Character Development Background Arcanum
Educator
Race and Gender: All
You are a natural teacher. As you learn skill training, you can teach your followers the previous training step. So as an Expert, you can teach your followers as Apprentices, if they qualify. However, since you spend extra time with each follower, you cannot have as many as usual (-1 to maximum followers).
Super Model
Race and Gender: Female Only
You are a stunningly gorgeous woman, and you have been pampered and coddled all of your life. You gain a tremendous bonus to Beauty (+6) at the cost of Willpower (-1), Strength (-2) and most of all Intellgence (-3).
Escaped Lunatic
Race and Gender: Human Only
You have escaped from an insane asylum and stowed away aboard the IFS Zephyr. You are extremely resistant to damage (+25% to normal, fire, electrical, and poison resistance) but you have no money, you have stolen some cheap clothing, and most people are frightened or repulsed by you (-25 reaction).
Idiot Savant
Race and Gender: Human and Human Hybrids Only
You were institutionalized at a young age and believed to be mentally handicapped. After several years, the institute lost funding and you were turned out onto the street with nothing more than the clothes on your back. You are brilliant with a keen grasp of numbers and mathematics, but you are barely able to talk. You gain +6 points of Intelligence and +3 to Gambling, but years of being locked away makes you suffer physically and emotionally. You talk as if you had a much lower Intelligence and you suffer -1 to Strength and Constitution, and -2 to Dexterity and Willpower.
Tomboy
Race and Gender: Female Only
As a little girl, you were always playing games with the boys. As a woman, you can hold your own against any man, and you have avoided the stereotypical female role in society. This background negates the gender effect by increasing Strength (+1) while decreasing Constitution (-1).
Barbarian
Race and Gender: All but Half-Ogres
You were raised among a wild barbarian tribe in a far land. No one knows how or why you came to be a passenger aboard to IFS Zephyr, but given your ferocious demeanor, no one tried to find out. You gain +2 Strength and +1 Constitution and a +1 to Melee, while suffering -1 Intelligence, -2 Charisma, and a -2 to Haggle. You also possess barbarian armor but less money than other characters.
Nietzsche Poster Child
Race and Gender: All
Nietzsche once said "That which does not kill me makes me stronger", and he may have been referring to you. All your life you have been making mistakes, but you always seem to come out better afterwards. In other words, you critically fail more than normal but you have a 10% experience point bonus.
Dark Elf Follower
Race and Gender: Elf Only
You believe in the philosophy of the dark elves, that technology must be brought down at any cost. This faith has strengthened your resolve (+2 Willpower), but the recent rise of technology has made you bitter (-2 Charisma).
Nature Mage
Race and Gender: All but Dwarves
You were born with a magickal aptitude that has affinity for nature. While standing on a natural surface, you possess a +20% bonus to Magickal Aptitude. But on a man-made surface, you suffer a -20% to your Magickal Aptitude.
Day Mage
Race and Gender: All but Dwarves
You were born with a magickal aptitude that has affinity for the sun. During the day (between the hours of 6 AM and 6 PM), you possess a +20% bonus to your Magickal Aptitude, but at night you suffer a -20% to your Magickal Aptitude.
Night Mage
Race and Gender: All but Dwarves
You were born with a magickal aptitude that has affinity for the night. At night (between the hours of 6 PM and 6 AM), you possess a +20% bonus to your Magickal Aptitude, but during the day you suffer a -20% to your Magickal Aptitude.
Sky Mage
Race and Gender: All but Dwarves
You were born with a magickal aptitude that has affinity for the open sky. While outside and in clear view of the sky, you possess a +20% bonus to Magickal Aptitude. But while underground, indoors, or even under a heavy forest canopy, you suffer a -20% to your Magickal Aptitude.
Sold Your Soul
Race and Gender: All
You have made a pact with a demon. In exchange for more magickal power, you have dedicated your life to the pursuit of evil. You gain +20% to Magickal Aptitude, but suffer -20 reaction from others and a -20 alignment (and your alignment can NEVER go higher).
Agoraphobic
Race and Gender: Humans, Dwarves, Gnomes, and Halflings Only
You are terrified of open spaces. As a child, you rarely went outdoors and spent your time reading and studying, gaining a +2 Intelligence. You are fine if you are indoors or even in a thickly forested area, but if you go into an outdoor open area, you suffer a panic attack, losing your Intelligence bonus and leading to -2 to Dexterity, Intelligence and Willpower, but you do gain +2 to Strength from the fear.
