Traits are an optional way to give a character definition. They are usually double-edged swords,giving a bonus as well as a penalty, making your character unique. They simply describe an aspect of the character’s personality or physical description, and permanently affect things like Skills, Primary Statistics, and Secondary Statistics. Some traits are not available to every race. A character can pick two traits, one trait, or no trait at all. A character can never have more than two traits. When you have picked your traits, note their effects on your character sheet.

Bloody Mess

By some strange twist of fate, people around you die violently. You always see the worst way a person can die. This does not mean you kill them any faster or slower, but when they do die, it will be dramatic. Just how dramatic is up to the Overseer.

Bruiser

A little slower, but a little bigger. You may not hit as often, but they will feel it when you do! Your total action points are lowered, but your Strength is increased. You get a 2 point bonus to Strength, but lose 1 Action Points.

Chem Reliant

You are more easily addicted to chems. Your chance to be addicted is twice normal, but you recover in half the time from their ill effects. Robots cannot choose this trait.

Chem Resistant

Chems only effect you half as long as normal, but your chance to be addicted is only 50% the normal amount. Robots cannot choose this trait.

Fast Metabolism	Your metabolic rate is twice normal. This means that you are much less resistant to radiation and poison, but your body heals faster. You get a 2 point bonus to Healing Rate, but your Radiation and Poison Resistance start at 0% (racial modifiers are added later). Robots and Ghouls cannot choose this trait.
Fast Shot	You don’t have time for a targeted attack, because you attack faster than normal people. You cannot perform targeted shots, but all weapons take one less action point to use. Note that the Fast Shot trait has no effect on HtH or Melee attacks. Animals cannot choose this trait.

Finesse

Your attacks show a lot of finesse. You don’t do as much damage, but you cause more critical hits. Your Base Critical Hits only add an additional +75% dmg instead of the normal +100% but you gain a 10% bonus to Critical Chance.

Gifted

You have more innate abilities than most, so you have not spent as much time honing your skills. Your statistics are better than the average person, but your skills are lacking. All Stats get a 1- point bonus, but all skills get a 10% penalty and you receive 5 less Skill Points per level. Robots cannot choose this trait.

Good Natured

You studied less-combative skills as you were growing up. Your combat skills start at a lower level, but First Aid, Doctor, Speech, and Barter are substantially improved. Those skills get a 20% bonus. You get a 10% penalty to starting combat skills (Small Guns, Big Guns, Energy Weapons, Unarmed, and Melee Weapons). This is a one-time bonus. Animals and robots cannot choose this trait.

Heavy Handed

You swing harder, not better. Your attacks are very brutal, but lack finesse. You rarely cause a good critical hit, but you always do more melee damage. You get a 4 point bonus to Melee Damage, but your critical hits do 30% less damage, and are 30% less likely to cripple a limb or cause unconsciousness.

Jinxed

The good thing is that everyone around you has more critical failures in combat. The bad thing is: so do you! If you, a member of your party, or a non-player character have a failure in combat, there is a greater likelihood the failure will be upgraded (downgraded?) to a critical failure. Critical failures are bad: weapons explode, you may hit the wrong target, you could lose part of your turn, or any number of bad things. Failures are 50% more likely to become critical failures around the character or anyone else in combat.

Kamikaze

By not paying attention to any threats, you can act a lot faster in a turn. This lowers your Armor Class to just what you are wearing, but you sequence much faster in a combat turn. You have no natural Armor Class (Armor Class is therefore 0 regardless of Agility). You must wear armor to get an Armor Class. Your sequence gets a 5 point bonus.

Night Person

As a night-time person, you are more awake when the sun goes down. You are able to see with little to no light, and vision Penalties for lighting are reduced one step, The down side is bright lights can temporarily blind you for 1 round.

One Hander

One of your hands is very dominant. You excel with single-handed weapons, but two-handed weapons cause a problem. You have a 40% penalty to hit with two-handed weapons, but get a 20% bonus to hit with weapons that only require one hand. Only dogs cannot choose this trait.

Sex Appeal

This trait increases your chances of having a good reaction with members of the opposite sex. Unfortunately, this trait tends to annoy members of your sex. Jealous twits. When interacting with members of the opposite sex, their attitude shifts positively one step. This increases your chance to talk to hostiles, and your barter prices with them. When interacting with members of the same sex, their attitude shifts negatively one step. This reduces your chance to talk to hostiles, and barter prices with them. Warning this negative shift, could cause unfriendly NPC’s to turn Hostile.

Skilled

Since you spend more time improving your skills than a normal person, you gain more skill points. The trade-off is that you do not gain as many extra perks. You will gain a perk at one level higher than normal. For example, if you normally gained a perk every 4 levels, you would now gain a perk every 5 levels. You will get an additional 5 skill points per new experience level, and a one-time bonus of +10% to all your skills when you begin the game.

Small Frame

You are not quite as big as everyone else, but that never slowed you down. You can’t carry as much, but you are more agile. You get a 2 point bonus to Agility, but your Bonus Carry Weight is only 10 lbs X Strength. Super-Mutants cannot choose this trait.

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Non Standard Traits:

Beta Software

You have been equipped with an experimental operating system and peripherals. You get 1 extra Tag Skill, but whenever using ANY tag skill, you must roll against Luck or suffer an automatic failure and, in combat, a loss of all APs for that round. Only Robots can Choose this trait

Domesticated

You have undergone extensive house training and have developed an above average Intelligence. Your IN is raised by 2, but not above the racial maximum, but you get a -2 penalty to Melee Damage. Only Deathclaws and Dogs can choose this trait.

EMP Shielding

You have a dedicated EMP shielding system. It takes you 2 AP to move 1 hex because of your heavy equipment, but you have a 30% Resistance to all forms of EMP attack. Only Robots can choose this trait

Fear the Reaper

You have cheated death! You gain perks as if you were a human, but you are now on death’s shortlist. This means every-time you are critically hit you must pass a roll against Luck or take double damage. Only Ghouls can choose this trait.

Glowing One

Extreme radiation exposure has left you glowing in the dark. Your glow eliminates modifiers from light in combat for both you and your enemies. In addition, you gain a +50% bonus to Radiation Resistance, but everyone around you takes 10 rads per hour (see Radiation under Damage and Death, below). Only Ghouls can choose this trait

Ham Fisted

Genetic engineering – or dumb luck – has endowed you with huge hands. You get a “free” tag skill in Unarmed, but you suffer a -20% penalty to Small guns, First Aid, Doctor, Repair, Science, and Lockpick Skills (these numbers cannot go below 0).Only Super Mutants can choose this trait.

Targeting Computer

You have been programmed with an onboard targeting computer. All attacks cost 1 extra AP to perform, but you can always add +25% to your chance to-hit. Only Robots can choose this trait.

Tight Nuts

this robot was built to take the knocks. You get +15 Damage Threshold to any attack, but you gain only half the Hit Points back from repairs. Only Robots can choose this trait.

Tech Wizard

You spent your formative years hunched over a bench learning all about the way things work. The trouble is that you’ve ruined your eyes! You get a +15% bonus to Science, Repair, and Lockpick skills, but you lose 1 Perception. Deathclaws and Dogs cannot choose this trait.

Vat Skin

Other people find you hideous to behold and disgusting to smell after your “dip” in the FEV vats. The good news is that you gain a +10 bonusto your Armor Class thanks to your extra-tough skin. Thbad news is that everyone within ten hexes of your location, friend and foe, suffers a 1-point penalty to Perception (you are unaffected). Only Mutants can choose this trait