“Do you have the skills to match the look in your eyes?”
— Yuri Orlotsky, Captain of the Tiger Eyed Mercenary Corp
Status
A set of numerical values that represents the abilities of a person. Values like these are commonly seen in role playing games (RPGs). Many fantasy worlds are built around a generally accepted status magic system. To the inhabitants of that world, knowing and checking your status is akin to the way a modern person might check their weight or know how far they can run before they are too tired to continue.
These values are generally kept private as they can give an assailant a good idea of how much effort it would take to overpower you. So keep these numbers close to the vest and only share them with trusted people. Of course, there are magic items that can reveal one’s status in part or in full. Often times visits to the royal court will involve a status check.
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- Hit points (HP) – A measure of physical health. Reaching zero or negative hit points results in death. Taking damage will reduce hit points. The maximum value represents perfect physical health and can be increased over time with training and conditioning.
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- Magic power / Mana points (MP) – A measure of magic capacity. A larger magic capacity means more magic can be cast before one must stop and rest. Not all magic requires the same amount of magic power. A single large spell could deplete all of one’s magic power in a single instant. Conversely, repeated casting of small spells with smaller magic power requirements would take time to fully deplete all of one’s magic power. When magic power reaches zero, the magic caster will be unable to cast magic without use of external mana and may even fall unconscious.
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- Vitality (V) – A measure of the body’s ability to heal itself. Higher vitality means a faster recovery rate of hit points on average. Vitality in a strict sense can never be negative.
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- Magic Recovery / Mana Recovery (MR) – A measure of the body’s natural ability to convert ambient mana to internal mana. Higher mana recovery means it takes less time for magic power to recover to maximum value.
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- Strength (S) – A measure of the capacity of the body to exert great force or pressure especially in attacks. It often controls the maximum weight that can be carried and can be a limiting factor in what weapons can be used.
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- Agility (A) – A measure of the quickness of the body and the ease of attaining great speed.
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- Dexterity (DEX) – A measure of the body’s ability to perform complex maneuvers in a nimble way – especially with the hands. Higher dexterity translates into faster and more accurate weapon handling, better evasion, and adroit aerial maneuvering of the body.
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- Constitution (C) – A measure of sturdiness. It often influences hit points, resistances for special types of damage (poisons, illness, heat etc.) and fatigue.
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- Intelligence/Wisdom (INT) – A measure of one’s ability to comprehend complex topics and make use of them. It is directly related to one’s ability to comprehend more advanced magic and therefore a higher value means a more powerful mage. It can influence the rate at which experience points are earned.
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- Willpower/Mental Corruption – The measure of one’s sanity. Some entities and objects have the power to encroach on the mind and erode one’s sanity. Higher willpower will provide a higher probability of negating those adverse effects. Mental corruption is the measure of how much one’s mind has already been affected.
