becoming poor, so I learned the tricks I needed to keep myself out of poverty. |
Sith
Use the table for the Agent or Force Adept background to determine why you became a Sith.
Smuggler
Use the table for the Criminal or Scoundrel background to determine why you became a smuggler.
Soldier
| d6 | I became a soldier because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | I joined the militia to help protect my community from monsters. |
| 2 | A relative of mine was a soldier, and I wanted to carry on the family tradition. |
| 3 | The local governor forced me to enlist in the army. |
| 4 | War ravaged my homeland while I was growing up. Fighting was the only life I ever knew. |
| 5 | I wanted fame and fortune, so I joined a mercenary company, selling my blaster to the highest bidder. |
| 6 | Invaders attacked my homeland. It was my duty to take up arms in defense of my people. |
Spacer
| d6 | I became a spacer because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | I was press-ganged by pirates and forced to serve on their starship until I finally escaped. |
| 2 | I wanted to see the world, so I signed on as support staff for a merchant ship. |
| 3 | One of my relatives was a spacer who brought me to the stars. |
| 4 | I needed to escape my community quickly, so I stowed away on a starship. When the crew found me, I was forced to work for my passage. |
| 5 | Raiders attacked my community, so I found refuge on a starship until I could seek vengeance. |
| 6 | I had few prospects where I was living, so I left to find my fortune elsewhere. |
Class Training
If you haven’t chosen your class yet, do so now, keeping in mind your background and all the other details you have established so far. Once you’ve made your selection, roll a d6 and find the number you rolled on the appropriate table in this section, which describes how you came to be a member of that class.
Berserker
| d6 | I became a berserker because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | My devotion to my people lifted me in battle, making me powerful and dangerous. |
| 2 | The spirits of my ancestors called me to carry out a great task. |
| 3 | I lost control in battle one day, and it was as if something else was manipulating my body, forcing it to kill every foe in reach. |
| 4 | I went on a spiritual journey to find myself and instead found an animal companion whose bestial nature inspires me. |
| 5 | I overdosed on drugs and lived. Afterward, I found a new strength within me that let me push beyond my limitations. |
| 6 | My anger needed to be channeled into battle, or I risked becoming an indiscriminate killer. |
Consular
| d6 | I became a consular because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | A Force entity called me to become an agent of balance in the world. |
| 2 | I saw the injustice and horror in the world and felt moved to take a stand against them. |
| 3 | The Force gave me an unmistakable sign. I dropped everything to serve the will of the Force. |
| 4 | Although I was trained from a young age, it wasn't until I completed my trials that I knew my true calling. |
| 5 | I used to serve my order's bureaucracy but found I needed to work in the world, to bring balance to the darkest corners of the land. |
| 6 | I realize that the Force works through me, and I do as it leads, even though I don't know why I was chosen. |
Engineer
| d6 | I became an engineer because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | An old engineer chose me from among several candidates to serve an apprenticeship. |
| 2 | When I became lost on a junk planet, a salvager found me, took me in, and taught me the rudiments of engineering. |
| 3 | I grew up listening to stories of great scientists and knew I wanted to follow in their path. I strove to be accepted at an academy of engineering and succeeded. |
| 4 | One of my relatives was an accomplished engineer who decided I was smart enough to learn the craft. |
| 5 | I was a prodigy who demonstrated mastery of technology at an early age. When I became old enough to set out on my own, I did so to learn more and expand my knowledge. |
| 6 | I picked up a wristpad one day and instantly discovered that I could use it. |
Fighter
| d6 | I became a fighter because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | I wanted to hone my combat skills, so I joined a war academy. |
| 2 | I served a noble warrior who taught me how to fight, maintain equipment, and conduct myself with honor. I decided to take up that path for myself. |
| 3 | Horrible monsters descended on my community, killing someone I loved. I took up arms to destroy those creatures and others of a similar nature. |
| 4 | I joined the army and learned how to fight as part of a group. |
| 5 | I grew up fighting, and I refined my talents by defending myself against people who crossed me. |
| 6 | I could always pick up just about any weapon and know how to use it effectively. |
Guardian
| d6 | I became a guardian because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | A Force entity appeared to me and called on me to undertake a quest. |
