Survivor creation
Choose the skills, supplies and traits you will bring into Afterfall, and keep your survivor within the 16-point starting budget.
Build within the budget
Before you step into the streets, choose the skills and supplies you want to bring with you. You start with 16 points. Professions spend points; negative traits refund points subject to a refund cap, at most eight traits and opposite-trait exclusions. Check the creator for the refund limit; its exact value is not confirmed here. Backgrounds add a kit item; a written history is player-authored context.
A useful starting choice is a profession whose immediate tools or skill levels match your intended task. For example, Medicine helps with treatment, while Mechanics and Electrical support restoration work.
Profession costs
| Profession | Points | Main starting skills |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployed | 0 | None |
| Carpenter | 4 | Carpentry 3, Demolition 1 |
| Electrician | 5 | Electrical 3, Mechanics 1 |
| Mechanic | 5 | Mechanics 3, Metalwork 1 |
| Nurse | 4 | Medicine 3 |
| Physician | 7 | Medicine 4, Research 1 |
| Firefighter | 6 | Fitness 2, Demolition 2 |
| Police Officer | 6 | Firearms 3, Awareness 1 |
| Veteran | 8 | Firearms 3, Fitness 2, Awareness 2 |
| Farmer | 4 | Agriculture 3, Foraging 1 |
| Cook | 3 | Cooking 3 |
| Hunter | 5 | Hunting 3, Awareness 1 |
| Fisher | 3 | Fishing 3 |
| Metalworker | 5 | Metalwork 3, Demolition 1 |
| Driver | 3 | Driving 3, Mechanics 1 |
| Pilot | 7 | Piloting 3, Mechanics 1 |
| Ranger | 5 | Foraging 2, Hunting 2, Awareness 2 |
| Laboratory Technician | 6 | Research 3, Medicine 1 |
| Construction Worker | 5 | Demolition 3, Carpentry 1 |
| Courier | 3 | Driving 2, Fitness 1, Awareness 1 |
Backgrounds and traits
The 11 backgrounds are City Resident, Rural Resident, University Student, Factory Worker, Traveling Worker, Community Volunteer, Outdoor Hobbyist, Home Caretaker, Former Shopkeeper, Emergency Evacuee and Custom History. Their extra kits are distinct: for example, Community Volunteer adds a sterile dressing and Emergency Evacuee adds a clean water bottle.
Traits affect carrying, stamina, hearing, surveying, noise, learning, handling, bag slots, illness, panic, sleep and appetite. Resilient does not protect against zombie infection. Smoker refunds two points and establishes a dependency that cannot be quit during that survivor’s life. Organized/Disorganized round their ±15% bag-slot change down.
Compare all profession kits, background supplies and 25 trait effects below. Check your final combination in the creator before committing it.
Full starting kits
Your profession supplies the following equipment in addition to your background kit. A Skill Manual carries its subject and tier; it is not a separate item for each skill.
| Profession | What you start with |
|---|---|
| Unemployed | Cloth Strip ×2 |
| Carpenter | Claw Hammer ×1 |
| Electrician | Screwdriver ×1; Insulated Wire ×2 |
| Mechanic | Wrench ×1; Mechanics Beginner Manual |
| Nurse | Sterile Dressing ×2 |
| Physician | Suture Kit ×1; Antibiotic Dose ×1 |
| Firefighter | Fire Axe ×1 |
| Police Officer | Baton ×1; Pistol Magazine ×1 |
| Veteran | Field Dressing ×1; Combat Knife ×1 |
| Farmer | Bean Seed ×4 |
| Cook | Kitchen Knife ×1; Canned Beans ×1 |
| Hunter | Hunting Knife ×1; Snare Cord ×2 |
| Fisher | Fishing Rod ×1; Bait ×4 |
| Metalworker | Welding Mask ×1; Steel Plate ×2 |
| Driver | Road Map ×1 |
| Pilot | Piloting Beginner Manual |
| Ranger | Compass ×1; Canteen ×1 |
| Laboratory Technician | Sample Vial ×1; Respirator ×1 |
| Construction Worker | Masonry Chisel ×1 |
| Courier | Small Backpack ×1 |
Background kits
Your background adds one item to your supplies. Choose the history that suits your survivor; writing a custom history is separate from these kit items.
