Rules Reference - Abilities and Skills

STRENGTH (STR)
Strength measures sheer muscle power and the ability to apply it. Your Strength rank applies to:
• Damage dealt by your unarmed and strength-based attacks.
• How far you can jump (based on an Athletics skill check).
• The amount of weight you can lift, carry, and throw.
• Athletics skill checks.

STAMINA (STA)
Stamina is health, endurance, and overall physical resilience. Stamina is important because it affects a character’s ability to resist most forms of damage. Your Stamina modifier applies to:
• Toughness defense, for resisting damage.
• Fortitude defense, for resisting effects targeting your character’s health.
• Stamina checks to resist or recover from things affecting your character’s health when a specific defense doesn’t apply.

AGILITY (AGL)
Agility is balance, grace, speed, and overall physical coordination.
Your Agility rank applies to:
• Dodge defense, for avoiding ranged attacks and other hazards.
• Initiative bonus, for acting first in combat.
• Acrobatics* and Stealth skill checks.
• Agility checks for feats of coordination, gross movement, and quickness when a specific skill doesn’t apply.

DEXTERITY (DEX)
Dexterity is a measure of hand-eye coordination, precision, and manual dexterity. Your Dexterity rank applies to:
• Attack checks for ranged attacks.
• Sleight of Hand* and Vehicles* skill checks.
• Dexterity checks for feats of fine control and precision when a specific skill doesn’t apply.

FIGHTING (FGT)
Fighting measures your character’s ability in close combat, from hitting a target to ducking and weaving around any counter-attacks. Your Fighting rank applies to:
• Attack checks for close attacks.
• Parry defense, for avoiding close attacks.

INTELLECT (INT)
Intellect covers reasoning ability and learning. A character with a high Intellect rank tends to be knowledgeable and well-educated. Your Intellect modifier applies to:
• Expertise*, Investigation*, Technology*, and Treatment* skill checks.
• Intellect checks to solve problems using sheer brainpower when a specific skill doesn’t apply.

AWARENESS (AWE)
While Intellect covers reasoning, Awareness describes common sense and intuition, what some might call “wisdom.” A character with a high Intellect and a low Awareness may be an “absent-minded professor” type, smart but not always aware of what’s going on. On the other hand, a not so bright (low Intellect) character may have great deal of common sense (high Awareness). Your Awareness
modifier applies to:
• Will defense, for resisting attacks on your mind.
• Insight and Perception skill checks.
• Awareness checks to resolve matters of intuition when a specific skill doesn’t apply.

PRESENCE (PRE)
Presence is force of personality, persuasiveness, leadership ability and (to a lesser degree) attractiveness. Presence is useful for heroes who intend to be leaders as well as those who strike fear into the hearts of criminals with their presence. Your Presence modifier applies to:
• Deception, Intimidation, and Persuasion skill checks.
• Presence checks to influence others through force of personality when a specific skill doesn’t apply.

*Skill that requires training