All variable traits have a point cost of -30 to 30 points. Variable traits with a score of -1 or less are considered
Complications, while a score of 1 or more is considered a
Talent. If no level is taken in a Variable Trait, it is assumed the character has a score of zero for that Trait.
Comeliness
A character’s
Comeliness level reflects how “beautiful” they are by the standards of their species (a slobbering G’Nunk may not appear very attractive to other races, but to other G’Nunk, they could be akin to a lesser deity). A character’s
Comeliness level is added in situations where their level of physical beauty may make a difference in the final outcome of that situation. Players with positive comeliness levels (
Comeliness as a
Talent) are considered attractive, while those with negative levels (
Comeliness as a
Complication) are considered ugly. Those with significant levels either way may even be considered that way by members of other species. Characters by default have a
Comeliness level of zero, representing average attractiveness.
Senses
A character’s
Senses trait reflects how sharp (or dull) their senses are, ranging the gambit from eagle-eyes to totally blind, from incredible hearing to stone-deafness, and so forth. The
Senses Trait may be taken multiple times by a character, each time reflecting a particular abnormality in that character’s Senses; alternatively, a player may consider this trait an average value of all their character’s senses. The
Senses trait is added to any Checks in which how well a character can see, hear, etc. will have an impact on the final result. Characters who take the
Senses trait at the maximum Complication level (-30) completely lose the sense in question. Characters by default have a
Senses level of zero, representing average ability.
Wealth
A character’s
Wealth trait reflects how wealthy that character currently is as far as their personal wealth is concerned.
Wealth doesn’t necessarily mean having money (particularly for characters in Stone Age societies). Rather, it reflects the character’s purchasing power (whether this is through money, personal assets, livestock, or whatever).
Wealth is used when the PC is making personal purchases, or averaged with the rest of the group’s
Wealth values to make purchases for the group. Characters who take
Wealth as a talent are fairly rich, and have little trouble accessing goods regardless of quality. The wealthiest people may hold significant assets (the Directors of Interstel, for example, own starships). Conversely, those characters who take
Wealth as a
Complication are unusually poor and often have to struggle to make ends meet. The poorest of these people are dirt broke, with either no prospects for serious work or in so much debt that they’ll never work their way out of it. Characters by default have a
Wealth level of zero, denoting average wealth with a lower-middle class lifestyle.
Wealth can be used by a GM to determine the initial amount of money that they can give a PC group. Average together the wealth values of all the players in the group, multiply the result by 1000, and add it to an initial value of 15,000 MU/SP. Note that this method makes it possible for the character group to start out in debt, should they all be unusually poor. For individual characters, add 30 to their
Wealth level to determine the initial amount of money that they have with which to purchase equipment (note that characters with
Wealth scores of -30 will start out with no money).
Reputation
A character’s
Reputation trait reflects how well known (for better or for worse) that character is in their field. Characters that are well known in their field may get stronger reactions from other people, particularly ones who know the character or have heard of the character, and know their level of expertise. A character’s Reputation trait score is added in situations where the character’s reputation makes a difference to the outcome. Characters that have Reputation as a Talent are well-respected and praised for their good work in their particular field. Conversely, characters that have Reputation as a Complication have somehow managed to become less well-respected within their community, whether through their own actions or not. Note that a person outside of the character’s field might have heard of the character; they just won’t react as strongly as someone within the field. Characters by default start with a Reputation of zero, denoting lack of repute, whether positive or negative.
Social Status
Social Status is like
Reputation in many ways, except
Social Status reflects how well the character is known in their society, and what niche they fill in their society. This is particularly important in caste-based societies, wherein the character’s place may determine such things as their social rights, who they may associate with, which laws they are expected to obey, which buildings are off-limits, and so forth. Characters may add their
Social Status score to situations where the character’s status in society makes a difference. Characters that have
Social Status as a Talent are above the norm for their society. Those with the highest levels may be members of the ruling class, or a celebrity of some sort. Characters that have
Social Status as a Complication are below the norm for their society, and may suffer ill-effects as a result. Those with the lowest
Social Status scores are considered pariahs in their society, lower than dirt and probably just as poor. Characters by default have a
Social Status score of zero, denoting someone of the most common class.
Social Status is a good trait to couple with
Reputation or
Wealth.
