A
statistic (or
stat) in
role-playing gameA role-playing game is a game in which the participants assume the roles of fictional characters. Participants determine the actions of their characters based on their characterization, and the actions succeed or fail according to a formal system of rules and guidelines...
s is a piece of
dataThe term data means groups of information that represent the qualitative or quantitative attributes of a variable or set of variables. Data are typically the results of measurements and can be the basis of graphs, images, or observations of a set of variables...
which represents a particular
aspectIn modern philosophy, mathematics, and logic, a property is an attribute of an object; thus a red object is said to have the property of redness. The property may be considered a form of object in its own right, able to possess other properties. If, however,for every predicate there is a...
of a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
. That piece of data is usually a (
unitA measurement unit is a scalar quantity, defined and adopted by convention, with which any other quantity of the same kind can be compared to express the ratio of the two quantities as a number....
less)
integerThe integers are natural numbers including 0 and their negatives . They are numbers that can be written without a fractional or decimal component, and fall within the set {.....
or, in some cases, a
set of diceIn some role-playing game systems, the dice pool is the number of dice that a player is allowed to roll when attempting to perform a certain action.-Mechanics:In most RPG systems, most non-trivial actions require dice rolls...
.
For some types of statistics, this value may be accompanied with a descriptive adjective, sometimes called a
specialisation or
aspect, that either describes how the character developed that particular score or an affinity for a particular use of that statistic (like
Specialisations in
Ars MagicaArs Magica is a role-playing game set in Mythic Europe, a quasi-historical version of Europe around AD 1200 with added fantastical elements. The game revolves around magic-using wizards and their allies...
or
Attribute Aspects in
AriaAria: Canticle of the Monomyth was a role-playing game published by Last Unicorn Games in 1994. Unlike many other role-playing games which centered on individual characters in a pre-set game world, Aria was intended to facilitate the creation of gameworlds, complete with cultures, histories, and...
).
Most games divide their statistics into several categories. The set of categories actually used in a game system, as well as the precise statistics within each category, vary greatly. The most often used types of statistic include:
- Attributes describe to what extent a character possesses natural, in-born characteristics common to all characters.
- Advantages and disadvantages are useful or problematic characteristics that are not common to all characters.
- Powers represent unique or special qualities of the character. In game terms, these often grant the character the potential to gain or develop certain advantages or to learn and use certain skills.
- Skills represent a character's learned
Learning is acquiring new knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, preferences or understanding, and may involve synthesizing different types of information. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, animals and some machines. Progress over time tends to follow learning curves.Human learning may...
abilitiesA skill is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills...
in predefined areas.
- Traits are broad areas of expertise, similar to skills, but with a broader and usually more loosely defined scope, in areas freely chosen by the player.
There is no standard nomenclature for statistics; for example, both
GURPSThe Generic Universal RolePlaying System, or GURPS, is a role-playing game system designed to adapt to any imaginary gaming environment. It was created by Steve Jackson Games in 1986. GURPS won the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Rules of 1988, and in 2000 it was inducted into the Origins Hall...
and the
Storytelling SystemStorytelling System, formerly Storyteller System, is a role-playing game system created by White Wolf, Inc. in 1991 that premiered in Vampire: The Masquerade, a part of the World of Darkness series.-Storyteller System:...
refer to their statistics as "traits", even though they are treated as attributes and skills.
Many games make use of derived statistics whose values depend on other statistics, which are known as
primary or
basic statistics. Game-specific concepts such as
experience levelsAn experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
,
alignmentIn some role-playing games, alignment is a categorisation of the moral and ethical perspective of the player characters, non-player characters, monsters, and societies in the game....
,
character classIn role-playing games, a common method of arbitrating the capabilities of different characters is to assign each one to a character class. A character class aggregates several abilities and aptitudes, and may also sometimes detail aspects of background and social standing or impose behaviour...
and race can also be considered statistics.
Attributes
An
attribute describes to what extent a character possesses a natural, in-born
characteristicIn modern philosophy, mathematics, and logic, a property is an attribute of an object; thus a red object is said to have the property of redness. The property may be considered a form of object in its own right, able to possess other properties. If, however,for every predicate there is a...
common to all characters in the game. Attributes are also called
statistics,
characteristics or
abilities.
