👤 Character Creation
📥 GCS CAMPAIGN RESOURCES
Download the GCS (GURPS Character Sheet) files customized for Shattered Earth.
⚠️ CRITICAL RULE: ALL characters start as mundane humans. NO supernatural abilities at character creation. Magic and psionics don't exist in 2096—yet.
The Piecemeal Build System
Shattered Earth uses a staged character creation process designed to produce well-rounded, organic characters. Rather than dumping every point into a spreadsheet at once, you build your character in layers — each reflecting a different aspect of who they are and where they came from.
This approach prevents the "attribute dump" problem where high-point-total characters end up with sky-high stats and barely any skills. Instead, you'll have a competent, believable person with a real history.
Step 1 — Core Build: 150 Points
Every PC begins with 150 points to spend on attributes, advantages, and skills. This is the baseline — the person you are before your life story fills in the details. A 150-point character is a capable, competent adult: a soldier, a hacker, a doctor, a street operator. Not a superhero, but someone who can pull their weight.
At this stage, focus on the core of your concept: your most important attributes, your signature skills, and any essential advantages that define who you are.
💡 Guideline: At 150 points, aim for no more than 2–3 attributes significantly above average (12–14), a couple of focused skills at solid levels (12–14), and a few key advantages. Don't try to be good at everything yet — that comes in later steps.
Step 2 — Character Blocks: Up to 250 Total Points
After the base 150-point build, you add up to 4 blocks of 25 points each, up to a maximum of 250 total points. You don't have to take all of them — any unspent blocks become part of your reserved in-play pool (see Step 3). Each block represents a distinct facet of your background or capability.
Your core career or trade. The skills, training, and knowledge that define what you do. A soldier's combat training, a doctor's medical expertise, a hacker's technical repertoire.
Advanced specialization within (or adjacent to) your base profession. Special forces training on top of military service. Surgical specialization on top of medical school. Black-hat expertise on top of IT work.
Where you grew up, how you were raised, and what shaped you before your career. Street kid, corporate heir, military family, rural survivalist — these experiences leave their mark in unexpected skills and traits.
A curated package of skills every functioning adult in 2096 should have: basic computer use, navigation, some form of physical fitness, first aid, and a few optional picks. Nobody gets out of the modern world without these fundamentals.
A package of points invested in one or more natural talents — aptitudes, knacks, or trained capabilities applicable to this PC's concept. Could represent a gifted athlete, a silver-tongued negotiator, a prodigy programmer, or an instinctive fighter.
Potential only — no active spellcasting. If your character has the spark for magic, you may take Magery up to level 2 and/or related advantages. No spells may be purchased at character creation. The ability exists dormant, waiting to be unlocked during play.
Potential only — no active powers. You may take Psionic Talent or a Psi advantage representing latent potential (e.g., Talent for Telekinesis, Empathy, or Telepathy). No active psionic skills or techniques may be purchased yet. Powers awaken during play.
Chrome, wetware, implants. Any cybernetic modifications your character has already undergone before play begins. See the Cybernetics section for available options and their point costs.
Genetic heritage, bloodline quirks, or racial traits — particularly relevant for characters with Atlantean, mutant, or other non-standard ancestry. These traits are passive and physical in nature; no supernatural activation at character creation.
⚠️ Supernatural Blocks (Arcane, Psi, Ancestry): Any supernatural traits must be potential and non-active. You can have Magery 2, but no spells. You can have Psi Talent for Telekinesis, but no TK skill. The power exists as latent potential — it awakens during the campaign when the story calls for it.
Step 3 — In-Play Reserve: At Least 50 Points
After Steps 1 and 2, you must reserve at least 50 points to be spent during the first sessions of the campaign. These are not "banked" advancement points — they represent the parts of your character you haven't fully defined yet.
You may spend up to 10 points per session from this reserve, as you decide how your character develops in play. Maybe you discover a skill from your past that suddenly becomes relevant. Maybe a relationship crystallizes into a proper Ally advantage. Maybe you realize your character is tougher than you initially thought.
💡 Why this works: Characters built all at once, with 300+ points to spend, often end up with inflated attributes and almost no skill points — because spending 300 points optimally is genuinely hard. The piecemeal system produces characters with stories: a base of who they are, layers of what they've done, and room to grow naturally at the table.
