Brainstorming Character Concepts

Alice bounces in her seat, practically bursting with excitement. “Ooh, I love Skittermanders,” she says, brushing a strand of hair behind one ear. “Maybe I’ll actually play a Skittermander character who’s part of that community. Like, a local girl who isn’t so naive anymore – she knows the Veskarium and the mining company are exploiting her people. I read in the playtest about a feat called Rebel’s Scrutiny for Skittermanders who catch on to injustice. My character could embody that. She’d still be friendly and helpful at heart, but she’s got a keen eye for power dynamics and only helps those who deserve it, instead of blindly obeying every order. Basically, a subtle little rebel.” Alice grins, already imagining her character sneaking supplies away from the Vesk to help her neighbors.

The GM nods appreciatively. “That sounds awesome,” he says. “Skittermanders are usually all about helping others, almost to a fault. Rebel’s Scrutiny flips that instinct. It’s described as: ‘You’ve come to realize that your people are being taken advantage of, and have refined your collaboration instinct in response, developing a keen eye toward power dynamics and injustice and training yourself to help only those who deserve it. Ignore all penalties from the Overeager Enthusiasm ability.’ Mechanically, it gives bonuses to sensing motives and to deception when creating distractions – very useful for a clever rebel. I love the idea that your Skittermander could be secretly aiding her community against the corporation’s abuses, helping in selective ways.”

Tyrone rubs his chin thoughtfully. “Cool, a local resistance vibe,” he says. “I’m thinking of going in a different direction for my character: maybe an off-worlder sent to Vesk-3 by the mining corporation, who might end up sympathizing with the locals. Like an auditor or inspector from the company, here to check on operations. At first he’s just doing his job, but then he sees how badly the Skittermanders are treated. That could create some great tension as he wrestles with duty versus conscience.” Tyrone’s glasses catch a gleam of light as he warms to the idea of an outsider’s perspective.

Cora tilts their head, intrigued. “An offworld auditor, interesting… You could start off a bit antagonistic and then switch sides once you witness the cruelty firsthand. It could definitely work.” They tap a pen on their notebook and ask, “What species were you thinking, Tyrone? Human, or something more alien? Well, I suppose humans are the aliens on most planets…”

Tyrone purses his lips. “A human corporate auditor is a bit plain, yeah. A Vesk might make sense as a company man, but a Vesk turning against the Veskarium’s own occupation is a stretch. Their anathema, basically taboo for their people, is betrayal. Oh\!” His face lights up. “What about a Pahtra – you know, those catfolk aliens?”

The GM points excitedly at Tyrone. “Yes\! Pahtras are a feline humanoid species from a nearby system,” he explains. “They’re known for being fiercely competitive and proud. In fact, they fought a generations-spanning war to free their jungle world from Veskarium conquerors, and only won independence fairly recently. So a Pahtra on Vesk-3 would definitely empathize with the Skittermanders’ situation. He’d see the occupation here and immediately relate it to his own people’s history.”

Tyrone is already imagining his character’s backstory. He flashes a grin. “I love that. You know what – I’ll drop the whole auditor idea and go with a Pahtra Soldier from off-world. Maybe he isn’t here on official business after all. Perhaps he’s just stopping for fuel and supplies on his way elsewhere, and he stumbles upon this brewing conflict. Once he witnesses the exploitation and unrest, he can’t ignore it. I picture him as a veteran who can’t stand to see another people under the boot, even if it means defying the Veskarium. And being a Soldier class will give our party some muscle.”

Cora claps their hands together, impressed. “Great, so we have a local Skittermander rebel and a seasoned offworld Pahtra soldier. For me,” they say, a sly smile creeping across their face, “I’m drawn to a bit of a scoundrel concept. I was thinking of someone posing as a miners’ activist or union organizer, but really just in it for the money. Essentially, a con artist who pretends to fight for the cause while secretly skimming credits. A true anti-hero vibe.” They wink. “Maybe not the most trustworthy ally on the surface, but fun to roleplay.”

