Here be some sample origins. They aren't set in stone and you're welcome to come up with your own, but I threw these up there because I was bored:
City Kid - Your character grew up in the ruins of a once-great city. He/she is streetwise and used to living in clustered settings, and is adept at scavenging items from buildings or similar, as well as having an acute 6th sense for when a building is about to collapse. City Kids who are physically fit have a strong chance of being somehow affiliated with a street gang. City Kids are not at all used to the intricacies of life in the desolate wasteland, and often die on their own without help from a born wastelander. City Kids are also generally exposed to greater irradiation than Wastelanders because all cities were leveled when the bombs fell, but the radiation level varies from place to place. Most City Kids are only lightly irradiated and have adapted to it, because they live on the fringe as opposed to the incredibly dangerous ground zero area. They are also generally the cooperative type, because city fringes tend to have more people packed together in one place. City Kids have a hard time adapting to the loner life of the wastelands. City Kids are most likely to be good at close quarters combat (brawling, switchblades, tire irons, etc) and using short-range firearms (pistols).
Wastelander -Your character was raised in the desolate, empty wastes. He/she is used to open spaces, and is generally familiar with a variety of survival skills such as farming, hunting, gathering, and outdoorsmanship. Wastelanders know how to find hidden water in the wastes, and are masters of hiding in plain sight as well as making use of what little they can scavenge or forage. Wastelanders are loners by nature, because most families are grouped in small villages or large settlements, usually spread apart to make room for small farm patches on the rare bit of arable ground that remains. They have a tendency to get nervous around large groups of people and avoid cities. They are also more likely to practice a religion, especially an animistic throwback or a new revival of a pre-war religion. They are also more gullible and succeptible to trickery then city folk. Wastelanders are most adept at ranged combat, utilizing a variety of hunting rifles and similar to bring down game or scare off predators.
Raider/Slaver - People who grow up in Raider or Slaver gangs are either slaves themselves or the sons or daughters of members of the gang. Raider childhood is physically and mentally scarring, as the child is exposed to the worst humanity has to offer from the moment they start living to the moment they leave. Raider children are baptised in blood and usually fed poisons to cull the weak, and if they show any sign of weakness growing up they usually end up dead unless they prove themselves useful enough to be kept alive. As a result, Raider children are scarred, skilled veterans in battle and have incredibly high pain tolerance as well as the above average strength required to survive in such a hostile environment. Mentally, they're usually so warped that they can't even function in any society other than that of their own. They are incredibly unclean, usually with some sort of sickness or plague due to horrible hygeine. They are also incredibly sadistic, and do not see killing as wrong or even in the least bit disturbing. Raiders are wild, chaotic individuals that do not possess the discipline or finesse of more cerebral warriors, but they more than make up for it in ferocity, strength, and sheer unpredictability. Raiders take all their supplies from others, so they don't have much in the way of skills like farming, but they are adept in areas like driving, fighting, fighting while driving, etc.
Former Slave - Slaves are fairly common throughout the wasteland. They grow up in abject poverty and work sun-up to sundown in whatever industry their masters are employed in. Slaves are rarely literate, not that literacy is common throughout the wastes, and they're used to a life of hard work and hard punishment. As a result, slaves gain a high pain tolerance as well as a hard-earned sense of discretion. Former slaves know how to keep their head down and blend in in a crowd, and are quite adept at reading people and adding the right amount of flattery. Slaves are not known for their bravery, and generally are rather unkempt and unwashed, generally illiterate, and rather sheltered, though they are masters of making due with small amounts of basic amenities. Depending on where they are being kept, they may gain traits from either City Dwellers or Wastelanders. Raider slaves are not known for living past a few weeks, and mercs don't keep slaves unless they lean towards evil.
Merc/Army Brat - Children of mercenaries or similar soldiers come from one of two types. The first is the static family, which means that the child and one of his/her parents lives in one place, such as a city or wasteland environment, and as such they will grow up as one of those types. However, some mercs bring their families around with them instead of visiting them once in a blue moon on an off day. These children are generally brought up in a strict, military environment. They are taught manners and discipline, as well as basic hand-to-hand combat skills and rudimentary weapon skills with improvised items or, more rarely, actual weapons. Some parents even decide to bring their children up as full-fledged mercenaries and give them more advanced training on the trade. Merc children are generally uptight and sheltered, since they don't usually have much time to themselves. They usually spend childhood helping out one or both parents with chores, or undergoing some form of training. Because of this, while polite, their people skills are incredibly unpolished, and they are generally not too rich. Some experience the pain of loss at an early age (if their working parent is killed), and those tend to stray from the merc path into a more normal upbringing. It can also be noted that, while disciplined, their fighting styles vary and are generally not much better, if at all, than those of many City Kids or Wastelanders.
