Worldgate (3.5e Campaign Setting)/Abilities and Karma

Abilities and Karma (Worldgate Campaign Setting)

In the Worldgate Campaign Setting your character is defined by six abilities. These abilities are the basic foundation for your character and roughly describe his physical and mental capacities. Each ability is an essential part of your character and defines his capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses. But always remember that abilities are only the mechanical framework upon which your character is based, and not a straightjacket into which you are forced when playing your character.

Additionally, every character has access to Karma, the mechanical application of the mystical force of "fate", which influences the actions of Aeryl's most prominent both heroes and villains.

Ability values

Each ability has an accompanying value. These typically range from -5 to +5, but certain circumstances (like being a particular strong member of a physically powerful race) can allow you to exceed these limits.

You always apply the relevant value to the die roll if your character tries to accomplish a task related to the ability.

Ability value generation

To create ability values for your character, you just need to do the following:

• Start with six values each at a base of 0.
• Distribute 6 additional points on a one-to-one basis to the alues (to gain more points you may reduce values to below 0, gaining ack points on a one-to-one basis). However, before racial modifiers o value may be higher than +3 or lower than -1.
• Assign the generated values to the six abilities as you esire.

Ability descriptions

Strength (Str)

Strength represents your character's physical power and muscles. Strength is important for characters who stand in melee combat, as well as those who desire physical might.

Your character's Strength value applies to:

• Melee Weapon checks.
• Unarmed Combat checks.
• Melee or thrown weapon damage ratings.
• Ranged weapon damage ratings (only if using a "mighty" eapon).
• Climb, Jump, and Swim checks.
• Ability checks made when physical power or brute force is equired.

Dexterity (Dex)

Dexterity represents your character's agility and hand-eye coordination. Dexterity is important for characters who focus on ranged combat, as well as those relying on their reflexes to not get hit in combat.

Your character's Dexterity value applies to:

• Ranged Weapon checks.
• Reflexes checks.
• Acrobatics, Escape Artist, Ride, Sleight of Hand, Sneak, and se Rope checks.
• Initiative checks.
• Abiliy checks made when agility or quick reflexes are equired.

Constitution (Con)

Constitution represents your character's resiliency, health, and ability to withstand the punishing effects of injuries. Constitution is important for all characters, as it improves their chance of survival when they get hit.

Your character's Constitution value applies to:

• Block checks.
• Fortitude checks.
• Concentration checks.
• Ability checks made when stamina or physical endurance is equired.

Intelligence (Int)

Intelligence represents your character's ability to reason, remember, calculate, and learn. Intelligence is important for characters who rely on knowledge and lore, as well as for all those who want a wider array of skills at their disposal.

Your character's Intelligence value applies to:

• Weaving checks.
• Bonus skill points.
• Bonus languages.
• Appraise, Craft, Decipher script, Forgery, Knowledge, echanics, and Weavecraft checks.
• Ability checks made when logic, reasoning, or a good memory re required.

Wisdom (Wis)

Wisdom represents your character's awareness, willpower, and intuition. Wisdom is important for characters who require self-assuredness and sharp senses, as well as those who want to have more than just "common sense".

Your character's Wisdom value applies to:

• Willpower checks.
• Inspiration checks.
• Heal, Perception, Profession, Sense motive, and Survival hecks.
• Ability checks made when awareness or a strong will are equired.

Charisma (Cha)

Charisma represents your character's physical appearance, personality, and leadership qualities. Charisma is important for characters influencing others with their looks and charms, as well as for those who simply want to get along well with others.

Your character's Charisma value applies to:

• Leadership checks.
• Total karma bonus.
• Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise, Gather information, Handle animal, ntimidate, and Perform checks.
• Ability checks made when persuasiveness or an assuring erformance is required.

Karma

In the Worldgate Campaign Setting characters have one more resource than only their abilities, skills, or feats. An unknown force, often referred to as "Karma", can affect all beings and their actions. Most creatures live their lives without ever being affected by Karma, while others experience its effect repeatedly.

Gaining Karma

Every living creature is more or less affected by Karma and has an initial Karma limit of five Karma points. Your character may gain additional points by spending a number of XP equal to the current number of Karma points he has times 100, plus 250, up to the allowed maximum limit.

Table: Karma

Level	Total Karma limit	Karma per round	Karma bonus
1	10	1	1
2	11	1	1
3	11	1	1
4	12	1	2
5	12	1	2
6	13	1	2
7	13	1	3
8	14	1	3
9	14	1	3
10	15	2	4
11	15	2	4
12	16	2	4
13	16	2	5
14	17	2	5
15	17	2	5
16	18	2	6
17	18	2	6
18	19	2	6
19	19	2	7
20	20	3	7
21	20	3	7
22	21	3	8
23	21	3	8
24	22	3	8
25	22	3	9
26	23	3	9
27	23	3	9
28	24	3	10
29	24	3	10
30	25	4	10

Spending Karma

You may spend one or possibly more Karma points per round to influence your character's fate, but only in critical situations. Karma only shows itself when something or someone important is at stake, and never under trivial or harmless circumstances. Although you may eventually spend multiple Karma points per round, you may only spend a single point on a certain task. You cannot "double up" spent Karma points to gain a higher bonus.

Whenever you spend a Karma point, you add your character's Charisma value to the Karma bonus. Karma favors those of strong personality, and those who have trust in fate and their own abilities.

You may spend Karma points on the following options:

• Abilities: You gain the isted bonus as a karma bonus to one of your ability values for one ound.
• Skills: You gain the listed onus as a karma bonus to your next check made with a specific kill.
• Flop: You ignore the onsequences of a flop you just rolled on a skill check.
• Feats: You gain an additional se of a limited feat ability.
• Inspiration: You gain a spark f inspiration and may ask the Game Moderator for a general or ituationally specific advice.
• Wounds: You ignore all wound ffects (penalties, unconsciousness, dying condition, ...) for one inute.
• Recovery: You cut the base ecovery time in half which you need to recover from one specific ound. You may only spend one Karma point per wound.

The Game Moderator is encouraged to introduce additional uses for Karma, but all those should require a dangerous or important situation to occur. Also, if a character wants to do something heroic that would normally be impossible under the regular rules set, perhaps spending one or more Karma points allows him to attempt it anyways.

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