Constitution

The Constitution attribute ranks a person’s overall physical health. If a person has high constitution, he or she is likely to resist diseases and successfully withstand shocks to the system. In Arthurian legend, Percival would be a fine example of one with high Constitution, as he withstood hunger, torture, freezing cold, and inhuman toil. 

Strength and Constitution do not necessarily go hand-in-hand; it is entirely possible for a character to be a muscle-bound hulk with a glass jaw and plagued with endless sniffles. Equally likely is a reclusive, bookish type who catches the flu once a decade whether he needs to or not.

Table: Constitution Attribute Descriptors
Attribute Score Hit Point Bonus System Shock Save Adjustment Poison Save Adjustment Resist Disease
1 -1d8 -8 -1  
2-3 -1d6 -6 -1  
4-5 -1d4 -4 +0  
6-7 -1d3 -2 +0  
8 -1 -1 +0  
9-10 +0 +0 +0  
11-12 +0 +0 +0  
13-14 +0 +1 +0  
15 +1 +1 +0  
16 +1d3 +2 +0
17 +1d4 +3 +1
18 +1d4+1 +4 +2 5%
19 +1d6 +5 +2 10%
20 +1d6+1 +5 +2 13%
21 +1d6+2 +6 +3 17%
22 +1d6+3 +6 +3 21%
23 +1d6+4 +7 +3 26%
24 +1d6+5 +7 +4 34%
25 +1d6+6 +8 +4 40%
‡ Here or lower only succeeds on a critical success.
Hit Point Bonus:  Depending on the value of this attribute, the die roll shown is either added to or subtracted from the character’s hit point accumulation roll at the beginning of each new level. However, every Player Character gains at least one hit point each level, regardless of any negative hit point modifiers. Resist Disease:  With those of very high Constitution scores, it becomes possible to simply “shrug off” illness that would ordinarily incapacitate others. The percentages shown indicate the probability of resisting the effects of the disease. It should be known that it is entirely possible to be a carrier of a resisted disease and not otherwise be affected by the disease’s presence.
System Shock Bonus:  As Constitution determines a Player Character’s ability to recover from illness and bodily assault; the number indicated in this category modifies a Player Character’s Save versus System Shock roll. Poison Save:  As poisons tend to do more critical and systemic damage to the body than mere physical assaults, a very high Constitution score is required to achieve a positive saving throw bonus.