@
5ekyu
Heh, when I think of your system as ‘nine’, it seems alien. But when I think of your system as ‘three’ it is actually similar to mine.
You have the three: Brawn, Brains and Social.
This is quite similar to mine.
Social ≈ Empathy
Brains ≈ Perceptiveness
Brawn ≈ Athletics + Toughness
Interestingly, I have looked at the Cypher system (by Monte Cook and Bruce Cordell), but havent played it. It has:
Might ≈ D&D Strength + Constitution + Size
Speed ≈ D&D Dexterity
Intellect ≈ D&D Intelligence + Wisdom + Charisma
These three Cypher stats probably balance well enough. My main objection is D&D Dexterity is narratively awkward, and needs rethinking. But in any case, the physical stats split between something like agility versus endurance.
All of the mental stats lump into a single stat, and feels too simplified for my taste.
By contrast, your system (and apparently the Vampire system) lumps all of the physical stats into a single ‘Brawn’. But the mental stats split between Brains and Social. So for my tastes, the mental duo feels right, but the physical mono feels too simple.
I feel the optimal partition is two physical and two mental. Hence.
Physical
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Athletics ≈ Speed
•
Toughness ≈ Might
Mental
•
Perceptiveness ≈ Brains
•
Empathy ≈ Social
Note, my four stats corresponds exactly to the traditional D&D saves.
•
Athletics ≈ Relfex
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Toughness ≈ Fortitude
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Perceptiveness ≈ Perception
•
Empathy ≈ Will
So this same foursome is a deep archetypal divide that inherently shows up within D&D too.