Aptitudes

Definitions

  • Grace: Elegance and precision in movement. Grace is used for all trait tests involving agile maneuvering and the delivery of force based on proper body mechanics. Graceful characters move with smooth bearing and confident disposition and excel at activities such as dancing, sprinting, and fighting. Characters who lack grace can be perceived as clumsy or awkward, and will fumble complicated physical activities.
  • Vigor: Physical health and brute strength. Vigor is used for lifting heavy objects, resisting sickness, enduring hardships, and other robust physical skill tests. Vigorous characters excel at feats of endurance and strength. Characters that lack vigor can seem sickly or frail. Vigor is also used to determine how many large accoutrements a character can carry without becoming Burdened.
  • Reason: The power to think, understand, use logic, and make discerning judgments. Reason is used for skill tests to remember an event, figure things out through inference or general knowledge, or solve logical problems. Reasonable characters come across as rational and intelligent. Characters that lack reason can be perceived as foolish or ignorant.
  • Focus: A measure of mental acuity, including powers of concentration and the use of the senses. Focus is used for skill tests to perceive things, or to be selectively aware of specific stimuli under duress. Focused characters are seeen as observant and attentive. Characters that lack Focus can be seen as easily distracted or flighty.
  • Presence: The power of a character’s personality as well as the confidence and ease with which one comports oneself. Presence is used for skill tests involving social interaction, charisma, and influencing others. Characters with strong Presence are seen as magnetic, influential, and handsome/beautiful. Characters without Presence are seen as meek, socially awkward and ineffective, or perhaps even submissive.
  • Will: Mental and emotional fortitude. It is the resolve to do as one chooses regardless of physical and emotional urges, or in spite of the manipulation of others. Will is used for skill tests to avoid temptation, stay the course, and stay resolute in the face of horrors. Willful individuals are seen as self-assured, dauntless, and having strong character. Weak-willed characters are seen as credulous, decadent, or unreliable.

Comparison Chart

BodyMindSpirit
Grace: Attack/precision in movementReason: Extrapolation/logicPresence: Influence others/emotional energy
Vigor: Defense/brute strength/healthFocus: Sensory awarenessWill: Social defense/self-control

Aptitude Values

  • Rank 0 - Afflicted: A character can only achieve an aptitude at rank 0 by taking the Affliction liability. This represents a severe handicap.
  • Rank 1 - Mediocre: An attribute at this rank is average for the general population or a bit below average for a player character. It represents a standard level of ability that is neither flawed nor noteworthy.
  • Rank 2 - Able: An attribute at this rank is average for a player character or a bit above average for the general population. It represents reliable ability that has been honed.
  • Rank 3 - Gifted: A character with an aptitude at this rank is noticeably talented. Remarkable careers are built on the level of aptitude.
  • Rank 4 - Excellent: The best and the brightest have aptitudes at this rank. Truly exceptional individuals make a name for themselves with this level of ability.
  • Rank 5 - Awesome: A character with this awe-inspiring level of aptitude comes along only a few times in a generation and often becomes a household name or the stuff of legend.