Every task that a character or monster might attempt in the game is covered by one of the 5 Abilities. This section explains in more detail what those Abilities mean and the ways they are used in the game.
MIGHT measures both Strength and Constitution. It includes athletic training and endurance. Rather than simple brute force or stamina, Might reflects a character's ability to harness their physical capacities. Sports, swimming, climbing, leaping, hard labor, surviving without food and water, running a marathon, all represent pushing a character's physical capacities. A hobbit and a human might both have a strength of 15, and yet the human might be "stronger" in terms of how much he can carry or throw.
You add your Might modifier to your Attack roll and your damage roll when attacking with a Might-based melee weapon such as a mace, a Battleaxe, or a Javelin. You use Melee Weapons to make Melee Attacks in hand- to-hand Combat, and some of them can be Thrown to make a ranged Attack. Some items also have a Strength requirement to be used effectively.
Size and Strength. Your Might score influences how much you can carry, push, drag, lift, and throw, but size is also a factor. Larger creatures can bear more weight, but also have to carry themselves, whereas small creatures can bear less weight, but are also less heavy. Larger creatures also generally have more Vitality.
Reason for change: Strength was a bit lack-luster compared to Dexterity, and Constitution didn't have any skills associated with it besides Concentration checks. Consolidating abilities into just 5 Abilities should allow a greater diversity of characters, as 3rd and 4th choice stats aren't penalized as much.
DEXTERITY measures agility, reflexes, and balance. A Dexterity check can model any attempt to move nimbly, quickly, or quietly, or to keep from Falling on tricky footing. The Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth Skills reflect aptitude in certain kinds of Dexterity Checks. The GM might call for a Dexterity check when you try to pick a lock, disable a trap, tie a prisoner, do a card trick, or play a stringed instrument. Dexterity is basically treated the same as normal, except that it no longer governs ranged weapons.
Attack Rolls, Damage, and Armor. You add your Dexterity modifier to your Attack roll and your damage roll when attacking with a Dexterity-based melee weapon such as a Dagger or Rapier, but not ranged weapons. Depending on your armor, you might also add some or all of your Dexterity modifier to your Armor Class.
Reason for change: De-emphasizing Dexterity a little bit.
WITS measure mental acuity, accuracy of recall, and the ability to reason, as well as mental fortitude and commitment. When you need to draw on education and memory, deductive reasoning and strategy, or raw mental fortitude, you use Wits. Wits is also your character's ability to mold magic to their will. High Wits gives a bonus to the number of Skills and Feats a character has mastered. The GM might call for an Intelligence check when you try to estimate the value of an item, forge a document, or win a game of skill. Its closest D&D equivalent is Intelligence. Wits includes medicine checks.
Wits and Mana. Your Mana score influences how much Mana you can use, but size and Vitality are also a factor. A creature's Vitality must be less than their total Mana pool, otherwise they spend Vitality at the same rate as they spend Mana. This means that smaller creatures, such as hobbits and elves, find magic easier to use than larger creatures, such as dragons and jotuns.
Reason for change: Giving a small boost to Skills and Feats keeps Wits (Intelligence) useful for purely martial characters. All spell-casting relating to Wits seems too powerful for one Ability, but spell-casting is modified through the other 4 stats: Might for Concentration checks and Vitality, Dexterity for Performance castings, Sense for Ranged castings, and Charisma for minions (Undead, Constructs, Familiars, Elementals, etc). This means Spell-casters are have more variability, and don't rely completely on one Ability. Medicine has more to do with what you know, while Investigation has more to do with observation, so they have been switched.
SENSE reflects how attuned you are to the world around you and represents perceptiveness and intuition, aim and hand-eye coordination, and your ability to accurately understand the world around you. Sense includes Investigation checks and gives a bonus to languages learned, and like Wits gives a bonus to the number of Skills and Feats a character has mastered.
You add your Sense modifier to your Attack roll and your damage roll when attacking with ranged weapons and targeted spells. It also measures your facility with understanding languages or creatures, as well as your ability to sense magic. Its closest D&D equivalent is Wisdom. Your character's actual senses, such as sight, smell, and hearing, are mostly determined by your species, but how well you can use them is determined by your Sense.
Reason for change: Wisdom always had more to do with perception - this merely emphasizes that facet. Taking away casting Power might seem a bit much, but Wisdom still modifies magical Perception and Faith. The bonus to Skills and Feats should also keep Wisdom competitive compared to other Abilities.
CHARISMA measures your ability to interact effectively with others. It includes such factors as confidence and eloquence, and it can represent a charming or commanding personality. A Charisma check might arise when you try to influence or entertain others, when you try to make an impression or tell a convincing lie, or when you are navigating a tricky social situation. The Deception, Intimidation, Performance, and Persuasion Skills reflect aptitude in certain kinds of Charisma Checks. The GM might call for a Charisma check when you try to find the best person to talk to for news, rumors, and gossip.
Charisma also represents raw social currency. Characters with high Charisma will naturally find more friends and enemies. Charisma influences the strength and loyalty of familiars, animal companions, hirelings, and followers, and gives a bonus to the number of "Contacts" a character has.
Reason for change: Charisma loses its status as a raw casting stat, but gains built-in followers the player can control. This emphasizes its nature as the "social" Ability. This may seem like a lack-luster ability to some players, and blatantly overpowered for others. Requires careful balancing, so that one player is not hogging the spotlight simply because they have more characters with more moves.
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