Hydrophobic
Race and Gender: Humans, Half-Orcs, Dwarves, Gnomes, and Halflings Only
You are deathly afraid of water and of drowning. As a child, you constantly made up reasons to avoid entering even shallow water, gaining +2 to Persuasion. If you do find yourself in water, you suffer a panic attack, leading to -2 to Dexterity, Intelligence and Willpower, but you do gain +2 to Strength from the fear.
Afraid of the Dark
Race and Gender: Humans and Halflings Only
You cannot stand to be in the dark. You stay constantly aware of your surroundings, peering into dim corners and dark shadows to see if something is there. While this has raised your Perception by 2, you will suffer a panic attack if you are in too dark an area, leading to -2 to Dexterity, Intelligence and Willpower, but you do gain +2 to Strength from the fear.
Magick Allergy
Race and Gender: All but Elves and Half-Elves
You are severely allergic to magickal items, such that touching them causes you pain. Therefore, you have been devoted to technology since a young age and have developed a knack for it. You gain a +10% bonus to Technological Aptitude, but you cannot wield ANY magickal items.
Arsonist
Race and Gender: Human Only
You like fire. No, you LOVE fire! Fire fire fire! You were always picked on as a kid for being scrawny (-1 Strength and -1 Constitution) but you showed them! You studied explosives (+20 Expertise) and you burned their homes! Burned them to the ground! Ha ha! Then you ran away from home and snuck aboard the IFS Zephyr, which seemed highly flammable and an excellent target. You probably would have torched the zepplin if it hadn't been shot down.
Bandit
Race and Gender: Human Only
You are a gun-toting bandit. You ran afoul of the law and reached the IFS Zephyr just one step ahead of the authorities. You have your gun and some ammo, but you don't have any money.
Technophobia
Race and Gender: Humans, Half-Elves, Half-Orcs and Halflings Only
You were raised on a potato farm in the rustic backwaters of a distant land. You worked hard (+1 Strength and +1 Constitution), but you never experienced any technology of any kind. Subsequently, you are afraid of technological items and cannot bring yourself to even pick one up.
Only Child
Race and Gender: All
You grew up as the only child of very permissive parents, and you basically always got your own way. As an adult, you expect nothing less than total obedience of those around you (Willpower +6), but your temperament reduces your Charisma by 4 and your Persuasion and Haggle skills by 2 each.
Frankenstein Monster
Race and Gender: Human Male Only
You were reanimated by a mad scientist from various body parts he found at grave sites, but somehow you escaped from the laboratory. You are very well-constructed (Strength +4, Constitution +4, Electrical Reistance +30%, Poison Resistance +20%), but very slow (Dexterity -6) with a damaged brain-larynx connection (you use dumb dialog options) and a susceptibilty to fire (Fire Resistance -20%). You also start out with no money whatsoever.
Bride of Frankenstein
Race and Gender: Human Female Only
You were reanimated by a mad scientist to be the bride of his other creation, but somehow you managed to escape before the wedding. You are very well-constructed (Beauty +4, Constitution +4, Electrical Reistance +20%, Poison Resistance +10%), but slow (Dexterity -4) with a damaged brain-larynx connection (you use dumb dialog options) and a susceptibilty to fire (Fire Resistance -10%). You also start out with no money whatsoever.
Mad Doctor
Race and Gender: All
You have performed numerous untested and dangerous medical experiments upon yourself but suffer from the adverse effects. You have gained +2 to Intelligence and Perception, a +20% to Poison and Electrical Resistance, and a +4 to Healing skill, but you suffer -1 to Beauty and Charisma, -2 to Dexterity and -3 to Constitution.
Miracle Operation
Race and Gender: All
Though born to a wealthy family as a young child, you mysteriously lost your sight. It was discovered that you had contracted a degenerative and always fatal disease. As a blind child, your early development favored indoor activities and development befitting the weathiest of society. You gained +3 to Intelligence and Charisma. Your senses of touch, hearing and smell increased to compenstate for your blindness, resulting in a +5 Perception. However, you suffered physically, leading to -3 Strength, -3 Dexterity and -5 Constitution. As a young adult, your parents, out of desperation, paid for the services of a renown, if unorthodox physician, who miraculously restored your sight. The operation cost your family its fortune, so you set out to make your own.
Dark Sight
Race and Gender: All
Your eyes are overly sensitive to light. You are nearly blind in daylight, but you can see perfectly in darkness. Therefore, all skill lighting penalties are reversed for you.
