Introduction

The joy of role playing comes when your character comes alive in your imagination, ceasing to be mere numbers on a page and taking a life of his or her own outside yourself. Yes, these are imaginary people, but when has that stopped anyone from caring? Ask yourself who you remember better, your fourth grade teacher or Tom Sawyer? Increasing the complexity of character creation helps achieve this metamorphosis easily from the start of play. Some facets of personality will always be discovered as time passes, but this will help keep that time to a minimum.

Step One: Concept

Who and what will this character be? GMs making NPCs will just start with a list. Players making PCs have harder decisions, since their characters don't come and go, but stay for many adventures (we hope!). The decisions made here will affect the rest of creation. "Hi, slotters; I'm a street mage/street samurai/gogogo/rocker/mercenary (gun for hire)/burned out mage/physical or other adept/street meat (runner wannabe)/hit man/burglar/etc, whatever the character will be.

Step Two: Determine Priorities

Character generation means making decisions. Which aspects are most important? Less important? Not very important at all? This character generation system alters the old ways by adding three new priorities and altering the way some of the old ones are used. Use some sheets of scratch paper before making a firm commitment to the character sheet! There are eight priorities, which will need to be numbered from first to eighth. These eight are race, tech, karma, skills, attributes, magic, liabilities and talents. Each will be discussed in brief. Those that need more explanation will get it with tables.

Race Priority: (1) Elf (2) Troll (3) Ork/Grunge (4) Dwarf (5) Human, Native American (6) Human, Caucasian (7) Human, Oriental (8) Human, other/mixed. Some GMs may allow other metahuman races to be played, such as sasquatches or snotlings. These would be race priority 5 as well. There is no special advantage to playing an elf; it's top only because it's most popular. Call it the coolness factor.

Tech Priority: Tech is used to purchase starting equipment and enhancements like cyberware and bioware. It also purchases lifestyle and starting cash. Note the monetary amounts have been increased over the books' rules. This is because extra purchases are required. Contacts are no longer purchased with tech, though, but with the karma priority instead. NPCs should use a multiplier from 1 1/2 to 10, and can buy bases as well. Magic spell points are bought with this priority as well, and are listed separately. All cash amounts are in nuyen, for which my computer cannot make the symbol.

1,500,000/mages may not take tech at this priority
1,000,000/50
750,000/45
500,000/40
250,000/35
100,000/30
50,000/25
20,000/20

Lifestyle is purchased from starting tech money and must be maintained by regular payments as described in the "after the shadowrun" sections of the rulebooks. There will follow a table in the tech details section which outlines the costs and benefits of each lifestyle alternative. Note that much of the purchase price is buying into the lifestyle, covering your history and income sources so you can fit in with the neighbors.

Karma Priority:

Characters don't start in a vacuum. They had to earn their starting tech and reputations somehow. This is a measure of the success of past runs, and these karma points may be spent on skills and attributes following the rules just as if they'd been earned in games. The same number of points also buys your contacts from a list that will follow the priorities section. These are the people you got to know on the way into the shadows, those who have and can still help you. If you keep helping them... Note that skills may be purchased above starting maximums with these points.

(1) 2O (2) 17 (3) 15 (4) 13 (5) 10 (6) 7 (7) 5 (8) 2

Skills Priority: Everybody has had some training, even if it's just street smarts, and it could be military background and even college degrees. Skills are things the character has learned how to do, through education, training and background exposure. Starting characters wishing to buy more than one concentration must buy the skill twice to do so. Example: Squeezer Jon knows Electronics (Surveillance) and Electronics (Security). He buys each separately. There is a ceiling rating on skills at start of 6. NPCs should use a multiplier on skill values and won't have a ceiling. I require my players to have at least one point of etiquette, concentrated in the area of choice.

(1) 40 (2) 36 (3) 32 (4) 28 (5) 25 (6) 22 (7) 20 (8) 18

Attributes Priority:

These points are to be divided among the six figured attributes, which define what the character is like physically and mentally. Racial, bioware and cyberware adjustments will be made to these numbers during the course of creation, and karma may buy each up one point during play, to the limit of the racial ceilings.

(1) 30 (2) 27 (3) 25 (4) 23 (5) 21 (6) 20 (7) 18 (a) 16

Magic Priority: Magic has evolved greatly since the game was introduced, and this priority takes full advantage of that. There is no bonus or favors for being an NPC in this priority.