| Background | What you start with |
|---|---|
| City Resident | Building Directory ×1 |
| Rural Resident | Vegetable Seed Packet ×1 |
| University Student | Blank Notebook ×1 |
| Factory Worker | Work Gloves ×1 |
| Traveling Worker | Road Map ×1 |
| Community Volunteer | Sterile Dressing ×1 |
| Outdoor Hobbyist | Compass ×1 |
| Home Caretaker | Canned Soup ×1 |
| Former Shopkeeper | Ledger ×1 |
| Emergency Evacuee | Clean Water Bottle ×1 |
| Custom History | Blank Notebook ×1 |
All trait effects
Positive values spend points; negative values refund points subject to creator checks. Times in effects are survival time unless explicitly stated otherwise.
| Trait | Point cost / refund | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Strong | 6 | Carry 8 kg more and hit 10% harder in melee. |
| Fit | 5 | Maximum stamina +20. |
| Keen Hearing | 3 | Hear real sound cues from 25% farther away. |
| Sharp Sight | 3 | Survey radius +20%: spot nearby infected sooner. |
| Quiet Step | 4 | Footsteps make 30% less noise. |
| Fast Learner | 6 | Practice XP x1.2. |
| Quick Hands | 3 | Reloading and maintenance take 15% less time. |
| Organized | 3 | Bags hold 15% more slots (rounded down). |
| Resilient | 4 | Cold illness lasts 25% shorter. No protection from zombie infection. |
| Calm Under Pressure | 4 | Nearby hordes disturb your aim only half as much. |
| Light Sleeper | 2 | Wake when hostiles come within 24 blocks of your bed. |
| Efficient Metabolism | 3 | Burn 15% fewer calories. |
| Frail | -6 | Carry 6 kg less and hit 10% softer in melee. |
| Unfit | -5 | Maximum stamina -20. |
| Hard of Hearing | -3 | Sound cues reach you from 25% less distance. Subtitles still show. |
| Short Sighted | -3 | Survey radius -20%. No forced blur. |
| Heavy Step | -4 | Footsteps make 30% more noise. |
| Slow Learner | -6 | Practice XP x0.8. |
| Clumsy Hands | -3 | Reloading and maintenance take 15% longer. |
| Disorganized | -3 | Bags hold 15% fewer slots (rounded down). |
| Sickly | -4 | Cold illness lasts 25% longer. |
| Easily Rattled | -4 | Accuracy -10% while 8 or more infected are visible within 24 blocks. |
| Heavy Sleeper | -2 | Only hostiles within 8 blocks wake you. Damage always wakes you. |
| High Appetite | -3 | Burn 15% more calories. |
| Smoker | -2 | Hooked for life. Cravings start 3 h after a smoke; each smoke relieves 50% more stress. |
Admin & server owner reference
The player tables above use display names from the report’s item-name index (PDF pp.104–133). Manual titles were checked against the 0.14.0 English language resource: afterfall.manual.mechanics.beginner and afterfall.manual.piloting.beginner. The raw kit definitions and source locators are retained here. manual: identifies Skill Manual data, not a separate item registration.
Raw profession kits
These are profession extras in addition to the background; manual: denotes manual data, not an independent item registration. Quantities and identifiers follow the report.
| Profession | Extra kit | PDF page |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployed | afterfall:cloth_strip*2 | 8 |
| Carpenter | afterfall:claw_hammer*1 | 8 |
| Electrician | afterfall:screwdriver1, afterfall:insulated_wire2 | 8 |
| Mechanic | afterfall:wrench*1, manual:mechanics/beginner | 8 |
| Nurse | afterfall:sterile_dressing*2 | 8 |
| Physician | afterfall:suture_kit1, afterfall:antibiotic_dose1 | 8 |
| Firefighter | afterfall:fire_axe*1 | 8 |
| Police Officer | afterfall:baton1, afterfall:pistol_magazine1 | 8 |
| Veteran | afterfall:field_dressing1, afterfall:combat_knife1 | 8 |
| Farmer | afterfall:bean_seed*4 | 8 |
| Cook | afterfall:kitchen_knife1, afterfall:canned_beans1 | 8 |
| Hunter | afterfall:hunting_knife1, afterfall:snare_cord2 | 8 |
| Fisher | minecraft:fishing_rod1, afterfall:bait4 | 8 |
| Metalworker | afterfall:welding_mask1, afterfall:steel_plate2 | 8 |
| Driver | afterfall:road_map*1 | 8 |
| Pilot | manual:piloting/beginner | 8 |
| Ranger | minecraft:compass1, afterfall:canteen1 | 8 |
| Laboratory Technician | afterfall:sample_vial1, afterfall:respirator1 | 8 |
| Construction Worker | afterfall:masonry_chisel*1 | 8 |
| Courier | afterfall:small_backpack*1 | 8 |
Raw background kits
Background names and kit identifiers are separate from custom written history.
