The first five entries are for the Primary Characteristics. These represent the most important attributes of each Character. The value of each is generally between 3 and 18 (3D6).
Characteristic Description
18 Exceptional
16 Excellent
14 Good
12 Above Average
10 Average
8 Below Average
6 Poor
3 Extremely Poor
Strength: A measure of overall physical strength. As a guideline, an unskilled Character
who has a Strength of 10 can dead lift about 200 pounds, and lift about 100 pounds
overhead. At Strength 14, a Character can dead lift about 250 pounds and lift 115
pounds overhead, while at Strength 18 a Character can dead lift 400 pounds, and lift
185 pounds overhead.
Intelligence: Mental quickness and the capacity for reasoning and understanding.
Intelligence is very important in determining how rapidly a Character learns, and
influences how fast he or she makes decisions. Because of this, it is a factor in
determining how capable a character is in a wide variety of activities. Note that
Intelligence is not the same thing as education.
Will: Resolve and willpower, which determine courage in the face of danger, resistance
to the pain of wounds, and the ability to concentrate. Will has a major influence on each
Character's morale during a crisis and when injured.
Health: Physical health and the ability to recover from wounds and hardship.
Agility: Physical coordination and speed. Agility influences a Character's maneuverability and overall physical capabilities.
Secondary Characteristics round out the personal traits of the Character and are used for social and personal interactions in the game. Secondary Characteristics use the same 3 to 18 scale as Primary Characteristics, and a description of each follows.
Charisma : Personal charm and the ability to interact well with others. It is composed of physical appearance and personality, and is used in such things as gaining employment and making friends.
Leadership : A mixture of a Character's 'presence' and his or her natural ability to command and lead.
Motivation : Long-term determination or persistence to achieve an end. It may be thought of as a desire to pursue a goal that may not yield immediate results , where Will, by comparison, is concerned with short-term activity.
Perception : Mental alertness. The greater the Perception, the greater the Character's awareness of his or her surroundings, and the ability to read the emotions and truthfulness of others.
The Base Odds for any feat can be determined by deciding what Skill applies to the task, and checking the following list for the Difficulty Level which is most applicable.
Very Easy 16
Easy 13
Average 10
Very Difficult 7
Extremely Difficult 4
For example, a Character is attempting to walk across a 6-inch wide beam. It is determined that the Skill required is Balance, and the Difficulty Level is Easy.
The Success Roll is equal to the Difficulty Level’s Base Odds plus the Characters Skill Rating Modifier (SRM) in the appropriate Skill. Using the 6-inch wide beam as an example, the Success Roll for a Character with a Novice Rating in Balance would be 13 (Easy) - 4 (Novice Skill} = 9; on a roll of 9 or less on 1D10, he would succeed, and on a roll of 10 or more he would fail. A character with an Expert Rating in Balance would have a Success Roll of 13 + 6 = 19, and would succeed automatically.
The Skill Rating varies from Unskilled to Grand Master, and has a major effect on the Character's chance of success when performing any action. The Skill Rating Modifiers (SRM's) listed below represent this, and are applied to all Success Rolls.
Grand Master +10
Master +8
Expert +6
Professional +4
Certified +0
Novice -4
Unskilled -8
A Character’s Skill Rating is not permanent. As the Character uses a Skill or is Trained, he or she can attain higher Ratings. Progress from Rating to Rating is governed by the Character's Learning Roll, access to Training, and field Experience.