Fitness Instructor
| Fitness Instructor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Occupations |
| Type | Occupation |
| Points | -6 |
| Skill Boosts | |
| Free Traits | Nutritionist |
The Fitness Instructor brings the strongest physical conditioning start in the game. It suits a survivor who wants stamina, speed and steady endurance from the first day.
The occupation costs 6 points from the trait budget. It starts with three extra levels of Fitness and two levels of Running. It also starts with one extra level of Strength. The Nutritionist trait comes free, which shows the nutritional values of any food.
Fitness is one of the slowest skills in the game. Each level needs far more experience than a normal skill, and learning traits leave its rate unchanged. That makes free Fitness levels some of the most valuable in the game. The Fitness Instructor pays a high price in points for that head start, and gets a body built for long days.
Fitness Instructor Skills
Three extra levels of Fitness are a major boost. Melee attacks speed up, climbing gets faster and more reliable, and endurance lasts much longer. Endurance also recovers faster after a fight. Fitness is very slow to train, so this head start saves a great deal of exercise.
Higher Fitness helps in a crowd as well. The chance of pushing off an attacking zombie rises. The chance of tripping when a fallen zombie lunges at the feet drops. Fatigue builds more slowly, and long falls cause less damage.
Two levels of Running speed up jogging and sprinting. Escapes are faster, and long supply trips take less time. The Fitness Instructor shares the best Running start with the Security Guard. The Runner trait adds one more level.
One extra level of Strength raises melee damage, knockback and carry weight. Muscle strain drops a little too.
Fitness and Strength both stay at the base experience rate whatever learning traits the character has. Fast Learner speeds up Running, but it leaves Fitness and Strength as they are.
A new Fitness Instructor starts with these skill levels.
| Skill | Levels | Skill Group |
|---|---|---|
| Fitness | +3 | Physical |
| Running | +2 | Physical |
| Strength | +1 | Physical |
Fitness Instructor Free Traits
Nutritionist comes free with the occupation. It shows the nutritional values of any food. Normally, only packaged food shows these numbers, and only to characters who can read. A Nutritionist sees them on fresh meat, fruit, vegetables and cooked meals as well.
That makes it easy to manage weight and avoid weight-related traits that lower Fitness and Strength. A character who is losing weight can pick high-calorie meals. One who is gaining too much can eat lighter food.
The trait works even for an Illiterate character. The trait also adds small foraging bonuses for some food categories.
A Fitness Instructor gets these traits for free.
| Name | Image | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Nutritionist | 
|
Positive Trait |
How to Play Fitness Instructor
A Fitness Instructor plays best as a mobile survivor. High endurance supports long fights, long runs and heavy looting trips. The character can outlast a crowd that would exhaust most others.
The high point cost leaves less room for positive traits. Negative traits that do not clash with a physical style can balance the budget. Illiterate is one option to weigh, since Nutritionist still shows food values without reading. It shuts out skill books entirely, so it suits an experienced player who trains by doing. Fitness and Strength rise only through exercise and use, which softens the loss for this occupation.
Weight traits at character creation cut into the Fitness start. Low Weight and High Weight each remove one level. Very Low Weight and Very High Weight each remove two. Avoiding them keeps the full benefit of the occupation.
Keeping a healthy weight matters in play too. Nutritionist helps track food values so the weight stays in range. A steady exercise routine keeps the Fitness level climbing.
Exercise from the health panel trains Fitness and Strength directly. Each exercise builds its own regularity with repeated sessions. Higher regularity means less stiffness and a smaller endurance cost afterwards. Short, regular sessions work better than one long, heavy workout. Rotating between arm and leg exercises spreads the stiffness over different body parts. Skipping days lets the regularity fade again.
Daily life trains the body as well. Melee hits give Fitness experience, as long as the character is not overexerted. Running gives Fitness or Running experience at random intervals. Carrying more than half the carry limit slowly builds Strength.
Reaching Fitness level 9 brings the Athletic trait. The Fitness Instructor starts closer to that goal than any other occupation.
The Fitness Instructor also has foraging bonuses for some food categories. Junk food stands out, with smaller boosts for medicinal plants, wild plants, wild herbs and medical items. Nutritionist adds to them.
Notes
- Three extra Fitness levels save a long exercise routine.
- Nutritionist helps keep a healthy weight.
- Avoid weight traits at creation, since they cut the Fitness start.
- Short daily exercise sessions build regularity with less stiffness.
- The occupation costs many points, so plan the trait budget.
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