Attributes and Skills

Attributes and Skills are the most crucial part of an individual, they determine the character overall capability, his strengths and weaknesses. These are to be reflected in the roleplay and are an essential part of what makes the character feel realistic and the tradeoffs and consequences made during character creation actually matter.

### **Main Attributes:**

Main Attributes develop with the overall state of the Being. The total pool of attribute points resembles the global strength of the Being's Soul. If the Soul's power exceeds a certain point, the Being will ascend to a higher tier.

Constitution *Short CON*

This attribute keeps track of the physical resilience and endurance of the character. It influences the health pool and survivability in combat.

Strength *Short STR*

Whether it is pure muscle power or the capability to carry objects and weapons, Strength is a mandatory attribute for applying the body into the play.

Dexterity *Short DEX*

The grace and finesse of combat, mixed in with the handling of the environment. Dexterity covers most of the skills used in adventuring and should be taken into consideration for developing a character.

Wisdom *Short WIS*

For some people, Wisdom is only a merit of old age, however, it is the combined strength of intuition and willpower that allows the Being to perceive its environment and act accordingly.

Intelligence *Short INT*

Knowledge is a different kind of power. It is the strength to apply abstract concepts, as well as use and interpret information.

Charisma *Short CHA*

At any point in life, a Being will encounter other Beings and interact with them. To be able to influence and effect them is a matter of the charismatic strength of the character.

### **Special Attributes:**

These attributes develop with training, time and proper willpower. They influence the ability of the character with its environment, especially with the Ethereal, their own body and the connection towards the Gods. These attributes are dislocated from the concept of Soul strength and do not affect whether a Being ascends or not.

Magic

The more acquainted the Being is with the arts of Magic, the more powerful it is in using the energies of the Universe. It is a very powerful ability, but at the price of drawing unwanted attention to oneself.

Faith

This attribute expresses how deeply connected a Being is with the concept of Religion towards a certain God. It effects the way the God reacts towards prayer and how powerful the gifts are which are bestowed onto the subject.

Spirit

While it is not connected to the species of Spirits, the Spirit attribute states the synergy of body and Soul of the Being and the accompanied powers that can be drawn from this bond.

## Skills

No matter how strong a Being is and how powerful its attributes are, it is unable to properly use these powers without the appropriate training and knowledge. Skills are in no way interconnected with the Soul's strength and are solely based on experience. In order to gain the most out of a skill, a Specialization should be kept in mind.

### **Constitution:**

Swim

For Beings, pure instinct should keep you from drowning but if you encounter any kind of marine vessel in your adventures... or even a simple river for that matter, some ranks in Swim might be advisable.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Diving *(Holding breath)*
* Breaststroke *(Endurance/Speed)*

Run

Even the most untrained Beings know the concept of running. Proper training in the skill allows to keep a steady speed in time intervals and increase the overall endurance when on longer trips.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Sprinting *(Speed/Distance)*
* Marathon *(Endurance)*

Climb

A firm grip and the attempt to defy gravity. Climbing is a profession well trained before attempted, or else one could easily fall to a certain death. Ropes and proper equipment do help a lot for those that are not wanting to risk too much.

### **Strength:**

Lift

Lifting allows a Being to carry objects with physical strength, mixed with training of muscle power and proper breathing techniques. A character trained in lifting knows how to carry objects off the ground and move them.

Heavy Metalworking

While technology developed to a massive extent, it is the muscle power that shapes the ores and metals to what man needs to build. Most professions in the industry still require the strong hands of a blacksmith to be properly crafted.

### **Dexterity:**

Unarmed Combat

Sometimes, the only weapon at hand is your hand. While most common in barfights and for most more of a last resort than an actual combat style, numerous techniques exist to increase the potency of ones unarmed strikes providing more refined options than the simple brawl.

Special: A character with three or more ranks in Unarmed Combat may choose to deal physical damage instead of stun damage.
Specializations in this skill might include:

* Grappling
* Block
* assorted Martial Arts/fighting techniques

Blunt Weapons

These weapons are made to deliver most of the force of the blow onto as much of the body as possible. It takes little expertise to simply handle such a weapon as they range from a regular blackjack to an unfurnished stick. It helps, however, to know where to hit to increase the effectiveness.

Specializations of this skill might include:

* Clubs
* Hammers
* Block
* Improvised Blunt Weapons

Acrobatics

From jumping to tumbling, rolling and cartwheeling, acrobatic Beings are prone to have one way or another to maneuver in their environment, most of which allow them to be experts in the field of movement.

