Affinities

Based upon the lives that your ancestors lived, your character will differ from those around him/her.

If you come from a long line of intelligent mages then your maximum mental prowess will reflect that.

If your parents and their parents and their parents before them were all terribly charismatic then it will be safe to assume that you will also possess a silver tongue and devilishly good looks.

If your father was the captain of the royal knights and was never seen without his 200 pound suit of plate mail and giant maul then you will most likely inherit a degree of proficiency in heavier armours and or weapons.

The following generations will also see a marked increase in their capacity to learn.

Affinities boil down to a net gain for your character's family. When your character dies he/she will directly pass on a % of their skills/traits/abilities/stats to their child as well as raise the max skill points allowed to previous generations. A character with an affinity to a skill will also gain skill points in that skill more easily. These effects stack with future generations as well.

Simplified Example: Generation 1: Spends his whole life swinging a sword (Max sword skill 100) Generation 2: Starts with sword skill at 25 (Max sword skill 150). Also spends his whole life swinging a sword because that's all he knows... Generation 3: Starts with sword skill at 50 (Max sword skill 175). Spends his whole life studying black arts. (Max black arts skill 15) Generation 4: Starts with sword skill at 50 (Max sword skill 175). Starts with black arts skill 5. (Max black arts skill 25)

Yes, magic will be significantly harder to attain but it will also be worth it for those who choose to stick with it.

As you go through more and more generations your characters will be stronger than those of the past. You will have to level them up again, but they will eclipse the abilities of their ancestors.