C.O.R.E. - Basic Rules

Attributes

When you strip away all that a hero has learned throughout their life - the skills, the knowledge, impact their histories have had on them - what are you left with? The core of their character: their attributes.

Attributes are intended to demonstrate who the character was when they were born, and how they have developed both mentally and physically since then. Three attributes form the core of the system: Physical, Mental, and Social.

A fourth attribute will vary from system to system. In a fantasy setting it might be Magic, which would represent the inherent part of the character that can manipulate magic. In other systems it might be The Fold—the ability to fold space and help propel the ships through the final frontier. Some systems may not require a fourth Attribute. For the basic rules, the fourth attribute is called Spiritual.

Physical

This is a measurement of everything related to your character’s physical body. It measures raw muscular strength, agility and coordination, health, and resistance to disease and damage.

Table A3-1: Physical Descriptions
0	Human Sloth
2	The average human
3	Works out occasionally
4	Can lift their own body-weight
7	Olympic class athlete
10	Able to life small trucks and contort with the best Chinese acrobats

Mental

This is a measurement of everything related to your character’s mind. This includes how smart they are, how quickly they can grasp new concepts, and their ability to adapt to new situations. It also measures their determination and willpower.

Table A3-2: Mental Descriptions
0	Won’t be winning any Nobel prizes
2	The average human
3	Good at crosswords and brain teasers
4	Has a love of knowledge and can dig through dusty tomes for hours without noticing the passing of time
7	Should have been in MENSA
10	Can speak a dozen languages, rub your tummy and pat your head, all while chewing gum and skipping down the sidewalk

This is a measurement of the character’s ability to interact in social events. It includes how outgoing they are, how well they can handle criticism, and their ability to lie without being detected, sell snake oil, or even interact in diplomatic circles. It also measures how much resistance they have to other people’s manipulations, pressure, or bullying.

Table A3-3: Social Descriptions
0	Gets so scared at the thought of talking to people that they stammer and walk away
2	The average human
3	The life of the party
5	A born storyteller, capable of captivating crowds
7	The perfect politician: able to talk circles around others and sell snake oil
10	The ultimate leader— their charisma is a palpable aura

Spiritual

This fourth Attribute is given as a default value. It is likely to change from game world to game world. It might refer to the character’s ability to cast magic, clerical or arcane. It might be a character’s ability to use psionic powers. It can be whatever your system or world needs it to be.

Table A3-4: Spiritual Descriptions
0	Has no clue that the Truth is out there
2	The average human, may not sense or control much around them, but they do have weird things happen around them
3	Is comfortable hanging out with ghosts, though conversations may be limited
5	Can actually pull off a séance, or work the Ouija Board to find true answers
7	A potent magician - this is a true David Copperfield or Merlin
10	Able to work miracles, possibly a potent religious icon

Option: Attribute Descriptions

Attributes provide a very broad idea of the character. They do not give any specifics about how powerful that attribute might be, or with how much finesse the character can use it. Many times, this is much broader than we would like. Enter Attribute Descriptions. These are intended to be used as a step between the Basic and Expanded Rules and should not be used when expanded attributes are present.

Attribute Descriptions are a single short phrase—no more than a handful of words in length—that tell us when the character’s strength in that attribute comes into play. Basically, if you had to describe that attribute in words only (no numbers), what would you say? Perhaps your character does heavy physical labor at a factory that requires him to lift 100-lb bags all day long. You might call his Physical attribute “Strong from work.” Maybe your character is very blunt, almost to the point of being abrasive. His Social attribute might be described as “Too truthful,” or “Blunt and to the point.”

There are two types of Attribute Descriptions, and both are encouraged: strengths and weaknesses. Strengths gain the character a +1 bonus when the Director agrees that the Description is applicable. A weakness causes a -1 penalty when the Director agrees the Description is applicable.