Traits

This page is part of the character rules.

Traits are advantages and disadvantages of a character, that distinguish them. They round them out, make them more interesting. Traits come in three versions: positive traits are only an advantage, negative traits are only a disadvantage and neutral traits combine an advantage with a disadvantage.

Positive and negative traits must be balanced, which is why they have a value that tells the player how good or bad that trait is. When adding those together, it must come out as zero.

Some of these traits can be acquired later on. Addictions for example – but also claustrophobia, after your character has been buried alive. If a disadvantage is acquired after character creation it does not(!) mean, that your character gets a fitting advantage to go with it.

The neutral traits:

Brawler	You don't hit as often, but harder. You lose two action points, but gain two points of Strength.
Small frame	You're a little bit shorter than your friends, but that has never stopped you. You can't carry as much as them (-50 pounds), but you gain one point in agility. Your height must be somewhere between 140 and 170 cm.
One handed	One of your hands is a lot more dominant than the other. Two handed weapons pose a problem for you (-25 points to the hit chance), but you receive a 15 point bonus when using one handed arms. (This applies to all manner of weaponry, including melee weapons)
Finesse	Your attacks show finesse. While you make less base damage in ranged combat (-5) but your critical hit chance is raised by ten in ranged combat.
Heavy Weight	Your attacks lack finesse, but by all that is holy, whoever you hit knows he wasn't kissed. You do +4 points of base damage in close combat (armed and unarmed), but your critical hit chance in close combat is reduced by -5.
Fast Shooter	You always shoot from the hip. Every shot costs one AP less, but you're unable to shoot well aimed. This applies only to ranged weapons.
Nice guy (or gal)	You learned less combat skills growing up. For that reason you loose ten points on 'handguns', 'rifles', 'heavy weapons', 'unarmed', 'melee' and 'tactics'. On the other hand your skills, 'persuade/convince' 'empathy', 'social adaptation', 'trade/haggle' and 'seduce/beguile' are raised by ten points.
Faster addiction	You get addicted twice as fast to chems as other people. On the other hand, you recover twice as fast from cold turkeys or even a hangover. Details at the equipment list for drugs.
Sex Appeal	People of the other sex are just drawn to you – those of your own slightly despise you. Hey, at least about 50% of people like you enough that you gain a plus ten bonus on any social interaction to the 'seduce/beguile' skill …with the rest of the population you receive -10 on that skill and on 'persuade/convince'.
Skilled	You put more effort and time in developing your many skills, which is why you receive +5 skill points whenever you reach a new experience level. On the other hand, you gain a perk a level later than others. A human with this trait and nothing else affecting his rate would need to be level four to gain his first perk.
Sharpshooter	You've grown accustomed to the clear sights of a scope. You receive +2 on perception for the range detection with any scoped weapon, but loose 2 points on perception for any without a scope.
Athlete	You just are an athlete with an athletic body. You receive a +10 bonus on 'throwing', 'unarmed', 'melee', 'body control' & 'climbing', but loose ten points on 'natural sciences', 'history', 'geography and politics' and 'tactics'.
Horse whisperer	Maybe you grew up on a ranch, or had for whatever reason more contact to farm animals than to people. You receive +15 on the skills 'Riding' & 'Training' but loose 10 points on social interactions for 'trade/haggle', 'seduce/beguile' and 'persuade/convince'.
Night owl	You're just a creature of the night. During the day you loose one point each on perception and intelligence – at nights, you gain one on those stats as a bonus. This is based upon the clock, not the lighting. It's recommended to use this detriment only when probing directly on those stats.
Glowing one	Can only be acquired by Ghouls. You glow in the dark, thereby saving on batteries for your flash lights. You receive plus one on perception … but every enemy has a +10 bonus on hitting you. Please check the radiation rules for more details.
Technical freak	You spent your youth looking into monitors and broken machines. You receive +10 points on 'computer skills', 'repairing (mechanics)', 'repairing (electronics)' & [[Armorer	'armorer']], but loose one point on perception.
Giant fist	Can only be chosen by Super-Mutants! The FE-Virus has let your hands grow to ginormous size – even for a Super Mutant. You loose ten points on the skills 'repairing (mechanics) & 'repairing (electronics)', but gain +10 on unarmed and make +2 base damage in close combat.
Theoretical education	A lot of effort has been spent on teaching you sciences and art during your childhood. But they neglected your physical training. You receive +10 on the skills: 'natural sciences', 'music', 'history', 'geography and politics', and 'tactics', but you loose 10 points on the skills 'unarmed', 'training', 'climbing' and 'body control'.
Healer	You know how to take care of any hurt – of body or of mind, but you have a hard time inflicting such pain. You gain +10 on the skills 'doctor', 'first aid' & 'empathy' but loose 5 points on 'handguns', 'rifles' & 'heavy weapons' and due to your nagging conscience you gain a 20 points difficulty every time you try to tell someone a lie.
Inconspicuous	You're of average height, have an average face framed by average hair. You don't attract attention. On the other hand, you don't attract attention. You receive a +10 bonus on 'disguising' but have 10 points difficulty on 'beguile/seduce'.
Survivalist	You love the great outdoors and want to spend your whole time there. You gain a +10 bonus on 'survival', 'tracking', 'hunting traps', 'knots' & 'climbing'. But you loose two points of perception in urban environments (when testing on perception). Tests on sensual acuity in urban environments are also handicapped by 20 points.
Hobby = KABLAMM!	It's your great hobby to create stuff that goes BOOM or KABLAMM! You receive +15 points on 'armorer', 'explosives' and 'hunting traps', but loose -2 points on perception because one of your experiments once literally blew up in your face.
Boy scout (or girl scout)	You spent a lot of time in the wasteland, toughening up and learning to survive. You receive +10 on 'survival', 'hunting traps', 'tracking' & 'knots'. But you loose 15 points on 'computer skills' and 'repairing (electronics)'.
Bon vivant	You really learned to live and enjoy the beautiful things in live. You gain +10 on the skills 'gambling', 'card games', 'animation' & 'carousing'. However you do loose ten points on 'social adaptation', 'natural sciences' & 'tactics'.

