HISTORY

You will not create the whole character in one go — instead, we're going to watch your character grow up and reach the level they need to be at in order to begin their life of adventure. Keep in mind that you can go about creating your character in any way you like, of course. If you have an idea of the KIND of hero you want to play, you can start there and work backwards to what sort of past got them to that point, or you can just start off with an idea of where they came from and see what happens as you walk through the creation process. It's entirely up to you, but do at least consider each of the following five steps.

Step One: Childhood

Think about your character's birth and childhood. Were they raised in the jungle, amidst ancient ruins? That would make them a Native. Did they take their first steps aboard a pirate ship's heaving deck? Presumably they are a Dino-Pirate. Or training relentlessly in a ninja clan headquarters? A Ninja is always a good choice. Were they refugees from an Imperial purge? Then they are an Imperial. These four Backgrounds are the primary ones in this setting, but you can invent your own if you like -- decide on your Bonus Skills (two) and Bonus Feats (two), and choose a couple of Favoured Feats (two). Make sure your GM agrees with your choices and you'll be golden.

Steps Two, Three and Four: Dinosaurs, Pirates and Ninjas

Now come three steps that can be done in any order, and are basically the same except that one concerns your character's first encounter with dinosaurs, one concerns your character's first encounter with pirates, and one concerns your character's first encounter with ninjas. Because nobody in DINO-PIRATES OF NINJA ISLAND gets ready for adventure without crossing paths at least once with each of our titular elements.

You can describe each of these encounters in as much or as little detail as you like. Keep in mind that your character is not yet a hero of puissant skill and fantastic ability, so keep it humble. For each encounter you might also consider a Skill or a Feat that your character picks up at this time (although keep in mind that the total number of Skills and Feats available to your character will depend on the role that you eventually choose for them). Of course, if your character grew up as a pirate or a ninja, their first encounter with such isn't likely to be much of a story. Instead, what you'll do is describe the first time your character was encountered as a pirate or a ninja (so their first attack on an Imperial cargo ship, or their first ninja mission, or something like that).

But before you get all wrapped up in inventing a bunch of thrilling tales about your character, there is one wrinkle: at least TWO of your encounters must involve somebody else's character. You and that player should work together to decide how your characters encountered each other and what their impressions of each other were. Of course, if you want to include more than just one other character in your episodes, you're free to do so. You and the player of a character you encountered in a previous step might have joined forces at that point, and then encountered another pair of characters. Whatever.

Once you have completed these three steps you should have a basic idea of your character's childhood and three episodes from his early life, two of which involved him encountering (and possibly teaming up with) the majority of the other characters in the group. You should also have a few ideas of Skills and Feats that might be appropriate.

Step Five: How You Got Here

At this point your character is connected to a couple of the other characters that will form your adventuring party. Your GM will have information for you about where the campaign is going to start, so work with them and the rest of the players to figure out how you got where you're supposed to be. That should do the trick. Now go back and figure out the numbers, and you're ready to play!