Player Core Chapter 1: Introduction Character Creation

Step 2: Start Building Attribute Modifiers

At this point, you need to start building your character's attribute modifiers. See the overview of attribute modifiers for more information about these important aspects of your character and an overview of the process.

Your character's attribute modifiers each start at +0, and as you select your ancestry, background, and class, you'll apply attribute boosts, which increase a modifier by 1, and attribute flaws, which decrease a modifier by 1. At this point, just note a +0 in each attribute modifier and familiarize yourself with the rules for attribute boosts and flaws on page 23. This is also a good time to identify which attribute modifiers will be most important to your character; for instance, if you want to play a dashing space pirate captain, you might want to focus on a character with a high Dexterity attribute (to ensure they're good with Piloting and Stealth) who also has a bit of Charisma (to fast-talk the authorities if they get caught). See the Six Attribute Modifiers sidebar above and the class summaries for more information.

One of the most important aspects of your character is their attribute modifiers. These numbers represent your character's raw potential, and they influence nearly every other statistic on your character sheet. Determining your attribute modifiers is not done all at once, but instead happens over several steps during character creation.

Attribute modifiers are split into two main groups: physical and mental. Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution are physical attribute modifiers, measuring your character's physical power, agility, and stamina. In contrast, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma are mental attribute modifiers and measure your character's learned prowess, awareness, and force of personality.

Excellence in an attribute modifier improves the checks and statistics related to that ability, as described below. When imagining your character, you should also decide what attribute modifiers you want to focus on to give you the best chance at success.

Strength
Strength measures your character's physical power, and is important if your character plans to engage in hand-tohand combat. Your Strength modifier gets added to melee damage rolls and determines how much your character can carry.

Dexterity
Dexterity measures your character's agility, balance, and reflexes, and is important if your character plans to make attacks with ranged weapons or use stealth to surprise foes. Your Dexterity modifier is also added to your character's AC and Reflex saving throws.

Constitution
Constitution measures your character's health and stamina, and is important for all characters, especially those who fight in close range. Your Constitution modifier is added to your Hit Points and Fortitude saving throws.

Intelligence
Intelligence measures how well your character can learn and reason. A high Intelligence allows your character to analyze situations and understand patterns, and it means they can become trained in additional skills and might be able to master additional languages.

Wisdom
Wisdom measures your character's common sense, awareness, and intuition. High Wisdom helps your character detect hidden things and resist mental effects. Your Wisdom modifier is added to your Perception and Will saving throws.

Charisma
Charisma measures your character's personal magnetism and strength of personality. A high Charisma modifier helps you build relationships and influence the thoughts and moods of others with social skills.

Each attribute modifier starts at +0, representing the average. As you make character choices, you'll adjust these modifiers by applying attribute boosts, which increase an attribute modifier, and attribute flaws, which decrease an attribute modifier. As you build your character, remember to apply attribute modifier adjustments when making the following decisions.

Ancestry: Each ancestry provides attribute boosts, and sometimes an attribute flaw. If you're taking any voluntary flaws, apply them in this step (see Optional Voluntary Flaws).
Background: Your character's background provides two attribute boosts.
Class: Your character's class applies an attribute boost to their key attribute: the attribute modifier most important for that class.
Four Free Boosts: After the other steps, you apply four more attribute boosts to attributes of your choice to finalize your starting attribute modifiers.

Attribute Boosts
An attribute boost normally increases an attribute modifier's value by 1. However, if the attribute modifier to which you're applying an attribute boost is already +4 or higher, instead mark “partial boost” on the character sheet for that attribute. If the attribute already has a partial boost invested in it, increase the modifier by 1 and uncheck the box. At 1st level, a character can never have any attribute modifier that's higher than +4.

Whenever your character receives an attribute boost, the source indicates whether it must be applied to a specific attribute modifier, to one in a limited list, or whether it's a “free” boost that can be applied to any attribute of your choosing. For example, a Vesk character receives an attribute boost to their Constitution modifier and their Strength modifier, as well as one free attribute boost, which can be applied to any other attribute of choice.

When you gain multiple attribute boosts at the same time, you must apply each one to a different modifier. This means you can't apply a partial boost to an attribute modifier and apply another boost simultaneously to increase it.

Attribute Flaws
Attribute flaws are not nearly as common in Starfinder as attribute boosts. If your character has an attribute flaw—likely from their ancestry—you decrease that attribute modifier by 1. Vesk, for example,receive an attribute flaw to Wisdom.
* Any character can choose to take two free boosts instead of the listed boosts and flaws (Alternate Ancestry Boosts).
** A character receives an attribute boost to their class's key attribute.