The vanilla backgrounds are pretty lackluster, with no real impact on gameplay at all. It changes how you approach the first few situations, but after an hour or so you can get any perks and the background becomes inconsequential.

This mod aims to fix that, by adding 20 new backgrounds, and giving each background a unique bonus that in one way or another that should encourage players stick more closely to their background, at least for a little while.

The bonuses for backgrounds will also apply if adding to an existing save.
Vanilla Backgrounds

• Beast Hunter: Fitness/Ballistics/Gastonomy
  From the Ashta of Akila to the Terrormorphs that plague the whole of the Settled Systems, hostile alien life abounds. You've learned the skills to track them, find them, and take them down. (+15% damage vs alien creatures)
• Bouncer: Boxing/Security/Fitness
  You've worked the line at the toughest clubs in the Settled Systems. Back then, you learned that most non-lethal confrontations can be solved one of two ways: a strong right hook, or a more strongly secured door. (25% unarmed damage)
• Bounty Hunter:Piloting/Targeting Control Systems/Boostpack Training
  Wherever there are wanted individuals, there are those who profit from their capture. And your quarry knows that in the vastness of space, they can run... but they can't hide. (+10 experience from pirate kills)
• Chef:Gastronomy/Dueling/Scavenging
  While the unrefined masses scarfed down Chunks by the shipload, you catered to those with a more... discerning palate. In your kitchen, countless alien species became true culinary masterpieces. (+100% health restored by food)
• Combat Medic:Pistol Certification/Medicine/Wellness
  Leave it to human beings to fight over something as infinite as outer space. That's where you come in. You've never been afraid to take on the enemy... but you'd much rather take care of your friends. (medine is 25% stronger while in combat)
• Cyber Runner:Stealth/Security/Theft
  From Neon to New Atlantis, the megacorps stand as monuments to power, prestige and profit. You've worked both for and against them, on the inside and out, often sacrificing conscience for credits. (+20% autolockpick and autohacking chance)
• Cyberneticist:Medicine/Security/Lasers
  Robots? Mere toys. Neuroamps? Good for parlor tricks. The Colony War may have made implants and upgrades available to veterans, but you once saw a greater future. Humans and machines, as one. (+15% damage to robots)
• Diplomat:Persuasion/Commerce/Wellness
  The wars are over. Peace now reigns the Settled Systems. But only because there are those quietly fighting to keep it. Because of you, agreements were signed, words were heeded... lives were spared. (10% persuasion chance)
• Explorer:Lasers/Astrodynamics/Surveying
  They said exploration is a lost art. You didn't listen. As the major factions argued over the space they desperately tried to control, you were busy uncovering the wonders of the Settled Systems. (+20% experience when discovering new locations)
• Gangster:Shotgun Certification/Boxing/Theft
  You were always disgusted by suckers killing themselves to make an "honest wage." As soon as you were old enough to hold a weapon, you took what you wanted from anyone unlucky enough to have it. (-5% target damage resistance)
• Homesteader:Geology/Surveying/Weight Lifting
  The discovery of the Settled Systems' many oxygen-rich planets and moons meant humans could live just about anywhere... if they had the know how. You did, and utilized it to great effect. (workshop repairs are free)
• Industrialist:Persuasion/Security/Research Methods
  There was a time when all you wanted to be was a titan of industry, maybe a ship designer, or megacorp exec. Thankfully, that skillset never goes out of style in the Settled Systems. (+5% workshop production speeds)
• Long Hauler:Weight Lifting/Piloting/Ballistics Weapons Systems
  Let those other hotheaded pilots obsess over laser weapons and maneuverability. You're a space trucker, pure and simple. Pack the cargo, get it there fast, get paid, repeat. Life is simple and good. (+50 carry weight)
• Pilgrim:Scavenging/Surveying/Gastronomy
  Wayfarer, wanderer, seeker... transient. You've been called many things during your travels, and learned something those others could never understand - the journey IS the destination. (-5% oxygen use)
• Professor:Astrodynamics/Geology/Research Methods
  You always enjoyed learning, but nothing could compare to the joy of teaching others. As humankind spread throughout the stars, there was never a lack of knowledge to obtain, and you gladly assisted. (+5% experience)
• Ronin:Dueling/Stealth/Scavenging
  Masterless and unbound, you wandered the Settled Systems as a blade for hire. To some, you were a simple mercenary. To others, a hero. And to a select few... a nightmare they could never wake from. (+20% melee damage)
• Sculptor:Medicine/Geology/Persuasion
  With your knowledge of anatomy and skilled, steady hands, you could have had a lucrative career as a surgeon. Instead, you followed your heart, and created works of art to amaze and inspire. (+10% sell prices)
• Soldier:Fitness/Ballistics/Boostpack Training
  The Settled Systems is no stranger to warfare, and if there's one thing armed conflict relies on it's trained warriors with guns and guts. You had both. Simple, bloody work... and you were great at it. (+5% ranged weapon damage)
• Space Scoundrel:Pistol Certification/Piloting/Persuasion
  Good? Bad? Whose right is it to say? If there's anything you've learned while traipsing through the galaxy, it's this: space may look black, but it's really one big shade of grey. (+5% ship speed)
• Xenobiologist:Lasers/Surveying/Fitness
  The Settled Systems is home to untold alien species. And while none of them have yet proven sentient, that never deterred you. So you sought out and studied them for whatever gifts they offered. (+15% experience from alien kills)
• [FILE NOT FOUND]:Wellness/Ballistics/Piloting
  Oddly, there is no information on file about your past life. Whatever the reason, your past is known only to you. What's important is the here and now, and the path you're about to forge... (+3% damage)