(1) Full Mage, all races except Elf.
(2) Full Magician, Elf; Physical adept, all races except troll and elf.
(3) Physical adept, troll or elf; Sorcery or Conjury adept, all races except Ork.
(4) Sorcery or Conjury Adept, Ork; Enchantment adept, all races except dwarf.
(5) Enchantment adept, dwarf.
(6) (7) (8) No magic.

Liabilities Priority:

Some games provide for disadvantages or flaws which affect the character's life and ability to run in the shadows. We wanted to put this concept into Shadowrun as well. Tables detailing some suggestions will follow. The higher the priority taken in liabilities, the fewer the character labors under.

No liabilities.
One level one liability
Two level one liabilities
One level two liability
One level two and one level one liabilities
One level three liability
One level three and one level one liabilities
One level four liability

Talents Priority: Certain people display an innate giftedness at certain activities, such as music and art. These have to be discovered and developed. A person with the talent of Bobby Fischer at chess who lived in the days of ancient Rome would be out of luck! A person with a knack for flying will be out of luck if he never gets in the cockpit of an airborne vehicle, too. Talents, being positive, are given a more generous allowance than liabilities. Tables of suggestions will follow.

(1) One level four, one level two and one level one talents
(2) One level four talent
(3) One level three, one level two and one level one talents
(4) One level three and one level one talents
(5) Two level two and two level one talents
(6) One level two and one level one talents
(7) One level two talent
(8) One level one talent

Step Three: Racial Adjustments and Calculated Attributes

Elf: +1 Quickness, +2 Charisma, low light eyes, digestive disorder, allergy
Dwarf: +1 Body, +2 Strength, -1 Quickness, +1 willpower, thermal vision,
Disease resistance (+2 Body vs. diseases), allergy
Ork: +3 Body, +2 Strength, -1 Charisma, -1 Intelligence, low light eyes, allergy
Troll: +5 body, -1 Quickness, +4 Strength, -2 Charisma, -2 Intelligence, -1 Will Power, + 1 reach for armed/unarmed combat, thermal vision, + 1 dermal armor, allergy, +2 on severity roll for allergy

Racial allergy table: (2d6)
Degree of severity table: (2d6)

2 Silver
-6 nuisance
3-5 Plastic (most cyberware)
7-8 mild
6-8 Sunlight
9-10 moderate
9-11 Iron (most weapons)
11 - 12 severe
12 Two substances (reroll twice, rerolling 12s)

Figured Attributes: Essence is 6 minus the essence cost of any cyberware purchased. Keep it above zero. When essence approaches zero, strange things begin to happen to the psyche. There are tables in one of the resource books. Magic rating is equal to essence, rounded down to the nearest whole number. Reaction is Quickness plus Intelligence, divided by two. Reaction may be adjusted by some kinds of cyber and bio wares. Pools, second edition: Combat pool = Quickness + Intelligence + Willpower, all divided by two and rounding down to nearest whole number. Control Pool (riggers only) = Reaction as modified by the vehicle control fig only. Decking Pool (deckers only) = Computer Skill (or Software concentration or Decking specialization) + Reaction as adjusted by deck response increases only. Magic Pool (mages with sorcery skill only) = Sorcery rating (or any concentration or specialization thereof) + power of any foci in use. Shamans can also receive pool bonuses from their totems. Use these pools in lieu of first edition pools.

Starting Age: Starting age in Shadowrun is really not all that important. I've played characters from age 13 to age 56 with no major problems, though an under age character should have that as a liability. Most characters don't live long enough, nor campaigns last long enough, for age to become a factor in the game. Special problems encountered by the young and old should be enforced by the GM, ranging from cyberware affecting growing bodies to credibility loss and feebleness of mind and body. Consider the background of the character, and give him or her time to have acquired the knowledge and skills they profess.

Spending Tech: Every character should have a credstik. These universal devices, resembling a fat pen which is inserted into a reader/transactor, carry personal identification including SIN, bank accounts and balances, education and work history (resume'), and any permits or licenses the character is entitled to use. SINless characters can use "user-only" accounts which carry no user identification, but long term use of such an account would draw the curiosity of the bank holding it. Counterfeit credstiks with phony identification are also available; see "Shadowbeat." Use of cash is legal but frowned upon for both accounting and logistics reasons. It's hard to keep track of and hard to haul to the banks. Scrip (bills) transactions make the store think the user is a criminal.

