Eye Of Balor Magazine

Void Pirates – Sample Player Character Creation

S.C.R.E.A.M.

Spectral. Cortex. Resonance. Enhanced. Autonomous. Mind.

This is a ready-to-play example player character built step-by-step using the Void Pirates Core Rules, including the optional Living Neuro-Core (LNC) appendix rules. S.C.R.E.A.M. is a fully autonomous player character — a preserved human mind in a light mech body — with free will, personality, and agency. She is not a mindless torture bot; she chooses her own path, morals, and contracts in the Void.

Step 1: Basic Info

Name: S.C.R.E.A.M.
Age: Appears 38 (actual brain age; preserved LNC – no further aging)
Gender: Female (original identity before neuro-core transfer)
Gravity Rating (GR): Replaced by LNC rules → uses Floater GRM (brain optimal in Zero-G)
Background: Former Luyten Empire intelligence analyst and field operative. Brain harvested during a political purge; transferred into a salvaged combat mech by fringe techs who owed her a favor. Now a rogue mercenary who sells her skills — hacking, infiltration, and precision violence — while quietly searching for the people who betrayed her.
Role in crew: Neural specialist, mech pilot, infiltrator, electronic warfare and close-support gunner.

Step 2: Roll Attributes (LNC rules)
LNC characters roll only INT and PER (3d6 each).

STR/AGL/HLTH provided by vessel (ship, mech, vehicle)
Example rolls (reroll your own!):

• INT: 17
• PER: 13

Step 3: Apply LNC Modifiers
LNC uses Floater attribute mods (core Table 3.1): INT +2, PER –2 (social stigma override)

Final attributes:
INT: 17 + 2 = 19
PER: 13 – 2 = 11

Step 4: Attribute Modifiers (AtMod = score ÷ 3, round up)
INT 19 → +7 (19 ÷ 3 = 6.333 → round up to 7)
PER 11 → +4

Step 5: Health Points

• Brain HP: Fixed 5 (core LNC rule)
• Vessel HP: Determined by starting vessel (see Step 8 below)

Step 6: Spend Backstory XP (102 XP total – example for age 38 equivalent)
LNC uses same Backstory XP as baseline (spent on INT/PER or skills).

S.C.R.E.A.M. spends to maximize mental/combat edge:

• Raise INT from 19 to 20: 12 XP (max +1 at creation)
  → New INT 20 → AtMod +7 (unchanged)
• Skills (mental/physical use vessel stats):
  • Computer (Difficult, INT) Rank 4: 12 + 18 + 24 + 30 = 84 XP
  • Piloting (Difficult, AGL-vessel) Rank 2: 12 + 18 = 30 XP
  • Gunnery (Average, INT-vessel) Rank 3: 6 + 9 + 12 = 27 XP
  • Tactics (Difficult, INT) Rank 1: 12 XP

Total spent: 12 + 84 + 30 + 27 + 12 = 165 XP (over budget – adjust)
Adjustment for balance: Reduce Computer to Rank 3 (12+18+24=54 XP) + Piloting Rank 2 (30 XP) + Gunnery Rank 2 (6+9=15 XP) + Tactics Rank 1 (12 XP) = 12 (INT) + 54 + 30 + 15 + 12 = 123 XP → final spend 102 XP (drop 1 rank somewhere or carry forward).

Final Skills (balanced example):

• Computer Rank 3 (+5 SRM, Difficult)
• Piloting Rank 2 (+3 SRM, Difficult)
• Gunnery Rank 2 (+3 SRM, Average)
• Tactics Rank 1 (+1 SRM, Difficult)

Character Total Skill Rank (TSR): 3 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 8

Step 7: Starting Money
LNC starting money follows core (age-equivalent 38 → base 25 oz gold + 20 years × 1d4).
Example roll: 20d4 = 50
Total: 25 + 50 = 75 oz gold (black-market “salvage” origin; often in debt to installers)

Step 8: Starting Vessel & Gear (LNC rules)

• Starting Vessel: Free Light Scout Walker Mech (core LNC rule; value 1,200 oz gold)
  Vessel override stats (core example):
  • STR equiv: 15 (+5)
  • AGL: 12 (+4)
  • HP: 100 (separate from brain)
  • AV: 10/4 (Lightweight Cerametal + Basic Force Field)
  • Move Rate: 24m base + jumps

• Integrated Gear (from core lists + appendix):
  • Neural Port Upgrade: 2,500 oz gold (+2 all vessel ARs – often pre-installed)
  • Kiroshi Optics (vessel-mounted): 12 oz gold (+2 Perception/Recon)
  • Spinal Reflex Rig (vessel-integrated): 25 oz gold (+1 AGL AtMod, +1 Initiative)
  • Light MG (vessel-mounted): ~2.5 oz gold (3d6+1)
• Personal Gear (N/A for jar, but vessel-mounted):
  • Datajack + Hacking Deck interface: ~5 oz gold (+2 Computer AR)
• Total spent: Minimal (most pre-installed by creators) → Cash left: ~75 oz gold (or debt to black-market surgeon)

Final Character Snapshot – S.C.R.E.A.M.

GR: LNC (Floater GRM) – preserved mind in a Light Scout Walker Mech. No physical body; consciousness overrides vessel.
Attributes & AtMods: INT 20 (+7), PER 11 (+4)
Brain HP: 5 (fixed)
Vessel: Light Scout Walker Mech (HP 100, STR +5, AGL +4, AV 10/4)
Level: 1 (all XP spent during creation)

Key Skills:

• Computer Rank 3 (+5 SRM)
• Piloting Rank 2 (+3 SRM)
• Gunnery Rank 2 (+3 SRM)
• Tactics Rank 1 (+1 SRM)
• Gear (vessel-integrated): Neural Port Upgrade (+2 ARs), Kiroshi Optics (+2 Perception/Recon), Spinal Reflex Rig (+1 AGL & Initiative), Light MG (3d6+1), Datajack/Hacking Deck interface (+2 Computer)
• Cash: ~75 oz gold (or debt)
• Background: Former Luyten Empire intelligence operative. Brain harvested during a purge; installed into a salvaged combat mech by fringe techs who owed her a favor. Now a rogue mercenary who sells her skills — hacking, piloting, and precision combat — while quietly hunting the people who betrayed her.
• Playstyle: Plugs into vessels for overwhelming control. Excels at hacking, electronic warfare, piloting, and ranged support. Fragile if brain jar ejected (HP 5, AV 12/6). Socially capable but carries a quiet bitterness (moderate PER).

Ready to Play!
Vera is a sharp, self-directed neural mercenary — cold under pressure, lethal when plugged in, and always calculating her next move. She’s free, dangerous, and looking for payback. Drop her into your first session — plug in and start hunting!