| 2 | One of my ancestors left a quest unfulfilled, so I intend to finish that work. |
| 3 | The world is a dark and terrible place. I decided to serve as a beacon of light shining out against the gathering shadows. |
| 4 | I served as a Jedi's apprentice, learning all I needed to become a Knight. |
| 5 | The Dark Side must be opposed on all fronts. I feel compelled to seek out evil and purge it from the world. |
| 6 | I suffered a terrible emotional or physical strain, which brought forth my latent power. I have been fighting to control it ever since. |
Monk
| d6 | I became a monk because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | I was chosen to study at a secluded monastery. There, I learned the fundamental techniques required to eventually master a tradition. |
| 2 | I sought instruction to gain a deeper understanding of existence and my place in the world. |
| 3 | I took refuge in a strange monastery, where I learned how to defend myself against the forces of darkness. |
| 4 | I was overwhelmed with grief after losing someone close to me, and I sought the advice of philosophers to help me cope with my loss. |
| 5 | I could feel that a special sort of power lay within me, so I sought out those who could help me call it forth and master it. |
| 6 | I was wild and undisciplined as a youngster, but then I realized the error of my ways. I applied to a monastery and became a monk as a way to live a life of discipline. |
Operative
| d6 | I became an operative because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | I've always been nimble and quick of wit, so I decided to use those talents to help me make my way in the world. |
| 2 | An assassin or a thief wronged me, so I focused my training on mastering the skills of my enemy to better combat foes of that sort. |
| 3 | An experienced operative saw something in me and taught me several useful tricks. |
| 4 | I decided to turn my natural lucky streak into the basis of a career, though I still realize that improving my skills is essential. |
| 5 | I took up with a group of ruffians who showed me how to get what I want through sneakiness rather than direct confrontation. |
| 6 | I'm a sucker for a shiny bauble or a sack of credits, as long as I can get my hands on it without risking life and limb. |
Scholar
| d6 | I became a scholar because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | I discovered my academic gifting through trial and error. |
| 2 | I was a gifted student and attracted the attention of a master scholar who schooled me in the old techniques. |
| 3 | I joined a loose society of scholars to share knowledge and learn new techniques. |
| 4 | I made a remarkable discovery and felt called to share it. |
| 5 | I joined one of the great colleges to learn old lore, the secrets of the occult, or the art of tactics. |
| 6 | While exploring an old tomb, library, or temple, I found a book of lore. I was immediately driven to learn all I could. |
Scout
| d6 | I became a scout because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | I found purpose while I honed my bounty hunting skills by bringing down dangerous criminals at the edge of civilization. |
| 2 | I always had a way with droids, able to reprogram them with ease. |
| 3 | I suffer from terrible wanderlust, so being a scout gave me a reason not to remain in one place for too long. |
| 4 | I have seen what happens when the monsters come out from the dark. I took it upon myself to become the first line of defense against the evils that lie beyond civilization's borders. |
| 5 | I met a grizzled scout who taught me woodcraft and the secrets of the wild lands. |
| 6 | I served in an army, learning the precepts of my profession while blazing trails and scouting enemy encampments. |
Sentinel
| d6 | I became a sentinel because... |
|---|---|
| 1 | I found a place among a group of Force-users after I fled a catastrophe. |
| 2 | I befriended a Jedi and was moved by Jedi teachings. I decided to follow my friend's guidance and give something back to the world. |
| 3 | While I was growing up, I saw spirits all around me--entities no one else could perceive. I sought out Force-users to help me understand the visions and communicate with these beings. |
| 4 | Becoming a sentinel was a natural consequence of my training. In completing my trials, I became a defender of my order. |
| 5 | When a monster threatened one of my friends, I became filled with anxiety. I lashed out instinctively and blasted the wretched thing with a force which came from within me. |
| 6 | Sensing something special in me, a stranger taught me to control my gift. |
Life Events
No matter how long you’ve been alive, you have experienced at least one signature event that has markedly influenced your character. Life events include wondrous happenings and tragedies, conflicts and successes, and encounters with the unusual. They can help to explain why your character became an adventurer, and some might still affect your life even after they are long over.