Bioware and cyberware are described in several sourcebooks, most of which have lists at the back. Everybody has good reasons to take a high tech priority, but there are other options. Starting with low tech and depending on the loot most runners bring in by the bushel allows one to make a character ready to be upgraded during the course of the campaign. This allows higher priorities to be taken in areas harder to upgrade later, like liabilities, talents and karma.

Lifestyle is now purchased with tech, for a down payment that includes the bribes, background cover stories, and security clearances to live in the chosen kinds of neighborhoods. There is a purchase cost that covers these and the financial outlay to acquire the perks involved, plus a monthly maintenance cost that comes from the rulebooks.

Luxury lifestyle allows the finest penthouses in AAA security, or a mansion in an exclusive gated neighborhood, with a limo, servants, any amount of fine clothing and trinkets, the finest furniture and appliances, and neighbors who are among the most affluent, best educated and best-connected in the metroplex. It costs 1,000,000 nuyen to purchase and 100,000 per month to maintain.

High lifestyle entitles the character to a fine apartment in one of the best complexes, a fine or luxury car, the best furniture and appliances (the ad filter on the telecommlink might even work!), well-to-do neighbors and high security. The neighbors are solid executive types or their heirs. No servants or retainers are included, but a wardrobe of fine clothing and maybe a club membership or two is. It costs 100,000 to purchase and 10,000 per month to maintain.

Middle lifestyle costs 20,000 to purchase and 5,000 per month to maintain. This gives someone a good apartment in a secure dwelling area (B or A security), with good quality furniture and a telecommlink with one or two interactive education channels and a couple of premium channels. A decent vehicle, not too badly used, comes with it, and secured, off-street parking. Neighbors will be low level execs, or middle class shopkeepers and tradesmen.

Low lifestyle entitles the character to an apartment with a lock on the door in a shabby or run-down neighborhood that' s still better than a slum. The telecommlink works, with basic plus a couple of extra channels, a working soy processor and serviceable furniture. A wardrobe of ordinary clothing is included, but vehicles must be purchased separately and there will be no security on the parking, though it may be off-street. Some of the neighbors will be deadbeats or engaged in low-budget illegal activities. It costs 5,000 nuyen to purchase and 1,000 a month to maintain.

Squatter lifestyle costs 1,000 nuyen to purchase and 100 a month to maintain. This gives you a dry place off the street to sleep, likely a coffin hotel or a slum tenement. No amenities or appliances come with it, but one needn't be too worried about waking with a slit throat, with reasonable precautions. Laundry is the Laundromat around the corner, and baths (even if public baths still existed) are beyond your means. Your neighbors, well, the less questions the less lies. They won't bother you much if you don't bother them and don't have anything to steal.

Street lifestyle is free. You may have an alley or vent to sleep on, rags to wear and you're at risk from everyone, even the other bums you share the streets with.

People who purchase vans to live in will need to purchase a lifestyle to keep them garaged, fueled and maintained.

Contacts and Their Purchase

The karma priority creates a pool equal to the karma points for purchasing contacts from. This makes sense because it takes time and experience with people to create the bond of friendship and trust that must exist. The more the character has done, the more she will know. Obviously, some contacts are of more value than others, and the lists and tables here will reflect that. More useful contacts will cost more points to purchase.

One point contacts: Addict, aging prostitute, alcoholic, beggar, cab driver, club habitue', dock worker, fan, fire fighter, laborer, PCs, poser-gang members, sasquatch entertainer, scavenger, simsense performer, single gogogo, small pet animals (dog, cat, snake, house pet equivalent, trained), snitch, space cadet, squatter, store owner, street entertainer, street urchin, student, union member.

