Character Traits
New recruits to your mercenary company may have 0 to 2 randomly selected traits that affect their stats in positive and/or negative ways. Some backgrounds will disallow certain traits, as will some traits disallow others.
For example, a character can not be both physically strong and weak, or eagle-eyed and short-sighted.[1] The following info is accurate as of Build 1.0.5.
Also, traits can allow certain events to trigger or certain new options for other events. Occasionally, new traits (such as "Old") can be suffered through events or certain event choices.
For a list of events associated with one or more specific Trait(s), look here.
Trait | Stats | Hints |
---|---|---|
Asthmatic |
-5 Fatigue Recovery per turn. | Note: Considered by most veterans to be the worst possible trait for a mercenary to have as it reduces Fatigue Recovery from 15/turn to 10/turn. |
Athletic |
Builds up 2 less fatigue for each tile travelled (previously -1 Fatigue per tile in older builds)[2] | Synergizes well with the Pathfinder perk. |
Bleeder |
Will receive bleeding damage for 1 additional turn. | |
Bloodthirsty |
All kills are fatalities if weapon allows. Explanation: Causes a gruesome death like a decapitation. Has no additional effect on Morale[3]. | Note: The decapitation prevents Wiedergangers to raise from dead if they haven't already risen once, but does NOT prevent Fallen Heroes from raising from dead. Necromancers CAN raise headless Wiedergangers (and Fallen Heroes of course) from the dead.
Events: - May cause trouble in town? |
Brave |
+5 Resolve | |
Bright |
+10% Experience Gain | May share a positive event with Dumb characters resulting in a positive mood boost. |
Brute |
+15% Damage to a hit on the head (Melee Only), -5 Melee Skill | This trait can work very well with certain weapons (e.g. Flails, Axes, Pikes) and synergizes well with the Juggler and Killer on the Run backgrounds (due to their bonus chance to hit the head). Can sometimes trigger negative events in towns. |
Clubfooted |
+2 Fatigue for each tile traveled (previously +1 Fatigue per tile in older builds)[2] | |
Clumsy |
-5 Melee skill | May injure himself during a related event. |
Cocky |
+5 Resolve, -5 Melee Defense, -5 Ranged Defense | Can lose a breath holding contest against a character with Iron Lungs. |
Craven |
-10 Resolve | Doesn't mind being in reserve. |
Dastard |
Starts combat at wavering morale | Can be removed by a world map event involving your original battle brothers with the trait Background: Companion.
Doesn't mind being in reserve. |
Deathwish |
No morale check triggered upon losing hitpoints. | |
Determined |
Starts combat at confident morale | Only if mood permits it. Also, an event is associated with the Determined trait. |
Dexterous |
+5 Melee Skill | Can help certain event/s turn out in a positive way. |
Disloyal |
Fast to leave if you run out of provisions or money. | Doesn't mind being in reserve. |
Double Grip |
+25% Damage | Special: This trait only applies if you have a one-handed weapon equipped with your second hand free i.e. no shield or net. Does not apply for Puncture skill, but it does apply for regular dagger attack. |
Dumb |
-15% Experience Gain | May share a positive event with Bright characters resulting in a positive mood boost.
Can possibly be removed through an event with Historian or Monk background. Not guaranteed though, and there may be a chance for negative consequences in such events. |
Drunkard |
+10% damage, +5 Resolve, -5 Melee skill, - 10 Ranged skill | Has world map event with choice to flog afflicted battle brother with chance to remove trait. The trait has a chance to be added to battle brothers during tavern event "Buying a Round for your Men".
Note: Brothers without Drunkard can gain it if you lose a lot of men. |
Eagle Eyes |
+1 Vision | Note: This trait does NOT allow one to shoot further with a ranged weapon than normal. However, it is useful as it negates 1 point of vision penalty from Nighttime or helmets (e.g. an archer could wear a helmet with a -1 penalty to vision for greater head protection without suffering any loss of range vs an archer without this trait using a helmet with no vision penalties). |
Fat |
According to the latest 1.0.0.5 version, this is:
+ 10 HP, -10 Max Fatigue It used to be +10 HP, -15 Max Fatigue but it got reduced to +10 HP, -10 Max Fatigue. |
Can be removed by an event choice (as with removing any trait that is removable, all associated penalties and bonuses are removed). |
Fainthearted |
-5 Resolve | |
Fearless |
+10 Resolve | |
Fragile |
-10 Hitpoints | |
Gluttonous |
Uses more food (3, instead of 2 per day) and is fast to leave if you run out of food | Can become fat. |
Greedy |
Will ask for more daily pay than similar characters, and quicker to leave if you run out of crowns. | Can currently be added by an event choice.
