Player Characters (PCs) for One Hundred and Two Lightyears Away Pen and Paper Adventures are created using an adapted D&D 5e ruleset — streamlined for a gritty sci-fi western setting. This system emphasizes survival, negotiation, faction politics, and the moral complexity of life on VOI 700 D rather than high fantasy magic.

Dungeon Masters can either:

• allow players to build custom characters using the guidelines below, or
• use predefined Player Characters, optimized for fast onboarding and balanced party play in both the Beta Age and Gamma Age.

All predefined characters come with a full sheet (stats, skills, flaws, equipment, tactical actions, and personality cues).

Characters in the 102 universe may belong to:

• ExoHumans — the displaced descendants of Earth
• Native Tribes — only playable with DM approval; mechanically stronger, narratively restricted
• Zonko — *never* playable; powerful NPC species

In official adventures, Player Characters are ExoHuman by default.

Use one of the following methods:

• Standard Array: 15, 14, 13, 12, 10, 8
• Point Buy: 27 points
• Predefined PC Stats (recommended for beginners)

Abilities follow D&D 5e: STR, DEX, CON, INT, WIS, CHA

Technology skills, weapon handling, survival checks, and social actions rely on these stats.

The 102 system replaces fantasy classes with frontier roles:

• Scout (mobility, tracking, survival)
• Operative (stealth, infiltration, social engineering)
• Vanguard (melee combat, leadership, protection)
• Sharpshooter (ranged combat, precision, overwatch)
• Technician (devices, hacking, repairs, jury-rigging)
• Medic (stabilization, diagnosis, improvised treatment)

Roles determine:

• core skill proficiencies
• saving throws
• starting equipment
• special maneuvers / tactical actions

Backgrounds reflect the social, political, or frontier context of VOI 700 D. Examples include:

• Firetown Settler
• Dark Side Smuggler
• Frontier Linguist
• Peace Treaty Clerk
• Guarding Trooper

Backgrounds provide:

• two skill proficiencies
• tools / devices
• one narrative trait or flaw
• one “Signature Move” (non-combat or minor combat boost)

Skills follow D&D conventions but include sci-fi additions:

• Investigation (tech & devices)
• Survival (e.g. Dark Side, Desert Side)
• Mechanics (Gamma Age only)
• Social Insight (enhanced version of Insight)

Languages include:

• ExoEnglish
• Shang Telu
• Native Dialects of Shang Telu (e.g. Honga Dialect)

Instead of medieval items, characters begin with sci-fi western gear:

• industrial knives, improvised pistols (non-lethal), or tools
• patched jackets, heat vests, goggles
• portable lamps/lanterns, ration kits
• comm devices, frost-proof satchels

Torque rifles, Smart Matter relics, and high-tech Zonko gear appear only as loot or DM rewards.

Each role gains tactical abilities such as:

• Charm Feint
• Calm Directive
• Rapid Scan
• Steady Aim
• Overclock Toolset
• Push to Cover

These behave like “spells” mechanically but are grounded in social, physical, or technological actions.

Predefined Player Characters are designed to help groups jump into the story quickly, ensuring mechanical balance and narrative cohesion within the 102 universe. Each character sheet reflects the realities of the age they belong to — whether the chaotic freedom of the Beta Age or the regulated tension of the Gamma Age.

All official Beta Age adventures currently take place under the umbrella of the Office for Special Operations (OfSO). The OfSO operates in the grey zones between diplomacy, espionage, frontier justice, and criminal mediation. Since the organization rarely deploys its own personnel, it relies heavily on freelancers — skilled individuals hired on short contracts to handle missions too delicate, too remote, or too deniable for regular forces.

This means: All playable Beta Age characters are freelancers of the OfSO, brought together by circumstance rather than loyalty. Each brings their own motivations, flaws, and expertise into the dangerous early years of VOI 700 D.

Here you'll find an Overview of all available Beta Age Player Characters:

* Playable Beta Age Characters

All official Gamma Age adventures take place within the regulated, post-war society of the Federal Confederation. During this era, Player Characters operate within a world shaped by strict resource control, political factionalism, and the silent pressure of GAIA-driven oversight. Unlike the frontier chaos of the Beta Age, Gamma Age characters navigate social hierarchies, black markets, bureaucratic labyrinths, and the consequences of the Peace Treaty.

As with the Beta Age, predefined Player Characters are available for quick and balanced gameplay — but none have been released yet.

Here you’ll find an overview of all available Gamma Age Player Characters:

• Playable Gamma Age Characters

• The Beta Age
• The Gamma Age
• 102 Pen & Paper Adventures
• Available Beta Age Adventures
• Available Gamma Age Adventures
• Playable Beta Age Characters
• Playable Gamma Age Characters
• Sandbox Adventures Section
• Scene Template
• Player Character Creation Guide