Character Attributes
Summary:
1. There are six attributes: STRENGTH (STR) INTELLIGENCE (INT) DEXTERITY (DEX) WISDOM (WIS) CONSTITUTION (CON) CHARISMA (CHA) Each attribute has a numeric score ranging from 3 to 18.
THE SIX ATTRIBUTES
STRENGTH: This attribute reflects physical strength, including the ability to lift or move heavy objects and make powerful attacks. The modifier affects melee combat and damage, and all checks involving strength. Characters can military press 10 times their strength and dead lift 15 times their strength score.
DEXTERITY: This attribute represents a character’s reflexes, manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination, including the ability to dodge and defend against attacks. The modifier affects armor class, ranged combat and all checks involving dexterity.
CONSTITUTION: This attribute reflects overall health, and also represents a character’s ability to withstand pain, suffer physical damage, avoid fatigue and fight off sickness or poison. The modifier affects hit points, and it applies to all checks involving constitution.
INTELLIGENCE: This attribute reflects mental aptitude. It represents a character's ability to learn quickly, apply that learning effectively and use deductive reasoning. The modifier affects the number of arcane spells a character can cast each day, the number of languages a character can learn and all checks involving intelligence.
WISDOM: This attribute reflects depth of personal experience, the ability to make well-considered decisions or judgments, and represents a spiritual connection to a deity. The modifier affects the number of divine spells that can be cast each day, attempts to turn the undead and all checks involving wisdom.
CHARISMA: This attribute represents strength of attractiveness, willpower, personality, and leadership. It is the degree to which a character is able to influence others. It involves the ability to read and utilize the sub-conscious clues to 'reading people' (i.e. you read micro-expressions, etc. subconsciously and that gives you a 'feeling' about the other person; likewise, you subconsciously utilize or suppress expressing those same clues when you wish to influence other people - e.g. a great poker face). The modifier affects a creature's loyalty and reactions to the character, the number of undead the character can turn and all checks involving charisma.
Note: The attributes are the character's potential in these areas; the player decides how to use that potential. For instance, while the Strength attribute indicates potential physical power - a smart player can greatly increase that power (leverage, etc.). More importantly, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma are all potential power areas as well. While a character has the potential to understand the background of a puzzle, it is up to the player to actually solve it. Likewise, Wisdom will allow a certain amount of the character's judgement from his/her world experience (the innkeeper in their home village where the campaign starts is known to be a gossip), it is up to the player to decide if confiding in him is a good idea or not. In a similar fashion, a high Charisma score will give a favourable impression on first meeting a NPC; but it's what comes out of the player's mouth that will determine how that NPC reacts and if that favourable first impression is built upon or destroyed…. In short, again, the numbers represent potential - it's what the players do with the attributes that determines success or not...
Attribute Modifiers
1 2-3 4-5 6-8 9-12 13-15 16-17 18-19
-4 -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
Attribute Checks:
Almost all non-combat actions in Castles & Crusades for which the Castle Keeper deems a roll is necessary to determine success or failure are resolved by an attribute check. Every check has an associated attribute. Whenever one of these checks is made a d20 is rolled by the player. Attribute and level modifiers, for class abilities only, are added to this roll, if applicable. If the result is equal to or greater than a number generated by the Castle Keeper, called the challenge class, then the attribute check is successful. The challenge class is a number generated by the Castle Keeper that represents the degree of difficulty for performing that action. The challenge class is generated in two steps. The first is ascertaining the challenge base. This is determined by whether or not the associated attribute is a primary or secondary one. If the associated attribute is a primary attribute, the challenge base is 12 and if it is a secondary attribute, the challenge base is 18. Next, the Castle Keeper adds or subtracts the challenge level to the challenge class. The challenge level represents the degree of difficulty the Castle Keeper believes appropriate for the action being taken. This usually ranges between 0 and 10, but can go higher. The sum total is the challenge class, and the player must roll higher than that to successfully perform the action.
For example: a 3rd level elf ranger with a 15 wisdom as a primary attribute attempts to track a pair of wily kobolds through a mountain pass. The player rolls a d20 and adds the ranger’s level (+3), attribute modifier (+1) and racial bonus (none) to the roll. If the number generated is equal to or higher than the challenge class determined by the Castle Keeper, the attempt is successful and the ranger is able to track the kobolds to their secret lair. The challenge class is the combination of the challenge base (12) and the challenge level (assume a 3 as the trail is a few days old) for a total of 15. The player rolls a 13 and adds 4 for a total of 17. This is greater than the 15 necessary so the ranger successfully tracks the kobolds to their dark and foreboding lair atop craggy hill.
1. There are six attributes: STRENGTH (STR) INTELLIGENCE (INT) DEXTERITY (DEX) WISDOM (WIS) CONSTITUTION (CON) CHARISMA (CHA) Each attribute has a numeric score ranging from 3 to 18.
- 2. Each attribute score also has a corresponding modifier, which is a bonus or penalty added to or subtracted from certain die rolls.