May leave the party after attempting to get a raise due to a competing company offering better pay. |
Hesitant |
-10 Initiative | |
Impatient |
Always acts first in the very first round of combat. | Currently only applies in the first round (used to apply every round). |
Insecure |
Will never be of confident morale. | |
Iron Lungs |
Recovers an extra 5 fatigue every turn. | Considered by nearly all players to be the best trait in the game. Can win a breath holding contest against a cocky character. |
Iron Jaw |
The threshold to sustain injuries on getting hit is increased by 25%. | Can synergize with the Colossus perk |
Irrational |
Has +10 or -10 Resolve randomly at every morale check. | |
Loyal |
This character is much less likely to leave you if you run out of food or crowns. | |
Old |
+10 Resolve, -10 Hitpoints, -10 Max Fatigue, -10 Initiative, -1 Vision, is always content with being in Reserve | Acquired trait from an in-game event. Affects Swordmasters. |
Optimist |
+5 Resolve at positive morale checks. Now also makes negative mood go away quicker. | |
Pessimist |
-5 Resolve at negative morale checks. Now also makes positive mood go away quicker. | |
Quick |
+10 Initiative | |
Short Sighted |
-1 Vision | Can result in an out-of-combat event that causes an injury to a friendly team member. |
Spartan |
Uses less food and is less likely to leave if you run out of food. | Can sometimes be removed as a result of an event choice.
May faint and get injured. |
Strong |
+10 Max. Fatigue | This trait synergizes well with the Nimble perk (Nimble activation chance % is calculated after bonus fatigue from the Strong trait is accounted for) |
Superstitious |
-10 Resolve at morale checks against fear, panic or mind-control effects. | Can become afraid in an event and get a 50% penalty to Resolve for a while. |
Sure Footing |
+5 Melee Defense | Can help certain events turn out in a positive way. |
Survivor |
Now has a 90% chance to survive if reduced to 0 HP and not killed by a fatality. | See "Permanent Injuries" |
Tiny |
+5 Melee Defense, +5 Ranged Defense, -15% Melee Damage | |
Tough |
+10 Hitpoints |
Character Titles
Occasionally you may come across a character that has a title to his name (ie Reynhart the Mad). There is currently no way of telling a character's stats or traits before hiring him, however if a character has a title (which is usually a nod to his profession), in some cases that title may be based on his traits. Example posted by devs: An especially large and sturdy character being known as “the Mountain”, which should give you a hint.[4]
The following is a largely incomplete list of observed titles and possibly linked traits based purely on in-game hires:
Title | Trait |
---|---|
the Anxious | Impatient |
the Barbarian | Clumsy |
the Berserker | Brute (possibly also Tough) |
the Bear | Strong or Tough |
the Betrayer | Insecure |
the Black | Iron Lungs |
the Blade | Bloodthirsty/Bright (?) |
the Blessed | Survivor |
the Braggart | Cocky |
the Brave | Brave/Cocky |
the Bull | Strong or Brute |
the Butcher | Bloodthirsty |
the Chicken | Dastard (possibly also Fainthearted) |
the Coward | Dastard |
the Craven | Craven |
the Cruel | Bloodthirsty |
the Drunk | Drunkard |
the Eager | Impatient |
Earthside | Sure Footing |
the Exorciser | Iron Jaw (possibly also Gluttonous) |
the Fearless | Fearless |
the Fine | Loyal |
the Follower | Loyal |
The Fox | Bright |
the Giant | Iron Lungs (possibly also Drunkard) |
the Halfman | Tiny |
Hamfisted | Brute |
the Hammer | Brute |
the Hero | Brave |
the Idiot | Dumb |
the Lucky | Survivor |
the Loyal | Loyal |
the Mad | Bloodthirsty / Irrational / Deathwish |
the Meek | Fainthearted |
the Miller | Fainthearted (possibly also Dumb) |
the Mountain | Fat |
the Oldguard | Fearless/ Ironjaw (?) |
the Ox | Strong/Tough/Brute |
the Particular | Determined |
the Pig | Fat |
the Pure | Dumb |
the Quick | Quick |
Quickfingers | Dexterous |
Quickmind | Bright |
the Rat | Drunkard |
the Raven | Insecure |
the Restless | Impatient |
the Rock | Tough or Hesitant or Iron Jaw |
the Runner | Dexterous / Greedy |
the Savage | Strong/Irrational/Fearless |
the Sergeant | Fearless |
the Slow | Hesitant/Dumb |
Silver-Tongue | Disloyal |
the Snake | Greedy |
the Swine | Gluttonous, Disloyal (?) |
the Survivor | Survivor |
the Veteran | Brave |
the Wildcard | Brave |
the Wise | Bright |
the Wolf | Gluttonous |