The older a character is, the greater the chance for multiple life events, as shown on the Life Events by Age table. If you have already chosen your character’s starting age, see the entry in the Life Events column that corresponds to how old you are. Otherwise, you can roll dice to determine your current age and number of life events randomly.
After you know the number of life events your character has experienced, roll once on the Life Events table for each of them. Many of the results on that table direct you to one of the secondary tables that follow. Once you have determined all of your character’s life events, you can arrange them in any chronological order you see fit.
Life Events by Age
| d100 | Current Age | Life Events |
|---|---|---|
| 01-20 | 20 years or younger | 1 |
| 21-59 | 21-30 years | 1d4 |
| 60-69 | 31-40 years | 1d6 |
| 70-89 | 41-50 years | 1d8 |
| 90-99 | 51-60 years | 1d10 |
| 00 | 60 years or older | 1d12 |
Life Events
| d100 | Event |
|---|---|
| 01-10 | You suffered a tragedy. Roll on the Tragedies table. |
| 11-20 | You gained a bit of good fortune. Roll on the Boons table. |
| 21-30 | You fell in love or got married. If you get this result more than once, you can choose to have a child instead. Work with your DM to determine the identity of your love interest. |
| 31-40 | You made an enemy of an adventurer. Roll a d6. An odd number indicates you are to blame for the rift, and an even number indicates you are blameless. Use the supplemental tables and work with your DM to determine this hostile character’s identity and the danger this enemy poses to you. |
| 41-50 | You made a friend of an adventurer. Use the supplemental tables and work with your DM to add more detail to this friendly character and establish how your friendship began. |
| 51-70 | You spent time working in a job related to your background. Start the game with an extra 2d6 x 10 cr. |
| 71-75 | You met someone important. Use the supplemental tables to determine this character’s identity and how this individual feels about you. Work out additional details with your DM as needed to fit this character into your backstory. |
| 76-80 | You went on an adventure. Roll on the Adventures table to see what happened to you. Work with your DM to determine the nature of the adventure and the creatures you encountered. |
| 81-85 | You fought in a battle. Roll on the War table to learn what happened to you. Work with your DM to come up with the reason for the battle and the factions involved. It might have been a small conflict between your community and a band of Tuskens, or it could have been a major battle in a larger war. |
| 86-90 | You committed a crime or were wrongly accused of doing so. Roll on the Crime table to determine the nature of the offense and on the Punishment table to see what became of you. |
| 91-95 | You encountered something enhanced. Roll on the Enhanced Matters table. |
| 96-00 | Something truly strange happened to you. Roll on the Weird Stuff table. |
Secondary Tables
These tables add detail to many of the results on the Life Events table. The tables are in alphabetical order.
