Chapter 3: Attributes

Attributes, alongside skills and talents, are one of the three fundamental pillars of character definition.

Attributes represent a character’s inherent qualities and capabilities.

Attributes are divided into four categories:

·         Primary Attributes: Core attributes that define a character’s physical and mental/social capabilities, further subdivided into Physical and Mental/Social attributes.

·         Secondary Attributes: Special attributes applicable only to users of magic (Magic/Resonance) and shadowrunners (Edge).

·         Derived Attributes: Values like Health and Stamina are calculated from primary or secondary attributes.

·         Defenses: Derived from primary attributes, these provide resistance to various forms of attack.

Primary

Eight primary attributes define a character, split evenly between physical and mental/social categories.

Primary attributes are ranked from 0 and up.

·         Player characters have at least a score of 1 in every attribute.

·         The normal human range is 1 to 6, with 3 being average and 4 somewhat above the norm.

·         A score of 7 or 8 is truly exceptional, but still within the range of human possibility. Anything beyond that starts to get into fantasy territory.

Attribute Rankings (0 to 10+):

·         0 – Absent: You cannot perform tasks related to this attribute.

·         1 – Weak: Below average; related tasks are difficult.

·         2 – Below Average: Slight deficiency; tasks require extra effort.

·         3 – Human Average: Standard level; no particular difficulty in related tasks.

·         4 – Above Average: Slightly better than average; excels in relevant tasks.

·         5 – Superior: Clearly above average; recognized for strength in this area.

·         6 – Gifted: Far above average; highly capable and often regarded as gifted.

·         7 – Exceptional: Stands out even among the highly talented; performs with effortless precision and consistency in demanding tasks. This level is rare and often seen only in elite specialists or prodigies.

·         8 – Near-Superhuman: Nearly unmatched; performs feats most find impossible.

·         9 – Superhuman: Far beyond human norms; performs with incredible ability.

·         10 – Peak of Human Potential: Achieves the absolute maximum for humans.

·         11+ – Beyond Human Limits: Surpasses human potential, entering the realm of the extraordinary or supernatural.

Comparing attribute ranks to 0-20+ systems:

A rank of 3 would be the equivalent of having a 10 in a DnD type system, with a 1 being about a ‘6’ and a 7 the equivalent of ‘18’. Essentially, your attribute bonus plus 3. Thus, a rank of 10 for a Human (achievable at Tier 5) would equate to a ‘24’ in DnD. Getting hit by an ST 14 Astartes would be like taking a STR 32 hit (+11) in DnD. Not terribly important, just a quick comparison.

 

PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES

Strength (ST)

Strength represents raw physical power and the ability to leverage that power. It affects actions such as lifting, breaking objects, and engaging in physical combat.

Role in Character: High Strength indicates dominance in brute force and physical feats. These characters can overpower opponents and perform tasks requiring considerable muscle.

Vitality (VI)

Reflects overall health, endurance, and resilience. Determines how well a character can withstand physical stress, recover from injuries, and resist illness.

Role in Character: High Vitality denotes robust health and stamina, allowing characters to endure prolonged physical activity and recover quickly from setbacks.

Agility (AG)

Represents speed, coordination, and graceful movement. Affects how quickly a character acts, evades, or performs acrobatic feats.

Role in Character: High Agility allows characters to move nimbly, evade attacks, and easily perform complex movements. It is crucial for roles that require quick reflexes and precision.

Dexterity (DX)

Measures skill and precision in tasks requiring fine motor control, such as lock-picking, crafting, or using delicate tools and weapons.

Role in Character: High Dexterity suggests expertise in tasks requiring hand-eye coordination and finesse, making the character proficient with weapons and tools and highly accurate.

MENTAL/SOCIAL ATTRIBUTES

Cunning (CU)

Reflects quick thinking, cleverness, and the ability to outwit opponents. Governs awareness, quick thinking, and resourcefulness.

Role in Character: High Cunning indicates a character adept at manipulation, tactical planning, and problem-solving. They excel in navigating complex situations and spotting opportunities.

Intellect (IN)

Measures knowledge, reasoning, and analytical skills. Governs how well a character learns, understands concepts, and solves intellectual challenges.

Role in Character: High Intellect reflects deep knowledge and strategic thinking, making characters capable of solving problems that require insight and education.

Resolve (RE)

Represents mental fortitude, determination, and the ability to withstand psychological stress. Affects persistence and resistance to coercion.

Role in Character: High Resolve means a character is strong-willed and able to endure emotional and psychological challenges. They are determined and less likely to succumb to external pressures.

Presence (PR)

Reflects a character’s aura, charisma, and ability to influence others. Governs leadership, charm, and making a lasting impression.

Role in Character: High Presence enables a character to captivate and lead others, excelling in roles that require persuasion and leadership. They make strong impressions and can command attention in social situations.