- 3. Attributes are either Primary or Secondary. Each character class designates one attribute as a Primary attribute (e.g. Fighter = Strength). Demi-humans pick one additional Primary while humans may pick 2 additional attributes as Primary attributes.
- 4. The outcome of many actions is determined by an Attribute check (such as using a Class Ability). The player's roll must equal or exceed the Challenge Level set for a particular action (Base + various modifiers). Since a Primary attribute check has a base of 12 while a Secondary Base is 18, it is substantially easier to succeed with a Primary Attribute than a Secondary Attribute.
THE SIX ATTRIBUTES
STRENGTH: This attribute reflects physical strength, including the ability to lift or move heavy objects and make powerful attacks. The modifier affects melee combat and damage, and all checks involving strength. Characters can military press 10 times their strength and dead lift 15 times their strength score.
DEXTERITY: This attribute represents a character’s reflexes, manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination, including the ability to dodge and defend against attacks. The modifier affects armor class, ranged combat and all checks involving dexterity.
CONSTITUTION: This attribute reflects overall health, and also represents a character’s ability to withstand pain, suffer physical damage, avoid fatigue and fight off sickness or poison. The modifier affects hit points, and it applies to all checks involving constitution.
INTELLIGENCE: This attribute reflects mental aptitude. It represents a character's ability to learn quickly, apply that learning effectively and use deductive reasoning. The modifier affects the number of arcane spells a character can cast each day, the number of languages a character can learn and all checks involving intelligence.
WISDOM: This attribute reflects depth of personal experience, the ability to make well-considered decisions or judgments, and represents a spiritual connection to a deity. The modifier affects the number of divine spells that can be cast each day, attempts to turn the undead and all checks involving wisdom.
CHARISMA: This attribute represents strength of attractiveness, willpower, personality, and leadership. It is the degree to which a character is able to influence others. It involves the ability to read and utilize the sub-conscious clues to 'reading people' (i.e. you read micro-expressions, etc. subconsciously and that gives you a 'feeling' about the other person; likewise, you subconsciously utilize or suppress expressing those same clues when you wish to influence other people - e.g. a great poker face). The modifier affects a creature's loyalty and reactions to the character, the number of undead the character can turn and all checks involving charisma.
Note: The attributes are the character's potential in these areas; the player decides how to use that potential. For instance, while the Strength attribute indicates potential physical power - a smart player can greatly increase that power (leverage, etc.). More importantly, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma are all potential power areas as well. While a character has the potential to understand the background of a puzzle, it is up to the player to actually solve it. Likewise, Wisdom will allow a certain amount of the character's judgement from his/her world experience (the innkeeper in their home village where the campaign starts is known to be a gossip), it is up to the player to decide if confiding in him is a good idea or not. In a similar fashion, a high Charisma score will give a favourable impression on first meeting a NPC; but it's what comes out of the player's mouth that will determine how that NPC reacts and if that favourable first impression is built upon or destroyed…. In short, again, the numbers represent potential - it's what the players do with the attributes that determines success or not...
Attribute Modifiers
1 2-3 4-5 6-8 9-12 13-15 16-17 18-19
-4 -3 -2 -1 0 +1 +2 +3
Attribute Checks:
Almost all non-combat actions in Castles & Crusades for which the Castle Keeper deems a roll is necessary to determine success or failure are resolved by an attribute check. Every check has an associated attribute. Whenever one of these checks is made a d20 is rolled by the player. Attribute and level modifiers, for class abilities only, are added to this roll, if applicable. If the result is equal to or greater than a number generated by the Castle Keeper, called the challenge class, then the attribute check is successful. The challenge class is a number generated by the Castle Keeper that represents the degree of difficulty for performing that action. The challenge class is generated in two steps. The first is ascertaining the challenge base. This is determined by whether or not the associated attribute is a primary or secondary one. If the associated attribute is a primary attribute, the challenge base is 12 and if it is a secondary attribute, the challenge base is 18. Next, the Castle Keeper adds or subtracts the challenge level to the challenge class. The challenge level represents the degree of difficulty the Castle Keeper believes appropriate for the action being taken. This usually ranges between 0 and 10, but can go higher. The sum total is the challenge class, and the player must roll higher than that to successfully perform the action.
For example: a 3rd level elf ranger with a 15 wisdom as a primary attribute attempts to track a pair of wily kobolds through a mountain pass. The player rolls a d20 and adds the ranger’s level (+3), attribute modifier (+1) and racial bonus (none) to the roll. If the number generated is equal to or higher than the challenge class determined by the Castle Keeper, the attempt is successful and the ranger is able to track the kobolds to their secret lair. The challenge class is the combination of the challenge base (12) and the challenge level (assume a 3 as the trail is a few days old) for a total of 15. The player rolls a 13 and adds 4 for a total of 17. This is greater than the 15 necessary so the ranger successfully tracks the kobolds to their dark and foreboding lair atop craggy hill.