Backgrounds

Your background represents what your character did before the beginning of the game. It grants you (6 + Your Intelligence Modifier) skill points to spend on it's listed skills, and a base wealth score.

Academic You were employed as a teacher, librarian or researcher.
Skills: Academics, Artistry, Athletics, Bureaucracy, Chemistry, Cleverness, Composure, Computers, Engineering, Linguistics, Mechanics, Science, and Wits.
Base Wealth: 8

Adventurer You have always been an adventurer. Perhaps you were born into a family of adventurers or the desire to wander the world has always been inside you.
Skills: Acrobatics, Animal Ken, Athletics, Cleverness, Endurance, Instinct, Linguistics, Marksmanship, Melee, Reflexes, Resolve, Riding, Survival, Perception, Stealth, Streetwise, and Survival.
Base Wealth: 4

Athlete You were a professional athlete of some sort. This doesn’t necessarily imply that you were a famous athlete, merely that you made your living with your body.
Skills: Acrobatics, Athletics, Endurance, Perception, Insight, Instinct, Intimidation, Legerdemain, Maneuvering, Marksmanship, Meditation, Melee, Perception, Presence, Reflexes, Resistance, Resolve, Riding, Survival, Tactics, Taunt, Vehicle Ops, and Wits.
Base Wealth: 4

Blue Collar Speaking of making a living with your body, this background is much less glamorous in scope. Perhaps you were an auto-worker or maybe you flipped burgers. Either way, you were at the low-end of the employment scale.
Skills: Athletics, Animal Ken, Commerce, Composure, Endurance, Leadership, Mechanics, Perception, Presence, Resistance, Security, Streetwise, Survival, Taunting, and Vehicle Ops.
Base Wealth: 2

Celebrity You used to be famous. Maybe you still are.
Skills: Artistry, Carousing, Composure, Culinary, Deception, Gaming, Insight, Intimidation, Leadership, Linguistics, Meditation, Perception, Performance, Persuasion, Presence, Seduction and Taunting. Reputation: +1
Base Wealth: 10

Criminal You used to make your living outside the law.
Skills: Athletics, Carousing, Cleverness, Composure, Criminality, Deception, Instinct, Interrogation, Intimidation, Legerdemain, Marksmanship, Mechanics, Melee, Perception, Persuasion, Presence, Security, Seduction, Stealth, Streetwise, Vehicle Ops and Wits.
Base Wealth: 2

Dilettante You come from old money.
Skills: Academics, Artistry, Bureaucracy, Composure, Insight, Intimidation, Persuasion, Perception, Presence, Riding, Seduction, Taunting, and Wits.
Base Wealth: 12

Doctor You have had medical training.
Skills: Academics, Animal Ken, Bureaucracy, Chemistry, Composure, Insight, Linguistics, Medicine, Meditation, Persuasion, Perception, Resolve, Science.
Base Wealth: 8

Emergency Services You have had training as a paramedic, fire fighter or similar rescue service.
Skills: Animal Ken, Athletics, Chemistry, Cleverness, Composure, Endurance, Insight, Instinct, Leadership, Mechanics, Medicine, Melee, Perception, Persuasion, Presence, Resistance, Survival, Perception, Reflexes, Resistance, Resolve, Streetwise, and Vehicle Ops.
Base Wealth: 4

Entrepreneur You have spent time in the business world.
Skills: Bureaucracy, Carousing, Cleverness, Commerce, Composure, Deception, Insight, Intimidation, Linguistics, and Persuasion
Base Wealth: 8

Law Enforcement You have spent time as a police officer or private detective.
Skills: Athletics, Bureaucracy, Cleverness, Composure, Criminality, Deception, Insight, Instinct, Interrogation, Intimidation, Investigation, Marksmanship, Melee, Persuasion, Perception, Security, Streetwise, Taunting, Vehicle Ops, and Wits
Base Wealth: 4

Military You have served time in the armed forces.
Skills: Artillery, Athletics, Endurance, Engineering, Heavy-Weapons, Instinct, Intimidation, Leadership, Marksmanship, Mechanics, Melee, Perception, Presence, Reflexes, Resistance, Resolve, Stealth, Survival, Tactics, and Vehicle Ops.
Base Wealth: 4

Occult You have dabbled with forbidden supernatural arts.
Skills: Academics, Artistry, Chemistry, Cleverness, Conjuration, Endurance, Linguistics, Medicine, Meditation, Occultism, Perception, Psionics, Resolve.
Base Wealth: 4

Radical You once believed in a cause so strongly you were willing to support extreme measures to see it accomplished. Even if you weren’t a terrorist, you might have advocated an overthrow of the government and participated in events like flag-burning.
Skills: Academics, Artistry, Athletics, Chemistry, Criminality, Deception, Endurance, Engineering, Intimidation, Linguistics, Marksmanship, Mechanics, Perception, Presence, Reflexes, Resolve, Security, Stealth, Streetwise, Tactics, Taunting, Vehicle Ops, and Wits
Base Wealth: 2

Religion You have served as a member of a religious group.
Skills: Academics, Artistry, Bureaucracy, Composure, Deception, Intimidation, Linguistics, Meditation, Performance, Persuasion, Presence, Resolve, and Wits.
Base Wealth: 8

Rural You grew up in the country, or in the back woods.
Skills: Animal Ken, Athletics, Culinary, Endurance, Instinct, Marksmanship, Mechanics, Perception, Reflexes, Resistance, Resolve, Riding, Stealth, Survival, and Vehicle Ops.
Base Wealth: 4

Student You have spent your time in the halls of an institute of learning.
Skills: Academics, Artistry, Athletics, Bureaucracy, Carousing, Chemistry, Cleverness, Commerce, Computers, Criminality, Culinary, Engineering, Gaming, Investigation, Leadership, Linguistics, Medicine, Meditation, Occultism, Performance, Science, Security, and Tactics. You also gain 2 more skill points to spend on these skills.
Base Wealth: 0

White Collar You have worked in an occupation that requires technical or business savvy.
Skills: Academics, Bureaucracy, Carousing, Chemistry, Commerce, Computers, Engineering, Gaming, Medicine. Perception, Science, and Security.
Base Wealth: 8