| Background / ID | Extra kit | PDF page |
|---|---|---|
| City Resident city_resident | afterfall:building_directory*1 | 9 |
| Rural Resident rural_resident | afterfall:vegetable_seed_packet*1 | 9 |
| University Student university_student | afterfall:blank_notebook*1 | 9 |
| Factory Worker factory_worker | afterfall:work_gloves*1 | 9 |
| Traveling Worker traveling_worker | afterfall:road_map*1 | 9 |
| Community Volunteer community_volunteer | afterfall:sterile_dressing*1 | 9 |
| Outdoor Hobbyist outdoor_hobbyist | minecraft:compass*1 | 9 |
| Home Caretaker home_caretaker | afterfall:canned_soup*1 | 9 |
| Former Shopkeeper former_shopkeeper | afterfall:ledger*1 | 9 |
| Emergency Evacuee emergency_evacuee | afterfall:clean_water_bottle*1 | 9 |
| Custom History custom_history | afterfall:blank_notebook*1 | 9 |
Trait source locators
Positive values spend points; negative values refund points subject to creator checks. Times in effects are survival time unless explicitly stated otherwise.
| Trait | Point cost / refund | Effect | PDF page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strong | 6 | Carry 8 kg more and hit 10% harder in melee. | 9 |
| Fit | 5 | Maximum stamina +20. | 9 |
| Keen Hearing | 3 | Hear real sound cues from 25% farther away. | 9 |
| Sharp Sight | 3 | Survey radius +20%: spot nearby infected sooner. | 9 |
| Quiet Step | 4 | Footsteps make 30% less noise. | 9 |
| Fast Learner | 6 | Practice XP x1.2. | 9 |
| Quick Hands | 3 | Reloading and maintenance take 15% less time. | 9 |
| Organized | 3 | Bags hold 15% more slots (rounded down). | 9 |
| Resilient | 4 | Cold illness lasts 25% shorter. No protection from zombie infection. | 9 |
| Calm Under Pressure | 4 | Nearby hordes disturb your aim only half as much. | 9 |
| Light Sleeper | 2 | Wake when hostiles come within 24 blocks of your bed. | 9 |
| Efficient Metabolism | 3 | Burn 15% fewer calories. | 9 |
| Frail | -6 | Carry 6 kg less and hit 10% softer in melee. | 9 |
| Unfit | -5 | Maximum stamina -20. | 9 |
| Hard of Hearing | -3 | Sound cues reach you from 25% less distance. Subtitles still show. | 9 |
| Short Sighted | -3 | Survey radius -20%. No forced blur. | 9 |
| Heavy Step | -4 | Footsteps make 30% more noise. | 9 |
| Slow Learner | -6 | Practice XP x0.8. | 9 |
| Clumsy Hands | -3 | Reloading and maintenance take 15% longer. | 10 |
| Disorganized | -3 | Bags hold 15% fewer slots (rounded down). | 10 |
| Sickly | -4 | Cold illness lasts 25% longer. | 10 |
| Easily Rattled | -4 | Accuracy -10% while 8 or more infected are visible within 24 blocks. | 10 |
| Heavy Sleeper | -2 | Only hostiles within 8 blocks wake you. Damage always wakes you. | 10 |
| High Appetite | -3 | Burn 15% more calories. | 10 |
| Smoker | -2 | Hooked for life. Cravings start 3 h after a smoke; each smoke relieves 50% more stress. | 10 |
Sources & verification
Evidence: pdf-derived. Feature status: implemented-static. Article coverage: ready.
PDF pages 8–10, 12 · 05 Survivor creation, needs and skills · Afterfall 0.14.0 report: E025–E032
Reported static findings and packaged-guide behavior. Underlying source/JAR and gameplay have not been rechecked for this wiki; pack overrides are unknown.
The wiki has not independently playtested report-derived instructions. Your server or modpack settings may change them.