Most RPGs use attributes to describe characters’ physical and mental characteristics, for example their
strengthPhysical strength is the ability of a person to exert force on physical objects using muscles. Increasing physical strength is the goal of strength training.-Overview:...
or
wisdomWisdom is knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action; sagacity, discernment, or insight. It is an ideal that has been celebrated since antiquity as the application of knowledge needed to live a good life...
. Many games also include social characteristics as well, for example a character's natural
charismaThe word charisma refers to a trait found in persons whose personalities are characterized by a personal charm and magnetism , along with innate and powerfully sophisticated abilities of interpersonal communication and persuasion...
or
physical appearanceVariations in the physical appearance of humans, known as human looks, are believed by anthropologists to be an important factor in the development of personality and social relations, in particular, physical attractiveness. There is a relatively low sexual dimorphism between human males and...
. They often influence the chance to succeed in skill or other tests by addition to a die roll or by determining the number of dice to be thrown. As a consequence, usually a higher number is better, and ranges can be as small as 1–5 (for numbers of dice) or as great as 1–100 (when adding to results of percentile dice). In some games, attributes represent linearly increasing ability (i.e. in Tunnels and Trolls, a character can lift 10 lbs per point of Strength) whereas in others a small increase can represent a major gain in ability (i.e. in DC Heroes/Blood of Heroes system, +1 to Strength doubles a characters' lifting capacity).
Some games work with only a few broad attributes (such as
Physical or
Mental), while others have a greater number of more specific ones. Having too many attributes is considered a sign of undue complexity in a game; most games have about 4–10 of them.
Most games try to give all attributes about the same usefulness to a character. Therefore, certain characteristics might be merged (such as merging a Charisma-type and a Willpower-type attribute into a single Personality attribute), or split into more attributes (such as splitting physical "Comeliness" from Charisma in the original
Unearthed ArcanaUnearthed Arcana is the title shared by two hardback books published for different editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. Both were designed as supplements to the core rulebooks, containing material that expanded upon other rules...
), or even ignored altogether (for example, Intelligence and Charisma in a
hack and slashHack and slash or hack and slay refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes close combat with short-range weapons. "Hack and slash" was originally used to describe an aspect of pen-and-paper role-playing games .-Origins:...
adventure). In many games, a small set of primary attributes control a larger number of derived statistics such as
Armor ClassIn some role-playing games, Armor Class is a derived statistic which indicates how difficult it is to hit a character with an attack....
or
magic pointMagic points are units of magical power that are used in many role-playing, computer role-playing and similar games as an expendable resource that is needed to pay for magic spells and other abilities, such as special attacks...
s.
During
character creationCharacter creation is the process of defining a character for a game. Typically, a character's individual strengths and weaknesses are represented by a set of statistics. Games with a largely fictional setting may include traits such as race and class...
, attribute scores are usually determined either randomly (by rolling
diceA die or dice is a small polyhedral object, usually cubic, used for generating random numbers or other symbols...
) or by distributing
character pointCharacter points are abstract units used in some role-playing games during character creation and development.Early role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons assigned random values to a player character's attributes, while allowing each character a fixed number of skills...
s. In some games, such as
World of WarcraftWorld of Warcraft, often referred to as WoW, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
, attribute scores are determined by the character’s race and class. Because they represent common, in-born characteristics and not learned capabilities (as skills do), in many games they are fixed for the duration of the game. However, in some games they can be increased by spending experience points gained during the game, or as part of the process of "levelling up".
Advantages and disadvantages
An
advantage is a physical, social, intellectual, or other enhancement to a character. In contrast, a
disadvantage is an adverse effect. Advantages are also known as
virtues,
merits or
edges and disadvantages as
flaws or
hindrances, or by the abbreviation
"disads".
Many games encourage or even force players to take disadvantages for their characters in order to
balanceGame balance is a concept in game design describing fairness or balance of power in a game between multiple players or strategic options.- Game Balance :A game would be called unbalanced if one or more players have an unfair advantage over the others....
their advantages or other "positive" statistics. Advantages and disadvantages often have a thematic element to them. They often provide a direct relationship between how someone wants to role-play their character and a tangible "in-game" enhancement to skill or ability rolls.
Systems of advantages and disadvantages are often criticized for allowing or even encouraging
min-maxingMin-maxing is the practice of playing a role-playing game, wargame or video game with the intent of creating the "best" character by means of minimizing undesired or unimportant traits and maximizing desired ones. This is usually accomplished by improving one specific trait or ability by...
