Here is an idea to introduce some degree of difference to characters, without complicating things too much. At character generation, each player may choose a Trait for their character from the following:

Agile: +2 to all rolls involving agility, such as acrobatics and sneaking
Nimble Fingered: +2 to all rolls involving manual dexterity, such as picking locks or picking pockets
Charismatic: +2 to all rolls based on leadership, presence and making good impressions
Quick: +2 to all rolls based on reflexes and speed, and add +2 CS when determining turn order.
Strong: You are very muscular, and may add +2 to all rolls based on brute strength, such as arm wrestling, lifting or breaking doors.
Tough: +2 to all rolls based on stamina and hardiness. Increase Endurance by 2 points
Stubborn: You may add +2 to your Willpower rating, if possessed, and may add +2 to all tasks involving resisting mental influences.
Scholarly: +2 to all rolls involving book knowledge and learning
Observant: +2 to all rolls involving perception and awareness
Lucky: +2 to all luck rolls and gambling attempts
Blessed: Three times each session, you may reroll a die roll.
Wealthy: Start with double your starting gold crowns.
Deceptive: Add 2 to all rolls involving guile, deception and subterfuge
Artistic: +2 to all rolls involving the arts, such as painting, playing music or poetry
Practical: +2 to all rolls involving crafting items and repair
Versatile: You may exchange one of your staring disciplines with any other discipline.
Worldly: You may add 2 to all rolls involving other cultures and understanding languages
Focused: Choose one discipline you possess. You may add 2 to all rolls involving that discipline.
Kind: You may add 2 to all tasks to council others or when interacting with animals
Huge: Owing to your hulking frame, you may use broadswords and other two handed weapons in one hand, without penalty.

If they wish, a player may choose a second trait from above, but must then choose a negative trait from the following:

Feeble: You are puny and weak, and must subtract -2 from all strength related die rolls, such as breaking doors, arm wrestling or lifting.
Clumsy: You are not particularly agile, and must subtract 2 from all agility based tasks, such as acrobatics or sneaking
Ham-fisted: You must subtract 2 from all die rolls based on manual dexterity, such as picking locks, or sleight of hand.
Weak Willed: You also suffer -2 to your Willpower rating if possessed, and to all rolls involving resisting mental effects.
Illiterate: You suffer -2 to all tasks based on book learning and academic subjects
Honourable: You suffer -2 to all tasks involving guile or subterfuge
Impractical: You suffer -2 to all tasks involving crafting or repairing items. Things tend to fall apart after you tinker with them
Shy: You suffer -2 to all tasks involving leadership, presence or strength of personality
Cursed: Three times each session, the Gm may force you to reroll a successful die roll.
Unlucky: Subtract 2 from all Luck rolls and gambling attempts.
Poor: You start with half, rounding down, your normal starting Gold Crowns
Unhealthy: You suffer -2 to all tasks involving physical stamina and hardiness, and must reduce your starting Endurance by 2.
Slow: You suffer -2 to all rolls based on reflexes and speed, and subtract -2 from CS when determining turn order.
Unobservant: You suffer -2 to all tasks involving awareness or perception
Callous: You suffer -2 to all tasks involving empathy, or when interacting with animals.
Cowardly: You must subtract 2 from your Combat Skill in melee combat.
Ignorant: You suffer -2 to all rolls when understanding foreign languages or cultures
Primitive: You suffer -2 to CS when using crossbows or firearms, and -2 to all rolls involving complex machines, or devices.
Small: You are too small to use two handed weapons effectively, such as broadswords, warclubs or quarterstaffs.

You may not choose a trait that conflicts with another trait you possess, so its impossible to have both Strong and Feeble, or Wealthy and Poor.

Certain traits are more common in some non-human races:

Kloons: Scholarly, Stubborn, Practical, Clumsy, Slow
Dwarves: Practical, Tough, Stubborn, Honourable, Slow
Ogrons: Illiterate, Strong, Primitive, Tough, Huge
Noodnic: Small, Feeble, Observant, Nimble Fingered, Illiterate

Alternative idea: If Gms dont want players having negative traits, just allow them to choose a single trait.

In the D&D variant where you select weaknesses for more feats, the weaknesses were far worse numerically than the equivalent feats, because you were likely to pick weaknesses that affected areas you wouldn't use much anyway so there was not really an even trade off. The LW system has less areas to balance against, but it might be an idea to have the negative traits use -3 or -4

Actually thats not a bad point. On reflection, I am not hugely keen on negative traits in roleplaying games as I tend to forget about them as a GM, and its not like players will go out of their way to tell you! So I think I may just go with one positive trait, and leave it at that.

That's the same thinking that lead to D&D eventually dropping negative points from stats for various races. The negatives really aren't worth it since players will simple adjust their weak spots into places they rarely if ever go during game.

I like the idea of a single positive trait (and moreover, I like your list. Good job!).

-A

I must admit I like having weaknesses in a character that mean something more than RP flavour that gets ignored (as a player), however D&D is bad for not having a positive spin on that personality/physical trait, just a punitive one.

You could perhaps make the weaknesses have both a positve and negative effect, and so that's how you can take a second trait.


So puny: - 2 to strength based checks, but +1 to hiding checks.

Weaknesses aren't as good as normal traits, and have a negative associated, and you can't stack then with a similar trait.

Thanks! Yes, although I like the idea of weaknesses, they always make things a little harder for the GM, remembering penalties etc. I know some systems, such as fate, put the negative traits in the hands of the players, giving them some form of reward for taking a penalty. This works very well, but I think Lonewolf needs to be as simple as possible.