Adventures
| d100 | Outcome |
|---|---|
| 01-10 | You nearly died. You have nasty scars on your body, and you are missing an ear, 1d3 fingers, or 1d4 toes. |
| 11-20 | You suffered a grievous injury. Although the wound healed, it still pains you from time to time. |
| 21-30 | You were wounded, but in time you fully recovered. |
| 31-40 | You contracted a disease while exploring a filthy warren. You recovered from the disease, but you have a persistent cough, pockmarks on your skin, or prematurely gray hair. |
| 41-50 | You were poisoned by a trap or monster. You recovered from the poison, but the next time you must make a saving throw against poison, you make the saving throw with disadvantage. |
| 51-60 | You lost something of sentimental value to you during your adventure. Remove one trinket from your possessions. |
| 61-70 | You were terribly frightened by something you encountered and ran away, abandoning your companions to their fate. |
| 71-80 | You learned a great deal during your adventure. The next time you make an ability check or a saving throw, you have advantage on the roll. |
| 81-90 | You found some treasure on your adventure. You have 2d6 x 10 cr left from your share of it. |
| 91-99 | You found a considerable amount of treasure on your adventure. You have 2d100 + 500 cr left from your share of it. |
| 00 | You came across a standard enhanced item (of the DM's choice). |
Boons
| d10 | Boon |
|---|---|
| 1 | A friendly techcaster gave you a power cipher (see Power Ciphers by Aziz) containing one at-will tech power (of the DM's choice). |
| 2 | You saved the life of a commoner, who now owes you a life debt. This individual accompanies you on your travels and performs mundane tasks for you, but will leave if neglected, abused, or imperiled. Determine details about this character by using the supplemental tables and working with your DM. |
| 3 | You found a tracker droid (of the DM's choice). |
| 4 | You found some money. You have 1d20 x 10 cr in addition to your starting funds. |
| 5 | A relative bequeathed you a simple weapon of your choice. |
| 6 | You found something interesting. You gain one trinket (of the DM's choice). Your DM might have you roll on this trinkets table to determine the trinket gained. |
| 7 | You once performed a service for a local temple. The next time you visit the temple, you can receive healing up to your hit point maximum. |
| 8 | A friendly physician gifted you with a medpac or two doses of poison, as you choose. |
| 9 | You found a treasure map. |
| 10 | A distant relative left you a stipend that enables you to live at the comfortable lifestyle for 1d20 years. If you choose to live at a higher lifestyle, you reduce the price of the lifestyle by 20 cr during that time period. |
Enhanced Matters
| d10 | Event |
|---|---|
| 1 | You were charmed or frightened by a power. |
| 2 | You were injured by the effect of a power. |
| 3 | You witnessed a high-level power being cast by a consular or an engineer. |
| 4 | You took a dose of enhanced drugs (of the DM's choice). |
| 5 | You found a power cipher (of the DM's choice) and succeeded in casting the power it contained (see Power Ciphers by Aziz). |
| 6 | You were affected by a teleportation power. |
| 7 | You turned invisible for a time. |
| 8 | You identified an illusion for what it was. |
| 9 | You saw a creature being killed by a power. |
| 10 | Your fortune was read by a seer. Roll twice on the Life Events table, but don't apply the results. Instead, the DM picks one event as a portent of your future (which might or might not come true). |
Crime
| d8 | Crime |
|---|---|
| 1 | Murder |
| 2 | Theft |
| 3 | Burglary |
| 4 | Assault |
| 5 | Smuggling |
| 6 | Kidnapping |
| 7 | Extortion |
| 8 | Counterfeiting |
Punishment
| d12 | Punishment |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | You did not commmit the crime and were exonerated after being accused. |
| 4-6 | You committed the crime or helped to do so, but nevertheless the authorities found you not guilty. |
| 7-8 | You were caught in the act. You had to flee and are wanted in the community where the crime occurred. |
| 9-12 | You were caught and convicted. You spent time in jail or performing hard labor. You served a sentence of 1d4 years or succeeded in escaping after that much time. |
