Secondary Characteristics

Variable

"Secondary characteristics" are quantities that depend directly on your attributes. You can raise or lower these scores by adjusting your attributes. You can modify some of them directly: start with the value calculated from your attributes and spend the required points to adjust it away from that base level. This does not affect the related attribute scores.

Damage (Dmg)

See Striking ST.

Your ST determnes how much damage you do in unarmed combat or with a melee weapon. Two types of damage derive from ST:

Thrusting damage (abbreviated "thrust" or "thr") is your basic damage with a punch, kick, or bite, or an attack with a thrusting weapon such as a spear or a rapier.

Swinging damage (abbreviated "swing" or "sw") is your basic damage with a swung weapon, such as an axe, club, or sword – anything that acts as a lever to multiply your ST.

Consult the Damage Table for your basic damage. This is given in "dice+adds" format; see Dice. Note that specific attack forms and weapons can modify this!

Add 1d to both thrust and swing damage per full 10 points of ST above 100.

Damage is often abbreviated "Dmg." On your character sheet, list thrust followed by swing, separated by a slash; e.g., if you had ST 13, you would list "Dmg 1d/2d-1."

Basic Lift (BL)

See Lifting ST.

Basic Lift is the maximum weight you can lift over your head with one hand in one second. It is equal to (ST×ST)/5 lbs. If BL is 10 lbs. or more, round to the nearest whole number; e.g., 16.2 lbs. becomes 16 lbs. The average human has ST 10 and a BL of 20 lbs.

Doubling the time lets you lift 2×BL overhead in one hand.

Quadrupling the time, and using two hands, you can lift 8×BL overhead.

The amount of equipment you can carry – armor, backpacks, weapons, etc. – is derived from BL. For more on this, as well as a ST-to-BL table, see Encumbrance and Move.

Hit Points (HP)

±2 points per ±1 HP

Hit Points represent your body's ability to sustain injury. By default, you have HP equal to your ST. For instance, ST 10 gives 10 HP.

You can increase HP at the cost of 2 points per HP, or reduce HP for -2 points per HP. In a realistic campaign, the GM should not allow HP to vary by more than ±30% of ST; e.g., a ST 10 character could have between 7 and 13 HP. Nonhumans and supers are not subject to this limit.

You can temporarily lose HP to physical attacks (such as swords), energy attacks (such as lasers), supernatural attacks, disease, poison, hazards, and anything else that can injure or kill. You can also "burn" HP to power certain supernatural abilities. If you lose enough HP, you will eventually fall unconscious; if you lose too many HP, you will die. Lost HP do not reduce ST, despite being based on ST.

Injury is often compared to a multiple of your HP; e.g., "2×HP" or "HP/2." Where this is the case, use your basic HP score in the formula, not your current HP total. For information on the effects of injury and on recovering lost HP, see Injuries, Illness, and Fatigue.

Those with nonhuman physiologies may, with the GM's permission, buy additional HP with the following limitation.

See also: Martial Arts Advantages: Extra Hit Points.

Special Limitations

Size: Large creatures may purchase HP more cheaply; see p. 19 for details. -10% × Size Modifier, to a maximum limitation of -80% (for Size Modifier +8 or higher).

Will

±5 points per ±1 Will

Will measures your ability to withstand psychological stress (brainwashing, fear, hypnotism, interrogation, seduction, torture, etc.) and your resistance to supernatural attacks (magic, psionics, etc.). By default, Will is equal to IQ. You can increase it at the cost of 5 points per +1, or reduce it for -5 points per -1. You cannot raise Will past 20, or lower it by more than 4, without GM permission.

Note that Will does not represent physical resistance – buy HT for that!

Perception (Per)

±5 points per ±1 Per

Perception represents your general alertness. The GM makes a "Sense roll" against your Per to determine whether you notice something (see Sense Rolls). By default, Per equals IQ, but you can increase it for 5 points per +1, or reduce it for -5 points per -1. You cannot raise Per past 20, or lower it by more than 4, without GM permission.

Fatigue Points (FP)

±3 points per ±1 FP

Fatigue Points represent your body's "energy supply." By default, you have FP equal to your HT. For instance, HT 10 gives 10 FP. You can increase FP at the cost of 3 points per FP, or reduce FP for -3 points per FP. In a realistic campaign, the GM should not allow FP to vary by more than ±30% of HT; e.g., a HT 10 character could have between 7 and 13 FP. Nonhumans and supers are not subject to this limit. Also, while HT is usually limited to 20, there is no such limit on FP.

You burn FP gradually during strenuous activity. Disease, heat, hunger, missed sleep, and the like can also sap FP. You can deliberately "spend" FP to fuel extra effort and supernatural powers (e.g., magic spells). As well, some attacks cause FP damage instead of or in addition to HP damage. If you lose enough FP, you will slow down or fall unconscious – and if you lose too many, you risk death from overexertion! Lost FP do not reduce HT, despite being based on HT.

Fatigue is often compared to some multiple of your FP; e.g., "2×FP" or "FP/2." Where this is the case, use your basic FP score in the formula, not your current FP total.

For more on losing and recovering FP, see Fatigue.

Machines and Fatigue

Those with the Machine meta-trait should list FP as "N/A," regardless of HT. They can neither buy extra FP nor reduce FP to save points. This is both an advantage and a disadvantage: machines do not fatigue, but they cannot spend FP to use extra effort or fuel special abilities. When a machine operates beyond its normal limits, it risks lasting structural damage. This takes the form of reduced HT, not lost FP. A character with the Machine meta-trait should buy up HT to be more tolerant of being "redlined."

