Attributes
Attributes
Attributes represent the basic competencies that make up the core of a character- the physical and mental capabilities that lead them to succeed in one task or another. Every character begins play with all of their Attributes at 0, which represents their basic competency in most skills, with one Preferred Attribute which is slightly higher than normal. Characters may also take lower attributes as a flaw for extra points in the Perks and Flaws section of Character Creation, or spend experience points to increase their Attributes either during Character Creation or during play.
Please see our XP Progression in Character Creation for information on costs.
There are six Attributes in Age of Ashes:
Strength
Strength represents your physical prowess and your ability to lift yourself and heavy objects.
Locked Skills: Wrestling, Heavy Weapons, Archery
Speed
Speed represents your ability to move quickly and nimbly.
Locked Skills: Martial Arts, Legerdemain, Light Weapons, Firearms
Fortitude
Your Fortitude is a mark of your stamina and your ability to resist pain, poisons, and illnesses.
Locked Skills: Escape Artist, Plague Doctor, Grit
Resolve
The Resolve attribute indicates your strength of mind and determination, as well as your ability to shake off negative mental effects.
Locked Skills: Commanding Presence, Discipline, Tempt
Faith
Faith is your ability to believe in something, whether that means a higher power or yourself, and your ability to share that strength of your ideals with others. Many cultists will call upon their Faith attribute to cast rituals.
Locked Skills: Oratory Presence, Performance, Barber Surgeon, Occult
Intellect
Intellect represents your ability to take in information and process it. Mages call upon their Intellect as part of spellcasting.
Locked Skills: Persuasion, Information Gathering, Academics
Skills that are locked by specific Attributes may be acquired through Character Generation during the background process, but otherwise may not be purchased without at least a single level in that Attribute. Each level of an Attribute, both positive and negative, will have different affects on a character. The maximum level that a character can achieve permanently is level 2 in any Attribute, although level 3 can be obtained temporarily with specific in-game effects like spellcasting, rituals, or alchemical items.
It should be noted that if your rank in an Attribute ever falls below 1 in play, you do not lose access to any corresponding Attribute-gated skills. However, if your Attribute score increases to a level that gains an ability that is usable once per day or event, you may only gain that ability a single time in the relevant space from the same source (such as alchemical, ritual, specific power, or arcane). For example, Strength 3 allows you to once per day use blackout with a grab boffer. If you use an alchemical concoction to get to Strength 3 you can use that ability once in a day. If later you take another alchemical concoction to get to Strength 3 you do not get this ability again, however if you use a spell to get to Strength 3 then you do get the ability again and can use it again in a single day.
Attribute |
-2 |
-1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
| Strength | Cannot lift anything above half a pound, including all weapons. Cannot use combat abilities or parry | Cannot deal damage with a weapon unless it is a firearm. Cannot wear armor | Normal |
Unlocks Wrestling, Heavy Weapons, Archery May resist Weaken Strength once per event. |
Once per day a character may perform a feat of strength. This includes carrying two bodies at once, lifting something that cannot normally be lifted, or breaking a lock | Once per day you may use blackout with a grab boffer |
| Speed | Can only move at a shuffle, cannot use combat defenses such as dodge or parry | Cannot jump, run, or jog. You must move slowly | Normal |
Unlocks Martial Arts, Legerdemain, Light Weapons, Firearms May resist Weaken Speed once per event.
|
Once per day you can refresh a dodge or call “Escape” if you manage to get 20 feet away from an attacker | You gain the ability to call dodge on traps that are Area of Effect |
| Fortitude | If you are downed you die instantly | You cannot yell or exert yourself in any way and cannot rest | Normal |
Unlocks Escape Artist, Plague Doctor, Grit May resist Weaken Fortitude once per event. |
Once per day you may resist any disease or Rest while downed to immediately get back up. In so doing, you take the Battered and Bleed states. |
You are thick-skinned an have an extra armor call you can use anywhere on your person |
| Resolve | You are under a despair that cannot be rectified by anything in game | You cannot use any social defenses | Normal |
Unlocks Commanding Presence, Discipline, Tempt May resist Weaken Resolve once per event.
|
You may refresh a Discipline call once per day or completely suppress a single insanity once per day | You are no longer affected by despair |
| Faith | You cannot lose depravity or enter the prayer state | You are affected by the Miserable state and cannot have or get hope. | Normal |
Unlocks Oratory Presence, Performance, Barber Surgeon, and occult May resist Weaken Faith once per event.
|
You can handle 7 depravity before being affected by insanities | Once per day you may take a single action that would normally lead to depravity without taking any sin. In the case of deadly blasphemy, while you can use this ability to ignore the sin for a single day, if you remain converted the next day you still get the sin. |
| Intellect | You cannot speak using prepositions and cannot understand abstract concepts, you are thus unable to use social offenses. You cannot see perception or quest tags. | You are illiterate and cannot read in character, you are unable to summon the mental intellect necessary to cast spells. You cannot interact with schematics in any way. | Normal |
Unlocks Persuasion, Information Gathering, Academics. May resist Weaken Intellect once per event.
|
You possess common sense and once per day may ask either of the following out of character questions to staff: “Is there something I’m missing?” or “Should my character know something about this?” | Once per day you may reverse engineer an item that has a schematic and get the schematic, although you destroy all the components of the item and turn them into slag |
A negative 3 in most Attributes results in severe suffering or death. These conditions include:
-3 Strength – Cardiac Arrest & Death
-3 Speed – Muscle Failure & Paralysis
-3 Fortitude – Respiratory Failure & Death
-3 Resolve – Nervous Breakdown & New Crippling Phobia
-3 Intellect – Brain Aneurysm & Death
-3 Faith – Psychotic Break & New Crippling Delusion
Eager for more?
We’re still in development, but you can subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on all of our latest setting and rules releases.