Sphere RPG Character Creation

Basics Character Generation

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Genetic Templates

Genetic templates are what you were born as or, less commonly, what you modified yourself to be and have little to do with pre-colonization 'racial identity', which is a social, not genetic construct. Pre-natal genetic modification has matured greatly and few people born today have not had their or their ancestors' genomes sequenced before conception. It is a relatively inexpensive and mundane procedure, often subsidized by governments and while not 100% successful when dealing with something as complex as the entire genome of a human, still gives eminently acceptable results. Retroviral techniques to conduct systemic changes to adults are almost as old but are far more complex and difficult; consequently they are both much more expensive and rare.
Origin is a general representation of where a given race can be expected to be found as well as what relative proportion of the population they are. Note that it doesn't take into account specific circumstances; for example ZOCU pilots will tend to be Alphas and other, similarly suited transgenic lineages.

Template bonuses modify the effective value of your stats; template modifiers do not increase (or decrease) the cost of a given stat. It is of course entirely possible for a baseline to be smarter or stronger than even Omoikanes; exceptional individuals occur everywhere. Note that depending on the campaign being run it may be entirely appropriate to provide cost breaks or cost elimination for transhuman templates; in the reality of Emergent Properties a transhuman is not penalized for being born superlative - they in fact have a huge leg up. While we encourage this to follow the themes of Emergent Properties we also acknowledge that it runs counter to game balance; GMs are advised to consider their party and player makeup first.

Sidebar: Yes, they really are superior

"Why are transgenic templates free? That's not very fair."

Emergent Properties is an unabashedly transhumanist setting. A fundamental element of the setting is that the human body and mind can and will be improved through the application of technology. Moreover, and more importantly, Emergent Properties does not take a position on the morality of human enhancement. Like any other technology human enhancement can be used to improve the lot of those affected, or be used to conduct repression on a grand scale.

What Emergent Properties does not make any apologies for is the simple position that transhumans are superior. That is, after all, the entire point of the multigenerational exercise that a substantial segment of the human population has been engaged in. Transhumans in all their myriad forms are improvements upon the 'normal' humans that we, the players and GMs, are familiar with. In Emergent Properties being a transhuman is not just an informed attribute; it is a very real thing .

Baselines

Often seen as a derogatory term, 'baselines' are those who have had no meaningful genework done. They are completely unchanged from humans before the genetic era - bad teeth, glasses and all.

Many baselines (particularly those with a religious opposition to genetic modifications) take a perverse pride in being 'normal'.

Baselines cost 0 points and have no modifiers.

Origin: Common on planets across known space

Classics

While many people reject transgenic modifications the barriers to 'upgrading' tends to blur at the edges when it comes to therapeutic 'fixes'. Starting in the late 20th century with screening for dangerous gene-linked diseases, the 21st century saw this expand to encompass more mundane ails. Classics have undergone various low-level modifications to reduce or eliminate problems such as bad vision, allergies, wisdom teeth, obesity, etc. Many also have customized features, such as 'mother's red hair' or 'grandfather's height.' Despite this tinkering, Classics do not really add or subtract anything, merely refining out some of the less desired elements of the human genome. As such it is functionally impossible to tell the difference between a Classic and a particularly lucky baseline.

Classics cost 0 points and have no modifiers.

Classics get some basic effects?

Origin: Common on planets across known space

Illicit Upgrade

The various stringent regulations surrounding human augmentation that have come about in the wake of the adoption of many Stauss-Kasserist philosophies has both regrettably and unsurprisingly created a black market for both prenatal and retroviral therapies in the 22nd century. Commonly attributed to the upwardly mobile who do not wish to emigrate to the more liberal colonies, illicit upgrades will typically alter an individual’s neurology to improve cognition and socialization. Subtle (and not-so-subtle) personality shifts and neuroses are a common side-effect of these grey market retrovirals.

Illicit prenatal upgrades are generally safer and, according to some metrics, substantially more common. Like illicit retrovirals they tend to shy clear of obvious physical changes or substantial cognitive upgrades. Reliable numbers for illicit upgrades are difficult to estimate, let along come by but it has been recognized as a social problem. Supporters of genetic freedoms cite them as reasons for loosening various over-strong regulations while opponents of genetic inequality decry those who cheat the system. Meanwhile, people from across the core continue to seek back-alley clinics or take medical vacations into the Verge to upgrade themselves.

