Attributes

Every World of Darkness character has Attributes. They represent the basic potential of every person in the world, as well as most other living (and unliving) things. Most people have Attribute ratings between 1 (poor) and 3 (good), though exceptionally gifted individuals may have ratings of 4 (excellent) or even 5 (peak human capacity). Some Werewolf elders have higher ratings still, while other Kindred, like the hideously ugly Nosferatu, may have ratings supernaturally lower than the human minimum.

Physical

Physical Attributes define the condition of a character’s body. They indicate how strong, agile, and resilient a character is. Physical Attributes should be taken as the primary category for an action-oriented character.

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Strength: the raw, brute power of a character. It governs how much weight a character can lift, how much he can physically push and how hard he can hit another character or object.

 

•       Poor:                   You can lift about 25kg (50 lbs).

••     Average:            You can lift about 50kg (100 lbs).

•••    Good:                   You can lift about 100kg (200 lbs).

••••  Exceptional:     You can lift about 150kg (300 lbs).

••••• Outstanding:   You can lift about 250kg (500 lbs).

 

Guidelines: The character can automatically lift items that weigh up to 1 level below her Strength rating. To successfully lift at her maximum Strength level, or higher, a Strength roll is required.

Strength  Dead Lift

1              25kg (50 lbs)

2             50kg (100 lbs)

3             100kg (200 lbs)

4             150kg (300 lbs)

5             250kg (500 lbs)

6             300kg (600 lbs)

7             400kg (800 lbs)

8             500kg (1,000 lbs)

9             750kg (1,500 lbs)

10           1,000kg (2,000 lbs)

Stamina: a character's health, toughness and resilience. It indicates how long a character can exert herself and how much punishment she can withstand before suffering physical trauma.

 

•       Poor:                   You bruise in a stiff wind.

••     Average:            You are moderately healthy and can take a punch or two.

•••    Good:                   You are in good shape and rarely fall ill.

••••  Exceptional:     You can run - and perhaps win - any marathon you choose.

••••• Outstanding:   Your constitution is truly Herculean.

 

Stamina   Running Endurance   Holding Breath

1                             1 hour                               30 seconds

2                            3 hours                            1 minute

3                            6 hours                            2 minutes

4                            12 hours                          5 minutes

5                            24 hours                          8 minutes

6                            36 hours                          10 minutes

7                            48 hours                          12 minutes

8                            60 hours                         15 minutes

9                            72 hours                          17 minutes

10                          4 days                                20 minutes

Dexterity: a character's general physical prowess. It encompasses the character's speed, agility and overall quickness, as well as indicating the character's ability to manipulate objects with control and precision. Also included under Dexterity's heading are hand-eye coordination, reflexes, and bodily grace.

 

•       Poor:                   You are clumsy and awkward. Put that gun down before                                                 you hurt yourself.

••     Average:            You're no clod, but you're no ballerina, either.

•••    Good:                   You possess some degree of athletic potential

••••  Exceptional:     You could be an acrobat if you wished.

••••• Outstanding:   Your movements are liquid and hypnotic - almost                                                               superhuman.

 

Guidelines: The character can automatically run/jump up to 1 level below her Dexterity rating. To successfully run or jump at her maximum Dexterity level, or higher, a Dexterity roll is required.

Dexterity   Running Speed   Jumping Distance   Jumping Height

1                             1 meter/sec                  1 meter                          0.5 meter

2                            5 meters/sec               3 meters                       1 meter

3                            8 meters/sec               5 meters                       2 meters

4                            10 meters/sec             8 meters                       2.5 meters

5                            15 meters/sec              10 meters                     3 meters

6                            20 meters/sec             15 meters                     5 meters

7                            25 meters/sec             20 meters                    7.5 meters

8                            35 meters/sec             25 meters                     10 meters

9                           40 meters/sec             30 meters                     15 meters

10                          50 meters/sec             40 meters                    20 meters

Social

Despite their often lonely fates, Kindred use human society like building blocks to advance their schemes. Social Attributes delineate a character’s appearance, charm, and ability to interact with society. These Traits are paramount in determining a character’s first impressions, personal dynamics, and relations with other individuals.