Specializations of this skill might include:

* Parkour
* Balance
* Jumping
* Tumbling

Escape Artist

Once in a while, even the strongest are in a pinch and need a means to escape. This requires a lot of grace to perform without receiving bruising.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Ropes
* Manacles/Handcuffs
* Confined Spaces

Exotic Weapon

This skill can be learned multiple times and applies to a different kind of weapon, each time. What exactly constitutes an exotic weapon is up to the Gamemaster to decide. Afterall, the definition of exotic depends on the current interpretation of the setting. Examples for exotic arms might include weapons based on the model of the Kusarigama, Kyoketsu-Shoge, Pitchforks, War scythes, Chakrams or Fu Tao. Essentially, every weapon that, while possibly falling into one of the existing weapon categories (which are by now means exhaustive and only attempt to capture the most common weapons in the system) is so rare and uncommon that a PC would need special training to handle such a weapon effectively.

Handling Devices

Open sesame! In many ways, this opens doors for the character. Whether it is traps blocking the path, locks on doors and chests, they all may fall to the prowess of a Being's nimble fingers.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Lockpicking
* Traps

Sleight of Hand

Keeping a shiv on your person is a good safety measure or to relieve an unwitting bystander of his purse. With a simple sleight of hand, others may not know what happened.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Hiding Items
* Pickpocketing

Bladed Weapons
Fencing is commonly renowned as the most chivalrous, albeit not neccesarily most effective way to dispose of your enemies. Plenty of people pick up the art of swordfighting for reasons of prestige alone, while others rely on their blades to defend their lives daily.
Specializations in this skill might include:

* Daggers
* One-Handed Swords
* Two-Handed Swords
* Other categories

Polearms

Polearms are for a distinct set of advantages in a fight, such as range and power in melee, but tend to fall off outside of an organized formation or in close quarters. However, their usefulness is not limited to the battlefield, although spacious scenes are to be advised when wielding a spear against your opponent.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Spears
* Halberds
* Glaives
* Other categories

Firearms

Any projectile based weapon that does not use arrows or bolts is considered a firearm and they are all working the same; point and pull the trigger. These relatively new weapons provide high lethality and deadly armor penetration at shorter ranges and are exquisitely dangerous in melee.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Muskets
* Flintlock Pistols
* Carbines

Archery

The mastery of determining the trajectory and movement of both the projectile and the target is what makes archers formidable foes at range. They are still very capable of being on par with riflemen at a distance.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Shortbows
* Longbows
* Crossbows

Dodge

Dodge is the most natural defense of a Being. It is the thin line between survival and death when it comes to fighting.

Stealth

Without a sound, not being seen. Stealth is a handy tool for avoiding combat or even gaining an edge by setting up ambushes.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Sneak
* Camouflage
* Areas (e.g. forests/urban)

Throwing Weapons

In short-distance combat, thrown weapons will sometimes do considerable damage or at the very least distract the opponent for a quick and deadly blow.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Throwing Knives
* Shuriken
* Improvised Throwing Weapons

Riding

Using a lesser Being or even another Being as a means of transportation requires a good balance and experience with your choice of mount. It is still a common way to travel quickly long distances.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Mounted Combat
* Archery from horseback

Maneuvering

From carriages to locomotives, it is an art and skill of its own to control these creations. This skill is important for maintaining a steady grip on your vehicle in critical situations and being able react properly to dangers without losing control.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Wagons
* Carriages
* Ships
* Boats

### **Wisdom:**

Ethereal (Sight)

To gaze and understand what lies beyond the Earthen without moving across the layers of the Universe, a Being can train itself to let the eyes see what is normally not seen. It allows Beings to see Auras and what dwells in the Ethereal. Usually, those that are not trained in magic gain little to no information, as they lack the proper knowledge to understand what they see. However, with enough training, even someone without magical talent might start to make sense of the confusing impressions of the etheral plane.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Spotting Auras
* Spotting Magic
* Spotting Spirits

Perception

This skill is crucial to perceive and understand ones surroundings and it is very helpful to spot hidden Beings. The skill influences the amount of detail a character can perceive at a single glance, the amount of nuances they can make out of a song and even to gauge the full depth of a certain smell or taste.

Special: Every Character with at least one rank in this skill has a *Passive Perception Score*, which is equal to 1/2 of his total Perception skill ranks, rounded up.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Spot
* Listen
* Search Traps

Survival

In order to sustain oneself and endure the most inhospitable environments, it is crucial to learn how to find resources and survive. The skill also influences the overall knowledge of nature, the character's ability to track over long distances and the correct application of geopgraphical and meteorological knowledge to predict rainfall and learn essential details of the terrain.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Hunting
* Tracking

Medicine

Many times it is the knowledge of proper healing that makes the difference. The skill includes the character's ability to assess wounds, illnesses and the knowledge of their proper treatment.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Herbalism
* First Aid
* Healing

Empathy

As the art of understanding and *reading* the emotions and feelings of other Beings, empathy plays a major role in noticing lies and deception but can also simply be used to calm a troubled soul and get useful information from NPCs.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Sense Motive
* Discern lies
* See through disguise

Gambling

The chance to win a game is often resolved through the skill of the players involved. It only works on games that involve skill, rather than pure chance. While you might successfully predict the outcome of a card game, you cannot influence the result of a coin toss or dice roll.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Card Games
* Dice Games
* Board Games
* Cheating

### **Intelligence:**

Craft

The artistry of the most mundane form of Creation, crafting is taking resources and making them into a weapon, armor or accessory, household object or complex technological creation. The Craft skill covers the construction of items and a character's understanding of the products that fall into his area of expertise.