Tragedies
| d12 | Tragedy |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | A family member or a close friend died. Roll on the Cause of Death supplemental table to find out how. |
| 3 | A friendship ended bitterly, and the other person is now hostile to you. The cause may have been a misunderstanding or something you or the former friend did. |
| 4 | You lost all your possessions in a disaster, and you had to rebuild your life. |
| 5 | You were imprisoned for a crime you didn't commit and spent 1d6 years at hard labor, in jail, or as a slave. |
| 6 | War ravaged your home community, reducing everything to rubble and ruin. In the aftermath, you either helped your town rebuild or moved somewhere else. |
| 7 | A lover disappeared without a trace. You have been looking for that person ever since. |
| 8 | A terrible blight in your home community caused crops to fail, and many starved. You lost a sibling or some other family member. |
| 9 | You did something that brought terrible shame to you in the eyes of your family. You might have been involved in a scandal, dabbled in the Dark Side, or offended someone important. The attitude of your family members toward you becomes indifferent at best, though they might eventually forgive you. |
| 10 | For a reason you were never told, you were exiled from your community. You then either wandered in the wilderness for a time or promptly found a new place to live. |
| 11 | A romantic relationship ended. Roll a d6. An odd number means it ended with bad feelings, while an even number means it ended amicably. |
| 12 | A current or prospective romantic partner of yours died. Roll on the Cause of Death supplemental table to find out how. If the result is murder, roll a d12. On a 1, you were responsible, whether directly or indirectly. |
War
| d12 | War Outcome |
|---|---|
| 1 | You were knocked out and left for dead. You woke up hours later with no recollection of the battle. |
| 2-3 | You were badly injured in the fight, and you still bear the awful scars of those wounds. |
| 4 | You ran away from the battle to save your life, but you still feel shame for your cowardice. |
| 5-7 | You suffered only minor injuries, and the wounds all healed without leaving scars. |
| 8-9 | You survived the battle, but you suffer from terrible nightmares in which you relive the experience. |
| 10-11 | You escaped the battle unscathed, though many of your friends were injured or lost. |
| 12 | You acquitted yourself well in battle and are remembered as a hero. You might have received a medal for your bravery. |
Weird Stuff
| d12 | What Happened |
|---|---|
| 1 | You lost a limb and had it cybernetically replaced. |
| 2 | You were frozen in carbonite and remained there for a time until someone freed you. |
| 3 | Your mind was briefly controlled by a brain worm. |
| 4 | A purgill latched onto your starship and dragged it through hyperspace. It took you months to find your way back to where you came from. |
| 5 | You were taken captive by a race of humanoids such as Geonosians, Hutts, or Tuskens. You lived as a slave until you escaped. |
| 6 | You served a powerful adventurer as a hireling. You have only recently left that service. Use the supplemental tables and work with your DM to determine the basic details about your former employer. |
| 7 | You went insane for 1d6 years and recently regained your sanity. A tic or some other bit of odd behavior might linger. |
| 8 | A lover of yours was secretly a Clawdite. |
| 9 | You were captured by a cult and nearly sacrificed on an altar. You escaped, but you fear they will find you. |
| 10 | You were visited by a Force ghost. |
| 11 | Your starship was swallowed by an exogorth and you spent a month in its gullet before you escaped. |
| 12 | You had a disturbing vision of a possible future. You are haunted by the fear that it may come true. |
Supplemental Tables
The supplemental tables below give you a way to randomly determine characteristics and other facts about individuals who are part of your character’s life. Use these tables when directed to do so by another table, or when you simply want to come up with a piece of information quickly. The tables are in alphabetical order.