Two point contacts: Activist/organizer, black marketer, conjury adept, cop, corp secretary, corp officer/worker, corp scientists, critter ally (may be awakened), ex-military, gang member, gossip, hoodlum (burglar/mugger/robber), joyboy/joygirl, low-budget techmech, metroplex guardsman, neighborhood tough/bully, organized crime gang member (Mafia, Yakuza, Tong, etc.), paid informer, paramedic, reporter, small time fence, social worker, soldier, sorcery adept, street meat/street muscle, vat job, ward heeler

Three point contacts: armorer, bar tender, bird critter ally (may be awakened), company man, corp decker, corp enforcer, corp rigger, detective, dwarf mage, ex-company man, ex-mage detective, go gang looie (with 2d6 gangers), mercenary, military officer, organized crime enforcer, ork mage, pawn broker, physical adept, pimp, police lieutenant, rigger, sarariman/businessman, social/freemason club membership or equivalent, street gang looie (with 2d6 gang members), street mage, street samurai, street shaman, survivalist clubber/black market weapons dealer, tribal shaman, troll mage.

Four point contacts: Bar owner, border guard, buddy (same archetype as character), club owner, combat mage, corp executive, crack mechanic, elf/tribal with connections outside the plex, enchantment adept, go gang leader (with 2d6 gang members), good rocker/rock band, good technician, large pet critter (not independent nor intelligent), low budget or specialist fixer (legal, talent, etc.), media executive, media producer, organized crime looie (Kobun or equivalent, with 2d6 ring members), phone/cable company techs/execs, radio/TV station owner/manager, skilled runner wannabe, small mage guild, street doc, street gang leader (with 2d6 members), talismonger, top government agent, union officer (with 2d6 goons), wizzer gang

Five point contacts: alpha cyberclinic, competent forger, corp president/C.E.O., country club membership or equivalent, crack hitman/assassin, critter ally (intelligent and awakened), ex-runner bar owner, hospital manager, mage guild, megacorp regional VP, military commander, organized crime lord (Oyabun or equivalent), quality decker, quality fixer, quality shadowrun team, research lab, sage, top level politico, tribal leader.

Eight point contacts: beta cyberclinic, dragon, followers (plus contact cost; you equip them and they follow orders), legendary shadowrunner, megacorp owner

Adding to the list: Contact cost should reflect usefulness. A one-point contact is only marginally useful. Two points buy someone useful in certain circumstances. Three point contacts are generally useful. Fours are valuable; fives extremely helpful, eights world class.

Liabilities Tables: Some players like these. It's not the suffering that breaks the heart, but the courage under suffering. These add an extra dimension to the character, adding to game enjoyment and making the character a three-dimensional reality. There are several categories to choose among, and these lists don't pretend to be exhaustive.

Personal problem disads, level one:

(1) Severe superstition. The character will do nothing unless the stars are right, or an omen portends success. Tends to let fortune telling run life.
(2) Property owner. Character has to deal with government interference, red tape and taxes, insurance and a constant drain on income, is easy to hold financially for ransom or injury.
(3) Underage. Character cannot sign contracts, enter bars, drink nor own property. Restrictions of skills and attribute ceilings are required. Credibility problems with adults.
(4) Overage. Feebleness of mind and body are risks, with limits on attributes and athletic skills. Old people also have credibility problems with adults.
(5) Public ID. 'Character has a reputation with the public, which is at risk from shadowrunning activities, if they get known. May be recognized by public.
(6) Dependent. Someone depends on character for financial and emotional support, maybe a spouse or child or ward, doesn't have to be related.
(7) Digestive disorders. Not quite as limited as an elf's but a required nutrient/medication or avoidance of certain type of food or drink restricts activities.
(8) Debt. Character owes someone a large sum of money (how did you get that tech, anyway?), and must make regular payments or risk visitation by Guido and Nunzio. May have been incurred by family member or business associate

Level two:

(1) Fame. Character is very likely to get recognized by any chance bystander. The reputation may be for good or for ill, but it will always affect encounters
(2) Disability. This is a medical disorder that cannot be compensated for readily by bioware or cyberware, which restricts mental or physical mobility.
(3) Severe allergy. This is in addition to any racial allergy, and must be to a common substance, food or medication, fiber, etc.
(4) Addiction. This is to a common drug like morphine, hash, cocaine, dream chips, etc. This will color behavior and personality and will be noticed by friends
(5) Personality disorder. Weirdness/phobias/manias/etc. which affect game play
(6) Rivals. One or more persons of your archetype are out to one-up you, interfere in any success you might have, and make you look bad in general, competing on both personal and professional levels.