The negative traits

Value of the trait:	Name and description:
-5	Agoraphobia: Maybe you grew up in a Vault or a similarly confined space, maybe you had some special kind of trauma: either way, you don't just feel funny when you're outside, you get sick and have panic attacks. As soon as you see a true horizon, every test on perception and intelligence as well as on any skill that (according to the master) requires concentration is heavily penalized. Please make out the details with the master.
-4	Claustrophobia: Maybe you spent all your time since birth running around with caravans and never really lived in a house or maybe your greatest fear has always been to buried alive: in closed rooms or cramped confines you don't just feel funny, you have full blown panic attacks. If the space around you is too small, all tests on perception and intelligence as well as on any skill that (according to the master) requires concentration is heavily penalized. Please make out the details with the master.
-2	Nymphomaniac: You're addicted to sexual satisfaction. This addiction shows in that you're easily seduced and through the compulsion to 'fulfill this need' at least daily, as well as other, more subtle symptoms. Nymphomanic characters are for example easily distracted by just a smile coming from a potential partner. Details are left to the player and master.
-1	Bad sleeper: Your sleep is unquiet and full of nightmares. It's very improbable that you rise well rested (-5 on the endurance test for sleep).
-3	Susceptible to radiation: (NOT a trait that can be chosen by Super-Mutants For whatever genetic reason you're twice as susceptible to radiation as your fellow humans (or fellow ghouls). Effectively this means that you can double the radiation value you experience.
-3	Susceptible to Poison: Your body is especially susceptible to poisoning, compared to your fellow humans (or similar creatures). Effectively this means, that the amount of hit points lost to poison is doubled. You metabolize poison as fast as others however and in any other respect, the poison rules stay the same.
-3	Susceptible to sicknesses: If you've always been a sickly child or if that just happened someday does not really matter. Your immune system is sub par. Really sub par. If you see someone near you sneezing, you should start considering buying an expensive NBC protection suit. How susceptible to sickness you are and how you suffer from that (for example a bad case of never ending sniffles) is subject to a master's ruling.
-2	Addicted to Alcohol: This character is addicted to alcohol induced intoxication. If such a character has no recourse to alcohol all tests on skills are handicapped by 30 points, all tests on character stats by 3 points. Do they have recourse to alcohol (enough to count as slightly tipsy) all handicaps are reduced to 5 for the skills and 1 for the character stats.
-3	Addicted to Jet: This character is addicted to New Reno's most notorious and most famous export good: Jet. At least 5 canisters a day are needed to prevent withdrawal symptoms. The effects of Jet and Jet withdrawal can be looked up in the equipment list 'drugs'.
-3	Addicted to Buffout: This character is addicted to Buffout, a prewar drug that was especially popular with body builders. A complex mix of steroids, amphetamines and similar -ids and -ines, Buffout gives you the strength of a raging Brahmin bull. An addict needs at least 3 pills a day. The effects of Buffout and Buffout withdrawal can be looked up in the equipment list 'drugs'.
-5	Addicted to Psycho: Originally developed by the Russian military to create a kind of super solder. The experiment failed by half: The test subjects grew more aggressive and got enhanced bodily properties, but they also grew unable to use tactics more complex than just run up to the enemy and bite, beat, scratch and kick him. A Psycho addict needs at least 2 doses a day. The effects of Psycho and Psycho withdrawal can be looked up in the equipment list 'drugs'.
-1	Addicted to Nuka Cola: Served warm and flat or ice cold – you can't get enough of the most popular soft drink of both the prewar time and the post war time. The last time you tried to go two days without this sweet caffeinated nectar, you shook so bad at the evening of the second day, that your friends had to be real careful giving you the first few sips. Without at least a liter a day of Nuka Cola (we're no bean counters here, three standard 0,33 liter bottles count as a full one) this character gets the shakes and can't concentrate anymore. All tests on skills are handicapped by 25 points. The cold turkey would last for three days. The handicap on the second day is -40. On the third day only -15.
-4	Old dog: You have trouble learning new tricks. Your perk rate is reduced by one. Normally that would mean, that as a human you now receive a perk every 4 experience levels and for Ghouls and Super Mutants every 5. Should another trait have changed your perk rate already, this is added to that change.
-5	Illiterate: Maybe you grew up with one of the "savage tribes" or just never received your opportunity to learn your letters: you heard of the concept of written words, but you can't use it yourself. Neither reading nor writing.
-4	Poor: You own so little money and other goods, that Raiders that try to steal from you not only laugh at you, they justify your slow murder at their hands by “saving you from your financial woe". You receive just a third of the starting capital of your class.

