Characteristic (roleplay)

See also: Characteristic (homonymy)

In the Roleplays, the characteristic , or attributes , is quantified evaluations of the capacities of the character (Character-player or not-player), of his forces and its weaknesses.

Contrary to the competence S, which apply in targeted fields (precise action of the type “jump”, “to hook a lock”, “knowledge of the legends”), the characteristics are very general, of the type “intelligence”, “force”, “dexterity”.

A characteristic represents what is the character by nature (the heritage of the birth) and how it was built (its education, its lifestyle). One in general distinguishes three types of characteristics:

  • physical characteristics: force, agility (balance, coordination of the movements), dexterity (manual skill), endurance (fatigue strength), constitution (resistance to the poisons and the diseases), beauty…
  • the mental characteristics: intelligence, memory, will (moral resistance), charisma (magnetism, capacity to be communicated), empathy (to feel environment, the mood of people)…
  • supernatural characteristics: capacity with the magic, parapsychology…

The number of characteristics is very variable according to the plays. For example:

  • 1: in certain plays, the minor protagonists (characters not-player) just have an estimate of their total power, which determines the success of all their actions; it is the case for example level of the monsters in Tunnels & Trolls ;
  • 2: in the simple plays (for initiation, or to play quickly while improvising); the characteristics are in general “physical” and “mental”; in the book-play of the Solitary series Wolf , the character has only two characteristics which are “skill” and “endurance”;
  • 6 to 8: it is the most frequent case (6 for Donjons and Dragons , 7 for RuneQuest , 8 for Palladium );
  • 14 in Rêve of Dragon .

Characteristics and competences

In an obvious way, the characteristics influence competences; a skilful character will have more facility to hook a lock than an awkward character.

In the mechanisms of play, this is taken into account in general in four manners:

  • the characteristics provide a no-claims bonus to competence: it is the case of the first edition of Donjons and Dragons , of RuneQuest (competences are gathered by type, and a no-claims bonus calculated starting from the characteristics applies to each type);
  • the characteristics are used to calculate the base of competence: Mega 2 , System Palladium , Universom ;
  • competences are no-claims bonus modifying the jet relating to the characteristic: Dream of Dragon , Before Charlemagne , galactic Empire , D6 System , SimulacreS
  • competences and the characteristics is both no-claims bonus with a “white jet”: 3eédition of Keeps and Dragons and D20 System .

Examples of lists of characteristics

Here lists of characteristics of some book-play and Roleplays, classified by order ascending of many characteristics.

  • Solitary Wolf (deliver-play): skill, endurance;

  • fantastic Challenges , Sorcery! (deliver-play): skill, endurance, chance;
  • Gurps : force, dexterity, intelligence, health, perception;
  • the black Eye 1e ED. : courage, intelligence, charisma, address, force
  • Donjons and Dragons and D20 System : force, intelligence, wisdom, dexterity, constitution, charisma, and possibly skill psi;
  • D6 System : reflexes/agility, training/acumen/mechanical/technical, coordination, physics/force, perception, presence/charisma, extranormal (magic, parapsychology, handling of the Force)
  • RuneQuest : force, constitution, size, intelligence, capacity, dexterity, charisma or appearance;
  • System Palladium : intelligence quotient, mental endurance, mental affinity, physical force, physical endurance, physical skill, physical beauty, speed;
  • the black Eye 4th ED. : courage, intelligence, intuition, charisma, dexterity, agility, constitution, force
  • Universom : force, constitution, reflexes, skill, direction, intelligence, memory, logic, temerity, will have;
  • Rolemaster : agility, constitution, speed, force, memory, reasoning, self-discipline, empathy, intuition, presence;
  • Dream of Dragon : cut, appearance, constitution, force, agility, dexterity, sight, hearing, sense of smell-taste, will, intellect, empathy, dream, chance; the character also has secondary characteristics, calculated starting from the first: mélée, shooting, throw, concealed.

See too

External bonds

  • Character Attributes in Role-Playing Ranges

  • has off Comparison Primary Attributes in RPG Systems
  • Attribute im Vergleich, Kooperation Unabhängiger Rollenspiele (KUR)

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