The 12 Attributes

  • A muscular, orc-like creature with pointed ears, fanged teeth, and red skin, wielding a spear, standing in a mountainous landscape with overcast skies.

    Force

    the Strength of Aries

    Core Concept: Explosive Energy, Violence, Momentum.

    The Mechanic: Used for Melee Attack Rolls, breaking objects, jumping distance, and feats of sudden exertion.

    The Detail: Force is not about how much you can carry (that is Frame); it is about how hard you can hit. It represents fast-twitch muscle fibers and aggression. A character with high Force but low Frame is a "glass cannon"—they hit like a truck but shatter if hit back.

    Genre Context:

    Fantasy: Swinging a Greatsword; lifting a rock.

    Sci-Fi: Using a vibro-blade; forcing open a jammed airlock.

  • A man dressed as Superman with a hero costume, looking up with a serious expression, set against a sky background with dynamic, glowing light streaks surrounding him.

    Presence

    the Command of Leo

    Core Concept: Projection, Ego, Magnetism.

    The Mechanic: Used for Intimidation, Performance, and Leadership.

    The Detail: Presence is the sheer weight of your personality. It is how you force the world to acknowledge you. It can be loud (a barbarian's shout) or quiet (a king's stare). It is an offensive social stat.

    Genre Context:

    Fantasy: Bards; rallying fleeing troops.

    Modern: Interrogating a suspect; corporate negotiation.

  • A woman with blonde hair in a red futuristic pilot suit in a high-tech cockpit with holographic displays. The background shows a vibrant cyberpunk cityscape filled with neon signs and skyscrapers.

    Focus

    the Deftness of Sagittarius

    Core Concept: Precision, Trajectory, Projection.

    The Mechanic: Used for Ranged Attack Rolls, driving/piloting, and tracking.

    The Detail: Focus is hand-eye coordination extended over a distance. It governs anything that leaves your hand. It also covers the intense concentration required to operate complex machinery or beasts (horses, cars, starships) at high speeds.

    Genre Context:

    Fantasy: Archery; throwing knives; riding a griffon.

    Modern: Sniping; high-speed car chases.

  • A muscular man with dark skin and tattoos stands in water with crystal formations and a colorful cosmic sky in the background.

    Frame

    the Constitution of Taurus

    Core Concept: Density, Structure, Stability.

    The Mechanic: Used for Hit Points (Vitality), carrying capacity (Inventory Limit), and resistance against poison, disease, or environmental hazards.

    The Detail: Frame represents your skeletal density and immune system. It acts as the "anchor." If you want to grapple a foe and pin them down, you roll Frame. If you want to drink a dwarf under the table, you roll Frame.

    Genre Context:

    Fantasy: Wearing heavy plate armor without fatigue.

    Sci-Fi: Installing heavy cybernetic limbs without rejecting them.

  • An older man dressed as an elf with long white hair and a beard, kneeling in a forest. He is holding an open book and looking off into the distance. Behind him is a carved wooden structure resembling a bird.

    Method

    the Analysis of Virgo

    Core Concept: Analysis, Process, Deconstruction.

    The Mechanic: Used for Healing/Medicine, crafting, repairing, and investigating crime scenes (Search).

    The Detail: Method is practical intelligence. It is the ability to look at a system (a body, an engine, a trap) and understand how to fix it or break it. It differs from Intellect in that Method is hands-on and tactile.

    Genre Context:

    Fantasy: Alchemy; tracking an animal; setting a snare.

    Sci-Fi: Jury-rigging a warp drive; field surgery.

  • A woman wearing a black wide-brim hat and a dark coat holding her hand in front of a small flame on her palm, standing on a dimly lit street during blue hour.

    Discipline

    the Resilience of Capricorn

    Core Concept: Endurance, Control, Order.

    The Mechanic: Used for Stress (Mental HP), concentration checks, and resisting fear or mind control.

    The Detail: Discipline is the mental equivalent of Frame. It allows a character to keep functioning when exhausted, terrified, or magically compelled. It represents the rigidity of the mind.

    Genre Context:

    Fantasy: Maintaining a spell while taking damage.

    Horror: Keeping your sanity when seeing a monster.

  • A woman flying through a futuristic city street at dusk, surrounded by neon signs and digital billboards.

    Agility

    the Speed of Gemini

    Core Concept: Coordination, Reflexes, Balance.

    The Mechanic: Used for dodging things, sleight of Hand, acrobatics, and fine motor skills.

