Chapter 8

DISTINCTIONS

Distinctions are changes to the rules that alter the way your character will function for the remainder of their existence. During character creation, you can choose up to 3 distinctions to receive bonus XP to build your character with. The bonus XP from selecting distinctions has no effect on your overall XP cap. Distinctions will be separated between those available for robotic species and organic species.

When choosing distinctions, you should select options you feel you will be able to play with for the entirety of your character. If you find a loophole that allows you to negate a distinction, please report it to staff as that is an issue with the design of the distinction.

If you find yourself agonizing over ways to attempt to minimize or neutralize the drawbacks of distinctions then consider not taking them as that is not the intent of the distinctions mechanic.

APATHETIC

XP Bonus: 50
You are not particularly motivated.
Species: All species
Effect: When you are resting, it takes you triple the amount of time to rest

BAD WITH PETS

XP Bonus: 50
You just don’t do well around wild animals.
Species: All species
Effect: If you are within 5 ft of a member of the wild faction: 
  • You cannot use limit flags to activate perks or abilities.
  • You do not count as fresh or spent.
Additionally, if a member of the wild faction causes you to drop, you must immediately start a dying count.

BITE VULNERABILITY

XP Bonus: 100
You lost the genetic lottery. Your genes are extra compatible with the virus.
Species: Organic
Effect: The number of bite cards required for you to turn is always 3. This effect overrides any other perk or ability that increases the number of bite cards needed to cause you to turn.

BRITTLE

XP Bonus: 50
Maybe you should stay at home. One bad tumble and you're out for what feels like forever.
Species: All species
Effect: The duration of all injuries or malfunctions you possess are doubled.

BURNOUT

XP Bonus: 100
Your candle burns bright, but from both ends.
Species: All species
Effect: Your maximum XP cap is reduced by 250. A character with this distinction that would like to retire the character to receive a prestige option (see chapter 12) must still earn enough xp to satisfy their original XP cap without this distinction.

CHEM RESISTANT

XP Bonus: 50
Your body is resistant to the effects of chems.
Species: Organic
Effect: Whenever you use a dose of chems on yourself, or someone uses a dose of chems on you, all effects that would benefit your character that have a number (such as boosts) are halved, rounded down. Any chem that lasts until the end of the scene now lasts until the end of the encounter.

CIVIL TO A FAULT

XP Bonus: 75
Eating people is not OK.
Species: All species
Effect: If you hear someone start a “FEAST” count, you must pull a limit flag. If you cannot pull a limit flag, you must pull a health flag. You only need to pull a flag once per encounter, per character that makes a “FEAST” count.

COMBAT PARALYSIS

XP Bonus: 100
You hesitate when a fight breaks out.
Species: All species
Effect: Any time you enter any encounter, you are hit with stun. This includes when you realize an encounter has started around you and when you are hit with an ability that starts an encounter. When you start an encounter, you are hit with stun before you use the ability you are planning to start the encounter with. Once you resolve the effects of the stun, you are not subject to these effects for that encounter.

CRAVEN

XP Bonus: 100
You are a coward.
Species: All species
Effect: Whenever you are in an encounter where combat is occuring, you must attempt to leave that encounter as quickly as possible. You can do this by attempting to use any ability that would result in you leaving the encounter, hiding in a place where you feel you will not be discovered during the combat, attempting to use an ability that allows you to become stealthed, or simply fleeing the area. If you are cornered and cannot leave the encounter, you must pull a limit flag to be able to defend yourself. If you cannot pull a limit flag, you must cower in place until you are downed or then encounter ends.

CRUEL

XP Bonus: 50
You have a sadistic side that takes willpower to restrain.
Species: All species
Effect:
Whenever you encounter a character in the downed condition, you must burn a limit flag or attempt a killing blow on that character. 
You cannot willingly remove the wounded condition from another character.

CYBERNETIC REJECTION

XP Bonus: 50
Your body rejects cybernetic enhancements.
Species: Organic
Effect: The drain value of any cyberware you have installed is tripled.

DELICATE

XP Bonus: 50
Your body doesn’t respond to trauma very quickly. If you are gravely injured, you will require swift rescue.
Species: All species
Effect: Your dying count (before any perks, items or abilities are calculated) is 5 instead of the standard 30.

DIFFICULT PATIENT

XP Bonus: 50
You are difficult to operate on.
Species: Organic
Effect: If someone is performing a surgery or maintenance on you, inform them that you have this distinction using the Out of Game Hand Sign. The difficulty of the surgery or maintenance is increased by 2.

EASY MARK

XP Bonus: 50
Bandits and raiders just seem to know that they can get something out of you.
Species: All species
Effect: If you are within 5 ft of a member of the bandit faction: 
  • You cannot use limit flags to activate perks or abilities.
  • You do not count as fresh or spent.
Additionally, if a member of the bandit faction causes you to drop, you must immediately start a dying count.

FAILSAFE

XP Bonus: 100
You have core programming designed to keep artificial intelligence from committing acts of violence against humanity.
Species: Robotic
Effect: You have several restrictions that you must follow:
  • You cannot attack human-like characters unless you personally witness those characters attack and damage another human-like character, including yourself.
  • You cannot purposely attack a downed human-like character. You must, to the best of your ability, avoid damaging downed human-like characters and causing them to start a dying count.
Human-like characters include all playable species and creatures you have learned can be communicated with and have the ability to be reasoned with. If you have attacked a creature that doesn’t seem to be human-like but reveals itself to be, you must cease your attack. Recordings, pictures and other media showing the actions of another character do not qualify for the purposes of this distinction.