Level three:

(1) Simsense addiction. Victim is an easy mark for BTL salesmen, and will go to any lengths to get hot chips, even skipping work and being unreliable
(2) Strong drug addiction, like to heroin, speed, crack, etc. Withdrawal must be nasty and lengthy and painful.
(3) Insanity. Likely to freak out under stress and act irrationally. Drinks and does drugs regularly but isn't an addict.
(4) Major incurable disability. This will keep the character in constant pain and raise target numbers. A serious, expensive blackmail would substitute.

Level four:

(1) Lyperion addiction, or to any other drug from which withdrawal is fatal; supply can be a problem. Lyperion or Life is a euphoric.
(2) Dying. Character has 6-12 months to live, unless an incredible sum is raised to pay for treatment at an omega cyberclinic, which also must be found.

Cursed liabilities, level one:

(1) High and noble principles which one will not violate regardless of incentive. This makes a very odd runner.
(2) Social annoyance. This can be foul breath, body odor, unusual appearance which cannot be disguised, hideousness, or offensive habits or being so sexually attractive that people try to slake their fantasies on your body.
(3) Carrier. Without seeming ill yourself, you carry a disease which infects people you' get close to, a strange or unmentionable disease.
(4) Sickly. Prone to catch disease or pick up parasites, constantly sniffling.
(5) Parasites, or a disease which cannot be readily cured at a good hospital. You can't get health insurance, but regular treatments will keep it under control.
(6) Minor unluck. This can be an occasional failure in what should be a successful roll, or a curse of a machine's propensity to malfunction in your presence. (phone, can opener, door maglocks, cars, etc.)
(7) Beholden. Character owes favors to someone who will try to collect at the least opportune times, without regard for the PC's desires.
(8) A driving passion which infuses all the character's activities. Everything must assist in obtaining The Goal. This is a personality disorder.

Level two:

Parasite-ridden. With the likelihood of awakened parasites, this has potential!
Puny. Physical attribute ceiling is halved, or mental.
Ignorant. Non-combat skills have a halved ceiling (3).
(4) Major Unluck. Choice of combat or non-combat categories, lose one success per roll.
(5) Body Chemistry Disorder. This causes mental unbalance, and cyberware and bioware is rejected unless a constant dose of meditation is taken to relieve the symptoms. Drugs have unusual side effects.
(6) Marked. The enemy always attacks YOU first!

Level three:

(1) Stats drain. A disorder causes the character to lose either a skill point or attribute point at regular intervals, unless karma is spent to buy the loss off.
(2) Destiny. Character is marked to become (or already is unknowingly) someone specially important. GM will decide the details and effects; ideas: princess/heiress, sacrifice, etc.
(3) Dreamer. Character will always be working toward some unattainable goal, and all activities will be tied to it. Work out the details with the GM.
(4) Fated. Character will suffer a grisly and spectacular death during the course of some future adventure (maybe when GM rolls 0 1 on d%). Perhaps this will be when a major goal is about to be attained.

Level four:

(1) Karma drain. Character loses half of all earned karma immediately. Plus, cost for buying automatic successes or rerolling failures is doubled.

Hunted liabilities, level one:

How badly the character is wanted will affect the level. A serious interest is base; a full-scale search with plenty of resources earmarked will raise it by one, a casual interest only will drop it by one.
Street gang
Go gang
Bounty hunter (low bounty)
Cops (bench warrants)
Small time runners (for revenge or imagined interference with a run)
Rival, for personal or professional reasons
Victim of a previous run
Petty criminal group
Local corp with decent resources
Ex-contact

Level two:

regional division of a megacorp
loan shark/"collection" agency
cops, detectives assigned to case
large street gang or go gang
Detective/paid private investigator (who hired him and Why?)
Ex-lovers/relatives/former partner out for revenge, who think you've wronged them.

Level three:

megacorp
Shadowrunners (who hired them and why?)
Crack decker
Major crime syndicate (Seoulpa/Tong/Mafia/Yakuza)
Cops with fresh felony arrest warrants
Hitman/assassin (hired by whom and why?)

Level four:

mage guild
tribe
FBI/equivalent government agencies
Dragon
Military intelligence
Several lower level hunteds at once.

Talents tables: Talents are innate or inborn abilities which must be developed by study and practice. In creating a character, consider having the GM choose them and not reveal them until an appropriate situation comes up, or at least some of them. The character could very well be ignorant of some or all talents at start of play.