**This skill is supposed to be used as separate entities per field of crafting the user learns.**

Knowledge

As the root of power of intelligence, knowledge nourishes the mind and allows to draw the correct conclusions. These skills provide access to specialized fields of knowledge that might be useful in different situations.

**This skill is supposed to be used as separate entities per field of knowledge the user learns.**

Learning

In order to gain knowledge, one must learn. This skill influences how fast the character is able to grasp new concepts and how long it takes him to increase his abilities.

Forgery

It takes a keen eye to know a real gold ring from a fake one, but it takes a keener eye to make them. For many, the art of forgery ends with the arm of justice smiting them, while selective few *intelligent* men make a fortune off the veritable masterpieces of deception, they produce.
Specializations in this skill might include:

* Documents
* Signatures
* Signets

Navigation

On longer travels, it takes a lot of intellect to not get lost. Whether it is discerning one's location with a map or simply finding a cardinal direction by looking at the stars this skill helps the characters keep on track and never lose their way.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Cartography
* Mapreading
* Naval Navigation

Arcana

Analyzing spells, creating formulas and developing magical artifacts requires the theoretical knowledge in the arts of magic, their components and resources that are used in them.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Analyze Spell
* Create Foci
* Read Arcane Scrolls

### **Charisma:**

Negotiate

The voice is a powerful weapon, even if it does not slice your enemies apart. The ability to appeal to people and make yourself likeable can almost literally open many doors for you.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Haggle
* Diplomacy

Intimidate

Breaking the will of your opponent is the first step to overthrowing the enemy. Your intimidation serves as shield and mace for the strong-willed and can end a fight before it even begins. This skill encompasses brutish action and thuggish behavior to bully others into bending to your will.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Demoralize
* Instill Fear

Leadership

Rally the troops! In order to perform in a battle formation, it is crucial that one Being takes leadership and organizes the formation and plan. It keeps the character's mind cool in the midst of battle and allows him to instruct others to follow his plans and act more effectively on the battlefield.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Formation
* Tactics
* Drill
* Morale

Perform
A character's perform skill indicates how well he does when the eyes and ears of an audience are on him. It represents the musical aptitude and the degree of mastery one has attained with any instrument, the voice, or even such impressive and dangerous acts as fire breathing or walking on a tightrope. The focus of these performances is the effect on the audience.

**This skill is supposed to be learned separately for each individual act of performance, e.g. a musical instrument.**

Deception

For the deceitful ones, it is a very fond action to misguide people at every occasion. Their mastery of twisting the perception of others has lead to many misfortunes over and over again. It includes the art of misdirection and falsehood, encompassing the spreading of false rumors to telling a bold faced lie.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Disguise
* Bluff

### **Magic:**

Spellcasting

In order to cast magic properly, it is mandatory to clear the mind and connect with the Ethereal. Only then, a mage can tap the potential within him.

**This skill is learned in multiple instances, depending on the Magic Circle the Magician is professionalized in.**

Alchemy

Bending the laws of Science with the touch of arcane power. Alchemical creations are a risky process, but they serve a much greater gain. The materials used in such proccesses are often times exceedingly rare and difficult to attain. Thus, the pluspart of time during an alchemical creation is the collecting and preparation of resources and not the arduous chanting and challenging rituals.

Specializations in this skill might include:

* Finding Alchemical Reagents
* Potions
* Dweomers

### **Faith:**

Prayer
Measuring the character's ability to the higher forces of the unisverse, faithful people receive the power of the Gods through praying. The paths of the divine are empowering and offer a lot for those that know the proper customs and rituals.

**Followers of faith are learning Divine Domains. The character needs to stay on the path beset by their God or Goddess in order to receive their powers.**

Creation

The gift of the Children to their descendants, the power of Creation is given to all Beings, yet rarely practiced. It is the act of shaping energies and storing them in shapes.

**This skill is highly abstract and for meta-creational purposes. Players should consult the GM in how far they are able to use the skill.**

### **Spirit:**

Soulweapon

Once a Being received the Ethrealis, it is possible to remove parts of the Soul to summon/create a weapon. This weapon, though a manifestation of Ethereal energies, can rend the soul of an opponent and shred apart their entire existence. It is a dreaded and rarely practiced art of fighting and those that do it, are certain to be the subject of much distrust and fear.

**This skill replaces the appropriate weapon skill whenever applicable.**

Focus

Focus measures the characters capability of maintaining the spiritual energy within the body and drawing benefits from it.