CPA: Character Generation

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The character creation process is simple and straightforward.

To begin, grab a piece of blank paper, or a spreadsheet or .txt file.

1. Discuss

Discuss the setting, party goal, and character limitations with the game group.
This game is appropriate for characters who are highly skilled at one or two main skills.
Additionally, it's strongly recommended to have characters be part of a team or organization with a firm bond and mutual goal.
Therefore, good premises include the following:

One or a team of explorers hired to find a lost treasure
One or a team of clone soldiers hired to destroy a cult outpost or clear monsters from a cave.
One or a group of disaster survivors searching for a safe haven
One or a a group of junior soldiers, psychics, or spies hired to do minor missions for a larger organization

The game will not work as well to depict multitalented superheroes, so keep the stakes low, the pacing unhurried, and the characters mortal and hopeful.
Then, get some paper or electronic character sheets together where everyone can see -- Google Sheets is a good choice for shared record-keeping.
If you want to use a pregenerated character, click here. Otherwise, read on.

2. Lineage

Create your character's Lineage, also known as species, race or heritage, if not pre-set by the GM. This does not usually have any mechanical effect and is usually for roleplay purposes only.
Races with special powers must earn those special powers by spending talents in step 5. For example:
If you want to be an aquatic, flying, or digging creature, get GM approval and take the "Aquatic/Avian/Earthen Origin" talents respectively.
Character flavor aspects which do not have a mechanical effect also go in this category - scars, a hook-hand, wooden leg etc. This game does not give rewards for disadvantages, so such prosthetics are for roleplay purposes only.
Talk with the other players to create how your people fit in to the setting. Were these robots former servants who rebelled? Are you the last elf in the galaxy? To keep the setting's secrets, the GM has veto power here.

3. Background

Next, create for your character a background. This can include a culture or upbringing, and is all about showing what your character is passionate about:
- Ally. A relative, friend, business partner, lover, family, faction, or mentor. Note their name and how you feel about them with a few words.
- Enemy. A rival, criminal, bully, evil organization or other antagonist from your past. Note their name and how you felt about them with a few words.
- Flaw. A part of your character's personality that gets them into trouble. They might be greedy, hot-headed, emotionally cold, or dangerously curious. To keep it fun, other players must consent for your character's flaw.
- Ambition. Something your character is strongly motivated to achieve. This is required to explain why they are adventuring. Be as ambitious as you can, even for a short campaign!
Background and culture also determines what languages, songs, histories and legends your character knows.

4. Paths

All CPA characters have core competencies in one or more of three areas, marking you as cut out for adventure.
These can be thought of as light classes. In a standard game, you start with 2 of the below paths. You can take two different basic paths or the basic and advanced level of the same path.
Later on, additional paths can be purchased with the "New Path" talent for 20 XP. Alternative game modes may start players with 0, 1 or 3 paths instead of 2.

Fighter heroes begin with bonuses to hit and the ability to use creative tactics on any strike, along with a special fighting style. Advanced fighters can endure significant amounts of punishment, and master fighters are skilled with every type of attack and defense.

Path skills: Combat and Defense Skills

Fighter Path	Features
Core	Choose one combat skill you posess. You can always roll 3d6+skill for this skill. Honed Technique: Each time you hit with a combat skill, apply one feasible technique, condition, or effect to your target, at no action cost.
Advanced	You can always roll 3d6+skill for your Dodge skill. You gain the option to roll 4d4+skill for any combat or defense skill. Resolute Technique: Once per combat, guarantee a basic hit by you or a basic miss against you or an adjacent ally, before or after rolling. +5 to your maximum health points.
Master	You can roll 3d6+skill for all comb at and defense skills. Nine Lives: Once per session, guarantee a critical success on a defense roll, before or after rolling. Take an additional +5 to your maximum health points.

Having studied for many moons, adventuring mages gain access to powerful arcane arts, and the special Energy resource to spend on them. Advanced mages know multiple schools of arcana while master mages are unparalleled with casting skill.