    The Detail: Agility is strictly about body control. Unlike D&D, Agility is not used for melee attacks (that's Force) and it is not used for Armor Class (that's Warding). This separation prevents the "God Stat" problem where Dexterity does everything.

    Genre Context:

    Fantasy: Walking a tightrope; picking a pocket.

    Sci-Fi: Zero-G maneuvering; disarming a bomb.

  • A man in a burgundy blazer, light blue shirt, and blue tie reading a book in a library with wooden bookshelves filled with books.

    Intellect

    the Intelligence of Aquarius

    Core Concept: Knowledge, Abstraction, Innovation.

    The Mechanic: Used for Lore/Knowledge checks, hacking (software), and understanding theory.

    The Detail: Intellect is "book smarts" and raw processing power. It governs languages, history, and science. In settings with "Wizard" style magic (magic learned through study), this is the casting stat.

    Genre Context:

    Fantasy: Deciphering ancient runes; recalling history.

    Cyberpunk: Writing code; hacking mainframes.

  • A woman in a yellow sari standing with her hands raised, surrounded by men dressed as ancient warriors holding spears, in a historical or mythological scene.

    Insight

    the Empathy of Libra

    Core Concept: Empathy, Balance, Judgment.

    The Mechanic: Used for Detecting Lies, negotiation (Diplomacy), and gathering rumors.

    The Detail: Insight is the defensive social stat. It is the ability to read the room. A character with high Insight understands human nature and can predict how people will react. They are the "face" of the party who keeps everyone calm.

    Genre Context:

    Fantasy: Sensing a trap; brokering a peace treaty.

    Sci-Fi: Understanding alien customs; sensing hostility.

  • A sci-fi soldier in futuristic armor stands in a snowy mountain landscape at sunset, holding a gun.

    Warding

    the Defence on Cancer

    Core Concept: Preservation, Protection, Guarding.

    The Mechanic: Used to calculate Defense aka Armour Class and to block/parry.

    The Detail: Warding is your defensive instinct. It is the ability to anticipate a blow and angle your armor to deflect it. A character with high Warding is not necessarily fast (Agility), they are just impossible to hurt. They know where to stand to be safe.

    Genre Context:

    Fantasy: Shield usage; knowing when to duck.

    Modern: Keeping your head down in a firefight; tactical positioning.

  • A black panther dressed as a detective, wearing a brown trench coat and a matching fedora hat, against a colorful, smoky background.

    Guile

    the Subterfuge of Scorpio

    Core Concept: Subtlety, Deception, Exploitation.

    The Mechanic: Used for stealth, disguises, forgery, and confirming Critical Hits.

    The Detail: Guile is the weaponization of the unseen. It is used to hide, but also to feint in combat. While Force hits hard, Guile hits where it hurts. A high Guile score allows a character to bypass encounters entirely or end them in one strike.

    Genre Context:

    Fantasy: Moving silently in chainmail; poisoning a blade.

    Cyberpunk: Social engineering; bypassing biometric locks.

  • Young martial artist in red gi striking a fighting pose with a focused expression, with a glowing background and floating orbs of light.

    Instinct

    the Attunement of Pisces

    Core Concept: Intuition, Connection, The Subconscious.

    The Mechanic: Used for Initiative, Magic/Psionic Resistance, and Luck.

    The Detail: Instinct is the "Sixth Sense." It governs everything that cannot be explained by logic or muscles. It represents a character's connection to the universe. In settings with "Sorcerer" style magic (magic from the blood/soul) or Psionics, this is the casting stat.

    Genre Context:

    Fantasy: Divine guidance; sensing undead.

    Modern: "I have a bad feeling about this"; reacting to a ambush.

Every "Active" trait has a "Passive/Resistant" counterpart:

  • FORCE (Active Power) vs. FRAME (Passive Durability)

  • AGILITY (Active Movement) vs. WARDING (Passive Defense)

  • FOCUS (Active Projection) vs. GUILE (Passive Concealment)

  • INTELLECT (Active Theory) vs. METHOD (Active Application)

  • PRESENCE (Active Social) vs. INSIGHT (Reactive Social)

  • DISCIPLINE (Internal Stability) vs. INSTINCT (External Connection)

An artistic digital illustration of two women back-to-back, with the woman on the left in colorful, dynamic abstract style, and the woman on the right in a realistic grayscale style, sitting on chairs, with a split background.