A value of zero means you roll
two dice and use the lower one,
see Action Rolls.
Characters are governed by four abilities, which provide dice to roll in Action Rolls and Resistance Rolls.
Abilities can have values between zero and five, giving a character an equivalent number of dice to roll.
Ability values of one are weak and represent a feeble character (physical), a stupid character (mental) or a loner who can't deal with people (social). Two would be an average value for average people, while three represents someone trained or talented, with four or five being experts and masters in these abilities.
The first three abilities start with one free point for all player characters. Magic must always be purchased with character points and starts at zero.
Reflects the ability to perform physical tasks, such as combat, athletics and manual labour.
Possible details: strength, agility, endurance, melee combat, ranged combat
Reflects the ability to solve problems, gather information and make decisions.
Possible details: wits, knowledge, perception, tactics, stealth
Reflects the ability to interact with others and influence them as well as spot nuances and cues in social situations.
Possible details: charisma, deception, etiquette, streetwise, reputation
Reflects the ability to sense and use magic.
Unlike the three mundane abilities, magical starts at zero. See Casting Spells for how this ability is used.
Uses Magic Paths instead of details.
Open Legend RPG independently came up with the same set of abilities, except that "magical" is called "supernatural". And the rest of the system is very different.
Each ability also has up to three details added, which improves the ability within a more narrow aspect, expressing what, specifically, a character is good at.
A character picking strength as a detail for physical is muscular and strong, while a character with the same ability score but a detail of agility might be fit but slim.
Which details are available depends on the ability. With the permission of the GM, players can also invent new details if those describe their character better.
| Ability | possible details |
|---|---|
| Physical | strength, agility, endurance, melee combat, ranged combat |
| Mental | wits, knowledge, perception, tactics, stealth |
| Social | charisma, deception, etiquette, streetwise, reputation |
| Magical | see Magic Paths |
A detail provides an additional die to use when it can be applied to an Action Roll.
Only one detail can be applied to an action roll. If two details would apply, the player who rolls decides which one he wants to use, based on how he approaches the situation (e.g. in a social situation he could use deception or charisma, but not both at the same time).
A character can pick one detail twice, paying for it a second time as if it were a second detail. This detail grants +2 dice. On the character sheet, write it large so it covers 2 lines, leaving the character with one more detail he can pick on this ability.
Only one detail can be picked twice. That is one detail for the character, not one per ability!