Attributes: Application

Last time I talked about the mathematical side of attributes; now I want to discuss the descriptive side. Attributes or ability scores are featured in many RPGs, both on the computer and tabletop. An ideal set of attributes should encompass all aspects of a character that are relevant to the game in question. That said, some amount of restraint is also required for the sake of playability. A system with a large number of very specific attributes has added a great deal of complexity with relatively little benefit to the play experience. For comparison, I’m going to summarize the attribute system of several RPGs:

D&D: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma

GURPS: Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, Health

Elder Scrolls: Strength, Agility, Speed, Endurance, Intelligence, Willpower, Personality, Luck

Diablo II: Strength, Dexterity, Vitality, Energy

Fallout: Strength, Agility, Endurance, Intelligence, Perception, Charisma, Luck

So it appears four to eight attributes are typically considered suitable to define a character. However, it should be noted that of the two four-attribute systems, one is based entirely on combat (Diablo) while GURPS allows detailed fine-tuning of ‘secondary attributes’. I only want one set of attributes and Telharis will include non-combat situations, so I’m probably looking at six to eight attributes.

What then should these attributes be? I find it helpful to think in terms of physical and mental attributes, so I’ll start with physical. All of the systems I’ve listed share similar physical attributes: Strength, Dexterity or Agility, and Constitution or Endurance. Elder Scrolls makes the additional distinction of speed, but I’m going to stick with the Pathfinder treatment and have speed be something inherent to your race. An argument could be made for separate Dexterity (fine motor skills) and Agility (reflexes and coordination), but I think that might be getting too detailed. I’ll return to it later.

Mental attributes are where things get more complicated. Intelligence works well; I don’t feel any need to make changes there. Representing other mental traits is more difficult. In D&D, the exact meaning and application of the Wisdom and Charisma scores has long been problematic. The best suggestion I’ve seen has been to define Charisma as both force of will and personality, making it the key attribute for Will saves, while moving ranged attack bonuses from Dexterity to Wisdom, since Wisdom includes senses and intuition. This equalizes the relative importance of the attributes, but introduces new problems—why should clerics be good at archery, and what makes the fast-talking rogue so resistant to enchantment? My solution is to divide Pathfinder’s Wisdom and Charisma into three new attributes: Willpower, Charisma, and Awareness. Willpower is the character’s force of will and mental resilience—a mental equivalent to Constitution. Charisma describes personality and leadership skills. Awareness, meanwhile, is sort of a hybrid mental-physical attribute. It incorporates all aspects of a character’s senses and situational awareness.

Thus, we come to the following definitions:

Strength: physical strength and knowledge of how to use it.

Dexterity: agility, reflexes, and fine motor skills.

Constitution: physical resilience.

Intelligence: memory, learning ability, cleverness.

Willpower: mental resilience.

Charisma: personality, leadership potential.

Awareness: senses and intuition.

And an approximate list of what each applies to:

Strength: melee attacks, carrying capacity, skills (Climb, Swim)

Dexterity: combat defense, Reflex saves, initiative, skills (Acrobatics, Escape Artist, Ride, Sleight of Hand, Stealth)

Constitution: hit points, Fortitude saves, skills (Endurance), combat abilities (e.g. rage)

Intelligence: skills (Heal, Lore, Profession, Security, Spellcraft), some types of magic, possibly influences feat/talent acquisition

Willpower: Will saves, skills (Use Magic Device), all types of magic

Charisma: skills (Deception, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Persuasion, Streetwise), leadership abilities, some types of magic

Awareness: ranged attacks, Insight saves, initiative, skills (Perception, Sense Motive, Survival)

There are still some minor issues here; the three mental scores are now spread a little thin, particularly Willpower. However, they are each critical for characters pursuing certain skill sets, such as magic or leadership abilities, so that might be okay. As with my original rewrite attempt, my ultimate goal is an elegant and intuitive ruleset. If something doesn’t make sense, please let me know and I’ll try to explain and/or fix it.