Nerves
The
Nerves trait reflects the character’s ability to stay calm or brave in intense situations, or how easily they get shaken up when things don’t go smooth. The character’s
Nerves score is added in situations where a player’s nerve makes a difference. Characters that have
Nerves as a Talent are exceptionally calm and courageous in the face of danger. Something has to be seriously wrong for them to become frightened or lose their cool. Conversely, characters that have
Nerves as a Complication tend to be easily shaken in extreme situations and are easily frightened. By default, characters have a Nerves score of zero, denoting average bravery.
Memory
The
Memory trait reflects the character’s ability to remember critical details about experiences and encounters they may have had at any time. A character’s
Memory score is added in situations where it is important that the character remember something. Characters who take
Memory as a Talent are very good at remembering minor details about things that happen to them. They can be counted on as a viable source of information about the past. Conversely, characters that take
Memory as a Complication have trouble remembering small details. They may have trouble remembering what they ate for breakfast that morning. Characters start off with a
Memory score of zero, denoting average memory skills. NOTE: This score reflects the character’s memory, not the player’s. If a situation comes up wherein a player has forgotten a key detail, but it is something the character would remember, it is up to the GM to remind the player of that fact.
Luck
The
Luck trait reflects how lucky the character can occasionally be. Characters who take
Luck as a Talent are unusually lucky, and often find things going their way. Those that take
Luck as a Complication are the exact opposite, and some may choose not to hang out with them because of their bad luck. Once per gaming session, the GM has the option of adding a player’s
Luck score to any roll of their choosing, reflecting the influence of luck on the outcome. Characters start off with a
Luck score of zero, denoting average luck.
Health
The
Health trait reflects the character’s general level of health, including their physical shape and how easily they catch diseases. A character’s
Health score is added to any roll wherein their resistance to disease or physical shape may help determine the outcome. Characters that take
Health as a Talent are remarkably healthy, despite any other indications to the contrary. They are always the last member in a group to recover from a disease, and usually recover from any diseases they do contract very quickly. Conversely, a character that has
Health as a Complication is remarkably unhealthy, is vulnerable to diseases and tends to suffer from the effects for extended periods. By default, characters have a
Health score of zero, denoting average health and resistance.
Reflexes
The
Reflexes trait reflects the speed of the character's reflexes and generally notes how quickly they are able to handle parts of their body. The character's
Reflexes score is added to any roll wherein fast action may help determine the outcome of the situation. Characters that have a high
Reflexes score can move their body with lightning speed. They can see something about to hit their head and manage to get out of the way in time to avoid a collision. Conversely, a character with a low
Reflexes score may have problems doesn't move all that fast. They might have trouble getting out of the way of a passing cyclist and have never been good at dodgeball. By default, characters have a
Reflexes score of zero, denoting average reflexes and speed.
Discipline
The
Discipline trait reflects how well a character has trained their mind and body to resist external stimuli, particularly in situations that would either trigger a strong flight reaction or result in severe physical pain. The character's
Discipline score may be added to any roll wherein their force of will or resistance to pain may help determine the outcome of the situation. Characters with high
Discipline scores don't break easily. They won't give information away even if tortured, and can resist truth-telling drugs. Conversely, those with low
Discipline scores will break with very little stimuli. They spill their guts with the slightest poke. By default, characters have a
Discipline score of zero, denoting an average overall mental resistance and pain tolerance.
Education
The
Education trait reflects how well the character has been educated in life, whether through schooling, experience, or other means.
Education can also refer to the quality of the institution at which the character received their education. A character’s
Education score is added to any roll wherein something they’ve learned in a classroom setting has a significant bearing on the outcome of a situation. Characters who take
Education as a Talent have either achieved a great deal of education or have attended very high quality schools. Conversely, those who have
Education as a complication may have no formal education whatsoever, or may have performed very poorly while in school. For each ten points added to
Education, a player may add (or subtract) 1 point to their character’s learning rate. By default, all characters have an
Education score of zero, denoting average performance in average quality schools.
Temper
The
Temper trait reflects how easily a character may become angry in a given situation, as well as the potential severity of their anger once the character does become angry. A character’s
Temper score is added to any roll wherein how short of a fuse the character has may have a bearing on the final outcome. Characters who take
Temper as a talent are very slow to anger, tend not to stay angry once angered, and remain generally non-violent while angry. Those with the highest
Temper scores may be nearly completely pacifist in nature. Conversely, those characters who take
Temper as a Complication tend to become angry quickly, tend to stay angry and hold grudges, and may become violent when angered. Those with the lowest
Temper scores may be so easily enraged that managing their anger is a constant struggle. By default, all characters have a
Temper score of zero, denoting an average temper.
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