Alignment
| 3d6 | Alignment |
|---|---|
| 3 | Chaotic dark (50%) or chaotic balanced (50%) |
| 4-5 | Lawful dark |
| 6-8 | Neutral dark |
| 9-12 | Neutral balanced |
| 13-15 | Neutral light |
| 16-17 | Lawful light (50%) or lawful balanced (50%) |
| 18 | Chaotic light (50%) or chaotic balanced (50%) |
Cause of Death
| d12 | Cause of Death |
|---|---|
| 1 | Unknown |
| 2 | Murdered |
| 3 | Killed in battle |
| 4 | Accident related to class or occupation |
| 5 | Accident unrelated to class or occupation |
| 6-7 | Natural causes, such as disease or old age |
| 8 | Apparent suicide |
| 9 | Torn apart by an animal or a natural disaster |
| 10 | Consumed by a monster |
| 11 | Executed for a crime or tortured to death |
| 12 | Bizarre event, such as being killed in a hyperspace anomaly, possessed by the Mnggal-Mnggal, or infected by the Rakghoul plague |
Class
| d100 | Class |
|---|---|
| 01-10 | Berserker |
| 11-15 | Consular |
| 16-25 | Engineer |
| 26-40 | Fighter |
| 41-45 | Guardian |
| 46-50 | Monk |
| 51-65 | Operative |
| 66-80 | Scholar |
| 81-90 | Scout |
| 91-95 | Sentinel |
| 96-00 | Multiclassed (roll twice on this table) |
Occupation
| d100 | Occupation |
|---|---|
| 01-05 | Academic |
| 06-10 | Adventurer (roll on the Class table) |
| 11 | Aristocrat |
| 12-26 | Artisan or guild member |
| 27-31 | Criminal |
| 32-36 | Entertainer |
| 37-38 | Exile, hermit, or refugee |
| 39-43 | Explorer or wanderer |
| 44-55 | Farmer or herder |
| 56-60 | Hunter or trapper |
| 61-65 | Jedi |
| 66-80 | Laborer |
| 81-85 | Merchant |
| 86-90 | Politician or bureaucrat |
| 91-95 | Spacer |
| 96-00 | Soldier |
Species
| d100 | Species |
|---|---|
| 01-40 | Human |
| 41-50 | Droid (roll a d5 to determine the droid's class) |
| 51 | Bith |
| 52-53 | Bothan |
| 54 | Cathar |
| 55 | Cerean |
| 56 | Chiss |
| 57-58 | Devaronian |
| 59-60 | Duros |
| 61 | Ewok |
| 62 | Gamorrean |
| 63 | Gungan |
| 64-65 | Ithorian |
| 66 | Jawa |
| 67 | Kel Dor |
| 68-69 | Mon Calamari |
| 70-71 | Nautolan |
| 72-75 | Rodian |
| 76 | Sith Pureblood |
| 77-78 | Togruta |
| 79-80 | Trandoshan |
| 81 | Tusken |
| 82-87 | Twi'lek |
| 88-90 | Weequay |
| 91-93 | Wookiee |
| 94-95 | Zabrak |
| 96-00 | Other (DM's choice) |
Relationship
| 3d4 | Attitude |
|---|---|
| 3-4 | Hostile |
| 5-10 | Friendly |
| 11-12 | Indifferent |
Status
| 3d6 | Status |
|---|---|
| 3 | Dead (roll on the Cause of Death table) |
| 4-5 | Missing or unknown |
| 6-8 | Alive, but doing poorly due to injury, financial trouble, or relationship difficulties |
| 9-12 | Alive and well |
| 13-15 | Alive and quite successful |
| 16-17 | Alive and infamous |
| 18 | Alive and famous |
What's Next?
When you’re finished using these tables, you’ll have a collection of facts and notes that — at a minimum — encapsulate what your character has been doing in the world up till now. Sometimes that might be all the information you want, but you don’t have to stop there.
By using your creativity to stitch all these bits together into a continuous narrative, you can create a full-fledged autobiography for your character in as little as a few sentences — an excellent example of how the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Did you get a couple of results on the tables that don’t outright contradict each other but also don’t seem to fit together smoothly? If so, now is your chance to explain what happened to you. For instance, let’s say you were born in a castle, but your childhood home was in the wilderness. It could be that your parents traveled from their forest home to seek help from a midwife at the castle when your mother was close to giving birth. Or your parents might have been members of the castle’s staff before you were born, but they were released from service soon after you came into the world.
In addition to deepening your own roleplaying experience, your character’s history presents your DM with opportunities to weave those elements into the story of the campaign. Any way you look at it, adding definition to your character’s pre-adventuring life is time well spent.