Wasteland 3 backgrounds

Each character can have a background selected in Wasteland 3, which gives unique bonuses.

Character's Background

Name	Effect	Desc
Bookworm	Experience bonus: +5%	You grew up in the Ag Center in Arizona, raised among scientists, which means you know how to do research. It's not hard. People just aren't in the habit of picking up books anymore. Which is good, because no one knows all your clever jokes and pick-up lines are completely stolen from dead twentieth century authors.
Desert Cat	Perception: +1	You know how to track in the desert. You spent years learning to read the line of sign. You adapted to the heat. The desert is your home. Of course the squad would relocate to the coldest place they could find. You’ve started acclimating, learning to read stride and transfer in snow, but still… fucking snow!?
Disciple Of The Metal	Fire damage: +15%	The world burned in fire, and what was left was the Metal. Across the wasteland, Disciples like yourself were born to carry the song of Metal into battle. As the song falls upon them, the Metal transforms the wretched and powerful alike into howling furies, be they <i>RAIDER! RANGER! MASTER! SLAAAAAVE!</i>
Explodomaniac	Explosive damage: +15%	Let’s be honest. You’re in the Rangers because you love bombs. If you could join an outfit with access to bigger ordnance, you’d be there. But the Rangers supply you with explosives and targets to blow up, so you can’t complain. They also tend to yell a lot, which is good, because you don’t hear so well anymore.
Goat Killer	Critical chance: +5%	Nobody believes you, but you know what you saw. A giant red goat, standing over your mother’s body, freaky golden eyes glittering in the night. Goats aren’t normal, just listen to ‘em! You’re going to kill every goat you can, draw out that Monster Goat, and this time, you’ll be ready. Bleat, bleat, motherfucker.
Grease Monkey	Damage to robots and vehicles: +10%	There aren't many folks these days who can rebuild a transmission or put a refrigerator back together. Fortunately, you grew up in a machine shop.The Desert Rangers appreciate your skill and have taken good care of you. Maybe one day you can retire and build that ’86 Fiera you’ve always dreamed of. For now, you're okay with \"disassembling\" other punks' rides.
Lethal Weapon	Melee damage: +10%	Old posters make it clear- the 1980s were a good time to be an out-of-control cop. They were taking out bad guys and they didn't care if they did it by the book. You don't either. You've been taking the fight to slavers and crime bosses without back-up since you joined the Desert Rangers. The only thing that would make it perfect is if someone called you a loose cannon.
Mannerite	Kiss Ass: +1	You grew up in Los Angeles, in the <i>right</i> part of town. You parents taught you culture, etiquette, and “refined taste”, as they liked to say. You’ve since adapted to life among the ruffians, curtailing almost all your sophisticated habits. But one habit you simply cannot break: wherever you go, you always make time to sample the local culture.
Moneybags	Barter: +1	Your family had money and a comfortable home. But comfort attracts attention, and some folks decided it was time for a redistribution. Your family was wiped out, but you escaped and found safety in the Rangers. Who knows? With a little luck, you may still end up comfortable after all.
Mopey Poet	Evasion: +5%	Everyone looks back at their adolescence with embarrassment. Some wore ridiculous clothes; others were awful to their parents. Some believed that their personal sadness was unique and important enough to vomit into the pages of tiny leather journals that never did anything to anybody. Congratulations, you were all these things.
Paladin	Crit resistance: +10%	People talk about shades of gray, but the brave see only black and white. You know right from wrong and you’ve got the conviction to do something about it. You’re going to bring some good back into this world if it kills you. At least you’ll know you filled a lot of graves with scumbags first.
Raider Hater	Bonus damage to humans: +10%	You tried to like raiding. Everyone else loved slitting throats and tormenting captives, but it just didn’t work for you. When you left to join the Rangers, somehow the story got twisted, and now everyone thinks you used to be some kind of psycho marauder. You could set ‘em straight… or you could just kill anybody who might remember otherwise.
Sex Machine	Combat speed: +0.2	People hoard money, power. They kill each other, steal, all for one thing: getting laid. It’s biology. It’s the reason we do everything. You know it, you don’t hide it, and you do it better than anyone. We’re animals, and if we’re being honest, it feels good to be an animal.
Stoner	Status effect resistance: +10%	The world is, like, super messed up, and people are hurting. So, the Rangers, are like, a really, really good thing for everyone. They just want to help people, you know? If everything is hellacious, just be chill, inside you, and then breathe it back out. For everyone. Cool.
The Boss	Hard Ass: +1	You’ve been told that you don’t consider people’s feelings. Unfortunately, THAT CRAP DIED A HUNDRED YEARS AGO IN A GODDAMN NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST. We’re not going to make it holdin’ hands and singing Kumbaya. If people want to survive, they’ve got to SHUT UP AND FOLLOW ORDERS.
Vicious Avenger	Penetration: +2	You didn’t survive the slave pen because you were most clever. You didn’t endure the lashes and heat because you were the strongest. You survived that hellhole because of your hate. Hate choked your captors to death and hate set you free. And thanks to the Desert Rangers and their mission, you’re putting that hate to good use.

Companion's Background

Name	Effect	Desc
Peacekeeper	Initiative: +30%	Marshal Kwon is a tough, street-smart cop from Colorado Springs. Though the Marshals have a reputation as thugs and enforcers, Kwon - though he can handle himself in a fight - is more of a talker. He's deal-maker and fixer who solves problems through negotiation, and who can call in favors from people all over town, and on both sides of the law. Sometimes his solutions aren't strictly legal, and some end up lining his pockets, but as long as it makes city safer in the end he can live with himself.
Gunslinger	Strike Rate: +5%	Lucia was born into one of the Hundred Families, the ruling elite of Colorado Springs. Her farther, a prominent supporter of the Patriarch, expected his children to excel at everything they did. Lucia embraced this perfectionism, and became one of the best shooters in all of Colorado Springs - though she hasn't actually been in battle yet. She has the manners and deportment of someone twice her age, but Lucia is still young, and has led a sheltered life, making her notions of the world somewhat naive and idealistic.