FEAR OF THE DARK

XP Bonus: 50
The night is cold and full of terror.
Species: All species
Effect: When the sun is not visible in the sky, your max limit is lowered by one. 

FUMBLE FINGERS

XP Bonus: 50
Your fingers and your brain are not friends and you find yourself having trouble with manual tasks with your hands.
Species: All species
Effect: Any “LOOTING”, “MEDIC”, “REPAIR”, “RECOVER” and “RELOAD” counts are increased by 5.

INSUFFICIENT FUNDS

XP Bonus: 100
You have trouble preparing, saving or rationing. You always seem to be scraping to survive.
Species: All species
Effect:
  • You do not start with a starter kit. 
  • Everytime this character checks into an event, 20 caps will be deducted from the money that you had stored. If you have less than 20 caps, you check in with 0.
  • Anytime you make an RP redemption for items at character check in, the amount of items you receive is halved (rounded up).
  • If you have any perks that automatically grant you items at character check in, the amount of items you receive is halved (rounded up).

IT CAME FROM BEYOND

XP Bonus: 50
Off world creatures look exactly like you imagined in your worst nightmares.
Species: Organic
Effect: If you are within 5 ft of a member of the invader faction: 
  • You cannot use limit flags to activate perks or abilities.
  • You do not count as fresh or spent.
Additionally, if a member of the invader faction causes you to drop, you must immediately start a dying count.

LIGHT SENSITIVE

XP Bonus: 50
You wear your sunglasses at night. Also the rest of the time.
Species: All species
Effect: When the sun is visible in the sky, your max limit is lowered by one.

LIGHTWEIGHT

XP Bonus: 50
You have very little chem tolerance. You get messed up on almost nothing.
Species: Organic
Effect: Any time you use a chem, or another character uses a chem on you, you must immediately make a "RECOVER(30)(Res)" count.

LONE WOLF

XP Bonus: 50
You don't work well with others.
Species: All species
Effect: You can never benefit from abilities activated by the inspire call, and cannot be part of a party. If someone asks you to join a party you must decline to join. You cannot choose a partner or be a drone’s partner. You cannot choose a ward or be someone else's ward. This doesn't mean you can't work with people or join a group while adventuring, you just cannot use the party, partner or ward game mechanics.

LOSS PREVENTION.EXE

XP Bonus: 50
You have some lingering programs meant to stop property damage.
Species: Robotic
Effect: When you encounter a member of the bot faction, you must not cause damage to them for any reason.

PACED

XP Bonus: 150
You move at your own pace. It is just not as fast as everyone else.
Species: All species
Effect: You cannot run.

PACIFIST

XP Bonus: 150
You just refuse to hurt people.
Species: All species
Effect:
  • Whenever you make a melee or ranged attack, you must call "NO DAMAGE" in addition to any other calls attached to the attack.
  • You can use calls on other characters that do not result in those characters taking damage or losing flags. 
  • If a disease, ability or effect that you are subjected to forces you to make an attack that you cannot control, you attack yourself until you are downed and immediately begin a dying count.

POISON VULNERABLE

XP Bonus: 50
You are particularly vulnerable to toxins.
Species: Organic
Effect: When you are hit with the poison call, you must also burn a health flag. Perks that allow you to Resist or become immune to poison can no longer do so. If you are normally immune to poison, you are no longer immune to poison. You may still use equipment or consumables that allow you to become immune to or Resist poison.

PRIDEFUL

XP Bonus: 50
No matter the odds, you refuse to retreat from battle due to your overwhelming pride and honor.
Species: All species
Effect: In order to leave an encounter in which you have participated in any combat actions, you must burn all of your equipped limit flags. If you don't have any equipped limit flags, you cannot leave the encounter unless it ends naturally and must attack all enemy characters until they or you are downed.

ROTTEN LUCK

XP Bonus: 50
Biters just seem to catch you at the worst times.
Species: Organic
Effect: Every time you check into an event, you gain a bite card.

SPEECHLESS

XP Bonus: 100
You don’t speak, so you find other ways of communicating your frustrations.
Species: All species
Effect: You may not speak in character, except to make counts or calls, to react to damage or to answer commands that require you to speak to answer a question.

THE FUTURE IS SCARY

XP Bonus: 50
You just don’t understand all this new spamfangled technology.
Species: All species
Effect: If you are within 5 ft of a member of the bot faction: 
  • You cannot use limit flags to activate perks or abilities.
  • You do not count as fresh or spent.
Additionally, if a member of the bot faction causes you to drop, you must immediately start a dying count.

TURNED AVERSE

XP Bonus: 50
You are terrified of catching the virus that turned so many people into zombies.
Species: All species
Effect: If you are within 5 ft of a member of the turned faction: 
  • You cannot use limit flags to activate perks or abilities.
  • You do not count as fresh or spent.
Additionally, if a member of the turned faction causes you to drop, you must immediately start a dying count.
Chapter last updated:
2025-03-13 22:54:50