Alice laughs. “Ha\! That’s devious. And it just so happens,” she says, flipping through a PDF on her tablet, “according to the backgrounds list, the Grifter background is spot-on for that. Listen to this.” Alice reads aloud from the entry: “‘You’re a con artist and trickster who swindles unsuspecting dupes and blackmails rubes, but it’s nothing personal—you’re just in it for the credits. You might run an operation on the side, or you might spend your career moving from settlement to settlement until you get caught in the act.’ That fits perfectly. Your character could have been stirring up trouble under the guise of helping the workers, and maybe she did get caught by local authorities at some point.”

The GM snaps his fingers, delighted by the plot hook. “If they got caught, that could be a great hook to start their story. Perhaps instead of jail time, they’re doing court-mandated community service in the colony—say, working at that very food bank I mentioned. It forces them to actually help people for once in their life. Imagine the irony: a grifter forced to ladle soup for the folks they once tried to swindle. It’d be a fun arc, at least initially, with their essentially forced to be an altruist as part of their sentence.”

Cora’s eyes gleam at the twist. “Oh, I love that. So my character starts off begrudgingly ladling soup or picking up trash just to avoid prison, totally rolling her eyes at all the do-gooders around her.” They chuckle, clearly enjoying the idea of their anti-heroine in such an uncomfortable situation. “But over time, maybe she genuinely starts to care. A bit of a redemption arc, you know? She’ll still have her streetwise skills though—I definitely want to play an Operative class for all the stealth and trickery. I’m picturing her as about 19 years old, basically a kid who grew up scraping by on the streets, a punk teen hacker/thief type.” Cora twirls a strand of hair and adds with a smirk, “She’ll be sarcastic as hell, but not evil. Deep down, maybe she cares more than she lets on.”

Tyrone nods, leaning forward with his elbows on the table. “Nice. So, Cora, your character is a 19-year-old Human Operative with a shady past. Alice’s was a Skittermander local rebel—”

“Actually…” Alice interrupts, holding up a finger as a new idea strikes her. “I’m reconsidering playing a Skittermander as my main. Hearing your ideas, I think we’ve got two solid characters with the Pahtra soldier and the human operative. What we might be missing is someone who can heal or provide support. And I have a new idea—one that still keeps a Skittermander element but in a different way.” She sits up straighter, excitement growing in her voice. “What if I play an Android Mystic who lives in the Skittermander community? Maybe he’s not a Skittermander himself, but he’s devoted to them – like running that food bank or otherwise helping the locals in a spiritual and medical capacity.”

The GM’s eyebrows shoot up in interest. “Ooh, an Android Mystic would definitely bring in some magic and healing, which the party will appreciate. And Androids in Starfinder have their own really cool lore. Many of them have a whole lineage of souls; their bodies get reused in a process called renewal when an android dies. You could lean into that aspect.” He gestures as if unfurling a whole new thread of story. Alice and the others recall that Androids aren’t born but manufactured, with souls that move on and new souls coming into the body—there’s rich potential there.

“Right\! The new soul inheriting an old body,” Alice says, eyes shining. “This android character could have inherited a previously used body. I love that concept.” She flips a page in the playtest guide and finds what she’s looking for. “There’s a Renewed Android heritage in the playtest. It says, ‘Many souls have inhabited your synthetic body before you… Muscle memory hints at your body’s past, and people you’ve never met strangely recognize your face.’ How evocative is that? Maybe my Mystic is the third soul to live in this body. In fact, I’ll work that into his identity: he even integrates the number 3 into his name to honor the prior two souls.”

“Solace-3 – that name gives me chills,” Cora says, breaking into a broad smile. “In a good way\! It sounds comforting, but also a bit sorrowful. Perfect for a kind-hearted Mystic who’s literally seen a lot through those previous lives.”

