Attributes
From Good v. Evil Encyclopedia
Your character's attributes are 12 numbers associated with your character's physical, mental, and emotional properties. Physical properties are represented by four Body attributes. Mental properties are represented by four Mind attributes. Emotional properties are represented by four Spirit attributes. Each of these attributes can range from 1 to 30, where high numbers (16 or over) represent an outstanding individual in that attribute. Each attribute is baselined from an average Thistledown human, who will have 10 in each attribute.
Each tanariel race has a racial maximum for each attribute. No member of a race may either permanently or on a long-term basis exceed any of their racial maximums. These maximums may be exceeded on a short-term basis (one day or less) through various forms of magic, but in no case can an attribute exceed 30.
During character creation, you will be given the opportunity to spend points on your attributes to increase them. Once character creation is done and you begin play with your new character, you will have a second chance to spend points to further increase your attributes. These point totals are counted and treated separately. Each attribute has a DF value that will define the maximum increase at each stage. STRength, for instance, is a DF2 attribute, which can be increased +9 from your initial roll (spending 64 points), and an additional +9 from that value (by spending an additional 64 points) once in play. In no case, however, will you be permitted to increase the attribute above the racial maximum.
The types of attributes are detailed below:
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Body
Body attributes measure properties of a humanoid's or other life form's physical form.
- STR
- Strength (DF2): a measure of physical mass, brute force, and lifting ability. Characters with high strength will be able to carry more, lift more, and will receive bonuses to damage when attacking with hand-held weapons.
- CON
- Constitution (DF3): a measure of physical toughness, resilience, stamina, and resistance to disease and poison. Characters with high constitution will have more hit points, will stand up better in physical combat, and will receive bonuses when resisting common diseases.
- QUI
- Quickness (DF4): a measure of physical speed and reaction time. Characters with high quickness will run, swim, and climb faster than characters without, and will receive bonuses to combat initiative: the amount of time between actions in combat.
- AGI
- Agility (DF3): a measure of hand-to-eye coordination and nimbleness of hand. Characters with high agility will be more proficient at delicate skills or tasks requiring precision work, and will receive bonuses to their chance to hit with hand-held weapons.
Mind
Mind attributes measure the strength of a humanoid's or other life form's mental acuity.
- INT
- Intellect (DF4): a measure of raw intelligence and brain-power. Characters with high intelligence will be likely to solve complex puzzles, more likely to avoid traps, and will receive bonuses to the number of experience points they receive.
- KNO
- Knowledge (DF2): a measure of experience and "book-learning"; it measures how much information a character has accumulated in his or her life. Characters with high knowledge will be more likely to recognize or remember information, and will receive bonuses to their Lore Skills.
- WIL
- Willpower (DF3): a measure of toughness of mind and ability to resist temptation. Characters with high willpower will be less likely to be taken in by con artists, will more successfully resist daily temptations, and will receive bonuses against mind-affecting spells.
- PER
- Perception (DF3): a measure of watchfulness and ability to gauge both the reactions of others and the potential dangers in a situation. Characters with high perception will be more likely to notice the little details in a situation, and will receive bonuses to their chance to hit with ranged weapons.
Spirit
Spirit attributes measure a humanoid's or other life form's karma and influence on other living beings.
- APP
- Appearance (DF2): a measure of physical beauty, sexual desirability, and grooming. Characters with high appearance will tend to be well-regarded by those of compatible races or types, and will receive a bonus to the initial Reaction Roll they receive when they meet others.
- CHA
- Charisma (DF3): a measure of the strength of one's personality and one's faith on oneself. Characters with high charisma will attract more attention and will tend to be believed more than those who don't, and will receive a bonus to the secondary reactions they have on others that they meet.
- TAN
- "Tana" (DF4): a measure of the spiritual connection a person has with the world and everyone in it. Characters with high tana will be more empathic, better listeners, more likely to sense a living presence nearby, and will receive a bonus to non-combat opposed skill tests.
- PSY
- Psyche (DF3): a measure of karma, luck, and happiness. Tests that do not have any other skill or attribute to use will use a PSY check. Characters with high psyche will be more pleasant to be around, luckier, and more likely to find a needle in a haystack, and will receive a bonus to all Thieving Skills.
HP
- HP
- (CON + WIL + PSY) / 3: a measure of the amount of physical punishment your character can take before succumbing to unconsciousness.
Bonuses / Penalties
See the Bonuses/Penalties chart.
Hidden Attributes
There are four "hidden attributes," used by the GM to decide what happens in certain circumstances.
- Social Status
- A character's initial social status is set at birth as part of his or her Birth Aspects and is represented by the point cost of the social status. For instance, the son of a Blacksmith (a Townsman social status) or a Freehold Farmer (a Yeoman social status) will have a Social Status "attribute" of 10, the average for the Thistledown. Serfs, slaves, and some yeoman and townsman occupations will have a lower social status. Guildsmen, nobility, and the like will have a higher social status attribute. Characters can raise their social status in play, usually by accumulating wealth or gaining noble titles or land.
- Reputation
- Characters begin play with a Reputation "attribute" of 0, reflecting the fact that they are unknown on the Thistledown. Over time, characters will gain (or may purchase, with points) a higher reputation with certain segments of the population of the regions that they visit, usually based on their actions. Some reputations will be positive (defended a town from attack), some will be negative (committed a major crime and then escaped from justice). Whenever the GM needs to know if an NPC has heard of a given character, the GM will roll the character's reputation as an attribute roll, applying bonuses or penalties as applicable.
- Skill Reputation
- Similarly, some characters will gain a reputation based on their use of certain skills. Characters begin play with a skill reputation of 0 in all of their purchased skills, representing that they are unknown in the halls of the masters of those skills. A character's maximum skill reputation for any given skill is the total number of points the character has spent on that skill. As a result, a character who has spent 24 points on the Hammer skill might have a skill reputation associated with Hammer of something between 0 and 24. As the character publicly demonstrates his or her skill, he or she will gain skill reputation points, as word of the character's skill spreads. A character with a high skill reputation might be acclaimed as "one of the world's finest swordsmen", for instance.
- Piety
- a measure of the goodwill the character has gained with the gods (if any) that the character worships, allied gods, or extra-planar beings that take an interest in the character. Characters with high piety will be more likely to receive divine miracles or intercessions on their behalf. Characters begin play with a Piety "attribute" of 1, reflecting that they are all but unknown to the gods.