Psychic/Witch - Due to all the radiation as well as being suddenly deprived of the easy-living lifestyle that existed before the war, humanity was forced to evolve, and fast. This effect sometimes takes material shape in the form of children born with strange abilities or powers. While magic as we know it does not and will not exist in ABF, a variety of crude mind powers have surfaced, such as telepathy (reading minds and communicating with others mentally), foresight (seeing into the future), and psychokinesis (moving things with one's mind). These powers generally do not manifest fully until puberty. Also, due to the strange nature of these powers, children who show an obvious potential for evolving into a psychic or witch are usually killed as children due to superstition and fear, though some of the stranger cultures revere them as holy figures or signs from their gods/guardian spirits/whatever. The few that survive are either too far from people who care, or get smart and keep their powers a secret. Since evolution is slow and these powers have only begun surfacing recently, there are no psychics older than the age of 40, as well as no teachers outside of certain "privileged" areas, so these powers are blunt, rough, and dangerous to use, since they can't be practiced around other people for fear of retribution. It may also be noted that with each new generation, there are more and more budding psychics, however, they only make up under 5% of the world's total population, and are spread few and far between. It has been yet unseen as to whether psychic ability transmits between two psychics who consummate their love.
Mutant - Those people unfortunate enough (well, to normal humans, some see it as a gift) to be exposed to large amounts of radiation at birth or at some point of their lives have a chance of becoming mutated. Each mutant is unique as to how their body reacts to the radiation, so no two mutants are alike, though some are nearly identical. Mutations can be anything from an extra arm, horns, a different skin color, sharp teeth, claws, or a third eye, to having two hearts, no liver, half a brain, an overlarge brain, or any combination of the above-mentioned traits. Mutants are shunned among normal humans except in tolerant communities, or cultures that revere mutants as the chosen few to receive their gods' blessing. Mutants often band together on their own out in the wastes, or in abandoned cities. These mutant communities are usually fanatically anti-human, and generally shun mutants who live among humans. They have a higher radiation tolerance than normal humans do, but can still be killed by radiation poisoning. Mutants are also a breed of extremes. Some are incredibly strong, but at the expense of intelligence, while others can be very clever, but very frail. Smart mutants are very rare, as they generally are killed young at the first sign of weakness, and those who survive are advisors to powerful mutant leaders who can protect them. The stronger the mutation, the more pronounced the contrast is. Some people are completely normal except for the addition of a small mutation.
City Kid - Your character grew up in the ruins of a once-great city. He/she is streetwise and used to living in clustered settings, and is adept at scavenging items from buildings or similar, as well as having an acute 6th sense for when a building is about to collapse. City Kids who are physically fit have a strong chance of being somehow affiliated with a street gang. City Kids are not at all used to the intricacies of life in the desolate wasteland, and often die on their own without help from a born wastelander. City Kids are also generally exposed to greater irradiation than Wastelanders because all cities were leveled when the bombs fell, but the radiation level varies from place to place. Most City Kids are only lightly irradiated and have adapted to it, because they live on the fringe as opposed to the incredibly dangerous ground zero area. They are also generally the cooperative type, because city fringes tend to have more people packed together in one place. City Kids have a hard time adapting to the loner life of the wastelands. City Kids are most likely to be good at close quarters combat (brawling, switchblades, tire irons, etc) and using short-range firearms (pistols).
Wastelander -Your character was raised in the desolate, empty wastes. He/she is used to open spaces, and is generally familiar with a variety of survival skills such as farming, hunting, gathering, and outdoorsmanship. Wastelanders know how to find hidden water in the wastes, and are masters of hiding in plain sight as well as making use of what little they can scavenge or forage. Wastelanders are loners by nature, because most families are grouped in small villages or large settlements, usually spread apart to make room for small farm patches on the rare bit of arable ground that remains. They have a tendency to get nervous around large groups of people and avoid cities. They are also more likely to practice a religion, especially an animistic throwback or a new revival of a pre-war religion. They are also more gullible and succeptible to trickery then city folk. Wastelanders are most adept at ranged combat, utilizing a variety of hunting rifles and similar to bring down game or scare off predators.
Raider/Slaver - People who grow up in Raider or Slaver gangs are either slaves themselves or the sons or daughters of members of the gang. Raider childhood is physically and mentally scarring, as the child is exposed to the worst humanity has to offer from the moment they start living to the moment they leave. Raider children are baptised in blood and usually fed poisons to cull the weak, and if they show any sign of weakness growing up they usually end up dead unless they prove themselves useful enough to be kept alive. As a result, Raider children are scarred, skilled veterans in battle and have incredibly high pain tolerance as well as the above average strength required to survive in such a hostile environment. Mentally, they're usually so warped that they can't even function in any society other than that of their own. They are incredibly unclean, usually with some sort of sickness or plague due to horrible hygeine. They are also incredibly sadistic, and do not see killing as wrong or even in the least bit disturbing. Raiders are wild, chaotic individuals that do not possess the discipline or finesse of more cerebral warriors, but they more than make up for it in ferocity, strength, and sheer unpredictability. Raiders take all their supplies from others, so they don't have much in the way of skills like farming, but they are adept in areas like driving, fighting, fighting while driving, etc.