Secondary

Secondary attributes represent unique or rare qualities that apply only to certain characters.

2297 AD does not use the Resonance attribute, and the Psy/magic attribute is severely limited. Essence is only really applicable if running a Cyberpunk-themed campaign. This leaves Edge as the remaining relevant secondary attribute.

Edge (EDG)

Edge represents a character’s luck, their ability to tap into extraordinary outcomes or avoid potential disasters. It measures the character’s capacity to influence the odds in their favor during critical moments.

Role in Character: Characters with high Edge experience more favorable outcomes in difficult or high-pressure situations. Edge can be used to reduce the chance of failure, improve action economy, boost damage, and save a character from injury or death.

Calculation: All player characters have a base Edge of 1, which can be increased with Karma or XP. Most NPCs do not have Edge.

Essence (ESS)

Essence measures a character’s connection to their innate humanity or true self, particularly in the context of technological enhancements. Essence represents the purity of one’s being and determines how much cybernetic implants or other modifications can alter a character before the character loses their essential human qualities.

Role in Character: High Essence indicates that a character is largely unmodified and maintains a strong connection to their natural self. Essence is also critical for psykers and mages, as reduced Essence limits their ability to perform magic effectively.

Calculation: All characters have a base Essence of 6 for unmodified humans and metahumans. Essence decreases based on the amount of cybernetic augmentation (or psychic burn) a character undergoes. Essence can be increased through XP to offset losses. If your Essence drops below 1, you become a soulless husk, no longer fit to be a player character. At Essence 0, you have no soul left and are effectively a machine.

Magic or Psychic Rating (MAG/PSY)

Magic/Psy Rating represents a character’s inherent psychic (magical) ability or affinity with the mystical forces in the world. It governs the character’s capacity to use powers, rituals, or other psychic actions.

Magic/Psy is not a significant factor in 2297 AD, and most characters will never have a rating.

Resonance (RES)

Resonance is not used in 2297 AD.

Derived

Derived attributes are calculated from a combination of primary attributes and reflect key aspects of a character’s ability to function in combat and stressful situations. These attributes include initiative, health, and stamina, all of which are critical for survival and success in the game world.

Initiative (INI)

Initiative represents a character’s ability to act quickly and decisively in high-pressure situations, combining physical agility with mental sharpness. Characters with high Initiative can assess and respond to danger more quickly than others, allowing them to act before their opponents.

Role in Character: High Initiative gives a character the upper hand in combat and fast-paced situations, allowing them to act first, set the pace, and potentially avoid or mitigate danger before it escalates. It’s especially important for characters focused on quick reflexes, such as those engaged in combat or fast decision-making roles.

Calculation: 1d6 + Agility + Cunning.

Health (HLT)

Health represents a character’s overall physical condition and resilience to damage. It measures how much bodily harm a character can sustain before becoming incapacitated or suffering serious injury.

Role in Character: High Health allows a character to withstand more physical punishment and recover more effectively from injuries. This is essential for characters expected to engage in combat or survive dangerous environments, making them harder to take down in physical confrontations.

Calculation: 11 + Strength + 2xVitality.

Stamina (STA)

Stamina reflects a character’s ability to maintain both physical and mental effort over long periods. It combines endurance, willpower, and mental resilience to measure how well a character can push through fatigue and stress.

Role in Character: High Stamina allows characters to sustain extended physical activity or high-stress mental challenges. It is vital for characters who must remain effective during prolonged battles, intense physical exertion, or situations requiring mental toughness and concentration over time.

Psychics: Stamina is especially important for a psyker, as each use of a power has the potential to drain Stamina.

Calculation: 11 + 2xVitality + Resolve.

Size (SIZ)

Size determines a character's or creature's physical dimensions, impacting combat, movement, and interactions with the environment. Each size category also has specific mechanics that affect how characters engage in combat, but these are covered in more detail in the Combat chapter.

Small size:

·         Reduced speed.

·         Shorter reach.

·         Advantage on Stealth because their bulk makes it harder to hide or move silently.

Medium size:

·         Standard size with no special modifiers.

Large size:

·         Increased speed.

·         Longer reach.

·         Disadvantage on Stealth because their bulk makes it harder to hide or move silently.

Speed (SPD)

Speed represents a character’s movement rate during combat or exploration. While movement is abstracted, it is helpful to compare it against a standard movement scale. The following values are typical for each race, with 12 meters per round being the human standard.

·         Human: 12 meters per round.

·         Actomorph: 12 meters per round.

·         Endomorph: 10 meters per round.

·         Mesomorph: 12 meters per round.

Defenses

Defenses are crucial in mitigating or avoiding damage and other adverse effects during combat. Each type of defense protects against specific forms of attacks.