, where a player strives to take disadvantages which have little or no tangible effect on play while using the
character pointCharacter points are abstract units used in some role-playing games during character creation and development.Early role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons assigned random values to a player character's attributes, while allowing each character a fixed number of skills...
s gained from those disadvantages to pay for powerful advantages.
Powers
A
power represents a unique or special quality of a character.
In many games, powers are binary
on-or-offIn computer science, the Boolean or logical data type is a primitive data type having one of two values: true or false, intended to represent the truth values of logic and Boolean algebra....
qualities as opposed to attributes and skills which are usually numeric quantities. The main exception to this is
superheroA superhero is "a fictional character of unprecedented powers dedicated to acts of derring-do in the public interest"...
RPGs, where superpowers are often treated as a sort of skill. Superpowers may also use the same rating scale as the primary statistics.
Skills
A
skill represents the
learnedLearning is acquiring new knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, preferences or understanding, and may involve synthesizing different types of information. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, animals and some machines. Progress over time tends to follow learning curves.Human learning may...
knowledgeKnowledge is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as expertise, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject, what is known in a particular field or in total; facts and information or awareness or familiarity gained...
and
abilitiesA skill is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills...
of a character. Skills are known by various names, including
proficiencies,
abilities,
talents and
knacks.
During
character creationCharacter creation is the process of defining a character for a game. Typically, a character's individual strengths and weaknesses are represented by a set of statistics. Games with a largely fictional setting may include traits such as race and class...
, a
player characterA player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
's skills are generally chosen from a long list. A character may have a fixed number of starting skills, or they may be paid for using
character pointCharacter points are abstract units used in some role-playing games during character creation and development.Early role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons assigned random values to a player character's attributes, while allowing each character a fixed number of skills...
s. In contrast to attributes, very few games fix a player's skills at the start of the game, instead allowing players to increase them by spending
experience pointAn experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
s or during "levelling up". Since some skills are likely to be more useful than others, different skills often have different costs.
Skills usually influence a character's chance to succeed by adding to the relevant attribute. In some games (such as
GURPSThe Generic Universal RolePlaying System, or GURPS, is a role-playing game system designed to adapt to any imaginary gaming environment. It was created by Steve Jackson Games in 1986. GURPS won the Origins Award for Best Roleplaying Rules of 1988, and in 2000 it was inducted into the Origins Hall...
), each skill has a specific
base attribute to which it is always added; in others (such as
Ars MagicaArs Magica is a role-playing game set in Mythic Europe, a quasi-historical version of Europe around AD 1200 with added fantastical elements. The game revolves around magic-using wizards and their allies...
), a skill can be added to different attributes depending on how the skill is being used. Some games (such as
Feng ShuiFeng Shui is a martial arts-themed role-playing game, designed by Robin Laws, published first by Daedalus Entertainment and now by Atlas Games. The game shares its setting with the collectible card game Shadowfist. The system is simple, with most detail being in the game's combat system. Combat...
) add the base attribute to the skill at character creation time; after that, it is independent of the attribute and is used instead of the attribute rather than adding to it. Most games have a fixed penalty for attempting a task without a relevant skill; older editions of
ShadowrunShadowrun is a pen-and-paper role-playing game set in an imaginary future where huge corporations control the lives of their employees and the return of magic has altered people, politics and power. When conflicts arise the corporations, governments, wealthy individuals and even organized crime can...
gave a complex network of penalties for using similar skills (such as attempting to pick an electronic lock by using Computer skill instead of Electronics skill).
Traits
A
trait represents a broad area of expertise of a character.
Traits are rarely drawn from a predetermined list; rather, the player chooses some description during character generation. For example, a squash-playing history professor with a knowledge of fine wines might have the
traits "
HistoryHistory is the study of the human past, with special attention to the written record. Scholars who write about history are called historians. It is a field of research which uses a narrative to examine and analyse the sequence of events, and it often attempts to investigate objectively the patterns...
", "Squash" and "
OenologyOenology, œnology , or enology is the science and study of all aspects of wine and winemaking except vine-growing and grape-harvesting, which is a subfield called viticulture. “Viticulture & oenology” is a common designation for training programmes and research centres that include both the...
