Characteristics
Characters are defined by a set of eight physical and mental characteristics: Strength, Agility, Endurance, Speed, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma, and Willpower. Each of these characteristics is expressed as a number from one to ten, with one being the absolute worst, and ten being the absolute best.
Throughout the game, these numbers might fluctuate, but if any characteristic falls to zero, the character dies. Resurrection magic is extremely rare, if it even exists at all, so death is a condition best avoided.
When building your character for the first time, you can allocate 12 points among the eight characteristics as you wish. The only caveat is that you must assign at least one point into every characteristic.
Once you have assigned your characteristic points, it’s time to use them to figure out the four secondary attributes.
Strength
Strength represents the physical capabilities of the character. It determines how much weight the character can lift or carry. Warriors usually have a very high strength score.
Endurance
Endurance represents the overall toughness of the character, how much damage they can sustain before dying, and how resistant they are to poison, disease, and damage. It is an extremely important characteristic for all characters, but it is especially important for warriors.
Agility
Agility represents the manual dexterity of the character, as well as balance, grace, and the ability to dodge and get out of harm’s way. It affects how well the character attacks and defends in physical combat, and how sneaky the character is, Rogues usually have a very high agility score.
Speed
Speed represents the reaction and movement abilities of characters. It determines when characters act in combat, as well as how far they can move in a turn. Some characters with exceptionally high speed scores can attack more than once every round.
Intelligence
Intelligence represents the memory, knowledge, mental acuity, and “book smarts” of characters. It determines how well characters solve problems, take tests, and make connections between different people and events. It is the characteristic mages use for casting spells.
Wisdom
Wisdom represents the intuition, insight, and “street smarts” of characters. It determines how well characters understand people and animals, how well they notice characters using stealth, and how quickly they notice hidden or secret things in their environment.
Charisma
Charisma represents the charm, leadership, and “people skills” of characters. It determines how easily the character can influence others, intimidate enemies, and talk their way out of tricky situations. It is especially important for priests.
Willpower
Willpower represents the mental toughness of characters. It determines how well characters defend against magical attacks, as well as how much mental and emotional damage they can withstand before succumbing to despair. It is a very important characteristic of all characters.