TOMAGOMB Stats

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The statistics (or “stats”), in combination with your class and race, largely define your character in Tombagomb. There are five basic statistics: Strength, Dexterity, Fortitude, Mental Aptitude and Luck. Additionally, depending on what class or classes your character becomes, you might gain access to Life Spirit, Piety, or Martial Discipline. These 8 statistics make up the fundamental building blocks of your character and are used in many different circumstances, from seeing if your character can lift a boulder or hit an enemy to channeling divine power or deciphering arcane puzzles.

To do so, one rolls 1d20 and compares the result to the statistic. Rolling equal to or under the relevant statistic is a success. 1 is a critical success. 20 is a critical failure. In cases of contested rolls, each contestant rolls 1d20 under their relevant stat, with the person who rolled under by more winning the face-off.

A score of 9, 10, or 11 in any given stat is considered “average” and usually has no specific modifiers or penalties.

Base Statistics
Base statistics are the raw scores which are the skeleton of the characters definition. How strong, fast, healthy, smart and lucky they may be. Whether they be commoner or king, everyone has these statistics at one level or another.

Strength
Fairly straightforward, Strength (STR) is your character's raw physical power to move heavy objects, carry things, and hit like a truck. When using a two-handed weapon, STR damage is multiplied by 1.5, rounded down. Characters can carry a number of pounds equal to (STR score squared) +10 lbs. and lift that amount over their head. Twice that amount can be lifted off the ground, and five times that amount can be pushed, pulled, or dragged.

Dexterity
Dexterity (DEX) is what determines whether or not you can strike an opponent, dodge attacks, or take the lead in initiative. When making an attack roll, one always rolls a DEX check to hit. If you rolled equal to or under your Dexterity score on 1d20, your attack lands (barring any miss chances or dodges). With high dexterity, critical misses may not be quite as critical. Each point of Dexterity also essentially adds +1 Initiative and +1% Dodge. Finally, Dexterity is also a rough measure of your raw speed. (DEX scores above 20 give a +1% bonus to dodge for each point, and an extra attack every 5 points.)

Fortitude
Fortitude (Fort) is the stat you roll to resist poison, disease, fatigue, starvation, and other tests of health endurance. In addition, Fortitude gives either bonuses or penalties to Hit Points (which also function retroactively, i.e., HP changes for all levels):

Mental Aptitude
Just as Strength is a measure of physical prowess, Mental Aptitude (M.A.) is a composite measure of your character's raw mental ability, including perception, learning, knowledge and wits. Perception checks (spotting, listening, searching, remembering) are made by a Mental Aptitude check (like any stat check, roll equal to or under).

Mental Aptitude will give some bonus skill points, i.e. rogue skills or knowledge / craft skills, extra languages, and even AA’s (Advanced Abilities). Note that skill bonus increases are NOT retroactive for past levels. Also, starting at 12 M.A. and each point beyond, character gains +1 language that they either know, are studying, or could know (DM’s discretion as to learning times, possibly 1 to 6 months depending on language‘s difficulty and M.A. score) **TOMAGOMB Optional Rule: You may remove 2 Languages from your 'languages known' to obtain an additional +1%/level in skill points; this bonus does stack with itself. Example: If you remove four languages, you would obtain +2%/level additional skill points **

Luck
Luck is a special quality that all creatures and objects have in TOMAGOMB. Most things have a Luck score of 10; not particularly lucky or unlucky. If the creature or object in question needs to make a Luck roll, then if their Luck is 10 it is basically a coin flip: 50/50 odds. However, some creatures (and a few special objects by GM discretion) may be particularly lucky or unlucky, in which case special effects may start occurring. At 12 Luck and above, the character will get a certain number of Luck rerolls they may use each session. If they choose to use one on a roll, they cannot do it multiple times under normal circumstances, and they must take the 2nd roll, even if it is worse.

Luck is not a stat that will make your character better at what they do, at least not in a focused way. You won't (probably) fight any better, cast your spells with greater power, etc. You'll just be lucky sometimes. On the other hand, taking points OUT of Luck is *not* recommended, especially if you have a cruel DM.

Class-based Statistics
Part of what makes an adventuring character unique are additional qualities which set them apart from Joe-average farmer. In TOMAGOMB, these qualities are distilled into Class-based statistics. Each adventuring class has at least one of these stats.

Life Spirit
Life Spirit (LS) represents the force of one’s own soul on the world around them. It is the power of Life Spirit which permits the manipulation of mystical energy, manifesting itself in the form of arcane spells. Life Spirit represents power that comes solely from the character rather than some higher power, as with piety. It is uncommon to require a Life Spirit check except as a rare circumstance for analyzing mystical forces. There are no particular penalties for having a low Life Spirit score, other than not receiving the special bonuses granted by the statistic.

Rune Mages, Shadowknights, and Wizards/Sorcerors/Magi all use the LS statistic. Bards and Monks may have access to Life Spirit as well.

Martial Discipline
Martial Discipline (MD) is for characters particularly adept at combat. It is considered a mental skill as it represents training and discipline in the arts of war, although some have claimed to form a spiritual bond through their training. Like Life Spirit and Piety, there is no particular penalty for having a low score, other than not receiving the special bonuses granted by the statistic.

For the sake of simplicity, the table below lists the full bonuses of Martial Discipline up to 20 at each number (meaning the previous entries are overwritten). At 21+, just add any new entries to the entry at 20 M.D. As a final note, at 15 and 18 M.D. the character gains specializations into attack forms that often give them an edge over other characters. They do not have to pick any one particular specialty, they gain all of them (so a sword-and-shield fighter can switch to a two-handed weapon to trade out lots of AC for lots of damage). The only exception to this is that the character must be proficient in the weapons or armor he is using for the specialty or it doesn't apply. For instance, if the character is not proficient with shields, they won't gain the specialty until they know how to use them properly.

Assassins, Barbarians/Berserkers, Bards, Monks, Paladins, Rangers/Archers, Rogues, Shadowknights and Warriors/Fighters all have access to Martial Discipline.

Piety
A character with piety calls upon a patron god, goddess, spirit, or higher power of some sort that grants them special powers. Unlike using Life Spirit, a pious character forms a mystical connection with a greater entity of the cosmos and spreads the worship, teachings, paradigms, etc. of their patron and often perform special missions for them. In return, the character is blessed with divine powers based on how strong their spiritual connection is (i.e., the piety score). Piety checks are more common than Life Spirit checks, as any soulful prayer in a time of need might invoke one (always at the DM’s option).

Paladins and Priest/Druid/Clerics all are pious souls. Bards, Monks and Ranger/Archers of a druidic bent may have Piety. Shadowknights can replace their normal Life Spirit with Piety.

Starting Statistics
Each character starts with a set number of points in a pool, based upon the class that they start with. These points are allocated among STR, DEX, Fort, MA, Luck and their class-based stats. No stat may be below 6 and no stat may (at level 1) be above 13 as a baseline. Racial modifiers alter these caps on both ends.

Point pool
The size of the character's point pool is dependent on the number of class-based statistics they have. For characters with six starting stats (five base + 1 class-based), there are 68 points to spend at level 1. Characters who have more than six starting stats get an extra 4 points to distribute for each stat more than 5 (for instance, a Paladin would get 72 stat points to spread between his seven stats, while a fully-enhanced Bard would get 76 points to spread between his 7 stats).

This number is different from the point pool presented in TOMAGOMB Modern; consider it to be in testing.

Improving Statistics
As stated above, a starting character has a maximum stat score of 13 on each stat. Of course, as a character grows and becomes more experienced, they become more capable than they had been upon inception. Starting at level 2 and continuing every even level afterwards, a character has the opportunity to raise one statistic by a point. As a character increases in level, that maximum stat score increases. At level 2, the maximum is raised to 16. At level 10, the maximum is 17. At level 20 and above, the cap on base stats is 18 and class-based stats raises to 20.

Statistics can theoretically raise to any number, however 19+ and 20+ are only attainable by racial exceptions and certain Advanced Abilities (AAs, described later) or items. Specifically, the base statistics (Strength, Dexterity, Fortitude, Mental Aptitude and Luck) normally cap at a maximum of 18, whereas class-based statistics (Life Spirit, Piety and Martial Discipline) cap at 20.

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