Meet the Acoes – Part 2

(Having trouble with the pronouns? Check out this post, and be sure to tune in to the latest episode of the podcast while you’re reading it!)

Sean again. Yesterday, I told you about acoes. Now let’s look at some of the traits that you’ll use to make them in Covenant.

Keep in mind, by way, that these traits, like everything else on this blog, are subject to frequent and massive change. Take a look at this post on how character traits are classified, in case you forgot.

Species Trait: Aco
Acoes are about 18 inches tall or so (size 3). Their small size makes them both athletic and agile. This trait is worth 1 advantage to bids involving athletics – like running, climbing, or swimming – and agility.

Gender Traits: Depends on Generation

• Generation One: Gen-1 acoes are vat-grown and asexual. They have cybernetic brain implants that both give them useful skills as well as indoctrinate them. This trait is worth 1 advantage for non-fighting tasks, but 1 disadvantage to resist orders from other sapients. These implants also increase their vulnerability to electrical attacks and are worth 1 disadvantage to resist electrical damage.
• Generation Two: Gen-2 acoes are either male or female. Neither of these gender traits have game effects on their own, though they may give you 1 disadvantage to social or purchase bids if your character is in the wrong part of the Orion Arm. Nonbinary genders are also available.

Outlooks:

• Separatist: Separatist acoes are obsessed with freedom, both for themselves and other acoes. They blame other species, especially humans, for their misfortunes. Therefore, acoes should have their own communities, governed by acoes, where they can develop their own culture. They think integrationist acoes are naive at best and species traitors at worst. This trait is worth 1 advantage to stealth and deception.
• Integrationist: Integrationist acoes want the same rights as other sapient species. They may have radical methods to get there, but in the end they think that they should be integrated with other species. The Covenant is the gold standard for this, and many integrationists want to live there. However, many prefer to gain these rights in their current homes instead of becoming refugees. Integrationists see separatists as troublemakers at best and terrorists at worst. This trait is worth 1 advantage to technology bids and bids to deal with other species.
• Neutral: You don’t have strong opinions about aco rights or other species. If you live outside the Covenant, you’re probably too busy keeping your head down to care. Choose 1 general trait or 1 ability.

Domains:

• Old Empire: This trait is worth 1 advantage to bids involving the history, law, and politics of the Old Empire. In addition, chose 1 of the following traits, based on your station:
  • Retainer: You are a commoner or a member of a minor noble house working for a Great House. This trait is worth 1 advantage to two bids of your choice (e.g., fighting, investigation, bodyguarding, medicine, etc.) that would be useful to a Great House.
  • Merchant: You are a business-owner and a provider of goods and/or services. This trait is work 1 advantage to social and purchase bids.
  • Machinist: You are a skilled worker and one of the essential freemen that keeps the Old Empire running. This trait is worth 1 advantage to building and repair bids.
  • Conscript: You are a peasant who was conscripted to serve the Old Empire. This trait is worth 1 advantage to fighting and defense bids
  • Peasant: You are a farmer or a factory worker employed by a merchant or noble. This trait is worth 1 advantage to two of the following bids of your choice: farming, operation, repair, building, athletics.
  • Outlaw: You are a criminal, beggar, or anyone else that has fallen through the cracks of society. This trait is worth 1 advantage to two of the following bids: stealth, social, intimidation, deception.
• Covenant: This trait is worth 1 advantage to bids involving the history, law, and politics of the Old Empire. In addition, chose 1 of the following traits, based on the region of Cadelle that you came from:
  • Rethenne Lowlands: Home to a number of major schools, universities, and research facilities, as well as commonwealths serving refugees. This trait is worth 1 advantage to two of the following bids: social, education, medicine, technology.
  • Star’s End: A major mining and manufacturing region with a thriving music scene. This trait is worth 1 advantage to two of the following bids: building, repair, operation, entertainment.
  • The Land of Sun and Stone: Mountainous, sparsely populated region with philosophical, inward-looking inhabitants. This trait is worth 1 advantage to two of the following bids: education, survival, defense, resist.
  • The Shashenne: Densely urban region where much of the business on Cadelle gets done. This trait is worth 1 advantage to two of the following bids: social, purchase, building, repair, technology, medicine.
  • Qoros: The breadbasket of Cadelle, supplmented by a growing manufacturing sector. Major passtimes for kids here are cars and making homemade explosives out of fertilizer. This trait is worth 1 advantage to two of the following bids: building, repair, farming, operation, demolition.
  • The Green-and-Gold: Heavily forested area. Home of the very thick and very dangerous Cathedral Forest, as well as calerre trides that want nothing to do with modern life or outsiders. This trait is worth 1 advantage to two of the following bids: medicine, education, survival, stealth.
  • Seventh Continent: A huge habitat ring orbiting Cadelle and connected to the surface by massive orbital elevators. So-called because it is large enough to be a continent in its own right. The citizens of Seventh Continet constantly experiment with both their society and their own bodies. This trait is worth 1 advantage to two of the following bids: medicine, education, operation, social.
  • The Islands of Steel and Fear: The remnants of a defensive Dyson sphere that the calerre built against a thk’kok invasion that never came. It has since been colonized by various weirdos, loners, and misanthropes who have a single common cause – to be left alone. This trait is worth 1 advantage to two of the following bids: survival, operation, repair, defense.
• Archimedean Confederation: This trait is worth 1 advantage to bids involving the history, law, and politics of the Confederation. In addition, chose 1 of the following traits, based on your role in the Confederation:
  • Executive: You have a fairly high position in one of the Confederation’s company-states. This trait is worth 1 advantage to social and purchase bids.
  • Corporate: You are a scientist, engineer, or manager employed by a company-state. This trait is worth 1 advantage to building and education.
  • Security: You are either a freelance security contractor, or you do security and military work for one of the company-states. This trait is worth 1 advantage to two of the following bids: investigation, fighting, intimidation.
  • Contractor: You are part of the army of poorly paid contractors that keeps the company-states going. This trait is worth 1 advantage to two of the following bids: building, operation, repair, medicine.
  • Unclassified: You are someone who doesn’t fit into the company-state’s neat classifications of corporate citizens. You may be homeless, a pirate, an escaped slave, or simply unemployed. This trait is worth 1 advantage to two of the following bids: stealth, deception, intimidation, sabotage.
• Terran Federation: This trait is worth 1 advantage to bids involving the history, law, and politics of the Terran Federation. In addition, chose 1 of the following traits, based on your role in the Confederation:
  • Trooper: You were bought as a living weapon for the Terran Federation’s military. This trait is worth 1 advantage to fighting and intimidation.
  • Criminal: You don’t have any rights as an aco. You might have an owner who will fee and protect you, but they can also do whatever they want to you. This trait is worth 1 advantage to two of the following bids: stealth, deception, intimidation, sabotage.
• Dominion: This trait is worth 1 advantage to bids involving the history, law, and politics of the Dominion. In addition, chose 1 of the following traits, based on your role in the Dominion:
  • Proscribed: The fundamentalist humans of the Dominion blame the calerre for the destruction of Earth. It’s almost impossible for you to have any other kind of role here besides a criminal and exile. This trait is worth 1 advantage to two of the following bids: stealth, deception, intimidation, sabotage.

Species Traits: Chassis and Skins
Acoes have two unique types of body mods: body configurations or chassis covered by skins. Each chassis and skins gives an aco character abilities unavailable to other species. The type and number of chassis and skins available depends on whether an aco character is Generation One or Two.

• Generation One: Gen-1 acoes can choose from the widest variety of chassis, including chassis with multiple limbs, snakelike or fishlike chassis, heavy-duty chassis with stronger bones, and even chassis with tentacles. They can place one skin over their chassis.
• Generation Two: Gen-2 acoes are limited to a standard chassis with two hands and two legs. However, they can spend as many character development traits on skins as they want. It’s assumed that a Gen-2 aco has ancestors with wildly different skins, allowing them to choose from more than one.

That’s about it for the acoes. Come back next week for the four-armed, four-legged thk’kok of Slice o’Heaven!