Former Slave - Slaves are fairly common throughout the wasteland. They grow up in abject poverty and work sun-up to sundown in whatever industry their masters are employed in. Slaves are rarely literate, not that literacy is common throughout the wastes, and they're used to a life of hard work and hard punishment. As a result, slaves gain a high pain tolerance as well as a hard-earned sense of discretion. Former slaves know how to keep their head down and blend in in a crowd, and are quite adept at reading people and adding the right amount of flattery. Slaves are not known for their bravery, and generally are rather unkempt and unwashed, generally illiterate, and rather sheltered, though they are masters of making due with small amounts of basic amenities. Depending on where they are being kept, they may gain traits from either City Dwellers or Wastelanders. Raider slaves are not known for living past a few weeks, and mercs don't keep slaves unless they lean towards evil.
Merc/Army Brat - Children of mercenaries or similar soldiers come from one of two types. The first is the static family, which means that the child and one of his/her parents lives in one place, such as a city or wasteland environment, and as such they will grow up as one of those types. However, some mercs bring their families around with them instead of visiting them once in a blue moon on an off day. These children are generally brought up in a strict, military environment. They are taught manners and discipline, as well as basic hand-to-hand combat skills and rudimentary weapon skills with improvised items or, more rarely, actual weapons. Some parents even decide to bring their children up as full-fledged mercenaries and give them more advanced training on the trade. Merc children are generally uptight and sheltered, since they don't usually have much time to themselves. They usually spend childhood helping out one or both parents with chores, or undergoing some form of training. Because of this, while polite, their people skills are incredibly unpolished, and they are generally not too rich. Some experience the pain of loss at an early age (if their working parent is killed), and those tend to stray from the merc path into a more normal upbringing. It can also be noted that, while disciplined, their fighting styles vary and are generally not much better, if at all, than those of many City Kids or Wastelanders.
Psychic/Witch - Due to all the radiation as well as being suddenly deprived of the easy-living lifestyle that existed before the war, humanity was forced to evolve, and fast. This effect sometimes takes material shape in the form of children born with strange abilities or powers. While magic as we know it does not and will not exist in ABF, a variety of crude mind powers have surfaced, such as telepathy (reading minds and communicating with others mentally), foresight (seeing into the future), and psychokinesis (moving things with one's mind). These powers generally do not manifest fully until puberty. Also, due to the strange nature of these powers, children who show an obvious potential for evolving into a psychic or witch are usually killed as children due to superstition and fear, though some of the stranger cultures revere them as holy figures or signs from their gods/guardian spirits/whatever. The few that survive are either too far from people who care, or get smart and keep their powers a secret. Since evolution is slow and these powers have only begun surfacing recently, there are no psychics older than the age of 40, as well as no teachers outside of certain "privileged" areas, so these powers are blunt, rough, and dangerous to use, since they can't be practiced around other people for fear of retribution. It may also be noted that with each new generation, there are more and more budding psychics, however, they only make up under 5% of the world's total population, and are spread few and far between. It has been yet unseen as to whether psychic ability transmits between two psychics who consummate their love.
Mutant - Those people unfortunate enough (well, to normal humans, some see it as a gift) to be exposed to large amounts of radiation at birth or at some point of their lives have a chance of becoming mutated. Each mutant is unique as to how their body reacts to the radiation, so no two mutants are alike, though some are nearly identical. Mutations can be anything from an extra arm, horns, a different skin color, sharp teeth, claws, or a third eye, to having two hearts, no liver, half a brain, an overlarge brain, or any combination of the above-mentioned traits. Mutants are shunned among normal humans except in tolerant communities, or cultures that revere mutants as the chosen few to receive their gods' blessing. Mutants often band together on their own out in the wastes, or in abandoned cities. These mutant communities are usually fanatically anti-human, and generally shun mutants who live among humans. They have a higher radiation tolerance than normal humans do, but can still be killed by radiation poisoning. Mutants are also a breed of extremes. Some are incredibly strong, but at the expense of intelligence, while others can be very clever, but very frail. Smart mutants are very rare, as they generally are killed young at the first sign of weakness, and those who survive are advisors to powerful mutant leaders who can protect them. The stronger the mutation, the more pronounced the contrast is. Some people are completely normal except for the addition of a small mutation.
