Background

When you create an new character in Arcanum, the option is there for you to choose a background for them. An interesting background will give your character bonuses to their skills and stats, but always at a cost (for example, the Bully background will grant you a +1 to Strength but incur a -1 to Intelligence). What backgrounds are available to your character is determined by your race and gender. The default background for all characters is "No special background", granting neither pros nor cons. 
These are the backgrounds available:
Afraid Of The Dark
Agoraphobic
Apprentice To A Shopkeeper
Army Training
Arsonist
Bandit
Barbarian
Beat with an Ugly Stick
Bookworm
Born Under a Sign
Bride of Frankenstein
Bully
Charlatans Protege
Child of a Hero
Clanless Dwarf
Dark Elf Follower
Dark Sight
Day Mage
Debutante
Disenfranchised Gnome
Educator
Elvish Blood
Escaped Lunatic
Extreme Personality
Factory Escapee
Feral Child
Foppish Elf
Frankenstein Monster
Freed Bodyguard
Halfling Orphan
Hydrophobic
Hyperactive
Idiot Savant
Inheritance
Ladys Man
Mad Doctor
Magick Allergy
Miracle Operation
Nature Mage
Nietzche Poster Child
Night Mage
Only Child
Professional Knife Tosser
Raised By Elves
Raised By Monks
Raised By Orcs
Raised by Snake Handlers
Raised in the Pits
Ran Away with the Circus
Rare Half-Ogre Birth
Sent to Charm School
Sheltered Childhood
Sickly
Sky Mage
Sold Your Soul
Special Person
Super Model
Suppressed Orcish Looks
Technophobia
Tomboy
Tough Hide
Troll Offspring
Wild Half-Ogre