Wayfarers uses six attributes. Attributes represent not only how strong you are in a basic ability, but how much energy you have and how long you can exert yourself in that kind of ability before you exhaust yourself. Pushing an attribute when you have nothing left to push gives you a level of exhaustion (see Boosting and Pushing and Exhaustion and Wounds).
| Attribute | Covers | Skills (Chapter 5) |
|---|---|---|
| Might | Physical strength and endurance | Athletics, Intimidation |
| Dexterity | Nimbleness, agility, hand-eye coordination | Acrobatics, Subterfuge |
| Intelligence | Learned knowledge and understanding | Analysis, Survival |
| Wisdom | Observation, awareness and reasoning | Awareness, Insight |
| Presence | Charm, empathy and persuasiveness | Influence, Performance |
| Resolve | Determination, perseverance, and resistance to external forces | Concentration, Composure |
What are the six attributes called?
The source uses three different sets of names:
Chapter 5: Might, Dexterity, Intelligence, Perspective, Charisma, Resolve
Design notes: Might, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, Presence, Resolve
Classes and feats use Wisdom and Charisma, and the feat list says “Intellect”.
Additional Info notes: Might, Agility, Intellect, Perspective (experience and good judgement), Charisma, Resolve.
Pick one set and update everywhere. The table above uses the design-notes names.
Is Survival an Intelligence or a Wisdom skill?
Chapter 5 puts Survival under Intelligence, but the Ranger rules call it “Wisdom Survival”.
What does each attribute control?
The Additional Info notes start a list of what each attribute governs:
- Intelligence: how many spells you can know.
- Perspective: experience; adds skill points.
- Might, Dexterity, Charisma, Resolve: not decided.
But the Skill Increase feat gives skill points equal to your Intelligence, not Perspective.
Attribute numbers
Attributes max out at 10 but should not max out quickly. The numbers closely mirror D&D modifiers, but because attributes can be used to boost, the same number is noticeably stronger in Wayfarers than in D&D.
A Tier 1 character should never have a 10: that would be like a level 1–5 D&D character with a 30 ability score and the ability to boost. See Tiers for the cap at each tier.
Not every attribute needs to be maxed at Tier 4. A highest attribute of 6 or 7 at Tier 4 is still the equivalent of a 22–25 in D&D.
Why Resolve?
Luffy and Naruto aren’t smart, especially early in their stories, and often aren’t the most charismatic, but they have the resolve and determination to get things done. Resolve also supports horror themes without relying only on Intelligence and Wisdom.
See Starting Attribute Arrays to set your starting scores.