Special Traits

The description of each species includes special traits that are common to members of that species. The following entries appear among the traits of most species.

Ability Score Increase

Every species increases one or more of a character's ability scores.

Age

The age entry notes the age when a member of the species is considered an adult, as well as the species' expected lifespan. This information can help you decide how old your character is at the start of the game. You can choose any age for your character, which could provide an explanation for some of your ability scores. For example, if you play a young or very old character, your age could explain a particularly low Strength or Constitution score, while advanced age could account for a high Intelligence or Wisdom.

Alignment

Most species have tendencies toward certain alignments, described in this entry. These are not binding for player characters, but considering why your sith pureblood follows the light side, for example, in defiance of the Sith Empire can help you better define your character.

Size

Characters of most species are Medium, a size category including creatures that are roughly 4 to 8 feet tall. Members of a few species are Small (between 2 and 4 feet tall), which means that certain rules of the game affect them differently. The most important of these rules is that Small characters have trouble wielding heavy weapons and heavy shields, as explained in chapter 6.

Speed

Your speed determines how far you can move when traveling (chapter 8) and fighting (chapter 9).

Languages

By virtue of your species, your character can speak, read, and write certain languages. Each species typically speaks, or at least understands, Galactic Basic as well as having a unique language of their own. Chapter 4 lists the most common languages of the Star Wars universe.