There are nine base attributes, all rated from 2 to 8. Your attributes determine the Ease, or the target number for dice rolls. They also add dice to your roll equal to half the attribute rounded down. You cannot level any attribute past 8 without the help of implants. Cybertech, Xenobiotics, whatever. 8 is the human maximum. There are also two special attributes; Epos, which allows you to push your body to its fullest, and then just a bit further, and Connection, which measures your connection to the Ether all around you. Although Connection is measured on a scale of 2-8, Epic is a pool of points from 1-5. Raising an attribute costs 8 character points. Once an attribute reaches 8, you gain exploding dice on all tests involving that attribute. Epos cannot be raised at character creation, and starts at 2.
The Attributes:
Physique: Physical strength.
Dexterity: Manual dexterity and melee accuracy.
Aim: Ranged attack accuracy. The wording is gonna change, so keep your pants on. I just don't wanna use Weapon skill and Ballistic Skill.
Agility: Initiative and movement speed. Yes, there are three attributes for Dex. Dex was overpowered.
Endurance: HP, toughness and ability to keep going.
Intellect: Connection, Hacking and Manufacturing.
Perception: What it says on the tin. Also Initiative.
Determination: Mental fortitude. I really don't want this to become the auto dump-stat, so I might keep it on HP. Maybe it will modify HP for Ether Projection.
Charisma: Diplomacy, Bluff and Leadership. Wait- wrong game.
Secondary Attributes
Connection: Ether power. Only accessible if you take the Trait.
Epic: The special points that make you the heroes of this story. Grit, determination, luck and a little bit of spiral power.
//Epos has been changed from an attribute. It can no longer be bought, but it remains a pool of points that you can burn for cool stuff. Its description remains accurate.
Derived Stats
Initiative: Agility + Perception. You roll this many dice vs. the Ease for the average of the two stats Ease 6. You might wanna write that down somewhere for quick reference.
Armor: (Endurance/2) + Armor Value (from equipment). Armor is explained later, and you're gonna want to read it because walking into battle stark nekkid will not end well for you. Things will be balanced around you having armor.
Health Points: (Endurance + Determination) * 2. This obviously needs to be balanced, and I STILL haven't run that playtest, so my numbers can only go so far.
Ether Points: (Connection + Intelligence) * 2. This is like HP, only I have yet to design the Ether system. Yeah.
When creating your character, you may only spend up to half of your Character Points on Base Attributes.
Ease
Ease is the balancing factor behind the base mechanic of Dark Tidings. It's quite simply how easy it is to succeed on a dice roll. It's determined by your attributes.
//Ease is reworked to remove the table. The ease of a roll is your attribute, and your bonus dice are 1/2 your attribute rounded down. I'm toying with 6 being the unaugmented maximum, but I'll wait until I playtest it.
Costs
The costs for raising your attributes are different whether you're using CP or Awesome. At character creation, it's a flat cost of 8 points per rank. You cannot exceed 7 on any stat, and may only spend up to half of your points on base attributes. Using Awesome, the rules change a bit. Awesome costs for raising an attribute are your current level x 5. You can raise an attribute up to 8 without any implants or traits. A xenobiotic seed or cybernetic implants can unlock the potential to raise the attributes to their maximum.