". In terms of a more fine-grained system of statistics, a single
trait would often be represented by a group of skills, one or more advantages and attributes, or a combination thereof.
The first major role-playing game to use
traits was
Over the EdgeOver the Edge is a surreal role-playing game of secrets and conspiracies, taking place on the mysterious Island of Al Amarja. It was created by Jonathan Tweet with Robin Laws, and published by Atlas Games...
. Some systems, such as
Castle FalkensteinCastle Falkenstein is a steampunk-themed fantasy role-playing game designed by Mike Pondsmith and originally published by R. Talsorian Games. A GURPS version and several supplements were later published by Steve Jackson Games. The game is named for a legendary unbuilt castle in the Bavarian Alps...
and
HeroQuestHeroQuest is a narrative role-playing game written by Robin D. Laws and published by Moon Design Publications under license from Issaries, Inc....
, use
traits as the only type of statistic, although they may use some other term for them, such as
abilities.
Derived statistics
Many games make use of
derived statistics: statistics whose values are determined only by the values of other, "basic", statistics. They often represent a single capability of the character such as the weight a character can lift, or the speed at which they can move. Some are unitless numbers, but often they use real-world
units of measurementA measurement unit is a scalar quantity, defined and adopted by convention, with which any other quantity of the same kind can be compared to express the ratio of the two quantities as a number....
(such as
kilogramThe kilogram is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units .[The spelling kilogram is the modern spelling used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures , the U.S...]
s or
metres per secondMetre per second is an SI derived unit of both speed and velocity , defined by distance in metres divided by time in seconds....
). Derived statistics are often used during combat (e.g. hit points,
Armor ClassIn some role-playing games, Armor Class is a derived statistic which indicates how difficult it is to hit a character with an attack....
and
initiativeIn role-playing games and some table-top wargames, a character's initiative is a statistic which determines the order in which player characters take actions, especially during combat or other forms of conflict resolution....
). Basic and derived statistics are also called
primary and
secondary statistics respectively.
In games which use such concepts, derived statistics are often modified by the character's race and
classIn role-playing games, a common method of arbitrating the capabilities of different characters is to assign each one to a character class. A character class aggregates several abilities and aptitudes, and may also sometimes detail aspects of background and social standing or impose behaviour...
. In addition, certain in-game methods such as
spells or magical itemsSome role-playing games or game systems can include a set of rules that are used to portray magic in the paranormal sense. These rules simulate the effects that magic would have within the game context, according to how the game designer intended the magic to be portrayed...
might raise or lower these statistics temporarily.
Interdependencies between statistics
Some games define various interdependencies between statistics of different categories, as well as within categories. The most common are:
Prerequisite : Only if statistic
A has a value of at least
x, statistic
B may exceed value
y. (Where
y is often
00 is both a number and the numerical digit used to represent that number in numerals. It plays a central role in mathematics as the additive identity of the integers, real numbers, and many other algebraic structures. As a digit, zero is used as a placeholder in place value systems...
or
none.)
For example, a character class may require certain minimum attribute scores, or a spell may require a minimal level of magical talent. Learning some esoteric skill often requires knowledge of another one at an “expert” level or possession of a certain advantage: In
GURPS Martial Arts, for example, “cinematic” or “mystical” martial arts abilities require a special advantage,
Trained by a Master.
Limitation : If statistic
A has a value of at least
x, then statistic
B cannot exceed value
y.
This is the opposite of
prerequisite. (Only if statistic
A has a value of
at most x, statistic
B may exceed value
y.) For example, a character class may be disallowed for certain races, or one of the game effects of a disadvantage (say,
Unfit), could be to limit a certain attribute (
Constitution or
Health in the example) to a certain maximum value (no more than
average).
Bonus
or base value : If statistic
A has a value of
x, then the value of statistic
B is increased by (or starts at)
y. The term
base value is preferred if
y =
x or if
y is large compared to
Bs value.
Higher scores in an attribute often grant bonuses to a group of skills.
Derivation: If statistics A
and B
have values of x
and y
, respectively, then the value of statistic C
is a functionIn mathematics, a function is a relation between a given set of elements and another set of elements , which associates each element in the domain with exactly one element in the codomain...
of (x, y)
.
Derived
(or secondary) statistics are discussed elsewhere.
External links