The nature of a person's family and their surroundings as they grew up can have a massive impact upon them, and whether they accept this influence, or rebel against it, will shape the rest of their lives.
A character’s Upbringing provides them with three points spread across two attributes. Which attributes can be increased, and by how much, is determined not only by the Upbringing chosen, but also by whether the character accepted their Upbringing or rebelled against it.
Each Upbringing also gives the character a single point to add to one of their skills, with each Upbringing having a choice of which skills can be increased. Finally, the character receives a single specialty, which should relate in some way to the Upbringing chosen (a few examples are provided in each case). Finally, each Upbringing gives the character a single talent.
When selecting talents, you may choose that talent immediately or you may wait until the end of character creation to make your choice.
A player may choose their character’s Upbringing, or randomly determine it from the Random Upbringing table below by rolling a d20.
The character grew up surrounded more by nature than by people, in rural communities, on the frontier, or somewhere else distanced from the bustle of cities. They might be heavily involved in agriculture, growing and selling food at a cooperative or their family might work for off-world merchants or traders. Some colonies are even owned by large corporations that own everything down to farms.
If the character accepted this Upbringing, the tough, practical life on the land breeds a strong work ethic and a healthy body, increasing their Agility by 1 and their Fitness by 2.
If the character rebelled against this Upbringing, they are likely to have embraced science, technology, and the fruits of civilization, increasing their Presence by 1 and their Reason by 2.
The character’s living off the land and growing up on the edge of civilization allows them to increase one of Combat, Piloting, or Survival.
The character’s specialty should relate to the character’s rural lifestyle, and the skills they learned there. Examples include: Animal Handling, Athletics, Emergency Medicine, Endurance, Ground Vehicles, Infectious Diseases, Navigation, Toxicology, Survival Training.
The character also gains a single talent.
The character grew up moving in the underworld, their family either working for or having dealings with some of the shadier elements of society. The character may even have grown up on a ship crewed by less than honest people, boarding other ships, smuggling or otherwise breaking the law to earn a living. Their formative years were spent learning how to bypass security systems, jumpstart a shuttle or run from the cops.
If the character accepted this Upbringing, they've become very familiar with how to make it on their own and their hard-won life lessons increase their Agility by 1 and their Cunning by 2.
If the character rebelled against this Upbringing, they have sought out the rule of law and order, increasing their Presence by 1 and Reason by 2.
The character's experiences with the law and underworld allows them to increase any one of Combat, Investigation, Leadership, Security or Survival.
The character's specialty should relate to the nature of the criminal element they were raised around, focusing on skills they picked up from those around them. Exampls include: Body Disposal, Composure, Concealment, Conn Artistry, Court Proceedings, Deception, Firearms, Forgery, Haggling, Infiltration, Intimidation, Lockpicking, Negotiation, Law, Toxicology
The character also gains a single talent.
The character’s family may have connections on countless worlds, overseeing and directing some grand business endeavor. They might have been single operators or run a fleet of merchantmen. Either way, the character has grown up encountering people from all walks of life, including those from outside their civilization, and their outlook on life has been shaped accordingly.
If the character accepted this Upbringing, Upbringing, a cosmopolitan, ambitious lifestyle increases their Presence by 2 and their Will by 1.
If the character rebelled against this Upbringing, stepping away from the family business to find their own identity increases their Cunning by 2 and their Reason by 1.
The character’s experiences with their family business allows them to increase any one of Leadership, Science, or Systems.
The character’s specialty should relate to the nature of their family’s business, covering skills that are valuable during trade, or which were useful to the family business in other ways. Examples include: Finances, Geology, Linguistics, Manufacturing, Metallurgy, Negotiation, Survey.
The character also gains a single talent.
The character was raised as a member of the social elite, or as the child of a politician. Privacy was at a premium and even the smallest mistake could reflect poorly on not just themselves, but on their family members as well. For Terran characters, their family may be one of the Terran Noble Houses, or simply wealthy enough to be considered nobility. For League or Freelance characters, their family are more likely diplomats, politicians, or wealthy business owners.