Illicit Upgrades cost

Illicit Upgrades get bonuses to intellect and charisma

Origin: Core worlds

Alpha

Originally a popular genofixing template from the late 21st century, 'Alpha' has since became a broad term for a generalized blend of transhuman traits. The cautious early steps in human augmenation soon gave way to more drastic and significant upgrades to the human condition. The concept of 'Human-plus' became a reality as deliberately recoded DNA brought forth the possibility of everyone achieving abilities substantially beyond the human norm and 'transhuman' became synonymous with 'transgenic'. Cognitive upgrades were also part of the package, and 'high transhumans' were not just more physically fit but also more intelligent and more sociable. Furthermore at this point inherent biological immortality (or at least exceptionally long lifespans) became the norm.

Alpha Upgrade

Alphas cost 70 points

Alpha stat bonuses are +1 Physique, +1 Intellect and +1 Charisma

Alpha specialties are +1 to one each of Physique, Intellect and Charisma

Origin: Verge (common), Rim (uncommon)

Alpha-Plus

Alpha-Pluses cost 110 points

Alpha-Plus stat bonuses are +1 Physique, +1 Intellect and +1 Charisma

Alpha-Plus get a +1 to all specialties

Alpha-Plus skill bonuses are +1 to any two skills

Alpha-Pluses have a minimum unmodified requirement of 3 Physique, 3 Intellect and 3 Charisma.

Origin: Verge (rare)

Ishtar

The Ishtar upgrade was intended to result in an individuals with exceptional warms and personality, in which it succeeded admirably. One of the second generation of transgenic upgrades from the early 22nd century, the Ishtar template substantially improves on the basic human ability for empathy and socialization, as well as memory and perception. Standard upgrade techniques also improve their bodies, with Ishtars universally having leggy, perfectly-proportioned recruiting-poster builds and faces that merely start at 'attractive'. Consequently Ishtars have spread throughout the Verge and often form the social glue of groups and organizations. Ishtars also tend to have vivid, unnatural hair colors which contributes to their stereotype as flighty pop stars, no matter what their occupation.

Ishtars cost 125 points

Ishtar stat bonuses are +1 Physique, +1 Intellect and +2 Charisma

Ishtar specialties are +1 Fit, +1 Quick-Witted, +1 Perceptive and +1 to all Charisma specialties

Ishtar skill bonuses are +1 to Savoir-Faire, +1 to Ettiquete and +1 to any other Social skill

Ishtars have a minimum unmodified requirement of 3 Charisma

Origin: Verge (common)

Omoikane

Like Ishtars, Omoikanes are second-generation upgrades, with a focus instead on intellectual abilities, in which they are supremely gifted. Capable of effortlessly grasping complex concepts and recalling vast amounts of information they find ready employment in any technical or intellectual field. Thanks to the advances in cognitive science by the 22nd century they are not socially crippled robots either, and while not as capable of demonstrating bottomless well of effortless social acumen they are still quite socially adept. One unique feature about Omoikanes is their neural processes are optimized for machine reading and neural interfaces work particularly well for them. Most Omoikanes have light silver or stark white hair, which is actually pigmented white (as opposed to the progressive loss of hair pigmentation over normal human aging) and is something of a visible trademark.

Omoikanes cost 125 points

Omoikane stat bonuses are +2 to Intellect and +1 to Charisma

Omoikane specialties are +1 to Dextrous, Fit, Quick-witted, Perceptive, Attractive and Friendly or Manipulative and +2 to Intelligent

Omoikane skill bonuses are +1 Remote Operations, +1 Neural Interfacing and +1 to any two other Academic skills

Omoikanes have a minimum unmodified requirement of 3 Intellect

Origin: Verge (common)

Atlas

A popular (and some might say necessary) upgrade for heavy-gravity worlds, the Atlas template substantially upgrades the human body's musculature, skeleton and cardiovascular system. This greatly improves both instantaneous and sustained strength, near-necessities for worlds with gravities 50% higher than Earth's. Of course the Atlas upgrade lends itself well to soldierly pursuits and it is common to see them on the frontiers, clearing out nests of feral drones or local predators - or more human predators. Atlases are not unattractive by any means but look stocky and solid next to the supermodel looks of Ishtars and the willowy grace of Omoikanes.

