Character Stats: How-To

As you're likely already aware, Icarus Drive makes use of stats and game mechanics. In this Topic, we'll go over how to assign stats to a new character upon creation. We'll try to break this down in the simplest manner possible, since the forum's stats can be a little overwhelming to chew and swallow for someone not accustomed to this kind of system. We'll address each section one by one, and if you have any questions or need clarification, please ask the staff.

----------------Basic Stats---------------------

These are your core, basic stats that are the bones of your character mechanically. Any one character starts with a 5 in every one of their stats, even Magic and Spirit. This five represents the average human capability in each stat. A 5 in Strength is neither weak nor strong. 5 Agility is neither fast nor slow. From here, your character will gain five points to spend, each point raising a stat by 1. Raising a stat above a 7 costs one extra point, and raising a stat above a 9 costs two extra points. Clearly, it is impossible to raise a stat to ten with the points allotted, however you can subtract points from your stats to gain more points to spend on other stats.

It is important to keep in mind our scale, where 5 is the human average. While 10 would therefore represent the human limit, 1 would represent something far beneath the average human. A 1 in Willpower would represent someone who has no will left to perform any function, even self-preservation. A 1 or 2 in almost any stat is pretty much considered unplayable- 1 or 2 Skill, playable, but inability to control one's muscles to a point of near paralysis. 1 or 2 Constitution, likely be killed by any common bacteria. 1 or 2 Perception, next to no ability to perceive their surroundings, through any of their senses. Characters with a 3 in a stat are at a severe disability, and a 4 represents a minor disability. So when you're considering what stats to reduce to get more points, keep this scale in mind.

Each number on the scale has a different "modifier" that affects other stats on your sheet. These are going to be under the Basic Stats Description Topic, but I'll list them here for convenience.
1: -30
2: -20
3: -10
4: -5
5: 0
6: 5
7: 5
8: 10
9: 10
10: 15

Presence is going to be a unique stat that starts at 20. It's a skewed representation of your character's significance on a scale of power, and any character that gains access to Shards increases it by 5, and then increases it by an additional 5 for every 100 shards obtained. Simple enough, and it's not something you can actively change other than by getting shards. Think of it kind of like your character's "level". It affects a few of your other stats.

-------------------Basic Combat Stats and Secondary Abilities--------------------

Outside of Advantages and Disadvantages, these are all going to be determined by either your Basic Stats or a superficial, one time resource that we'll call Generation Points, or GP for short.

Your Attack and whatever Defensive stat you choose--either Block or Dodge--can be increased individually by spending one GP for one point in the stat. At character creation, your GP spent on Attack and Defense together cannot exceed 100. Whether you choose to train yourself in Block or Dodge is entirely your choice, but you can only train in one. The Block stat can gain advantages from the weapon being used to block with, and is better for defending against projectiles if done with a shield, but worse if done with a weapon. Block is also significantly worse at defending against larger, area attacks. Whichever of the two you don't choose, you'll still be able to use at a penalty if necessary. Block uses the Constitution stat's modifier in addition to what was purchased with GP. Dodge uses Agility, and Attack uses Skill. Attack and Defense can be increased by using them in threads.

Your initiative is going to be your Presence [which is 20 at character creation], plus your Skill modifier and your Agility modifier. When rolling this stat in a thread, remember to subtract or add the initiative of your weapon. Having a high initiative is important because it determines who gets to act first during tense situations. Initiative can be increased by getting extreme rolls in a thread during significant moments, or by actively choosing to take action in a situation quickly, when most would hesitate.

Life points are your Constitution score multiplied by 5, plus your presence multiplied by 2. ([CONX5]+[PRESX2]) These are how much damage you can take before being mortally wounded. Life points can be increased by taking significant damage in threads, like being critically wounded, or by entering the state of life and death.

Combat Awareness is a special stat that is determined by averaging your total Attack/Defense with your Notice secondary. Without any points in your Notice secondary, it is simply half of your combined Attack and Defense. Combat Awareness is used as a kind of defense against sneak attacks, or for noticing certain things happening during a fight. It is usually tested against Stealth. This stat can't be increased by itself. You must increase your main combat stats, or Notice.

Max Fatigue is your other special stat. It's always going to be the same as your Constitution, unless you use an Advantage or Disadvantage to change this, but rather than being a stat that can actually be increased or changed actively, it is a resource that can be accessed in and out of combat. When performing certain physical or even some supernatural actions, a character may announce that they are spending one or two points of Fatigue before rolling, and add 15 to his roll after per point spent. Be careful when using this though, as you'll take penalties to future rolls if your Fatigue is ever less than five, and it can take some time to get it back. Don't worry though, you won't take penalties if your max is below 5 until you actually spend Fatigue. This CAN be increased through constant extraneous labor, however it is very difficult.

Secondary Abilities all can be purchased for one point per 2 GP spent, however you technically don't have access to an ability until you've spent at least 5 points on it. Any amount in a stat that is less than 5 is considered to be 0 for mechanical purposes. There's a lot secondaries on the soft list alone, so I won't discuss them here. Instead, head over to the Secondary Abilities Topic for more information on them. Each secondary is also increased by your stat modifiers, differently for each individual one. Secondaries can be increased by using them in threads, or gaining information pertaining to them.

Now that you know what you can spend them on, you have 200 GP to spend. You should not spend more than 60 on any secondary at character creation without permission from staff.

------------------Knowledge Bank-----------------------

This one is really simple and complicated at the same time. It's not actually a stat of any kind that you can represent with a number. Rather, it's a list of useful information that your character has gained in threads, or from their background. You should only really start with around 10 of these at most, but I understand that since it's an abstract concept, some people won't be able to come up with any, and others will be able to come up with tons. Feel free to ask the staff reviewing your sheet to look over your biography and help you determine what pieces of knowledge to put here, if you need help.

-------------------Magic--------------------

This isn't going to be something most characters are going to have access to at creation, but you'll be able to gain access to it through play. For those of you who have purchased the Advantage to start with magic, everything you need to know is in the Magic Stats Topic.

----------------Shards--------------------

What you see under Magic also applies to Shards. You're not gonna start with this unless you have a certain Advantage, and if you have the Advantage, head over to the relevant Shard Stats Topic.

---------------Extras---------------

No character is going to start with anything under this section unless given express permission to do so, with the exception of Martial Arts and Weapons. With sufficient explanation, a character could start with training in an additional basic Weapon, or a Martial Art at the basic degree. If you feel as though your character should have one of these, please discuss it with the staff member reviewing your sheet.

Do list what your character is naturally trained in by default under Weapons, though, unless you have no points in Attack and Defense. So long as you can explain why, your character is allowed to be trained in one Weapon. If they don't have training in any Weapons but still have Attack and Defense stats, they are trained in generic unarmed fighting [this is not a Martial Art].