Level one:

(1) Acute vision (2) Acute hearing (3) acute sense of smell (4) acute taste (5) acute sense of temperature (6) acute sense of pressure/texture (7) toe dexterity (8)running (9)swimming (10)throwing (11)horsemanship (12) musical talent, single instrument (13) debate talent (14) salesmanship (15) driver talent (16) courage (17) animal kinship (18) well-organized (19) leadership (20)balance (21)gymnastics/acrobatics (22)self-discipline (23) well-read (24) music composition (25)jumping (26) habits of cleanliness (27) dance (28) masseuse/therapy (29) contortionist/escape artist (30) seductive/romantic (31) street smart (32) common sense and wisdom (33) sense of nutrition

Level two:

(1) Oratory (2) unusual vocal range (3) unusual vocal timbre/quality (4) lucky (5) finger dexterity (6) electronics aptitude (7) acting talent (8) empathy (9) vocal sound mimicry (1 O) athletic aptitude (11 ) painting/sculpting/image rendition (12) musical talent with a class of instruments (13) poetry (14) sound business sense (15) piloting/navigation (16) trucking/backing trailers (17) exotic dance (18) good listener (19) bluffing/fast talk (20) cards/gambling/gaming (21 ) chess

Level Three:

good singing voice (2) musicianship (3) linguist (4) disguise (5) computer programming aptitude (6) general writing talent (7) spotting hidden (8) truly ambidextrous (9) escape artist/lock picking (10) truth sense (11 ) body language reader (12) songwriting talent ( 13) uncommon luck

Level Four:

(1) bard (all musical/acting/singing talents) (2) eidetic memory (3) danger sense (4) phenomenal luck (5) calm heart (Zen mastery) (6) yoga body control

Using talents: There is room for a lot more talents to be added to the lists. How these will affect play is up to the GM to determine, but here are some suggestions: For talents affecting a game skill, let the target numbers be lower. Where a skill and talent overlap, one could give the second dot of the skill free of karma cost. Some GMs may allow players to take extra talents by taking an equal liability at the same time. If you allow this, be sure the character remains playable.

Naming your character:

GMs need to put names together quickly, and players often like to get some inspiration for a character name as well. These tables will help with the creation of street names, for which we suggest a combination of two elements. A good street name is a step toward a good rep, a source of security, pride and utility. Beware using another' s street name, which may bring unwanted baggage! One can also choose a historical or literary figure with whom the PC identifies, which will tell potential Mr. Johnsons what you can be expected to be able to do.

Please beware of using real people's names or copyright character names! This can cause unwanted legal complications outside the game. If one wants to be a second Stuart Grainger, Doc Holladay, Merlin the Mage, etc., that can work for a street name. Another is to imitate success the way actors choose stage names. Red Buttons, Slim Pickens, Danny Kaye, Rock Hudson, John Wayne, Tab Hunter, all are good examples of stage names that aren't the owners' real names. A great source of nicknames is the Baseball Encyclopedia, which has everything from Bunn and Deerfoot to Death to Flying Things and The Freshest Man on Earth. Team nicknames like Murderers Row, the GasHouse Gang, Dem Bums, etc., are also a source of inspiration.

Common nicknames are good for street identities. Combining them with the old western notion of a real name 'makes for some colorful prospects: Wild Horse Charley, Basket Charley, Cactus Charlie, and Burnt Beans Charley. The name should add to the character's colorful personality.

Characters also need real names, which the Baseball encyclopedia, baby name books and the phone book can supply, along with names from your personal library.

We have compiled a collection of names and nicknames that can be used by GMs to make quick NPCs and by players for their inspiration and reference.

Colors: Red, blue, pink, green, brown, black, white, magenta, turquoise, midnight blue, aquamarine, ultramarine, yellow, crimson, orchid, purple, violet, maroon, scarlet, carmine, vermilion, russet, roan, sienna, umber, sepia, gray, grey, dusky, azure, azul, mauve, taupe, titan, orange, cinnabar, sapphire, emerald, jade, forest, jungle, chartreuse, lemon, pine, phthalo, cyan, mahogany, periwinkle, faded, bright, ruby, deep, dark, light, pale, blurry, misty, off-, navy, ivory, bone, purkey, beige, apricot, peach, clear

