Attribute Reference

## Attributes

(NOTE: Since I like to update the attributes from time to time, this information is liable to change. Parts are going to be added, edited, & possibly shifted around due to how I'm updating this rather sporadically)

### Overview

Here I will present an overview & brief definition of each attribute, since a few of them may be difficult to understand unless you've got a bit of RPG knowledge under your belt. The first thing you'll have to know is the difference between the Rooted Attributes & the Determined Attributes, as that determines where you have to look in order to find a particular attribute.

#### Rooted Attributes

Rooted Attributes are the most basic, yet most difficult to change attributes. Think of Rooted Attributes being the sources of the other attributes, like the Speed attribute being the source of the Attack Speed attribute, or the Luck attribute being the source of the Critical Hit attribute. In most cases, these are generally unaffected by equipment & most magic, instead being raised usually only by the means of leveling up, albeit quite slowly in almost every case.

The following attributes are what are generally considered Rooted Attributes.

##### Health (HP)

Your amount of health, or life as it's sometimes referred to, is how much damage you can take before you die or, albeit quite rare, are knocked out. This is one of the most basic stuff that most games have in some form or another. Whether or not it's a colored bar on the side of the screen, a simple counter below a character's name on the bottom of the screen, your character freaking out after getting hit & falling off the screen, or if the screen just darkens to show that your health is running out, these are all possible ways to represent health. Health is known for starting off somewhat low, usually in the early double digits, around the 15 to 35 area, but it usually builds up into the triple digits before the game ends, like around the 300-500 area. Heck, in some games, it even climbs into the thousands & ten-thousands before the end of the game, although it usually caps at 9999. Restoring HP is usually done with items at the start of an adventure, but it traditionally becomes the priority of healing magic in the late-game.

The concept of health isn't only found in RPGs, however. While it is found in just about every RPG made, it is one of the few concepts that has crept into other genres. RPG examples include the entire *Final Fantasy* & *Dragon Warrior/Dragon Quest* franchises as well as all of the *Dark Souls* & *Witcher* games. Examples of RPGs that aren't mostly fantasy-oriented include the *Mass Effect* series & games like *Alpha Protocol*. Non-RPG, but including RPG-like elements, examples include the *God of War*, *Devil May Cry*, *Grand Theft Auto*, & *Halo* franchises. Strictly non-RPG examples include the entire *Super Mario* franchise, aside from the *Mario & Luigi* and *Paper Mario* games, & the entire *Sonic The Hedgehog* franchise, with the notable exception of one game called *Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood*. (Remember, 1-3 hit(s) is all it takes to kill Mario in pretty much all of his 2D games & a vast majority of his 3D games, so you could reason that he just happens to have only 1-3 HP at any one time. In Sonic's case, he dies in a single hit unless he has rings. However, a single hit makes you drop all of the rings in nearly every case, so Sonic's HP, unless in a transformation, would only be 1-2 HP. Since the transformations often rely on time limits, there's no easy way to determine how much HP they have, so I'm not going to bother)

##### Magic/Magic Pool (MP)

Your amount of magic, or mana, as it's called sometimes, remaining in your magic pool is an indicator of how much magic you possess. Magic is USUALLY essential from the moment it becomes available to the very end of the adventure. In most cases, characters don't start with any magic, but will slowly gain some as they raise their levels. However, there are some exceptions, like how sometimes a low-level Black Mage can start with a few very basic spells, along with rather pitiful amounts of MP in most cases. Magic is also generally harder to restore than HP if it runs out, requiring sleeping in a tent/cottage or resting at an inn in most cases. (Although those are usually associated with *Final Fantasy* & *Dragon Warrior/Dragon Quest* in particular, some others do so too, mostly because both are considered to pretty much be the rulers of all RPGs) Magic is usually restored by some kind of item, usually a potion of some kind. One last thing, a word of warning, there are some works where running out of MP results in death, for an example of that mechanic, check out *Star Ocean*.

One last note about magic, it can change MASSIVELY from one work to another. For example, in *Final Fantasy VI* (6), magic is an extreme rarity, due to a massive war that pretty much caused it to be universally hated & practically forgotten, mind you, that few can use on their own, most characters require espers, basically the summon spirits, in order to do so. Meanwhile, there are other games like *Dragon Quest VIII* (8), where every member of your party can learn a variety of spells. Granted, some people can only learn certain ones & some are unique to certain characters, but all of them can use magic in some form without any real outside help. And then there's a game like *Rogue Galaxy*, where there really isn't any magic in the game for your characters AT ALL, but there's a ton of abilities for everyone that are magic-like in nature, but not true magic. For a non-RPG example, look no further than pretty much any game in the *Legend of Zelda* franchise. The formula is basically the same in most Zelda games though, you usually don't start the game with magic, but you'll earn it before the end. Of particular note in the Zelda series, magic-restoring potions, which can be purchased or found inside pots & ***even grass***, because logic probably isn't the most important thing to have in a video game, are often the ***only*** way that Link can restore his magic.

#### Determined Attributes

Determined Attributes are far more complex than their Rooted counterparts/parents, they require a bit more work to calculate as well. To keep it as simple as I can, so I don't confuse anyone or lose you, these attributes are based on a particular Rooted Attribute, like how Defense is rooted from Resilience & how both Evasion & Magic Evasion are rooted from Agility. These attributes also differ from the Rooted Attributes by being easier to raise in almost every case, usually only requiring a new piece of equipment, like a weapon, piece of armor, or accessory, being equipped or a simple spell, that almost everyone possesses, being cast.

The following attributes are what are generally considered Determined Attributes, note how there are more of them than the Rooted Attributes.

#### Rooted-Determined Table

Here's a table to help you understand exactly which Rooted Attributes affect which Determined Attributes. I have made it go in order from HP to LK, just like the Rooted Attributes section above, to keep it as simple as I possibly can since I'm well aware that this stuff can be tough to understand if you aren't well-versed in it like I am.

(Health) HP ---> MAX HP (Maximum Health/Life)

(Magic/Magic Pool) MP ---> MAX MP (Maximum Magic/Magic Pool)

(Endurance) END ---> STA (Stamina)

(Strength) STR ---> ATK (Attack/Attack Power)

(Resiliency) RES ---> DEF (Defense)

(Wisdom) WIS ---> M.ATK (Magic Attack/Magic Attack)

(Magic Resiliency) M.RES ---> M.DEF (Magic Defense/Magic Defense)

(Speed) SPD ---> INT (Attack Speed)

(Agility) AGY ---> EVA & M.EVA (Evasion & Magic Evasion)

(Vitality) VIT ---> RST (Resistance)

(Accuracy) ACU ---> SAC (Successful Attack %)

(Luck) LK ---> CRT (Critical Hit %)