“My positronic brain has several layers of shielding to protect me from power surges. It would be possible for you to remove my cranial unit and take it with you.”—Lieutenant Commander Data
Your player character (PC) is comprised of hardware components that contribute to your character's Parameters (ability scores), Patterns (skills & knowledge) and Processes (special abilities).
Artificial humanoids were commonly referred to as androids—but this is a sexist term, as it derived from άνδρας (andros), Greek "man." They are more properly called anthroids: machines that look like humans, from the Greek άνθρωπος (anthropos), "human."
Anthroids—bipedal humanoids—are not the only possible design. Quadrupoids (four-legged), trochoids (wheeled), petagmoids (flying) and even disembodied artificial intelligences are all potential PC archetypes, known as embodiments, each with their own unique advantages and disadvantages. This book details the creation of anthroids only.
Players use a point-buy system to construct their characters. Design Points are used to select different components to fill the different required and optional modules of their character's embodiment. Each component's properties inform the final Parameters of the anthroid. You start with 14 Design Points with which to “buy” components.
A Sentients Character Sheet has 3 pages:
The first page lists all Parameters, Statuses, Processes, Imprints, Neuroses and Patterns you commonly need to refer to.
Parameters: The final “Parameter” values that describe your Sentient’s physical characteristics, copied from page 2 after component selection is finished (see below). Note that “Age” and “Affect” are not copied from page 2 but are set by the Player.
Status: Your current status values, such as “Stress,” “Charge”, etc.. These may fluctuate frequently during gameplay, so they are all collected here in one place for ease of use.
Processes: The special abilities you have selected for your anthroid.
Imprints: The neural patterning that your anthroid is programmed to obey.
Patterns: The learned skills you have selected for your anthroid.
Neuroses: Permanent conditions incurred by accruing too much Stress.
The second page lists all the components that make up your anthroid. Character creation starts here, by adding components and totaling their properties. Then, final values are copied onto the first page for quick reference.
The third page lists your character properties (such as Manufacturer, Anthroid Identification Number, Owner, etc.), biography and items.