Fallout 3 primary statistics Overview . The minimum for each primary statistic is 1 and the maximum is 10 . These boundaries can never be broken , even with bonuses or maluses , although the game keeps track of further increases internally . For example , if someone has 10 Agility and then finds the bobblehead for it , the Agility still stays at 10 , but if there ever is a negative modifier - e . g . wearing metal armor ( Ag - 1 ) - the Agility will stay at 10 , because it was technically 11 . Each statistic directly modifies certain derived statistics . In addition , every skill is tied to a primary statistic . As a result , each point added to a primary statistic results in a bonus of 2 points to the associated skill ( s ) . The only exception is Luck which only adds 1 point ; in turn , all skills are affected by this stat . Some perks require certain minimum attribute values as well . Increasing attributes . There are multiple ways to increase your attributes after character creation . They can be increased permanently by taking the Intense Training perk at level - up ( which can be taken up to 10 times , at any level ) or through various quest perks . Additionally , you can find a bobblehead for each attribute which increases its associated stat by 1 point . Attributes can also be increased temporarily by wearing certain armors and clothing , carrying certain items or using consumables . With all ten Intense Training , the Night Person perk , the seven S . P . E . C . I . A . L . bobbleheads , the lucky shades , Three Dog ' s head wrap , Vance ' s Longcoat , the Lucky 8 - ball , and the Ant Sight / Might perk , it is possible to raise your total S . P . E . C . I . A . L . points to 68 , compared to the 40 you start with ; that ' s very close to maxing it out at 70 . If you have the " Broken Steel " add - on you can raise all of your S . P . E . C . I . A . L . to 5 with only one perk if you take the No Weaknesses perk . You can raise them all to 9 with only one perk if you get the Almost Perfect perk before getting any of the S . P . E . C . I . A . L . bobbleheads . For information on increasing specific attributes , please refer to the article for the respective attribute or to " Fallout 3 " stat - raising items . Changes from previous " Fallout " games . Players who are accustomed to the rigid attribute and skill mechanics of the previous games may be happy to know that the new systems in " Fallout 3 " are much more flexible and allow for more changes during a character ' s development . For instance , tagging a skill no longer increases the rate of a skill ' s development , but skills gain their maximum effectiveness ( and cap out ) at 100 . Additionally , while the Gifted trait ( along with all traits ) has disappeared , primary attributes are simultaneously less important and easier to acquire as your character grows . Players who played the previous two games should also keep in mind that the SPECIAL system in Fallout 3 is much more forgiving when compared to the first two games : Low ability scores penalize the player less , while high ability scores do not grant as much of a benefit . Where in the first two games lowering a SPECIAL stat to 3 or lower could be a risky move regardless of your character type , characters in Fallout 3 can get away with SPECIAL scores of 1 in particular stats . For example , a character with 1 Intelligence will find most character interaction in the first two games impossible , while in " Fallout 3 " you simply sacrifice a few Intelligence dependent conversation options and some skill points .