Beginner
Player’s Handbook
Melestra's
core rulebook for new players
Character Creation: Attributes
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Every character possesses seven attributes: Strength,
Constitution, Dexterity, Charisma, Intelligence, Wisdom,
and Willpower. 2.1: Attributes in Melestra and Their Effects Attributes
govern the character’s most basic capabilities, primarily—but by no means
exclusively—those related to adventuring and combat. The higher
a character’s attributes, the greater are their abilities: from the capacity to
endure longer in combat and sustain more damage before collapsing, to gaining
positive modifiers on saving throws against special attacks, a deeper
understanding of the world, and more. Some
abilities and options also require a minimum score in a specific
attribute in order to be used. Example: To wield
a heavy weapon, a character must have a Strength of at least 13.
A weaker character simply cannot use such a weapon effectively in combat. Likewise, to cast
hermetic spells (which are based on Intelligence), a character
must have an Intelligence of at least 13. The
higher the priority assigned to Attributes during character
creation, the greater the chance of generating a character with above-average
or even exceptional attribute scores. Strength: Affects attack
rolls and damage in melee combat (armed or unarmed), as well as saving
throws and talent checks related to lifting weights and bending
bars. Constitution: Affects
the character’s Hit Points, resistance to fatigue checks for non-spellcasting
characters, the
ability to wear heavy armor over extended adventures, and saving
throws against poison. Dexterity: Affects initiative
rolls, Armor Class, attack rolls with ranged weapons, and a
variety of saving throws and attribute checks related to
avoiding both natural hazards (such as falling rocks) and man-made traps
(such as poisoned needles). Charisma: Affects
rolls related to verbal interaction or influencing other creatures. In other
words, all talent checks associated with talents such as Performance,
Storytelling, Persuasion, Leadership, Flirting,
and Bartering are based on Charisma. It is also the primary
attribute governing bardic spells. Intelligence:
Intelligence measures a character’s ability to acquire knowledge,
master fine details, and apply them in a precise and technical manner at the
appropriate time. A large number of spell types—including hermetic
magic—are based on this attribute. Intelligence serves as the foundation
for all talent checks related to knowledge and the retrieval of
specific information (such as codes and ciphers, learning languages,
and specific fields of knowledge). Wisdom: As the
name suggests, Wisdom reflects judgment, common sense,
and the ability to understand other people and creatures, as well as what
motivates them. It governs the ability to distinguish between what is
essential and what is secondary in complex situations, and more. Wisdom
affects types of spells not covered by Intelligence or
Charisma—including many priestly spells, nature magic, and
similar effects—as well as attribute checks closely tied to insight,
perception, and thoughtful understanding. Players often confuse Intelligence and Wisdom. The
following example may help illustrate the difference: A tall and heavily built figure stands before the character,
wearing a strange belt with a buckle that glows with an unusual light. A
character with high Intelligence may recognize that the buckle is made
of enchanted copper, set with a gem carved in the shape of a winged
serpent, a style
once common among certain classes of ogres before the En'mirian
conquest. A character with high Wisdom, on the other hand, will
understand that staring at the groin of a heavily armed ogre may be
interpreted as an insult—and is unlikely to end well. Willpower: High Willpower
is characteristic of determined individuals who know what they want.
Conversely, a character with low Willpower is more easily influenced—whether
through magical means or through mundane manipulation,
emotional pressure, and similar methods. Willpower
is a critical attribute for resisting spells and spell-like
abilities that influence or break the will (such as charm effects,
love potions, confusion spells, or certain creatures that attempt to possess the
character). It is equally important for resisting non-magical methods of
breaking a character’s will (such as torture), and serves as the base
attribute for all related saving throws. In addition, Willpower governs fatigue checks for
spellcasting characters.
2.2: Determining the Attributes of a New
Character There are
two different methods for determining the attributes of a new
character The first method is faster and generally recommended. The player is given a fixed
total, which they may distribute among the character’s attributes as they
see fit, in accordance with their concept of the character and the
requirements of the class they wish to play. The
higher the priority assigned to Attributes during character
creation, the higher the total available for distribution among the seven
attributes. The second method is to grant the player a number of attribute rolls, from
which the best results are selected to produce seven final attribute scores.
The player may then assign these scores to the different attributes as they
wish. The outcome of this method depends heavily on luck and the results of
the rolls. The
higher the priority assigned to Attributes, the greater the number of additional
rolls the player receives, allowing them to choose from a larger pool of
results. Fixed Totals
Rolling Attributes
Examples: The Effect of Attribute Priority on Attribute Rolls Player A assigned
a rating of E (Poor) to Attributes. As a result, he
receives only 77 points to distribute among his attributes, or 7
rolls (one for each attribute, with no additional rolls that would allow
him to discard very low results). Each roll is 3d6, meaning that every
result must be kept, with no option to discard low dice within the roll. By contrast, Player B assigned a rating of B (Important)
to Attributes. She receives 98 points to distribute
among her attributes, or 9 rolls (allowing her to discard the two
lowest results and use the remaining seven for her character’s
attributes). Furthermore, each of Player B’s nine rolls is made using 5d6,
from which the three highest dice are selected to determine the result
of each roll. Explanation of Table Terms and Balancing Restrictions Flexibility: Flexibility
is the number of points a player may shift between their attributes in order
to strengthen certain attributes at the expense of less important ones. This
limitation applies only when using the Rolling Attributes method. Minimum and Maximum Attribute Limits in the Fixed Totals Method To
maintain balance and prevent abuse (for example, a player lowering one
attribute to 3 in order to raise all others to 18), the Fixed
Totals method includes two restrictions on the distribution of attribute
scores: •
Minimum Attribute Score: Attributes cannot be reduced below a
certain minimum, determined by the chosen Attributes priority rating. •
Maximum Attributes at 18: The number of attributes that may be
set to 18 is limited, and is likewise determined by the Attributes
priority rating.
2.3: Effects of Attribute Scores
Standard Modifier The
standard modifier determines the effect of an attribute score on related
actions. This includes, among other things, the influence of Strength or
Dexterity on Attack Rating, the effect of Strength on melee damage, the
influence of Dexterity on Initiative rolls, the effect of Constitution on Hit
Point rolls, and more. Percentile Modifier A much
rarer modifier. It is typically used to affect detailed percentile (d100)
tables that include multiple degrees of success and failure.
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