Atlas Upgrades cost 125 points

Atlas Upgrade stat bonuses are +3 Physique, +1 Intellect and +1 Charisma

Atlas Upgrade specialties are +2 to Big and Fit

Atlas Upgrades have a minimum unmodified requirement of 3 Physique

Origin: Verge (common)

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Outlier Superiors

Over the past century, the intermixing of bloodlines, technological improvements, quest for perfection and simple luck of the draw has resulted in the occasional birth of individuals who have truly exceptional genes. At the leading edge of the curve these superhuman individuals easily gravitate towards the peaks of power and responsibility. Attempts have been made to replicate the full range of their abilities but as so much relied upon the vaguarities of chance, these have had mixed results. Baroque breeding programs among the upper classes have become common, some ending up indistinguishable from dynastic marriages to seal agreements. In the Solar Federation these individuals recieve the coveted S-Type classification.

S-Types cost 230 points

S-Type stat bonuses are +3 Physique, +1 Intellect +1 Charisma and two +1s that can be assigned to any two of Intellect, Charisma or Aleph

S-Type get a +1 to all specialties

S-Type skill bonuses are +1 Endurance and +1 to any three other skills

S-Types have a minimum unmodified requirement of 3 Physique, 3 Intellect and 3 Charisma.

S-Types may be Alephs, with no cap

Origin: Solar Federation (rare)

Seraph

One of the Seraphim Organization's purported goals and major successes has been the stabilization of a reproducible S-grade genetic template. First developed in the late 22nd century they were introduced to the public in 2210 where they have became extremely popular among those wealthy enough to afford the complex upgrade. A quirk of the specific genetic modifications makes them much easier apply to XX individuals as opposed to XY; consequently male Seraphs are much less common, making up less than 5% of the population of Seraphs. The flood of young standardized S-class transhumans and their gender disparity is already causing ripples in the Solar Federation.

Seraphs cost 180 points

Seraph stat bonuses are +2 Physique, +2 Aleph, +1 Intellect, +1 Charisma

Seraph get a +1 to all specialties

Seraph skill bonuses are +1 to any two Academic or Social skills

Seraphs have a minimum unmodified requirement of 3 Physique, 3 Intellect and 3 Charisma.

All Seraphs are Alephs, with no cap

Origin: Solar Federation (rare), Seraphim Organization (common)

Floaters

Floaters have lived out in space on orbiting platforms, asteroid cities and the like for generations. Some are the descendants of colonists who chose a life in space away from the heavily-controlled colony worlds. Others are ship or station crews from less well-off parts of explored space where sophisticated zero-gravity gene adaptations were unavailable. No matter the origin, Floaters tend to be physically weak, though with an almost instinctive feel for three-dimensional movement; the result of long-term and poorly mitigated microgravity upon the human body. The Solar Federation generally labels these F-types, though few are citizens of the Federation.

Floaters cost 0 points

Floater suffer a stat penalty of -1 Physique

Floaters also suffer a specialty penalty of -1 Manipulative

Floaters skill bonuses are +2 Zero-G skill and +1 Engineering

Origin: Solar Federation (rare), Verge (uncommon), Rim (common)

Icarus

Icarus upgrades are a 22nd century response to the needs of the expanding deep-space presence in what would become the Solar Federation. Applying increased understanding of long-term low and microgravity effects on the human body to common transhuman templates, the Icarus became popular among those who settled on the high frontier. In fact the introduction of the Icarus template is seen as one of the root causes of the spread of the Outbacker movement, to the point at which there are more Icarus upgrades in the Verge than in SolFed space. The Solar Federation classes these individuals as O-types.

Icarus Upgrades cost 50 points

Icarus Upgrade stat bonuses are +1 Intellect

Icarus Upgrade specialties are +1 Dexterity and +1 Friendly

Icarus Upgrade skill bonuses are +2 Zero-G skill and +1 Engineering

Origin: Solar Federation (uncommon), Verge (common), Rim (uncommon)