Illiterate
| Illiterate | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Traits |
| Type | Negative Trait |
| Points | +10 |
| Effect | Cannot read any books or in-world text. |
| Conflicts | |
Illiterate shuts a character out of reading. Books, magazines and in-world text all stay a mystery.
It is a negative trait and gives 10 points at character creation. It suits an experienced player who knows how to learn recipes and skills through other means. The 10 points can fund strong positive traits. A player who relies on skill books will lose a great deal.
Illiterate Effects
Skill books, recipe magazines and novels are all out of reach. Skill training runs at its base speed from start to finish. Recipes found in magazines have to come from somewhere else.
Other ways of learning still work. Television shows and VHS tapes teach skills and recipes. Researching items can reveal how they are made. Many key abilities unlock simply by levelling the skill, such as vehicle repair, generator use and crop growing seasons.
Text in the world turns unreadable too. Notes on the map show as question marks, and map writing is off limits. Nutrition labels on food packaging are hidden as well. The Nutritionist trait, which the Fitness Instructor occupation grants, still shows nutritional values. Pictures and items that need no reading work as normal.
Illiterate Conflicting Traits
A character with Illiterate cannot also take these traits.
| Name | Image | Points | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast Reader | 
|
-2 | Positive Trait |
| Slow Reader | 
|
+2 | Negative Trait |
Picking Illiterate
Illiterate clashes with Fast Reader and Slow Reader. The 10 points are among the largest a single trait gives.
The trait slows down skill growth a lot. Skill books multiply experience many times over, and losing them means longer training. A player willing to grind skills and watch television can make it work.
The cost grows the longer a run lasts. In a short run, the 10 points may be worth more than the books.
Notes
- Skill books and magazines stay unread.
- Television and VHS tapes still teach skills and recipes.
- Many abilities unlock by levelling the skill alone.
- Map notes show as question marks.
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