The positive traits

Value of the trait:	Name and description:
+4	Further talent: This character has another talent, that means another skill to which they receive a special bonus and that increases twice as fast.
+3	Good Genes: This character has another point to add to his character stats (SPECIAL-Co). IMPORTANT: This trait can be chosen 8 times, BUT: each stat may only be improved once and each further choice of this trait doubles the price (all 8 improvements therefore need negative traits for 384 points!)
+3	Attentive Student: You paid special attention during your education. The skill bonuses of your class double. All further bonuses of your class remain unaffected: no further starting capital or things like that.
+5	Rich: Whether you've been fed your baby food with a silver spoon or whether you were thrifty and earned it all during your youth: you're loaded, at least compared to your peers. The starting capital of your class is doubled. All other bonuses of the class remain unaffected.
+2	No Side Effects: Medication that gives others strong side effects, cures them just like it does you: but you never had a problem taking it. Healing powders don't cloud your senses and the stronger versions of stimpaks just cure you without making further damage down the road.
+4	Strong Willed: You know what you want to do, even when the flesh is weak, your spirit is strong enough to compensate. All tests that check if you handle some kind of strong strain (for example tests on athletics, acrobatics orbody control) may be repeated because you've got a grip on yourself.
+3	Spiritual Aura: Your faith is not just a light in the darkness for yourself, it's a shining beacon for those around you, too. You are so convinced of your faith that you can time and again make people behave after the MORAL IDEALS of your faith. It does not matter if the faith is a violent or a pacifistic one, as long as the people act on it's faith.
+2	Gamma Gulp Epicure: Thanks to your preference to Gecko's slightly radioactive brew, you have become less susceptible to radiation. Your radiation resistance is increased by 5 points.
+3	Nocturnal: You are so used to the darkness and the deep, still night, that you've become a lot better in your work during the night. You receive no handicaps due to darkness and, pending a master's ruling, might actually get a bonus on certain tests.
+2	Late to bed, early to rise: You're used to the day/night rhythm of a typical farmer. You get along just fine with a lot less sleep than most others. If you slept for at least 6 hours, the endurance test can be skipped.