 HE  LAYER  ANUAL
XI. CHARACTERISTICS
Introduction ...
A characteristic is an attribute that contributes to the chance of success or failure a character will have when attempting an action. Each character has a number of different characteristics. The characteristics that are most important are listed below. Depending on the strong points you are endowed with as you create your character, you will wish to choose a class or occupation that best suits your abilities.
Each particular race has both strengths and weaknesses, and each particular profession requires several different key abilities. This should help you make the decisions necessary to create a character that can live long enough for you to get attached to him/her and begin role-playing.
A characteristic is an attribute that contributes to the chance of success or failure a character will have when attempting an action. Each character has a number of different characteristics. The characteristics that are most important are listed below. Depending on the strong points you are endowed with as you create your character, you will wish to choose a class or occupation that best suits your abilities.
The characteristics an adventurer possesses are:
STRENGTH:
Str: The physical strength of the character.
INTELLIGENCE
Int: The ability to learn and store information.
WISDOM
Wis: Common sense, the ability to think abstractly.
MANUAL DEXTERITY
Dex: Skillfulness of the hands, coordination.
AGILITY
Agi: Ability to move on one's feet. Speed, swiftness, reaction.
CONSTITUTION
Con: Resistance to adverse conditions, ability to recover from physical damage inflicted by a variety of sources. (Considered by many players to be the most significant of this group.)
CHARISMA
Cha: Attractiveness/repulsiveness of personality.
BARDIC VOICE
Voi: Raw artistic/performance talent as well as voice quality.
PERSONAL APPEARANCE
App: Physical attraction/repulsiveness.
WILL POWER
Wil: Inner strength, self-control, determination.
PERCEPTION
Per: Awareness, ability to observe well.
NOTE – Many potions and herbs within the world of Dragon’s Gate can effect a characters major characteristics listed above. Though they are often extremely rare and very expensive. Furthermore, each time a character visits the trainer, they have a small chance one or more of these major statistics might improve. As a character goes up in skill level, the odds of this occurrence become more likely.
Minor Characteristics ...
Minor characteristics are affected by one or more of the major characteristics. Some, by necessity, are numerically represented. The minor characteristics that concern a player are listed below:
Hit Points - Hit points are a numerical representation of the amount of physical damage one can sustain in combat before unconsciousness or death. A characters maximum hit points can be increased through the increase of major characteristics. When an adventurer's hit points have been reduced below zero, death is near. It is a good idea to keep an eye on this characteristic during combat and not allow it to get too close to zero. Hit points may be restored through various magickal means, various healing related skills or simply by healing over time. Conversely, you can bleed to death instead if your wounds are serious enough.
FATIGUE ...
Fatigue points are a representation of the amount of weariness felt or physical exertion experienced through performing an action. The more energy you expend in a short amount of time, the more your fatigue points will diminish. As fatigue is reduced, the quality of skills attempted will also diminish. For example, you will miss more often when you swing your weapon. When fatigue is reduced to zero or less you are exhausted and require rest. Fatigue may be restored through various magickal means or by resting for a period of time.
ATTACK BONUS (Offensive Rating, or OR) ...
This is a modifier affecting the success of an attack. The higher the value the more likely you are to hit your opponent, and the more likely you are to get an especially damaging blow in. Typically, your OR will be lower when you don't have a weapon readied, since you can't do much offensive damage unarmed.
DAMAGE BONUS ...
This is a modifier to the damage done by an attack. The higher the value the more force you can apply to your blows.
DEFENSE RATING (DR) ...
DR is a modifier to the success or failure of your opponent's attacks. The higher the value the more likely you are to successfully dodge an enemy's attack.
CARRYING CAPACITY ...
This is a measure of how much you can carry. All objects in Dragon's Gate have mass, volume, and weight. An object's weight is representative of these three statistics combined. The higher your carrying capacity the more you can carry.
RELIGION ...
This is the current religion that you subscribe to. Only Clerics need belong to a religion, although most adventurers find divine intervention useful and even necessary from time to time. Dragons, generally believing themselves above the Gods, belong to no religion and worship no 'god'. Psions also have no gods, typically seeing religions as something the mind prescribes to, while the Psion more often than not tries to escape from those mental restrictions. Only those who follow a god may use prayers, of course.
SKILL LEVEL ...
An indicator of skills learned and honed through adventuring. A higher level indicates better abilities, characteristics, and social stature.
GOLD & SILVER ...
These are the coins of the realm. One gold is equivalent to one hundred silver. Silver and gold tend to add to an adventurer's weight quickly. For this reason it is advisable to find a safe place to store wealth. Several banks are located in the major towns and cities for this purpose.
RUNES ...
These are the basis of magick that you can currently summon.
NOTE: Many spells, enchanted items, potions, herbs, and even prayers can effect the above listed minor characteristics. Some have short term effects on the character, other long terms or permanent effects, and other still just when a character is making use of them.
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