Dodge (DGE)

Represents a character’s agility and capability to evade both melee and ranged attacks, making it harder for opponents to land a successful hit. It also covers your ability to move out of harm’s way outside combat.

Formula: 14 + Agility + Cunning

Note that ranged attacks also have a Target Number derived from range, movement, visibility modifiers, and cover. Use whichever value is higher (dodge typically only comes into play if you have exceptional reflexes and/or the range is short and there is no cover).

·         Medium armor/encumbrance: -2 Dodge

·         Heavy armor/encumbrance: -5 Dodge

·         Combat walker: -10 Dodge

Parry (PRY)

Parry indicates a character’s ability to deflect or block incoming melee attacks, whether with weapons or unarmed techniques. If you’re a physical adept or armed with a melee weapon, this is likely your primary line of defense against melee attacks. Otherwise, you have to rely on your Dodge.

Formula: 11 + Brawl or Melee skill (depending on whether you’re armed or not)

Grit (GRI)

Grit measures a character’s toughness and endurance, used to resist effects like knockdowns, physical debuffs, or sustained damage.

Formula: 14 + Strength + Vitality

Poise (POI)

Poise is a character’s ability to remain calm and composed under social pressure. It is primarily used to resist social “attacks,” such as bluffs, feints, intimidation, or manipulation.

Formula: 14 + Resolve + Presence

Will (WIL)

Will reflects a character’s mental fortitude and willpower, crucial for resisting mental attacks, magical compulsions, and fear effects, or other forms of psychological pressure. If the source of the effect is more social in nature, such as a gang trying to intimidate you, use Composure instead.

Formula: 14 + Intellect + Resolve

Active/Reactive defenses

Normally, it's the attacker/acting party that rolls the dice and compares the result to a TN—the defender doesn’t roll any dice. The exception is Active defense—the game’s version of a saving throw. Instead of the attacker rolling against your defense, the defender rolls to match or exceed a Target Number (TN). This flip keeps the focus on the player and reduces the GM’s workload.

For instance, you might be asked to make a Dodge check to avoid an environmental hazard or roll Resilience to resist the effects of a poison or electrical discharge. Yes, the GM could make both checks against your Defenses, but that’s decidedly less interactive and interesting for the player. Additionally, since the defender is making the check, it’s possible to spend Edge for Advantage, which normally wouldn’t be possible.

Active Defense is not normally used against weapon attacks, magical attacks, or other attacks in which an actor is trying to harm another character.

Formula: Relevant Defense -10 (by comparison, the average roll of 2d10 is 11)

Reactive defense: You can spend a Reaction to turn any Defense into Active defense. The declaration must be made before the attack roll. The attack roll is then made normally, but instead of comparing it to Defense, it becomes the TN for the Active defense. You need to be able to spend a Reaction, so it can’t be used outside combat or when you’re out of Reactions.

·         Active defense: Declared by the GM, works much like saving throws in other systems.

·         Reactive defense: Declared by the player, spends a Reaction.

One advantage of Reactive defense is the ability to spend Edge to gain Advantage. Rolling 2d10 with Advantage is a good deal better than relying on static Defense.

Dodge (DGE)

Represents your ability to evade melee or ranged attacks and to get out of the way of hazards, such as falling objects.

Formula: Dodge -10

Example: A thug takes a snapshot at you as you rush in to stab him with your bayonet. You declare a Reactive defense, rolling your Dodge vs the attack roll.

Parry (PRY)

Measures your ability to block or deflect melee attacks using weapons or unarmed techniques.

Formula: Parry -10

Example: A vicious marauder is about to take a swing at you. You declare a Reactive defense, rolling your Parry vs the attack roll.

Grit (GRT)

Measures your physical toughness and ability to withstand damage, debuffs, or hazardous conditions.

Formula: Grit -10

Example: You’re hit by a powerful electrical shock, and the GM asks for a Resilience check vs. TN 20 to avoid being knocked out. With ST of 8 and VI of 8, you roll 2d10 + 8 + 8. If the roll beats TN, you endure the shock without losing consciousness.

Poise (POI)

Reflects your ability to remain calm under social pressure, bluffs, or manipulation.

Formula: Poise -10

Example: The GM asks you to make a Composure roll vs. a TN of 20 to resist intimidation from a gang leader. With a CU of 5 and PR of 4, you roll 2d10 + 5 + 4. If your roll beats 20, you remain composed under pressure.

Will (WIL)

Represents your mental resilience and ability to resist magical, mental, or psychological attacks.

Formula: Will -10

Example: A mage attempts to cast a fear spell on you, and the GM calls for a Discipline check vs. TN 15. If your RE is 4 and PR is 3, you roll 2d10 + 4 + 3. Beating the TN means you resist the spell’s effects.