Unless the campaign is supposed to start with them naked and defenseless, every character should have at least a few pieces of gear in their starting inventory.
At the very least, [[clothing and armor]], some [[load-bearing equipment]], and at least one or two [[weapons]] (preferably weapons that match your character'sskills), plus [[weapon accessory|accessories]] and [[ammunition]] as needed. Extra stuff, such as [[food]], [[meds]], or items necessary for non-combat skills (e.g. [[Crafting items|lockpicking kits]]), should also be considered.
The recommended method of equipment attribution is for the GM to set a monetary budget, and let the players peruse this very wiki to pick and choose their starting gear themselves. Any left-over or unused money should be turned into cash for the character to carry, or added to the character's bank account. Specific restrictions on types of items should also be introduced, in order to avoid min-maxing for the best equipment right from the beginning, and generally to prevent starting characters from getting 'too good' gear.
* GMs can take out the "choice" part entirely and simply assign new characters standard-issue equipment. Ideal for military or police-themed campaigns.
* The sky is the limit! If you have other ideas entirely, run with it!
= Building the character sheet =