1.5.4 Gender

A character can be of either gender (at the referee's discretion).

Description of Gender

Impact on CS
ST CO PE CH IQ WP
Female 0 0 0 0 0 0
Male +1/2 -1/2 -1/2 0 0 +1/2

Men tend to be stronger than women (hence men have +1/2 ST compared to women), whereas women tend to be more supple (hence men have -1/2 CO compared to women).

Research has shown that women tend to take more notice of subtle details and have better senses (hence men have -1/2 to PE compared to women). Against this, men tend to be more assertive and determined, and have a greater pain threshold (hence men have +1/2 to WP compared to women).

There are other gender differences that tend to cancel out in terms of characteristic scores. Women tend to have better ability with languages, whereas men tend to have better spacial awareness and visualisation. Since both of these affect IQ, the net effect is to cancel each other out.

See also: