Backgrounds

Every hero has to come from somewhere. Heroes don't all begin as Rebel agents, adventuring smugglers, or daring explorers. For most players,a simple history for their heroes will suffice, but other players might want to choose details in their characters' pasts that will help shape their futures. After all, the heroes are more than just members of a particular species or the sum of their training; they have defining elements in their histories that molded them into what they will become.

The background system presented here is an alternative to the Destiny system described in the Saga Edition core rulebook. The background system allows you to focus on a hero's origins rather than on an uncertain future. Gamemasters can use either the background system or the Destiny system, giving players a choice of selecting a background or selecting a Destiny. It is not recommended to use both systems together because adding another layer to the characters will affect hero complexity and party balance. To use the background system, each player chooses a single background from the event category, the occupation category, or the planet of origin category. Each category has its own rules giving special access to skills, languages, equipment, or other traits that help define who the character is and what shaped her into a hero. A character receives the benefits of the chosen background at first level, and those benefits stay with the character for life. For details on the benefits gained from each background, see the individual descriptions below.

Sample Backgrounds

BACKGROUND	DESCRIPTION	EXAMPLES
Bankrupt	You lost all or nearly all your credits and material possessions.	As a result of being nearly impoverished, you can use the Survival skill to sustain yourself in urban or civilized environments.
Destruction	Your Destiny is to destroy a person or object, for good or evil.	Darth Vader's destruction of the Emperor, Lando Calrissian's destruction of the Death Star II, or A-Wing pilot Arvel Crynyd's destruction of The Executor.
Discovery	Your Destiny is to discover a person, Species, object, or location that was either previously lost or unknown to the civilized galaxy.	Qui-Gon Jinn's discovery of Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine or Kyle Katarn's discovery of the Valley of the Jedi.
Education	Your Destiny is to train or educate another being or group of beings in some way.	Obi-Wan Kenobi's training of Anakin Skywalker, Yoda's training of Luke Skywalker, or Grand Admiral Thrawn's training of Captain Pellaeon.
Redemption	Your Destiny is to redeem a character that has been corrupted or otherwise turned to evil. Many Jedi seek to turn their fallen brethren away from The Dark Side.	Luke Skywalker turning Darth Vader away from the Dark Side and Revan's redemption of Bastila Shan on The Star Forge.
Rescue	Your Destiny requires you to save a person from death or an object from destruction.	Han Solo saving Luke Skywalker's life at the Battle of Yavin, and Wicket the Ewok rescuing Leia from the Scout Troopers on Endor.

Events

When you choose an event background, you decide that your hero has a single, defining event in his past that put him on the path to becoming a hero. This event fundamentally shaped your character's life.It was the moment at which he took his first steps toward becoming something more than ordinary, and it continues to shape the way your hero's adventuring career develops. When you select an event background, add one of the relevant skills listed at the end of that entry to your character's class skill list, regardless of starting class.This skill represents something your character learned to do as a result of the event. Additionally, when you select an event background, your character gains a small enhancement.