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Charisma: a character's ability to entice and please others through her personality. Charisma comes into question when a character tries to win another character's sympathies or encourage others to trust her. Charisma does not indicate necessarily a silver tongue or a skill with bullying. Rather, it is the simple power of a character's charm and influence.

•       Poor:                   Stop picking your nose.

••     Average:            You are generally likeable and have several friends.

•••    Good:                   People trust you implicitly.

••••  Exceptional:     You have significant personal magnetism.

••••• Outstanding:   Entire cultures could follow your lead.

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Manipulation: a character's ability for self-expression in the interests of getting others to share her outlook or follow her whims. In short, it's getting others to do what she wants. Manipulation comes into play when a character tries to influence or subtly guide another's behavior. Manipulation is used to trick, bluff, fast-talk and railroad other characters. Whether or not the characters in question actually like the manipulator is irrelevant (this is why Manipulation differs from Charisma); a skilled motivator can even employ the talents of people who hate her.

•       Poor:                   A person of few (often ineffectual) words.

••     Average:            You can fool some of the people some of the time, just like                                             anybody else.

•••    Good:                   You never pay full price.

••••  Exceptional:     You could be a politician or cult leader.

••••• Outstanding:    "Of course I'll tell the ancient it was I who tried to stake                                             him!"

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Appearance: a measure of a character's attractiveness. More than simple looks, however, Appearance is the sum of a character's visible grace, beauty and the indefinable Je ne sais quoi that makes people desirable.

•       Poor:                   Ugly as a mud fence.

••     Average:            You don't stand out in a crowd, for better or for worse.

•••    Good:                   Strangers offer to buy you drinks at bars.

••••  Exceptional:     You are appealing enough to be a model, and people often                                             go out of their way to tell you so.

••••• Outstanding:   People react to you with either insane jealousy or beatific                                           awe.

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Mental

Mental Attributes define a character’s epistemic capacities, including such aspects as memory, intelligence, awareness of one’s surroundings, and the ability to think, learn, and react.

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Intelligence: A character's grasp of facts and knowledge. More importantly, however, it governs a character's ability to reason, solve problems and evaluate situations. Intelligence is almost a misnomer, as the Attribute also includes critical thinking and flexibility of thought. Intelligence does not include savvy, wisdom or common sense, as those are properties of the character's personality, not Traits. Even the smartest character may be too foolish to keep her mouth shut or too daft to assume the thugs who want her car keys are up to no good.

•       Poor:                   Not the sharpest knife in the drawer (IQ 80).

••     Average:            Smart enough to realize you're normal (IQ 100).

•••    Good:                   More enlightened than the masses (IQ 120).

••••  Exceptional:     You're not just bright, you're downright brilliant (IQ 140).

••••• Outstanding:   Certified genius (IQ 160+).

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Perception: a character's ability to observe his environment. This may involve a conscious effort, such as searching an area, but it is more often intuitive, as the character's keen senses notice something out of the ordinary. Perception is a sensitivity to the character's surroundings, and is seldom present in the cynical or jaded (who have seen it all before).

•       Poor:                   Perhaps you are absurdly self-absorbed, perhaps merely an                                           airhead; in any event, even the most obvious details elude                                             you.

••     Average:            You are oblivious to the very subtle, but aware of the                                                       bigger picture.

•••    Good:                   You perceive moods, textures and minuscule changes in                                                 your environment.

••••  Exceptional:     Almost nothing evades your notice.

••••• Outstanding:   You instantly observe things almost imperceptible to                                                       human senses.

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Wits: the character's ability to think on her feet and react quickly to a certain situation. It also reflects a character's general cleverness. Characters with low Wits scores are thick and mentally lethargic, or maybe gullible and unsophisticated. By contrast, characters with high Wits Traits almost always have a plan immediately and adapt to their surroundings with striking expedience. Characters with high Wits also manage to keep their cool in stressful situations.

•       Poor:                   Pull my finger.

••     Average:            You know when to bet or fold in poker.

•••    Good:                   You are seldom surprised or left speechless.

••••  Exceptional:     You're one of the people who make others think, "Ooh, I                                                   should have said…" the next day.

••••• Outstanding:   You think and respond almost more quickly than you can                                             act.