If the character accepted this Upbringing, Upbringing, they’re disciplined and well-versed in the arts of influence, increasing their Presence by 2 and their Will by 1.
If the character rebelled against this Upbringing, then they’ve instead sought more tangible things to focus on, increasing their Fitness by 1 and their Reason by 2.
The character’s familiarity with the practices and perils of diplomacy, politics, and the law allow them to increase any one of Leadership, Influence, or Security by 1.
The character’s specialty should relate to the character’s preferred way of applying their skills. Examples include: Composure, Conn Artistry, Deception, Debate, Diplomacy, Espionage, Interrogation, Intimidation, Law, Military Protocol, Oratory, Philosophy.
The character also gains a single talent.
The character’s home was one filled with the potential of science, and cutting-edge developments were familiar ground. Perhaps the character was raised by scientists, engineers, or had mentors and teachers who encouraged a talent for the technical.
Note: The Corona Noir Ki Institute is the largest independant scientific community in RFI. It is exclusive and getting into it is very difficult, but not impossible. They do, however, sponsor many independant scientific group who are merely 'affiliated' without being part of the institute itself. Chances are anyone with this Upbringing is likely familiar with the Institute, and it's enigmatic leader, Dr. Rhea Canal.
If the character accepted this Upbringing, they are rational, methodical, and precise, increasing their Reason by 2 and their Will by 1.
If the character rebelled against this Upbringing, they don’t lack technical talent, but they haven’t developed that talent and instead rely more on instinct, increasing their Agility by 1 and their Cunning by 2.
The character’s familiarity with cutting-edge science and the latest research allows them to increase one of Piloting, Security, Science, or Systems by 1.
The character’s specialty should relate to the character’s favored fields of study and inquiry. Examples include: Artificial Intelligence, Astrophysics, Astronavigation, Computers, Cybernetics, Fusion Power Systems, Genetics, Medicine, Physics, Subspace Communications, Subspace Navigation, Subspace Propulsion, Surgery, Quantum Mechanics, Xenobiology.
The character also gains a single talent.
The character’s family may have a strong tradition of military service, with at least one member of the family in every generation serving their people in this way. Perhaps both the character’s parents served in the military, who met in service. Either way, the character’s formative years were influenced by a military life. In the League and People's Republic this means the Navy, but for Lyndri it would mean the King's Guard. NorAellians don't have a formal military, but individual families might have traditions of service onboard starships.
If the character accepted this Upbringing, the orderly, purposeful life increases their Agility by 2 and their Fitness by 1.
If the character rebelled against this Upbringing, Upbringing, their bold and self-determined living increases their Cunning by 1 and their Will by 2.
The character’s exposure to the ways and traditions of the military allows them to increase any one skill rating by 1.
The character’s specialty should relate to their connection to their faction's military, covering skills learned during the character’s formative years. Examples include: Astronavigation, Command, Composure, Extra-Vehicular Activity, Fleet Tactics, Firearms Hand-to-Hand Combat (may be renamed to a specific martial art), Small Craft, Military Protocol, Starship Recognition, Tactics, or History.
The character also gains a single talent.
The character was raised as a member of a secret organization or a religious group (or something in between, like a cult). These groups are often close knit, either not allowing the character to interact with those outside of the group or requiring them to hide their true identity from others.
If the character accepted this Upbringing, they have embraced the lessons they were raised with, internalizing that mindset and increasing their Cunning by 1 and their Presence by 2.
If the character rebelled against this Upbringing, they have rejected isolation and 'group think', focusing on their own independence, increasing their Reason by 1 and Will by 2.
The character's understanding of the way these types of organizations function and their experiences in them allow them to increase one of Influence, Leadership, or Survival.
The character's specialty should relate to their experiences in the organization. Examples include: Concealment, Conn Artistry, Deception, History, Oratory, Religion (may be renamed to specify the religion)
The character also gains a single talent.