Qualities: Clean, sharp, shaped, keen, stainless, hard, heavy, burnt, light, easy, cheesy, twisted, plaited, braided, wavy, curly, glossy, dull, flat, shiny, polled, top, most, best, baddest, wizzer, toy, miniature, mini-, micro-, shrunken, bloated, giant, megalo-, mega, maxi, ace, venture, slant, sinister, bar, bend, pale, inverted, chevron, pale, pile, shakefork, bristy, musty, fusty, old, new, neo-, wimpy, wispy, razed, dexter, bi-, tri-, multi-, ploy-, hearty, cool hot, blasting, pulsating, strobing, cooling, girdling, arching, over-, under-, through, super, hyper-, hypo-, allergic, hypno-, common, rare, unique, little, nervous, bilious, choleric, gaseous, liquid, solid, basal, squamous, phlegmatic, slow, fast, crippled, vaprous, vapid, viscous, vicious, pokey, misty, soggy, foggy, mirrored, sparky, spunky, plucky, lucky, ducky

Titles: King, queen, duke, marquis, count, earl, countess, duchess, marchessa, graf, furst, viscount, viscountess, baron, baronial, boss, magister, magistrate, poobah, amir, emir, bey, rajah, maharajah, mahatma, master, journeyman, apprentice, mister, mistress, minister, justicar, judge, honor, majesty, grace, excellency, sultan, emporer, empress, pope, cardinal, archbishop, bishop, presbyter, eider, seventy, priest, high priest, teacher, deacon, archdeacon, patriarch, matriarch, evangelist, teleprompter, guide, blazer, trekker, scout, leader, vizier, advisor, counselor, noser, hero, villain, gaffer, gammer, opa, oma, uncle, aunt, cousin, enemy, friend, frater, sister, brother, bro-, son, daughter, grandchild, child, parent, in-law, mother, father, slotter, chummer, buddy, president, vice-president, veep, mucky muck, althing, nithing, boy, girl, person, bigwig, head, honcho, foreman, straw boss, cotton picker, officer, fuzz, cop, copper, hand, finger, thigh, calf, leg, bone, skin, liver, thalamus, thyroid, goiter, neck, back, backbone, ribs, liver, heart, soul, psyche, geist, gestalt, face, ear, eye, finger, foot, toe, blood, flesh, meat, gall.

Verbs: Squeezer, folder, trailer, tailor, cutter, shipper, trucker, rider, biker, wanderer, wayfarer, traveler, washer, wiper, dancer, driver, prancer, scoffer, racer, hoser, duster, player, racer, crasher, worker, doer, hearer, walker, swimmer, lurker, gloater, seer, stinger, hoverer, floater, flyer, zapper, zipper, dreamer, leaper, catcher, thrower, tosser, heaver, ambler, sunner, fixer, saunterer, jasper, janderer, shader, whisker, liver, dier, dyer, tanner, tinkerer, repairer, plumber, riser, faller

Places and Things: (city and place names make good nicknames and names) Swamp, mountain, forest, woods, shaw, glade, glen, dale, vale, valley, canyon, draw, arroyo, cave, dell, dingle, plume, coast, ocean, sea, lake, bay, bight, drift, pennant, gun, barrel, steel, iron, titanium, wolfram, adamant, granite, gneiss, quartz, slag, coral, igneous, lava, pahoeoe, aa, corpse, lime, limestone, kiln, cement, concrete, marble, slate, shale, stone, gem, rock, amethyst, diamond, emerald, ruby, sapphire, spinel, zircon, garnet, jade, teak, mahogany, lumber, timber, trunk, leaf, branch, oast, garner, holster, cap, helmet, ax, plywood, polyethylene, polypropylene, benzene, propane, kerosene, octane, lead, molten, tomahawk, pistol, grip, stock, trigger, magazine, basin, bucket, slops, trough, trench, pit, hole, rise, ridge, raingutter, rain, gutter, curb, sidewalk, wall, roof, fence, vines, vineyard, orchard, farm, ranch, barn, house, stable, smithy, forge, ice house, larder, pantry, kitchen, bath, tub, sink, drain, pipe, conduit, caldera, canal, river, stream, brook, freshet, flag, cobble, show, shirt, pants, hose, blouse, coat, jacket, hat, cap, chapeau, helmet, gauntlet, greave, bracer, yambrace, gorget, plate, fork, spoon, knife, ladle, salad, meal, sleep, slumber, rest, dream, hallucination, relaxation, wight, spectre, mummy, vampire, werewolf, haunt, poltergeist, sparks, volts, amperes, current, wires, transformer, resistor, capacitor, collar, tie, socks, stockings, pocket, belt, fob

