Forum

I decided, for the hell of it, to do a Lifepath run-through and see what I got. Note that I haven't skinned this to a background yet; it's just the rolls (and choices).

Human or Android? 10, so human. Attributes start at 2 each.

Origin? Rolled 9, UPP; rolled 3, Ministry of Space Security, rolled 4, Outer Rim colony; rolled 12, 13, 45, CLOSE COMBAT +2, OBSERVATION +1.

Early Life? Rolled 45, Colonist on backwater planet, +1 Agility, +1 Wits; rolled 51, In the company of androids; roll 11, Experienced a stroke of luck, +1 HEAVY MACHINERY, +1 MOBILITY, +2 to Psych Eval.

Life Event? Rolled 43, A seismic event destroyed my home, +1 Agility, +1 Empathy; rolled 42, 23, +1 COMTECH, +1 STAMINA.

Gain 2 Attribute Points? +1 Wits, +1 Strength.

Career Path? Applied for Pilot: failed; applied for Colonial Marshal: failed; applied for Company Agent: failed; applied for Scientist: accepted, and gained a Favor (rolled 1, Popular); rolled 1, +$150; rolled 5, an M314 motion tracker. (This was weird. What to do if I'd failed for Scientist? There's nothing else I meet the minimums for. Just hand-wave it? Take Kid? Required to "Pull a Fast One"?)

Term 1? Rolled 6, Field Research; rolled 2, P-DAT; rolled 2, +1 OBSERVATION; Performed well, +1 psych eval; gained a Favor (rolled 2, 6, Personal medkit); rolled 2, +$300; rolled 1, Analysis; rolled 1, digital video camera.

Term 2? -1 Empathy; Rolled 6, Field Research; rolled 3, system diagnosis device; rolled 1, +1 COMTECH; Performed well, +1 psych eval; gained a Favor (rolled 4, 51,+1 SURVIVAL, but owe someone); rolled 4, +$600; rolled 2, Breakthrough; rolled 4, PDT.

Term 3? -1 Agility; rolled 5, Pristine Lab; rolled 2, +1 OBSERVATION; rolled 2, another P-DAT; Satisfactory Performance; rolled 5, +$750; chose Fast Reflexes; rolled 1, another digital video camera. (Again a little strange. I ended up with 8 pieces of gear. I'd suggest maxing that at 6 (completing the table), and then replace any extra with another Paycheck roll.)

Psych Evaluation? +4 to roll: rolled a 14: "Supportive of authority to the point of fanaticism. Suspect drug usage. Monitor closely." (That made me laugh. You can apparently score too high on your psych eval ... )

Finished:

Attributes Strength 3, Agility 3, Wits 4, Empathy 2.
Skills CLOSE COMBAT +2, HEAVY MACHINERY +1, STAMINA +1, MOBILITY +1, OBSERVATION +5, COMTECH +1, SURVIVAL +1, MANIPULATE +1 (but only against my own organization)
Talents Analysis, Breakthrough, Fast Reflexes.
Cash $1800.
Personal Gear P-DAT (x2), digital video camera (2), system diagnostic device, PDT, personal medkit, M314 motion tracker.
Signature Item Silver fang.

I could have fun with this character, after using the fluff to flesh him out. People do like to optimize characters in ALIEN, and this is a nice change of pace from that.

Just want to say, thank you for doing this. I had read through that section, but was curious as to how it actually shook out. The failure to apply thing is interesting. The lack of skill cohesion is my biggest worry (based on this singular example). Thanks again!

a very unique way of making a character i like it.

Thanks for sharing!

I do really like the idea of characters that applied for their dream jobs and failed. The Company is a machine that grinds people into dust, very thematic.

I feel like most of the characters I see in the Alien Cinematic universe would rather be doing something else. Except maybe Vasquez, of course

A great idea.