Secondary Attributes (Ability Checks)
The Secondary Attributes (Ability Checks) are endurance, Skill, Perception, Knowledge, Influence, Willpower, Panic, and Body-Mind-Spirit.
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| Secondary Attribute (Ability Check) | How it is Calculated |
| Endurance | (Strength + Constitution) / 2 |
| Skill | (Dexterity + Intelligence) / 2 |
| Perception | (Wisdom + Intelligence) / 2 |
| Knowledge | (Wisdom + (Intelligence * 3)) / 4 |
| Influence | (Charisma + Comeliness) / 2 |
| Willpower | (Faith + Wisdom) /2 |
| Panic | ((Faith * 2) + Wisdom + Intelligence) /4 |
| Body-Mind-Spirit (Usually abbreviated "BMS") | Mathematical average of all eight Primary Attributes; include fractions. |
Secondary attributes govern most of a character’s ability to perform a wide variety of skills, while have little impact on more complex aspects of a character’s overall statistics. In short, changing several of a character’s secondary attributes would not require computing updated information such as new: hit points, BAtCh, armor class, and so on. Nearly all effects in the game that produce a temporary, but wide-reaching, effect on a character should target their secondary attributes instead of the primary attributes for this reason; it is faster to resolve in game, and more realistic.
For example, if a character contracts a stomach virus or the common cold, they may suffer a -1 penalty to their secondary attributes for a week, but the character does not fundamentally grow permanently weaker (reduction in Strength or Constitution) or forever dim-witted (reduction in Intelligence or Wisdom.) Changes to a character’s primary attributes should be rare and represent permanent milestones, achievements, or plot-related consequences.
If any of a character’s secondary attributes fall to 0, the character is unable to perform any tasks related to that attribute. This usually means the character is asleep, unconscious, knocked-out, or otherwise unresponsive. The effect of a secondary attribute going to 0 is itself never permanent or lethal, but the consequences can be, depending upon when and where this happens.
Endurance is an even mixture of Strength and Constitution. Basically, Endurance measures a character's ability to perform a sustained, physically demanding task. For example, Strength alone can determine if a Character can lift a two-hundred-pound load, while Endurance could be use to gauge that same character's chances of lifting something very heavy numerous times consecutively. For example, shoving a big log out of the road may require a Strength check while unloading a whole truck filled with bulky/heavy construction supplies would require an Endurance check.
Perception measures a character's ability to observe his or her surroundings or situation and make a logical conclusion based on information gathered. For example, a successful perception might make the difference between seeing an oily sheen of a stack of gold coins as spilled lamp oil, or as deadly poison. A perception check is also handy when searching for a lost object, or when trying to remember one's way through a darkened catacomb. The Perception check is based on Intelligence and Wisdom.
Knowledge is the ability to make use of the skills gained from formal schooling and/or direct training. Examples of such skills include, but are not limited to, reading and writing, decoding messages, chemistry, history, and religion. Knowledge is based on Intelligence and Wisdom, but with Intelligence being weighted heavier.
The difference between an Intelligence check and a Knowledge check is this: when learning something for the first time, it requires an Intelligence check. When applying that same knowledge later on in a different situation, it requires a Knowledge check. Thus, a college student might use an Intelligence check when studying accounting and then use a Knowledge check in his/her daily activities as an accountant after graduation.
Generally speaking, Influence is used situationally while Charisma is used over long periods of time. For example, talking a police officer out of a speeding ticket "just this once" or getting that customer to buy a used car with "just a couple of scratches" would require Influence. Maintaining the loyalty of an army, church following, or electorate requires Charisma.
Willpower is one of the most important ability scores. Being composed from Wisdom and Faith, Willpower determines the mental and spiritual strength of the Player Character. A person with high Willpower is better equipped to resist possession by evil spirits, able to cast out demons easier, and able to break the bonds of dark magic and witchcraft. People with high Willpower tend to be better leaders and usually have a high degree of personal initiative, while those of low Willpower tend to be lazy, weak-minded, and sluggard.
Generally, Willpower is to Faith what Endurance is to Strength. In many cases, Willpower reflects mental exertion over time. Thus a Faith check would suffice when casting a healing spell while Willpower would be used when attempting to exorcise a demon or wear down the mental defenses of an enemy.
Panic: The Panic check is never used voluntarily or actively. Instead, this check is used in response to outside stimuli. Typically, it measures the chance that a Player Character can resist something/someone that causes the hero to feel fear. Some examples of fear-causing situations that may require a Panic check: seeing a party member suddenly shapechange into a demon; suddenly finding out that the opposing army is ten times bigger than yours; finding out that the skyscraper you're in is on fire and you're on the 50th floor; facing high-level summoned extra-planar entities (some of these innately exude an aura of fear); being suddenly blinded or paralyzed; being explicitly targeted by a fear-inducing spell.
Likewise, a Panic check is used when a character with an established mental illness is confronted with the trigger for that mental illness. For example, changelings are naturally claustrophobic. Willingly entering a dark, narrow tunnel would a successful Panic check before the Changeling could proceed. Likewise, a Dwarf might have to make a Panic check before going aboard a rickety boat scheduled for travel across deep water.
Body/Mind/Spirit - The arithmetic mean of all eight attributes. It measures overall inner strength, the culmination of a person as a whole. In this check, fractions are not dropped. Thus a B/M/S score of 14.75 becomes 14¾. Mathematicians and Necromancers use B/M/S to fuel their spiritual powers, thus they benefit from having a high B/M/S value. However, all character classes use B/M/S to power their innate abilities.
Things to Consider
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