ABILITY SCORES
There are seven randomly determined primary abilities (and a number of secondary or derived statistics), skills and talents that define your character. The seven primary abilities are Strength (STR), Dexterity (DEX), Constitution (CON), Intelligence (INT), Wisdom (WIS), Charisma (CHA) and Appearance (APP). Characters apply dice pools to these abilities as per their culture/lineage.
The standard range for these abilities is 3-18. Characters have dice pools comprised of a number of 6-sided dice, from which they select the highest three rolls, thus yielding a score in the range noted above. Humans have a pool of 28 dice to apply to their seven primary abilities (with a maximum of 6 dice to one ability and minimum of 3). Some human cultures, in order to access certain special talents, are required to allocate high or low scores to particular abilities. Other lineages differ in that their dice pools are set, such that a lineage may have the following ability profile: STR 4dl, DEX 4dh, CON 5dl, INT 4dl, WIS 3, CHA 3, APP 4dh (where “4d” means 4 dice are rolled, and “h” indicates the highest roll is dropped, and “l” indicates the lowest dice is dropped).
Should one of the primary abilities be afflicted by magic, this is termed ability drain, and can only be redressed through restorative magic: it does not heal naturally. Spells and powers that cause ability damage have no effect on primary abilities.
Also, there are several Secondary/Derived Abilities, drawn from the core abilities. These are Celerity (CEL), Fellowship (FEL), Guile (GUI), Judgement (JUD), Luck (LUC), Mana (MAN), Perception (PER), Presence (PRE), Prowess (PRO), Stamina (STA), Speed (SPD) and Willpower (WIL). Some, although not all, of these can vary considerably during gameplay - and indeed in just a few rounds, as they are resources that fluctuate depending on character choices and other events (such as spells or injuries). Secondary or derived Abilities also provide the base numbers for Skills and Tests. Where attacks, spells or other sundry events reduce a derived score, this is termed Ability Damage, and heals normally at the rate of 1 point per day.
STRENGTH
Measures pure physical power arising from the musculature and skeleton, along with the ability to apply that to physical situations. The STR modifier is applied to melee damage, and forms a component of the character’s Stamina and Prowess scores.
DEXTERITY
Agility, fine manipulation and physical reactivity are measured by the Dexterity ability. The Dexterity modifier is applied to missile attack rolls (not damage), and is a component of the character’s Celerity and Prowess score. It also provides the base number for Speed.
CONSTITUTION
Raw physical health is the purview of the Constitution ability. The Constitution modifier is applied to the character’s hit points, whilst the score is a component of a character’s Stamina and Willpower total. A character’s Constitution score determines the dice that they roll to generate Hit Points.
INTELLIGENCE
The rational and analytical functions of the mind, along with the ability to store and recall knowledge are presented by the Intelligence ability. Intelligence is a component of the Perception, Guile and Celerity scores.
WISDOM
The character’s capacity for self-discipline, apprehending the environment and applying in a sensible and fruitful manner the insights of the intellect and knowledge is measured by Wisdom. Wisdom is a component of the Judgement, Fellowship, Perception and Willpower scores.
CHARISMA
Bearing, sociability and force of personality are represented by the Charisma ability. Charisma is a component of the Presence, Fellowship, Guile and Judgement scores.
APPEARANCE
The aesthetic appeal of a character’s physical form - as defined within their culture or lineage. Appearance is not an objective measure, but relative to the audience. It does, however, contribute to the Presence score. Note that Appearance may never exceed a character’s Constitution score by more than 8. If the roll of the dice creates a discrepancy, the character must either spend Luck Points to bring their CON to the required level, or lower their Appearance.
DERIVED ABILITIES
Celerity, Fellowship, Guile, Judgement, Luck, Mana, Perception, Presence, Prowess, Speed, Stamina, and Willpower are derived ability scores. They are termed ‘derived’ because they are not solely reliant upon the roll of dice. Rather, they are derived from abilities the player has already rolled. Where attacks, spells or other sundry events reduce a derived score, this is termed Ability Damage, and heals normally at the rate of 1 point per day.
CELERITY
Celerity is that ability to react swiftly to rapidly changing circumstances, dodge incoming blows and move swiftly. It is a combination of Dexterity and Intelligence (weighted towards Dexterity). Your Celerity bonus is added to your AC when defending against attacks you are aware of.
FELLOWSHIP
Not everyone achieves social aims through sheer dominating personality or looks: some folks are simply easy to talk to and diligent in building and maintaining relationships. This versatility in social interaction is represented by the Fellowship score. It is based upon Wisdom and Charisma, and weighted towards Charisma.
GUILE
Guile is a measure of a character’s native cunning and ability to dissemble, concoct schemes and to discern complex falsehoods. It is a combination of Charisma and Intelligence, weighted towards the latter.
JUDGEMENT
The capacity of an individual to discern the merits of differing courses of action, assess the emotive, ethical and aesthetic qualities of people, places and things, and to convey moral force. It is derived from Wisdom and Charisma, weighted towards Wisdom. Note that Judgement is relative, highly tied to Alignment and Lineage: a Lawful Evil Ir-Ukyn will have very different criteria for weighing actions if compared to a Hyarene of the Neutral Good alignment.