Path skills: All Arcane Skills

Mage Path	Features
Core	Gain access to one arcane skill you choose. You can learn and advance this one arcane skill, but not yet others. You gain current and maximum energy points equal to 5 + Arcane skill level.
Advanced	You can now learn and advance any arcane skill. Your maximum energy points are equal to 7 + your Arcane skill levels. Twisting the Threads: Once per session, guarantee a spell's success of level 3 or lower, instead of rolling.
Master	You can roll all of your arcane skills with 1d20+skill or 4d4+skill. Your maximum energy points equal 10 + your Arcane skill levels. Ethereal Control: Once per scene, you can guarantee a spell's success of level 3 or lower, instead of rolling.

Professional heroes, whether hackers, archaeologists, acrobats or thieves, have broader and stronger professional skills than other adventurers. Advanced professionals can focus in a crisis and learn faster than others. Master professionals can provide critical insights on a regular basis.

Path skills: All Professional and Social Skills

Professional Path	Features
Core	Choose one professional skill: You can always roll this skill with 3d6 + skill. Expertise: You get 1 extra Professional Talent of Expert level. Your professional expert talents only require skill 1 instead of the usual 3. Jack of all Trades: You take no penalties for being untrained in any non-arcane skill.
Advanced	Choose another professional skill, you can always roll it with +1 advantage die. You can always choose to roll any professional skill with 4d4 + skill. Skilled: Each time the GM awards skill points or other advancements to the party, you get +1 extra XP. Focus: Once per scene, you can roll any professional skill with +1 advantage die. You can activate this ability before or after the roll.
Master	You can roll 2d10+skill for one professional skill you choose. Talented: All Talent purchases have a 1-xp discount for you. Spark of Genius: Once per session, you can guarantee a critical success on any professional skill.

5. Skills and Talents

In a standard game of CPA, after taking their starting 2 Paths, your character adds 2 Talent and 8 more skills with the following levels: (3,3,2,2,1,1,1,1).

Choose eight skills and two starting Talents in any order.
Set two Skills to level 3, two to level 2 and four to learn at level 1. [3,3,2,2,1,1,1,1].
- Each of your best (level 3) starting skills must be in the categories of your Paths.
- For example, if you start with the Core Mage Path and the Core Professional path, then your level 3 skills must be one arcane and one professional skill.
- The other skills can be in any category permitted. Note that only Advanced Mages can take more than one arcane skill.
Then, take 2 talents from the Talents list for which you qualify.
- One of your 2 talents must be in the categories of your Paths.
- For example, if you start with the Core Fighter Path and Core Professional path, then one of your talents must be a combat, defensive or professional talent.

6. Health and Energy

Assign your health points [HP].

The character's health points determine how much abuse they can safely endure before being taking a serious wound.
Base HP is equal to 10 + Resilience + Athletics + Combat skills. Paths, Talents and other features may add more.
Health regenerates at a base rate of (1 + Resilience skill) per 4 hours of good comfortable rest and healthy food--but, if players are exhausted, diseased, poisoned or wounded, they must recover from that first before recovering HP.
You do not regenerate health or recover from exhaustion if you are resting in poor conditions (GM's discretion).

Assign your Energy Points [EP].

Only characters with Mage paths (or the Meditation Expert talent) get energy points.
The character's maximum Energy Points are usually equal to the sum of your arcane skills plus a base value (7,10,12 for basic, advanced, master Mage path).
For example, an Advanced Mage with level 3 in Cryomancy and 4 in Metaphysics has 10 + (3 + 4) = 17 maximum Energy Points.
If you spend your energy points, you recharge them at a base rate of 1 + [Meditation Skill] per 4 hours of rest.

7. Movement, Inventory, Initiative

Assign your Initiative score, equal to the sum of all your combat and defense skills.
- This score is used purely to decide who goes first in a combat, chase, evacuation, or other urgent scene, if there is any question about it at the table.
- In case of a tie, the player with fewer health points goes first.
Assign your Movement, equal to 3 + your single highest skill of (Melee or Brawl or Athletics). The character's movement represents how many spaces or meters you can move with one Action in combat.
If needed, your maximum inventory is 6 items + 2 * Athletics skill. It applies to all items worn, held, or carried in packs or pockets. Especially large items, such as a large vehicle power cell or a barrel of whiskey, must be held in 2 hands.