So, for non-human races, I would suggest the following traits to be particularly common:

Kloons: Scholarly, Clever, Practical
Dwarves: Practical, Tough, Stubborn
Ogrons: Strong, Tough, Huge, Intimidating
Noodnic: Observant, Nimble Fingered, Agile

Additional Traits

Clever: You may add 2 to all tests based on solving puzzles, riddles or mental arithmetic
Ambidextrous: You may use a one-handed weapon in each hand without penalty. Although you still make one attack each round, you gain +2 CS when doing so.
Intimidating: You may add 2 to all tests when trying to bully, interrogate or frighten a target.

Strongly agree with Weaknesses having a Role Playing effect rather than a negative stat effect and would further say that Weaknesses can actually be used to advantage with clever roleplaying. Alternatively agree with the positive and negative idea for all stats. For example a Charismatic character might be attracting too much attention at times - imagine in a hostile city a Hero trying to keep a low profile from the watch but ladies keep coming up to him and swooning, or a Tough Hero that is always getting into fights wherever they go with some young gun trying to make a name for themself by being the one to take him down (like a western).

If it is good and bad players can choose no traits and not suffer or have a equally have a trait and not have a constant unfair advantage.

_________________
Lone Wolf House Rules here: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=42027

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Galdron Kyturai, "Kitty", Vakeros Bladerunner in Sidetracked-in-the-Stornlands

The trouble with any trait having only a narrative effect is that it makes more work for the GM to arbitrate, and as you've just said a clever person can leverage it in to a strength - so getting a double bonus.

Ok, so revisited, here are the available character traits. Every character must choose a single character trait from the following:

Agile: +2 to all rolls involving agility, such as acrobatics and sneaking
Ambidextrous: You may use a one-handed weapon in each hand without penalty. Although you still make one attack each round, you gain +2 CS when doing so.
Artistic: +2 to all rolls involving the arts, such as painting, playing music or poetry
Blessed: Three times each session, you may reroll a die roll.
Diplomatic: You excel at political maneuvering, and may add 2 to all tests involving negotiations, political knowledge and etiquette.
Charismatic: +2 to all rolls based on leadership, presence and making good impressions
Clever: You may add 2 to all tests based on solving puzzles, riddles or mental arithmetic
Deceptive: Add 2 to all rolls involving guile, deception and subterfuge
Empathic: You have a feeling for people. You may make a test, adding half your rank (round down) in order to determine a targets current feelings or emotions. This test is usually made by the Gm in secret, and any result of 10 or more will correctly identify the targets emotions.
Focused: Choose one discipline you possess. You may add 2 to all rolls involving that discipline.
Gregarious: You do enjoy a good time, and may add +2 to all interaction tests when carousing, and resisting the effects of alcohol.
Honourable: Your word is your bond. You gain +2 to all rolls when trying to convince someone, so long as you are telling the complete truth.
Huge: Owing to your hulking frame, you may use broadswords and other two handed weapons in one hand, without penalty.
Industrious: You are particularly hard working, and may complete any long term task, such as crafting an item or researching in a library, in 50% of the normal time.
Intimidating: You may add 2 to all tests when trying to bully, interrogate or frighten a target.
Kind: You may add 2 to all tasks to council others or when interacting with animals
Lucky: +2 to all luck rolls and gambling attempts
Observant: +2 to all rolls involving perception and awareness
Practical: +2 to all rolls involving crafting items and repair
Primitive: You may add +2 to all rolls involving survival, and when using primitive tools to build shelters, animal traps etc
Nimble-Fingered: +2 to all rolls involving manual dexterity, such as picking locks or picking pockets
Quick: +2 to all rolls based on reflexes and speed, and add +2 CS when determining turn order.
Resourceful: You are able to survive with very little, and may add 2 to all tests involving scrounging or scavenging, and when creating improvised weapons or items.
Scholarly: +2 to all rolls involving book knowledge and learning
Small: You may add +2 to attempts to hide from larger foes, and may always choose to evade from such targets in combat.
Spiritual: You believe strongly in your faith, and may add 2 to all tests involving your own faith, including rituals, and to overcome serious mental or physical hardship.
Stubborn: You may add +2 to all tasks involving resisting mental influences.
Streetwise: You are used to dealing with criminal types and may add 2 to all tests involving fencing goods, interacting with criminals or haggling over goods
Strong: You are very muscular, and may add +2 to all rolls based on brute strength, such as arm wrestling, lifting or breaking doors.
Tough: +2 to all rolls based on stamina and hardiness, such as resisting illness, exhaustion or poison
Versatile: You may exchange one of your staring disciplines with any other discipline.
Vicious: You may add 1 to all damage inflicted in hand to hand combat
Wealthy: Start with double your starting gold crowns.
Worldly: You may add 2 to all rolls involving other cultures and understanding languages

Non-human races are far less versatile than humans, and must choose their character trait from the following:

Kloons: Scholarly, Clever, Industrious, Practical, Diplomatic
Dwarves: Practical, Tough, Stubborn, Honourable, Gregarious
Drakkarim: Intimidating, Vicious, Tough, Stubborn, Strong
Kundi: Primitive, Strong, Agile, Tough, Observant
Patar: Scholarly, Tough, Focused, Empathic, Stubborn
Szall: Small, Nimble-Fingered, Agile, Deceptive, Quick
Ogrons: Strong, Tough, Huge, Intimidating, Spiritual
Noodnic: Observant, Nimble-Fingered, Agile, Small, Resourceful