Backgrounds

p. 36

About Backgrounds

Backgrounds are not mechanical aspects of character development; instead, they are thematic facets of a character that help define the character as more than a set of numbers. Players do not need to give their characters Backgrounds, but they help make characters far more interesting.

At Character Creation, recommendation is to select a Socioeconomic Beginning and a Background

Players may also find inspiration from Career Specific Backgrounds below.

Socioeconomic Beginnings

The Down and Out

The player may decide that the character comes from humble or hardscrabble beginnings. Characters from this type of background strive to better themselves and do their utmost to escape their plight. The character either trains incessantly, picking up knowledge any way that they can, or simply is tough and resourceful enough to go out on their own.

Middle Class Struggles

Sometimes a character comes from modest, but comfortable conditions prior to entering a life of adventure. This broad category could include anything from a skilled technician, minor political official, professional soldier, or any other lifestyle that typically involves hard work—but with the pay to make it worthwhile.

The High and Mighty

Characters from this type of background include landed gentry, wealthy business owners, doctors, politicians, and any other position or upbringing that brings with it money, power, and status above that of the common rabble. The character might find themself fleeing their former life with only the (admittedly upscale) clothes on their back and nothing else but their abilities, skills, and will to survive in the unforgiving galaxy.

The Outsider

A character from this background came from a society outside of the galactic norm. The character is probably ill-informed about or completely unaware of the politics, customs, and even technology of the rest of the galaxy. They may be superstitious of the strange sights around them or embrace the wonders that they encounter.

Core Backgrounds

Opportunity Knocks

The simplest reason for a character to live on the fringes of society is the basic desire to grasp some opportunity or challenge oneself.

A Higher Calling

A character may receive some sort of sign that tells them to leave behind their former life and make their way to the fringes of the galaxy to serve this higher calling.

Enemies and Antagonists

Simply put, the character rubbed someone the wrong way and found themself fleeing their former life.

A Failure of Character

Some inherent flaw in the character causes them to leave behind the life they knew for the unknown.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time

The character finds themself embroiled in a life of adventure through no fault of their own.

Bounty Hunter Backgrounds

BH-ND p. 15

In It for the Money

Bounty hunters are, at their core, exceedingly mercenary. While many bounty hunters may claim to adhere to some higher order or serve a greater good, at the end of the day, they all serve one master — money.

Lawbringer

These hunters consider themselves extensions of legitimate law enforcement or, in some cases, agents of justice in an unjust galaxy.

Thrill of the Hunt

Though some beasts are more powerful, faster, or more savage than any sentient creature, few kinds of prey are more cunning.

Colonist Backgrounds

C-FH p. 10

The Opportunist

Founding a colony is hard work, but a generation or two later, when the hardest work is done but opportunity still abounds, the opportunist moves in with fresh resources.

The Grizzled Settler

Unfortunately, life on the frontier is hard, and what starts a dream for the future can quickly turn sour as children succumb to exotic diseases or local wildlife, leaving some settlers stranded with nothing to live for.

The Fugitive

The galaxy is full of those on the run from something or someone. Some people may be pursued by bounty hunters, while others may be fleeing local governments, corporations, or even the Empire.

Explorer Backgrounds

E-EtU p. 12

Academic

For the student who seeks history, science, and other knowledge beyond the halls of academia, the stars can be an undeniable siren's song.

Criminal

The reasons for pursuing a life of crime are as varied as the types of crime one can commit.

Entrepreneur

The galaxy is overflowing with opportunities for those willing to search for them.

Ex-Imperial Operator

More than a few find reasons to escape serving the Empire because their freedom, or even their very lives, depend on it.

Fallen Noble

There are millions — perhaps billions — of noble families throughout the galaxy, and quite a few of them have black sheep.

Wanderer

Curiosity? Boredom? Tragic circumstance? A desire for something more? Whatever it is that drives someone to wander away from their home and set out among the stars, it must be a powerful force to overcome the fear of the unknown.

Hired Gun Backgrounds

HG-DC p. 12

Yesterday's Hero

Whether through the machinations of a political enemy, the natural ebb and flow of popularity, or a legitimate mistake or miscalculation, the character has now fallen from grace.

Ex-Military

The galaxy is full of armies, from the numerous planetary defense forces to the awesome might of the Imperial Military.

The Avenger

Following the one that wronged them, this character is in pursuit of righteous vengeance, leaving everything else they knew and loved behind.

Scion of a Legacy

Many children follow in the footsteps of their fathers or mothers, even if they only do so because that is what is expected of them.

Peace Turned to War

Some spent a great deal of their lives in an honest career or some other peaceful labor, before some pivotal event set them on the path to become the hardened veteran they are today.

Smuggler Backgrounds

S-FC p. 12

Disadvantaged

Whether on a planet under strict Imperial rule or some backwater moon far from any trade route, the career of a Smuggler becomes an attractive prospect, a way of exchanging the familiar daily struggle for a life full of potential.

Privileged

Some Smugglers have lived the good life but lost everything. Some may have even purposefully left wealth behind, tired of the strings attached or dreaming of a life of adventure and glory.

Ex-Military

Though many of those enlisted remain for the entirety of their careers or lives, some individuals face expulsion for misconduct or choose to leave of their own free will.

Respectable

It’s entirely possible for a merchant to spend their whole career transporting and selling legal goods while keeping on the right side of the law, but sometimes laws change and they cannot or will not change with them.

Cynical

Due to a traumatic event, this Smuggler-carries a big chip on their shoulder. They've lost faith in law, order, or people in general.

Born and Bred

Some Smugglers have never been anything else. Smuggling is all this character knows, and they do it well.

Technician Backgrounds

T-SM p. 12

Antiquarian

Some Technicians are deeply engaged in the past. The galaxy is unfathomably ancient, and over countless millennia, thousands of species have lived and discovered new ways to transform their environments to their needs.

Born Engineer

Some characters take to tinkering as children or adolescents, displaying a prodigous skill with technology at a young age.

Tech Designer

Some Technicians believe that no matter what problem a being faces, the answer always lies in building a better solution. Technology transforms the galaxy, and those at the cutting edge of design have the power to create a future in their own image.

Underworld Tech Expert

Many Technicians support and are supported by shady characters, if not by outright criminals. The character might be trying to escape difficult decisions from the past, or seeking to advance within a particular criminal organization.