Alice beams. “That’s exactly the vibe I’m going for. I picture Solace-3 as neurodivergent too. He awoke in his new body amid the chaos of the Skittermander community and it overwhelms him sometimes—like it triggers his OCD tendencies to see these energetic little furballs running in every direction,” she explains with a laugh. “He copes by creating order wherever he can. Maybe he meticulously organizes the pantry shelves at the food bank or counts supplies to calm himself. And… I still want that Skittermander connection I was excited about originally. So what if Solace-3 has a particular Skittermander friend, or a little ward he looks after? That way I carry through my original idea of having a Skittermander close, just not as my player character.”

The GM nods, already thinking of NPC possibilities. Alice continues, “I was pouring over the Skittermander options and there’s a Fixation trait that could apply to a Skittermander NPC. Maybe my android’s young Skittermander ward is unusual among his people – he’s more focused than the rest. He has this fixation on, say, local flora or fauna. The Fixation feat gives an extra Lore skill and the Assurance perk in that lore, which could be why he constantly spouts fun facts about whatever he’s obsessed with. It would be a cute quirk: he’s always coming up with helpful trivia to ‘assist’ but really it’s just his obsession talking.” Alice giggles, clearly already fond of this imaginary companion for her character.

“So now it looks like we have,” Cora summarizes, ticking points off on their fingers, “an Android Mystic who’s a community caretaker, a Human Operative doing community service as penance, and a Pahtra Soldier who’s just stopping through but bound to get involved. They could all plausibly meet at that food bank in the colony, or at least in its vicinity, which is perfect.”

The GM spreads his hands as if laying the final pieces on a board. “The party composition looks solid too,” he notes. “You’ve got magical healing and support from the Mystic, sneaky skills from the Operative, and front-line combat from the Soldier – the classic balance. In fact, the playtest notes describe it perfectly: ‘a mystic provides excellent healing, the soldier can take damage, and the operative can dish it out.’” He gives an approving wink. “You guys have essentially formed that combo on your own.”

Everyone around the table shares enthusiastic nods as the character concepts click into place. There’s a flurry of energy as they start jotting down stats and ideas, pencils scratching on paper. The group discusses how these characters might already know each other once the story begins. Alice proposes that Solace-3, her Android Mystic, has been an established helper in the community for a while – a known face at the food bank. “Maybe that’s why the local authorities assigned Kira – your delinquent operative – to serve her community service under his supervision,” Alice suggests with a grin, looking at Cora. “Sure, let the do-gooder android keep an eye on this delinquent.”

Cora laughs. “That does make sense. Kira wouldn’t be able to slack off if Mr. Perfect is watching her every move.” They pantomime an exasperated eye-roll worthy of their character.

Meanwhile, Tyrone adds that his Pahtra, Rishir, will literally just wander into the scene as an outsider. “He’s coming in fresh, maybe just looking for a meal and some fuel for his starship,” Tyrone says. “And then he walks into this tense colonial situation he hadn’t planned on. Poor guy,” he adds with a chuckle, “won’t know what he stepped into until he’s in the thick of it.”

“Have you all picked out names for your characters?” the GM interjects, realizing they haven’t formalized that yet. He knows a good name can really cement a concept.

Alice straightens her papers and goes first. “Solace-3 has that bonded Skittermander ward I mentioned. I’m thinking of calling them Gleez.” Alice’s voice softens affectionately at the mention of the ward, clearly excited to roleplay that friendship.

Cora clears their throat. “The human Operative will be Kira,” they announce. “Kira is local-born to the colony.”

Tyrone takes his turn. “My Pahtra Soldier is named Rishir. I actually stole that from an example Pahtra name in the book—it had a nice ring to it.” He writes it down in bold letters at the top of his sheet. “Rishir’s in his early 30s. He fought in the Pulonis liberation war in his youth, so he’s got real military experience. Now he’s a drifter with his own little starship, just passing through Vesk-3 when fate intervenes. He’s a tall, black-furred feline with a serious demeanor.”

The group exchanges excited looks and a round of satisfied nods as each character is described in turn. There’s palpable excitement in the air, a buzz at the table, as they envision how these three very different individuals will collide and cooperate once the game begins. It’s clear they’ve created a party with built-in conflict and chemistry, and each player is eager to see it in action.