Point Budget Summary
| Stage | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Core Build | 150 pts | Attributes, core skills, key advantages |
| Character Blocks | Up to 250 pts | 9 blocks × 25 pts; take as many or few as desired |
| In-Play Reserve | 50 pts minimum | Spent 10 pts/session during early campaign |
| Maximum Total | 450 pts | 150 + 250 + 50 reserve (but reserve is spent in-play) |
| Block | Taken? | Example Spend |
|---|---|---|
| Core Build | ✓ 150 pts | DX 12, PER 12, ST 10; Guns, Stealth, Running |
| Base Profession | ✓ 25 pts | Military: Tactics, Leadership, Soldier skills |
| Elite Profession | ✓ 25 pts | Special Forces: Explosives, Combat techniques, Infiltration |
| Deeper Background | ✓ 25 pts | Street kid: Street Smarts, Pickpocket, Area Knowledge |
| Everyman | ✓ 25 pts | Computer, First Aid, Navigation, Driving |
| Talents | ✓ 25 pts | Combat Reflexes + boosted weapon skills |
| Arcane Ability | — skipped | Not part of this concept |
| Psi Ability | ✓ 25 pts | Psi Talent 2 (latent) — something stirs... |
| Cybernetics | — skipped | No chrome, staying clean |
| Ancestry Traits | — skipped | Fully human baseline |
| In-Play Reserve | 75 pts held | To be spent during first 7-8 sessions |
| TOTAL at Session 1 | 375 pts | 300 spent + 75 in reserve |
Before You Build: Ask These Questions
Teams need diverse skillsets. Consider:
- Combat Specialist: High DX, PER, combat skills. Front-line fighter.
- Tech Expert: High KN, IN. Hacking, engineering, technical solutions.
- Infiltrator: High DX, PER, Stealth. Gets in and out unseen.
- Face/Negotiator: High CH, PR, social skills. Handles people.
- Support/Medic: Mix of skills. Keeps team functional.
- Investigator: High PER, IN, knowledge skills. Gathers intel.
You don't have to fit one role perfectly, but knowing your primary function helps focus your build.
Your background determines starting resources and connections:
- Corporate Employee: Access to corp resources, contacts, equipment. But also obligations (Duty disadvantage).
- Government Agent: Legal authority, official backing, training. Strict rules and oversight.
- Military Veteran: Combat training, battlefield experience, military contacts. May have PTSD or injuries.
- Freelancer: Independence, flexibility, diverse experience. Less resources and backup.
- Former Criminal: Street contacts, unconventional skills, experience with the underworld. Criminal record, enemies.
- Academic/Researcher: Specialized knowledge, research access, analytical skills. Less combat training.
Don't try to be good at everything. Specialize and be great at your niche.
- Exceptional Skill: One thing you're truly excellent at (skill 14–16 at game start)
- Unique Advantage: Unusual trait that opens opportunities (Eidetic Memory, Danger Sense, etc.)
- Special Training: Access to techniques or styles others don't have
- Cutting-Edge Augmentation: Experimental cybernetics or early-access biotech
- Latent Potential: A whisper of something that shouldn't exist yet...
No one operates in a vacuum. Who can you call?
- Contacts (advantage): Former colleague, black market dealer, corp insider, government bureaucrat, street informant
- Allies (advantage): Skilled partner, mentor, friend in a powerful position
- Enemies (disadvantage, 0 pts): Former employer, rival operative, someone you wronged, an organization that wants what you have
Contacts and enemies create story hooks. The GM will use them.
Why do you do this dangerous work? Motivation examples:
- Revenge: Someone killed your partner/family/friend. You'll find them.
- Redemption: You made a terrible mistake. You're trying to make it right.
- Truth: You discovered something impossible. You need answers.
- Protection: There's someone/something you must keep safe.
- Duty: You serve a cause greater than yourself.
- Greed: This pays extremely well. You have expensive needs.
- Loyalty: Your team saved you once. You owe them everything.
Character Creation Checklist
Before you finalize your character, verify:
☐ Core build (150 pts) complete
☐ Decided which blocks to take (and noted totals)
☐ At least 50 pts reserved for in-play spending
☐ Disadvantages chosen for story (remember: 0 points!)
☐ At least one thing you're really good at (skill 14+)
☐ Combat skill if you expect to fight (minimum 12)
☐ Attributes make sense for concept (all 10 pts/level)
☐ Can contribute to the team in a meaningful way
☐ Background explains skills and advantages
☐ Have a reason to work with the team
☐ Equipment appropriate for wealth level
☐ Character has goals and motivations
☐ Supernatural traits (if any) are latent/potential only — no active powers