Overall, this is a 0-point feature (see Features and Taboo Traits).

Basic Speed

±5 points per ±0.25 Speed

Your Basic Speed is a measure of your reflexes and general physical quickness. It helps determine your running speed (see Basic Move, below), your chance of dodging an attack, and the order in which you act in combat (a high Basic Speed will let you "out-react" your foes).

To calculate Basic Speed, add your HT and DX together, and then divide the total by 4. Do not round it off. A 5.25 is better than a 5!

You can increase Basic Speed for 5 points per +0.25, or reduce it for -5 points per -0.25. In a realistic campaign, the GM should not allow characters to alter Basic Speed by more than 2.00 either way. Nonhumans and supers are not subject to this limit.

Dodge: Your Dodge defense (see Dodging) equals Basic Speed + 3, dropping all fractions. For instance, if your Basic Speed is 5.25, your Dodge is 8. Encumbrance reduces Dodge; see Encumbrance and Move below. You must roll under your Dodge on 3d to duck or sidestep an attack.

Basic Move

±5 points per ±1 yard/second

Your Basic Move is your ground speed in yards per second. This is how fast you can run – or roll, slither, etc. – without encumbrance (although you can go a little faster if you "sprint" in a straight line; see Sprinting).

Basic Move starts out equal to Basic Speed, less any fractions; e.g., Basic Speed 5.75 gives Basic Move 5. An average person has Basic Move 5; therefore, he can run about 5 yards per second if unencumbered.

You can increase Basic Move for 5 points per yard/second or reduce it for -5 points per yard/second. For normal humans, training or a sleek build can justify up to 3 yards/second of increased Basic Move, while disability or poor fitness can explain up to 3 yards/second of reduced Basic Move. Nonhumans and supers are not subject to these limits. Races and supers who can move very fast should see Enhanced Move.

Your Move score in combat is your Basic Move modified for your encumbrance level; see Encumbrance and Move below.

Encumbrance and Move

"Encumbrance" is a measure of the total weight you are carrying, relative to your ST. The effects of encumbrance are divided into five "encumbrance levels." All but the lowest level will reduce your actual Move to a fraction of your Basic Move and give a penalty to Dodge, as follows:

No Encumbrance (0): Weight up to Basic Lift. Move = Basic Move. Full Dodge.
Light Encumbrance (1): Weight up to 2×BL. Move = Basic Move × 0.8. Dodge -1.
Medium Encumbrance (2): Weight up to 3×BL. Move = Basic Move × 0.6. Dodge -2.
Heavy Encumbrance (3): Weight up to 6×BL. Move = Basic Move × 0.4. Dodge -3.
Extra-Heavy Encumbrance (4): Weight up to 10×BL. Move = Basic Move × 0.2. Dodge -4.

Drop all fractions. Encumbrance can never reduce Move or Dodge below 1.

Note that these levels are numbered from 0 to 4. When a rule tells you to add or subtract your encumbrance level from a die roll, this is the number to use. For instance, encumbrance gives a penalty to Climbing, Stealth, and Swimming skills.

Basic Lift and Encumbrance Table

This table summarizes Basic Lift and encumbrance levels for ST 1-20.

ST	BL		———————Encumbrance Levels (lbs.)———————
(lbs.)			None (0)	Light (1)	Medium (2)	Heavy (3)	Extra-Heavy (4)
1	0.2		0.2	0.4	0.6	1.2	2
2	0.8		0.8	1.6	2.4	4.8	8
3	1.8		1.8	3.6	5.4	10.8	18
4	3.2		3.2	6.4	9.6	19.2	32
5	5		5	10	15	30	50
6	7.2		7.2	14.4	21.6	43.2	72
7	9.8		9.8	19.6	29.4	58.8	98
8	13		13	26	39	78	130
9	16		16	32	48	96	160
10	20		20	40	60	120	200
11	24		24	48	72	144	240
12	29		29	58	87	174	290
13	34		34	68	102	204	340
14	39		39	78	117	234	390
15	45		45	90	135	270	450
16	51		51	102	153	306	510
17	58		58	116	174	348	580
18	65		65	130	195	390	650
19	72		72	144	216	432	720
20	80		80	160	240	480	800

Home Gravity

Gravity is measured in "Gs." Earth's gravity is 1G. Note the gravity of your home world if it differs from 1G; e.g., "1.2G" for a world with 1.2 times Earth’s gravity. All weights are multiplied by local gravity, so to function like someone with a given BL on Earth, multiply the desired BL by your home gravity and buy the ST corresponding to the adjusted BL. For instance, to operate in 1.2G as if you were a ST 10 person in 1G, start with BL for ST 10, which is 20 lbs., and multiply by 1.2 for gravity to get a BL of 24 lbs. This BL corresponds to ST 11, so you'd need ST 11 in 1.2G to function as well as a ST 10 person in 1G.

Move in Other Environments

Water Move is normally Basic Move/5, rounded down. You can increase water Move directly for 5 points per yard/second, or reduce it for -5 points per yard/second. Members of land-dwelling races must have Swimming skill to increase water Move, and cannot buy more than +2 yards/second. If you're Amphibious, both water and ground Move equal Basic Move, and changes to Basic Move adjust both scores. If you're Aquatic, water move equals Basic Move and ground Move is 0.

Air Move is 0 without special advantages. If you have Flight, air Move equals Basic Speed × 2 (not Basic Move × 2). You can increase air Move directly for 2 points per yard/second, or reduce it for -2 points per yard/second. If you have Walk on Air, your air Move equals your ground Move, because the air is like solid ground beneath your feet.