Features and Taboo Traits

Many traits distinguish a race with-
out actually increasing or reducing its
capabilities. Such traits cost 0 points,
and fall into two categories:
Features: A “feature” is just a note
on how the race differs cosmetically or
physiologically from humanity when
that difference does not grant an
advantage or a disadvantage. For
instance, a human subspecies geneti-
cally modified to lack an appendix has
a feature; so does a fantasy race that
bears a magical mark from birth.
Faster and slower maturation are fea-
tures as well. A race’s native environ-
mental conditions are also features, if
they differ from the human norm
(humans are adapted to 1G of gravity,
have a temperature “comfort zone” of
35° to 90°, and breathe 78% nitro-
gen/21% oxygen at 1 atm of pressure).
A race that can tolerate a broader spec-
trum of conditions than humanity has
an advantage, however!
Any biological creature must feel some instinct
to preserve its young and itself, or the race
would vanish. Races that lack this drive would
have psychologies that humanity would find
truly alien.
Taboo Traits: A specific advantage,
disadvantage, or skill might be off-
limits (“taboo”) for the race – that is,
no member of the race can possess
that trait. Given the number of possi-
ble choices, and the small odds that a
given character would actually take a
particular trait, this is not considered
a disadvantage. Often, “taboo traits”
result from racial disadvantages; for
instance, No Legs (Sessile) logically
forbids movement-related traits. To
keep a race fun to play, do not assign
excessive numbers of taboo traits,
and give a plausible cultural, psycho-
logical, or physiological reason for
each one.