Meet the Humans – 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. Earlier this week, I told you about the humans. Now let’s look at some of the traits that you’ll use to make them in Covenant. See below the fold for more.

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.

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Species Trait: Human
Humans average around five and a half to six feet feet tall (size 5). They have suffered a lot as a species, so they are pretty tough. This trait is worth 1 advantage to all resistance bids.

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Gender Traits: Male or Female
None 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.

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Outlooks

• Immigrant: The descendants of immigrant humans were rescued from the wars and genocides that plagued Earth before Second Contact with the Covenant. Unlike humans with other outlooks, they tend to be grateful to their hosts for saving their ancestors. This trait is worth 1 advantage to technology bids and bids dealing with other species.
• Survivor: Survivor humans tend to come from marginal or even uninhabitable worlds. They tend to be pragmatic and to prioritize survival at all costs. Their strategies may differ, though. Some will go it alone, while others will prefer the support of other survivors. This trait is worth 1 advantage to survival bids and to resistance bids against hazards like poison and radiation.
• Fundamentalist: Religion underwent huge changes during the diaspora and, in many cases, became more zealous and violent. Fundamentalists belong to one of these sects and have molded their personalities to conform to their beliefs. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Belonging to a religious community often increases your chances of survival in the Orion Arm. However, these communities are often xenophobic and will try to convert or destroy non-believers, including anyone who doesn’t follow their very specific beliefs. The Dominion is an example of a fundamentalist Christian community that spans several star systems. This trait is worth 1 advantage to attack bids against your religion’s enemies and to bids dealing with other members of your religion.
• Neutral: You don’t have any really strong beliefs that shape your character. Choose 1 general trait or 1 ability.

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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 Federation:
  • Elite: You are either a politician, a general, or a family member of someone high-places in the Federation. This trait is worth 1 advantage to social and tactics bids.
  • Citizen: You play some role in the vast machine that is the Federation. This comes with some rights, though not nearly as many as those enjoyed by the elite. This trait is worth 1 advantage to two of the following bids: piloting, medicine, building, repair.
  • Trooper: You are part of the huge military apparatus that is the Federation military. You can be enlisted or commissioned, though player characters generally start at fairly low ranks. This trait is worth 1 advantage to fighting and intimidation bids.
  • Criminal: You are homeless, unemployed, a pacifist, or anything else that the Federation has criminalized. 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:
  • Elder: You either hold a high position in the Dominion’s religious hierarchy or are related to someone who does. This trait is worth 1 advantage to social and purchance bids.
  • Priest: You interpret the Dominion’s peculiar brand of Christian faith, or rather one of its antagonistic sects. High-ranking priests are often the Dominion’s power behind the throne. This trait is worth 1 advantage to social bids and bids involving religion.
  • Accuser: The accusers are the Dominion’s feared secret police. They enforce the Dominion’s orthodoxy, or rather the orthodoxy of their particular sect, and have virtually unlimited power when doing the bidding of the elders and priests. This trait is worth 1 advantage to investigation and intimidation bids.
  • Crusader: The crusaders are the Dominion’s military. Outnumbered and outgunned, they rely on uncoventional warfare and terrorism to spread the Dominion’s influence. This trait is worth 1 advantage to two of the following bids: stealth, tactics, fighting, demolition.
  • Brother/Sister: Brothers and sisters make up the vast majority of the Dominion’s citizens. They are at the bottom of the Dominion’s social order, just above the proscribed. Some are genunine believers in whatever sect they belong to. Others aren’t and take great pains to hide that fact. This trait is worth 1 advantage to two of the following bids: piloting, medicine, building, repair.
  • Proscribed: You or your family crossed the wrong people or broke a religious law and have been banished from the ranks of the righteous. Proscribed characters lead a precarious existence as criminals and internal exiles. They can be arrested or attacked by the Dominion at any time for any reason. This trait is worth 1 advantage to two of the following bids: stealth, deception, intimidation, sabotage.

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That’s about it for the humans. Come back next week for the valka.