Characteristics

p. 15

About Characteristics

Characteristic ratings for both PCs and NPCs generally range from one to six.

A typical humanoid has an average characteristic rating of 2. A rating of 1 is weak and below average. A characteristic rating of 3 or 4 is significantly above average, while ratings of 5 or 6 represent exceptional performance and ability.

Starting Characteristics

A character's Species determines their starting Characteristic ratings.

Increasing Characteristics

Each player has the opportunity to increase these default characteristics during character creation by investing a portion of their starting experience points. It is important to note that after character creation, increasing characteristics is a significant in-game investment — something that may only happen a few times over the course of an entire campaign. Players need to think carefully about their characteristic ratings, and should consider investing a significant portion of their starting experience points in improving their characteristics.

Although it does make sense to focus on characteristics that help the character's core skills and talents (such as a Politico character with high Presence or a Soldier with a high Brawn rating), the game system offers a great deal of flexibility. Players should consider going against the stereotypes or possibly plan ahead in anticipation of moving into other careers over the course of a campaign.

During Character Creation, no characteristic can be higher than five.

Once play begins, PC characteristics are capped at six.

Agility

The Agility characteristic measures a character's manual dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and body control. Characters with a high Agility have a good sense of balance, flexibility, and deft hands. Agility is used for a number of physical skills such as Coordination, and is key to ranged combat skills such as Ranged (Light) and Ranged (Heavy).

Brawn

A character's Brawn represents a blend of a character's brute power, strength, and overall toughness, as well as the ability to apply those attributes as needed. Characters with a high Brawn are physically fit and hardy, tend not to get sick often, and have strong constitutions. Brawn is used for a number of physical skills such as Athletics and Brawl.

Brawn is also used to determine a character's base Soak Value and starting Wound Threshold.

Cunning

Cunning reflects how crafty, devious, clever, and creative a character can be. Characters with a high Cunning are savvy, quickly pick up on social and environmental clues, and can more readily come up with short-term plans and tactics. Cunning is used for a number of mental skills, such as Deception, Perception, and Survival.

Intellect

The Intellect characteristic measures a character's intelligence, education, mental acuity, and ability to reason and rationalize. Characters with a high Intellect can extrapolate or interpolate data, can recall details and draw from previous experience, and can think of long-term strategies and envision the ramifications of present actions. Intellect is used for a number of mental skills, such as Astrogation, Computers, and all the Knowledge skills, such as Lore and Xenology.

Presence

A character's Presence characteristic is a measure of their moxie, charisma, confidence, and force of personality. Characters with a high Presence make natural leaders, draw attention when they enter a room, can easily strike up a conversation with nearly anyone, and are quick to adapt to social situations. Presence is the key characteristic for interpersonal skills such as Charm and Leadership.

Willpower

The Willpower characteristic reflects a character's discipline, self-control, mental fortitude, and faith. Characters with a high Willpower can withstand stress and fatigue, remain composed during chaotic situations, and exert influence over the weaker-willed. Willpower is used for a number of skills, such as Coercion and Vigilance.

Willpower is also used to determine a character's starting Strain Threshold.