8. Items and Money

The GM will assign your character some cash and starting equipment, based on your background and top skills.
- A starship engineer might start with a set of power tools and a box of spare parts.
- A private detective might start with a revolver, kevlar vest and forensic kit.
- A knight might start with a sword, shield and chain mail.
For a fantasy game, starting cash is generally 25 gold coins. For scifi, $300 is a good starting point.
- Characters start poor because this provides a helpful incentive to adventure and encourage interesting decisions.

9. The Fellowship

Agree with the other players on why your character is committing wholeheartedly to join them and entrust their life to these specific friends on an Adventure of Cosmic Peril.
That's it! At this point, you can set out to join your party for their adventure!

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Character Advancement

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After they are created, player characters (PCs) in CPA can grow in skills and talents as they gain experience, but they remain free to keep or change their motivations, flaws, goals and personality as fits the fun of the story.

When CPA characters complete one specific mission objective in the adventure, they acquire 1 experience point (XP), which can be saved or spent on skill and talent improvements, as described below.

This helps ensure that players always have a good reason to seize the moment and get into trouble in the game's story.

Examples of how to acquire experience points:

If players are an elite squad charged with rescuing hostages from terrorists over a 5-session mission, then when the action is complete, the GM might award them 1 XP for each hostage rescued.
If players are archaeologists on a mission to locate traces of ancient civilizations from uncharted space, the GM might award them 1 point for each alien artifact recovered.
If players are refugees fleeing an apocalypse, the GM might award them 1 point each time they find a new vehicle, food source, fuel cache, or ally.

Note there is no need for advancement in this game. However, if you do use advancement, keep the following in mind:

A character who maximizes their main combat & defense skill and talents will become akin to a city-level super-hero (able to fight six TN12 thugs single handed) after about 25 xp post-character creation.

How to spend experience points (XP):

Burning XP:At any time, a player may spend or "burn" 1 XP to reroll 1 skill check, or add +1 to a check. They must declare to the table when they are doing this.

Skill upgrades and new talents may be purchased with XP at any time. However:

The player must declare to the group their intent to spend XP on a skill or talent, when they intend to do so.
The player must give a reasonable an in-game explanation for the increase in the character's abilities.
If the GM asks, and the player can't coherently explain how their stone-age hunter gained computer programming skills in a steaming jungle, or how their bookish scientist learned kung-fu during a bus ride, then it cannot happen, and the player must choose another upgrade or save the points for later.
Once approved, the player must tell the group about how they advanced, and note the advancement spending on their character sheet or log.

Talent Advancement:

To acquire a talent, after meeting requirements, declaration and approval, a player simply spends 5 XP and then selects the desired talent from the talent list. Note that each talent may have its own special requirements.

For example, before taking the "Sword Elite" talent, the player must have at least the "Sword Expert" talent.

Statistic Advancement:

Health points, Energy Points, initiative and movement increase immediately after you increase the skills that feed into them according to the usual player character rules listed above.

Skill Advancement:

You can improve skills by spending accumulated experience points. Note:

The maximum level for any skill is 6 - this is the limit of mortal ability.
In order to advance one arcane skill, the player character have the Arcane Initiate talent. To advance two or more, the Arcane Adept talent is required.

Skill advancement costs are as follows:

New Skill Level	XP Cost to Advance by 1 Level to this Level	XP Cost TOTAL for this level	Description
Untrained	0	0	Unfamiliar, you have a -2 penalty with this skill
1	1	1	Basic training. You can do the simplest type of work while calm, but mistakes are likely when pressured, and advanced projects are out of the question.
2	2	3	Employable worker. You usually succeed with few issues at basic (TN 10) risky challenges, but advanced techniques are beyond your grasp.
3	3	6	Standard professional. You are cool under pressure for basic tasks, and can attempt advanced techniques while calm.
4	4	10	An expert that others rely upon. You usually succeed on advanced risky challenges (TN 12).
5	5	15	Elite skill. You have a slightly above-average chance on difficult challenges (TN 14) and anything below that is usually easy for you.
6	6	21	Maximum mortal potential. You have a clear advantage (67%) on difficult risks (TN 14) and can attempt great works while unbothered.