MANA
The measurable quotient of a spellcaster’s capacity to power their spells. It’s source varies depending upon the medium of power: Intelligence for Arcane spellcasters, Wisdom for Divine spellcasters and Charisma for mental powers and spontaneous casters (e.g. the Sorceror, Warlock or Witch). It is derived from Constitution and the appropriate ability (weighted towards Constitution). Every time a character casts a spell, they lose a portion of their Mana dependent on the level of the spell. Mana increases as a character advances in level. Mana can also be expended to boost a character’s resistance to aggressive and inimical magic.
LUCK
Luck is unique among the derived abilities, as it is not calculated with reference to two of the seven primary abilities. Rather, it is determined by totalling the value of the seven initial ability scores and consulting the table below. The player then rolls the appropriate ancestral Luck dice (1d6 for Humans and most lineages and cultures) and adds this number to the total. This gives the Luck score. It will be noted that the higher the total combined raw ability score, the lower the Luck. The assumption here is that blind fate has favoured those with higher scores, and thus various divine agencies grant the less fortunate a greater portion of Luck. Luck is an expendable resource, but it can be restored to the value the character had at the commencement of their career (i.e., at first level, after all adjustments and expenditures during character generation).
Luck can be used for a number of different tasks, during character creation and in-game. Firstly, Luck points may be spent to increase raw ability scores on a 1:1 basis. Luck points spent in this way can never be regained, so this choice must be made very carefully, as having a supply of Luck to draw upon during play - or even just further along in the character creation process - is most useful.
Luck points can be used to purchase Feats - minor abilities that allow a limited amount of customisation for a character. These generally cost 1 point of Luck.
Luck points can also be used to purchase the character’s first Background. Most Backgrounds (within the character’s Aptitude) cost 0, 1, 2 or 3 Luck points, although some cost rather more.
During play, Luck can be used in several ways: 1 point of Luck may be spent to add any Luck bonus you may have to an attack roll, Test, Initiative roll, skill or background check or damage roll. 2 points may be used to reroll an attack or Test by the character. 4 points can be spent to force an NPC or monster to reroll an attack or Test against the character. In both these latter cases, the best (for the character) roll will apply.
Regaining Luck Points
Characters automatically regain one Luck Point at the end of every game session. They also regain a Luck Point every time they roll a natural 20 during play. The Labyrinth Lord may also award 1-3 points if they consider that the character has pushed their Luck in a particularly outrageous manner and survived. As noted above, the Luck score can never exceed the character’s initial total (i.e., before commencing play as a first-level character).
PERCEPTION
Perception is determined by referencing the Derived Abilities table. It is drawn from the character’s Wisdom and Intelligence scores - weighted towards Wisdom - and can be modified according to the character’s culture or lineage. It is used to determine the character’s ability to pick up information from their environment whilst not consciously attending to it. The Detection skill – or an appropriate Background check, such as Lookout or Bodyguard is used for active searching. Unlike Luck, Perception is a stable score that can only be affected by magic or damage taken in combat (unless the underlying Wisdom or Intelligence are themselves changed).
PRESENCE
Presence is the sum total of a character’s physical appeal and personal presence. Where both these abilities are high, the result can be devastating. However, it is the character’s bearing and sociability that hold the greater influence - a remarkably beautiful individual without charm or social skill has less immediate appeal than one with great bearing. Presence is a product of Charisma and Appearance, weighted towards Charisma.
PROWESS
Prowess is a blending of agility and musculature: it often governs the operation of movement skills, and the Prowess bonus is added to attack rolls. It is derived from Dexterity and Strength, weighted towards Strength.
SPEED
Speed measures the character’s ability to move and act relative to others. Each point of Speed allows one action per round and one increment of the character’s lineage-based movement. Although Speed is based on Dexterity, it is limited by a character’s Celerity modifier. The formula is simple: a character’s Speed is equivalent to 3 plus their Dexterity modifier, with the proviso that the amount added to the base of 3 cannot exceed the CEL modifier plus one. Thus, Roufos Redwind, who has a DEX score of 16 (+2 bonus), and CEL score of 12 (no modifier), has, given his DEX modifier, a potential Speed of 3+2=5. His CEL bonus - dragged down by his INT of 4 - is effectively +1, therefore limiting his Speed to 3+1=4. Note that Speed can be reduced to 2 (but no lower), if a character has abysmal DEX and CEL modifiers. It can also be reduced to 1 or even 0 by certain spells, poisons and attacks.
STAMINA
A blend of physical strength and health, Stamina represents the character’s ability to fight off disease, poison, recover from injuries and thwart traumatic magic that seeks to transform or damage the body. It is drawn from Constitution and Strength (weighted towards Constitution). Intense physical activity can temporarily erode Stamina.
WILLPOWER
The ability of a character to keep going under mental stress, and to fight off mental magic that attempts to subvert or overthrow the personality. It is drawn from Wisdom and Constitution (weighted towards Wisdom). Sustained stress or magical use will temporarily diminish a character's Willpower.
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