New Backgrounds

• Civil Servant:Persuasion/Commerce/Gastronomy
  Trained in deescalation, you're able to escape most situations without a fight. (10% cheaper bribe prices)
• Exhibition Shooter:Ballistics/Pistol Certification/Dueling
  Whats the difference between a person and a target? Morality is subjective, but your skills aren't. (+10% pistol damage)
• Hitman:Stealth/Pistol Certification/Security
  Years of striking your targets from the shadows have given you the skills necessary to get in and out without being seen. (+15% sneak damage)
• Journalist:Persuasion/Stealth/Security
  Your pursuit for truth has been the driving force in your life. You've learned the skills to get your story by any means. (increased speed when sneaking)
• Lawman:Fitness/Ballistics/Shotgun Certification
  The rule of law is the rule of the land, and you mean to enforce it. (+5% damage against pirates)
• Merchant:Commerce/Theft/Scavenging
  Money has been the driving force of your life, and you've developed the techniques to make a quick buck in any situation. (5% improved buy and sell prices)
• Personal Trainer:Wellness/Fitness/Weightlifting
  Always the spotter, you're body has developed as much as any of your clients. (-20% oxygen drain when encumbered)
• Scientist:Geology/Astrodynamics/Surveying
  "The most important muscle" in the body isn't a muscle at all, but mostly fatty gray matter. And yours is really something special. (5% chance to craft a second item)
• Ship Tech:Ballistic Weapon Systems/Targeting Control System/Piloting
  Machines just speak to you, you can always get a little more from them. (+15% ship boost fuel)
• Space Cowboy:Ballistics/Piloting/Boost Pack Training
  Some people call you The Space Cowboy. And with good reason, you have the skills to back it up. (-10% boostpack fuel use)

Advanced Backgrounds
These backgrounds don't come with a unique perk, but each has access to a Tier 2 skill, in addition to the three Tier 1 skills.

• Blacksmith:Ballistics/Lasers/Shotgun Certification
  Metalwork has always come easy to you and so has violence. You can always fight creative ways to take out your enemies. (+1 Weapon Engineering)
• Designer:Research Methods/Boost Pack Training/Lasers
  Fashion design is more than a career to you, it's a passion. And now those skills can translate into a multitude of new uses. (+1 Spacesuit Design)
• Farmer:Commerce/Wellness/Surveying
  Raised into one of the oldest careers known to man, you can always find a good plot of land and coax something from the soil. (+1 Botany)
• Forest Ranger:Fitness/Medicine/Gastronomy
  A lifetime of outdoor living has made you an expert in survival. Your knowledge of nature often comes in handy in many situations. (+1 Zoology)
• Geologist:Research Methods/Surveying/Geology
  Rocks rock. You're fascination with planets and their minerals have led you to develop the skills to always find a pleasant planet. (+1 Scanning)
• Monk:Boxing/Fitness/Wellness
  Your training of body and mind has made your body into a deadly weapon. (+1 Pain Tolerance)
• Nutritionist:Medicine/Fitness/Gastronomy
  Making meals should be as nutritious as they are delicious. Your meals keep you and your crew engergized anywhere in the settled systems. (+1 Nutrition)
• Pilot:Astrodynamics/Ballistic Weapon Systems/Piloting
  Trained by the best, you're ready to put your skills to the test on any would be pirates. (+1 Engine Systems)
• Smuggler:Stealth/Theft/Scavenging
  You can always make a quick buck and you don't let small matters like morality or the law get in the way of that. (+1 Deception)
• Transporter: Weight Lifting/Piloting/Astrodynamics
  If you learned one thing from your career as a transporter, it's that the more you can carry, the more you can sell. Simple enough, but when you focus on it, you can really maximize space. (+1 Payloads)

V1.1 Update 
Fixes

• Issue with a condition that caused CTD for NG+ and possibly new games in general.
  

New Backgrounds:

• Line Cook: Gastronomy/Fitness/Dueling
  

Trying to keep up with the high speed enviroment of a bustling restaurant has given you knife and cooking skills. And the constant client customizations has given you an unbridled rage. (+1 Intimidation)

• Ex-Convict: Boxing/Weight Lifting/Theft
  

You served your time, paid your dues, and now it's time to decide whether history repeats itself, or you forge a new path. (enemies are 25% less likely to cause critical damage)

• Biochemist: Lasers/Research Methods/Medicine
  

The interaction between various organic matters have always fascinated you, you've developed a keen understanding of the body and it reactions to forgein elements. (+10% chem duration)

• Hermit: Stealth/Fitness/Gastronomy
  

You've always lived alone, and you prefer it that way. Consequentially, you have become extremely adept at self-sufficiency and avoiding others. (+1 Isolation)

• Influencer: Persuasion/Fitness/Wellness
  

Once a popular personality, your fame has faded. While your name has fallen into general misuse, there are still a few who remember. (+Diplomacy)

Changes:
Swapped the bonus for merchant and sculptor, makes more sense that a merchant would have a buy & sell bonus, while the sculptor would have a higher sell bonus. (selling their artwork)


Compatibility
Should play fine with other mods that add additional traits or backgrounds.
Incompatible with mods that alter vanilla backgrounds.
Get more traits with my More Traits mod
Want to use different traits with each NG+? Try out my Unity Plus - Background and Trait Changer

Installation
1. Use mod manager to install normally or manually extract the plugin to your mod directory



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