I rolled up a Cepheus Engine character tonight to use as an NPC. Rolled it STRAIT. Stats in order as rolled. Only real option was scientist.

As much as I love Classic Traveller, the Cepheus Engine SRD really has the best breakdown of skills of any of the versions of CE or Traveller. I prefer it to Mongoose 2e and other CE versions.

Jones Cyrano Retired Social Science Academic

B348D5 Mods: S +1 D -1 E -1 I +0 Ed +2 SS -1

Homeworld - Medium Law, Hi tech, Hi Pop, Rich Background skills (5): Gun Combat (slug pistol) 0, Coms-0, Streetwise-0, Carousing-0, Space Sciences-0

Scientist terms: 2 commission 1st term + advance term 2 advances and survives term 2 survives and advances term 3 survives and advances term 4 survives and advances rank 6

skills term 1: +1 int, elec-1, animals-1 term 2: advocate-1, comp-1 term 3: sciences - 1, comp-2 term 4: science -2, admin-1

Skills: Term Skills: Elec-1, Comp-2, Animals-1, Social Sciences-2, Advocate-1, Admin-1

Service skills: physical sciences 0, bribery 0, med-0 ,

Aging at age 34. Loses 1 STR and 1 END Musters out with 25,000cr Musters out: +2 soc, +1ed, Mid passage

Jones is a large man. Very strong, but clumsy and with poor endurance. Of average intelligence, Jones was a great student with real focus.

A Cepheus Engine character I rolled up this week.

Jahn Rax 659467

s 6
d 5 (-1)
e 10 (+1)
i 4 (-1)
ed 6
ss 7

Age 30, Height 5'5", Weight 145lbs
Hair: black
Eyes: brown

8980 cr
Auto Pistol

Armor: Mesh (AR5)150cr
personal communicator 250cr
auto pistol 2d6 (mustered out with it) (15 rounds)
body pistol 2d6 500cr (6 rounds)
Blade 2d6 50cr
2 Auto Pistol clips +1 in gun (30r)
1 Body Pistol clip +1 in gun (40 cr)

Homeworld Skills
medium law/desert
slug rifle-0, survival-0, carousing-0

Service Skills:
Streetwise 0, Mechanics 0, Melee 0, Recon 0, Grav Vehicle 0

Term skills - 3 terms Drifter
+1 End, Slug Pisto1-1
Melee piercing weapons-1, Elec-1
Recon-1, Streetwise-1

Jahn is a small man of somewhat limited intelligence from a desert world. While not that smart or dextrous, his desert background gives him a high END. While not very dextrous, he’s practiced enough with pistols that he’s at no negative modifiers with them. He’s good with a 9" Blade, the combat knife from his homeworld. He wears a mesh armor tunic, the exterior is blue-stained leather. He’s picked up some odd skills like Recon, Streetwise, and Electronics while drifting from planet to planet for 12 years, usually travelling by low passage.

Jahn is an idealist. He comes from nothing, but believes he can have a better life and will adventure to get it. He’s not foolhardy, but can be impulsive. He has a high sense of adventure.

This is the NPC I created for my Classic Traveller game last session.

The PCs were looking for a hacker. I didn’t have one when they asked, but about 90 seconds later I did. This is the strength of Classic Traveller (and really the other forms of 2s6 RPGs derived from it) for fast and loose improvisational play. Did I roll this NPC up? No. I knew what I wanted, and I’m the GM, so I just wrote it out. Well, lemme think. I did, in fact, roll up his stats and then just decided on the rest. I rolled up six numbers and arranged them as I saw fit. I am the Referee - I can do that.

Tahm Slykk
755B95
Admin-1, Comp-4, Bribery-1, Streetwise-2, Grav-Vehicle-1
Carries a body pistol inside his leather overcoat. Tall, with a high shock of red hair, round lens glasses tinted green, carries a portable electronics kit and computer in a black metal briefcase, with all he needs to hack on-the-go. More gear in his home/shop - the entire floor above a grav-vehicle repair shop. Drives a beat-up looking grav bike that is more than it appears to be (MAY be called the Thunderbolt GreaseSlapper). Tahm is a hacker for hire. He speaks with nervous speed and energy. Older than he looks. There’s no such word as “fail” to Tahm Slykk.

I actually kinda love this character. This is the kind of self-centered but good-natured dirtbag I’d like to play.

I’m not sure, but I think if I was running Sword of Cepheus for a fantasy setting I could create a good NPC just about as quickly. Sure I might need to look up a few spells, but it would be simple.