Design Excerpt: Attributes

Here's the first in the promised series of design document excerpts. This is the section on Attributes, with one example Attribute (of seven, total) fully detailed. I'll post another excerpt tomorrow. Do note, with this series, that things are subject to change between now and when the game is finished.

Character Attributes

Purpose of Attributes:

Attributes measure how capable a character's body or mind is in a certain field. Attributes provide bonuses to the effective rating of linked skills and may also provide bonuses to other aspects of the character.

Attributes are rated from 1 to 50. Each +1 attribute rating should provide exactly the same effect, no matter if you're raising an attribute rating from 1->2 or 49->50. The diminishing returns should come in from the rising price of increasing the attribute rating, not from reduced effect.

Formula for attribute increase price:

(A^2/sqrt(B)) * 100, where A is the new attribute rating and B is the old attribute rating.

Skill bonuses:

Bold text indicates a major linked skill, to which an attribute provides its rating as a bonus to the skill's effective rating.

Normal text indicates a standard linked skill, to which an attribute provides ½ its rating as a bonus to the skill's effective rating.

Italicized text indicates a minor linked skill, to which an attribute provides ¼ its rating as a bonus to the skill's effective rating.

All skills should add up to 1.5 total attribute rating bonuses, from a major+normal, major+2minor, 3normal, 2normal+2minor, or normal+4minor layout.

Endurance

• Linked Skills: Swimming, Survival, Blood Magic, Impact Weapons, Two-Handed Impact Weapons, Brawling, Dodge, Shield Block, Plate Armor, Health, Stamina, Long Blades, Two-Handed Blades, Spears, Heavy Thrown Weapons, Chain Armor, Spellsong

• 3 major, 8 normal, 6 minor; total skill increase per rating point = 3 + 4 + 1.5 = 8.5