The new version has only 5 core attributes of STR, INT, FORT, DEX, and CHARM.
STR is Strength and is added to your attack roll + weapon bonus.
INT is both Intelligence and Intuition and is used in instances like translating runes or detecting traps. It's a trap! Sorry I couldn't resist.
FORT is Fortitude which combines Constitution and Will, basically lumping your ability to withstand physical, mental, and/or magical attacks. It's either hurts you or it doesn't.
DEX is Dexterity, obviously, and is used in instances of picking locks, picking pockets, and sneaking. It is used in the place of STR for ranged/projectile attacks, be they with a bow or a spell.
CHARM is essentially the same as Charisma. I thought of implying that good-looking characters automatically get a bonus to this stat, whereas unsightly characters suffer a penalty. But I have decided to do away with such because that would allow for a player to choose a snobby, beautiful elf that won't give the time of day to anyone and wouldn't even think of haggling with a mere shopkeeper. Or someone could be a lovable, yet ugly and disfigured dwarf. Because who doesn't have a soft spot for Tyrion Lannister?
Some outliers are Speed and Luck. At first I thought of making SPEED its own attribute that characters would roll up, or perhaps it would be assigned based on race. But that assumes that one would have to level up entirely to get any faster. Why not make speed a skill that can be increased with training? And why would a character in heavy armor have the same racial speed as a character in light armor? To me it makes better sense to have it separate and unequal for reasons of player choice. Let's say you choose to be a fleet-of-foot elf rogue with high SPEED and DEX, but low STR and FORT. You just better hope no one catches you with your hand in their pocket or you're in serious trouble. Maybe someone wants to be a fat, clumsy gnome who can really take a punch. I think the ability to modify and customize characters - if not for strategically better gaming, but just as more fun to play - is key to doing what we do.
LUCK is a conundrum in and of itself because it introduces a very different style of play. Perhaps a rogue/thief character is attempting to pick a lock above their skill level. They could either roll for LUCK, or already have an established LUCK score of plus or minus, which would add to DEX as the skill/attribute they're using.
In the beginning I thought that a player would roll a white die against a black die and use the difference as a LUCK modifier. But what dice to use? Because I tend to think and operate as a generous DM, I thought using a higher white die and a lower black would give an advantage towards good luck for the players. As an experiment I had my wife roll the following:
| White | Black | LUCK |
| d6 | d4 | |
| 1 | 2 | -1 |
| 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | 1 | +1 |
| 2 | 2 | 0 |
| d10 | d6 | |
| 6 | 4 | +2 |
| 6 | 3 | +3 |
| 3 | 4 | -1 |
| 10 | 6 | +4 |
| 5 | 4 | +1 |
| d8 | d8 | |
| 4 | 1 | +3 |
| 7 | 4 | +3 |
| 7 | 8 | -1 |
| 8 | 6 | +2 |
| 4 | 8 | -4 |
| d10 | d10 | |
| 7 | 3 | +4 |
| 1 | 3 | -2 |
| 8 | 4 | +4 |
| 5 | 10 | -5 |
| 2 | 10 | -8 |
Obviously the dice are going to have quite the variation, but I think I'm most satisfied with the way the numbers came out on the d8 and d10 rolls. Where I remain torn is just how much of a bonus or penalty to I want to allow for players? You could end up exceedingly lucky (+9) by rolling a 10 against a 1, or you could be so unlucky (-9) as to get struck by lightning from a clear blue sky. If the system is d10 based, should I use d10s for LUCK rolls? Or should I keep it lower with a d6, or even go as low as a d4? I'll really have to think on that.