Plants: Fig, tree, bush, vine, leaf, twig, 'branch, limb, arbor, fruit, peach, apricot, plum, potawotamie, prune, raisin, date, nut, walnut, pecan, filbert, hazel, almond, cashew, grape, grapefruit, breadfruit, mango, squash, guava, kiwi, cherry, kumquat, passion fruit, pomegranate, banana, citronella, lemon, lime, key lime, watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, catawba, musk, strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, blueberry, gooseberry, tangerine, orange, poke salad, kale, cress, spinach, corn, wheat, triticale, barley, rye, flax, straw, hay, alfalfa, beans, peas, pineapple, ash, elm, maple, oak, beech, hickory, chicory, nightshade, mushroom, toadstool, fungus, nematode, kelp, morning glory, hollyhock, pansy, daisy, rose, violet, forget-me-not, baby's breath, snowballs, azalea, zinnia, ginger, licorice, anise, dill, caraway, cotton, beet tumip, parsnip, carrot, potato, onion, garlic, leek, apple, pear, columbine, corsage, orchid, lavender, periwinkle, sea pink, anemone, garland, bouquet, florist, henbane, wolfsbane, dandelion, lettuce, cabbage, tomato, forbidden fruit

Animals: rabbit, hare, deer, ox, cow, calf, bull, horse, poheb, camel, mule, ass, donkey, burro, elk, moose, wapiti, raccoon, skunk, cat, dog, wolf, loon, whippoorwill, grebe, heron, crane, flamingo, tern, gull, eagle, hawk, falcon, shrew, mouse, rat, Tasmanian devil, kangaroo, wallaby, cockatoo, kiwi, ostrich, dinosaur, dragon, buzzard, condor, vulture, magpie, jay, finch, parakeet, parrot, bird of paradise, nuthatch, cedar waxwing, canary, thrush, nightingale, fox, bear, wolf, alligator, turtle, crocodile, lizard, iguana, komodo dragon, monitor lizard, ginkgo, snake, serpent, anaconda, python, blow snake, rattlesnake, kingfisher, trout, carp, catfish, muskie, platypus, cassowary, emu, roc, senmurv, simurgh, airfish/aeranid, nixie, pixie, nereid, naiad, oread, dryad, hamadryad, frost, sprite, brownie, kobold, goblin, ogre, giant, toad, frog, newt, salamander, sylph, fay, uintatherium, baluchithere, eohippus, loxodont, mammoth, mastodon, elephant, giraffe, okapi, wildebeast, gnu, impala, gazelle, antelope, coney, guinea pig, swine, pork, venison, beef, tiger, lion, cheetah, leopard, panther, wouser, hoop snake, marmot, muskrat, ground hog, porcupine, devil rat, shark, dolphin, porpoise, orca, whale, bass, salmon, tuna, albacore, ocelot, jaguar, octopus, squid, albacore, mussels, crab, lobster, crayfish, crawdad, hodmandod, lufferlang, grasshopper, mantis, locust, wasp, bee, ant, beetle, pill bug, cicada, leaf hopper, katydid, spider, mite, tick, flea, louse, germ, bug, bacteria, virus

Finishing touches

Everybody has a family. What was yours like? What was your place in it? Are your parents and siblings alive? What is your relationship with them? What kinds of schools did you attend and where? Who were your friends in them? Do you still keep in touch with any? Runners often live alone, but sharing an apartment is a way of cutting expenses for young singles. Do your roomies know what you do for a living? How well do you get along with your neighbors? Who are they? They'll see you come and go, and will be curious. Do you have a social life? A sweetheart?

What do you 1ook like? How do you dress? How do you act in public places? Your attributes are second only to your race in determining appearance. A very strong person will be muscular and large. A very quick person will likely be lean. A high body can mean large size, or just large toughness and ruggedness. Personality adds loads to a character. Have you any quirks of speech or mannerisms? Talents are liabilities are a quick key to a personality. What is your motivation? Why do you run in the shadows?