Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic/Attributes

'''The attributes of your character apply bonuses or penalties to everything from combat to skill checks to ../Force powers/. Check each attribute to see what aspects of gameplay it can affect.'''

At character generation each of the six physical attributes is at 8, with 30 points to invest in them. Any attribute can be increased to a maximum of 18 at this time, but beyond 14 there are increased point costs:

Characters are granted an additional attribute point every fourth level, at levels 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20, so at maximum level 20 an additional 5 attribute points have been granted. If Recommended is selected during or Auto Level Up (which is not recommended), then how these points are invested depends on character class:

These aren't subject to the increased point costs which apply at character generation, so any attribute can be increased to a maximum of 23 by investing points.

However, it isn't the attribute itself which is important but its modifier, which equals (attribute – 10) / 2, rounded down:

Consequently it's normally a waste if an attribute is an odd number after all points and bonuses from equipment, stimulants, ../Force powers/ and any light or dark side mastery is taken into account. However, these attributes bonuses are restricted to +20 maximum, which means main player characters can have maximum 43 (modifier +16) for any attribute without using cheats (although in practice, this can only be achieved with Strength, Dexterity or Constitution).

Strength
'''Strength measures physical power. A high strength adds modifiers to melee damage and chance to hit, which is important for characters that use close-combat weapons (vibroblades, lightsabers).'''

Strength modifier (STR) adds to the following:


 * with melee weapons and lightsabers
 * with melee weapons
 * Attack with lightsabers when greater than or equal to modifier
 * Difficulty Class

Strength is the primary attribute of melee attackers and offensive lightsaber users, particularly those using Critical Strike; pure ranged attackers and ../Force/ users have little or no use for it, so it can even be left at 8 upon character generation.

Strength bonuses are granted by the following:

Maximum Strength: +24 for an armored Jedi Guardian main character with light side mastery, or +22 for a dark Jedi: in both cases, this would be restricted to +20 (STR +10).

Dexterity
'''Dexterity measures agility and reflexes. A high Dexterity adds modifiers to ranged attack rolls (blasters, grenades) and increases a character's Defense rating, making them harder to hit.'''

Dexterity modifier (DEX) adds to the following:


 * with ranged weapons (blaster pistols, blaster rifles and heavy weapons)
 * Attack with lightsabers when greater than modifier
 * Reflex save
 * bonus
 * bonus

Dexterity is the primary attribute of ranged attackers and defensive lightsaber users, and can be a secondary attribute for ../Force/ users, as well as more defensive melee characters.

restricts the DEX bonus added to Defense:

mod is restricted to maximum Defense bonus 10 and the sum of Armor and Max Dexterity Bonus is always 9, so maximum Defense bonus 19 can be granted with any armor (although the ../Force powers/ required to maximize feats and effects are restricted by armor, so they'd need to be used before equipping it and engaging in combat).

../Robes/ don't actually have Max Dexterity Bonus, so if feats and effects are maximized then equal or higher Defense is possible with 28 Dexterity (DEX +9) or more; if restricted Force powers aren't used beforehand, then this is possible with 20 Dexterity (DEX +5), or less (since maximum Defense bonus granted with armor is otherwise just 15).

Dexterity bonuses are granted by the following:

Maximum Dexterity: +28 for an armored Jedi using a lightsaber, although this would be restricted to +20 (DEX +10) with Max Dexterity Bonus: +(0-5) added to Defense while armored.

Constitution
'''Constitution represents health and resiliency. A high Constitution adds modifiers to the vitality points gained at each level up. This is important for everyone, but essential for soldiers and Jedi guardians.'''

Constitution modifier (CON) adds to the following:


 * points per level
 * Fortitude save

More than 14 Constitution at character generation or investing more points later is rarely (if ever) recommended, although neither is leaving it at 8 (unless you're an experienced player).

Constitution bonuses are granted by the following:

Maximum Constitution: +21 for an armored Jedi Sentinel main character with light side mastery, although this would be restricted to +20 (CON +10).

Intelligence
'''Intelligence represents knowledge and reasoning. A high intelligence adds modifiers to the number of points a character has to spend on essential skills.'''

Intelligence modifier (INT) adds to the following:


 * Skill points granted at character generation
 * Skill points granted per level up
 * , and  bonus
 * Difficulty Class

It's recommended to only invest points in Intelligence at character generation to maximize skill points available at that time, and upon :

Characters are always granted at least four skill points at character generation, and one per level up:

Since skill use isn't necessary to complete the game and all but can normally be delegated to your party anyway, leaving Intelligence at 8 is perfectly feasible (although 10 grants a Scout or Scoundrel four more skill points at character generation, and a Scout, Scoundrel or Jedi Sentinel one more per level up), and more than 14 is rarely (if ever) recommended.

Intelligence bonuses are only granted by the following:

Maximum Intelligence: +6 (INT +3), to be added to point investment.

Wisdom
'''Wisdom represents willpower and perception. A high Wisdom adds modifiers to Jedi Force Points and Force Power saving throws. The Force Powers of a Jedi with high Wisdom are also much harder to resist.'''

Wisdom modifier (WIS) adds to the following:


 * Force power Difficulty Class
 * Force Points per level
 * Will save
 * , and  bonus

Wisdom is the primary attribute of ../Force/ users, particularly if neutral or dark side, otherwise it isn't worth significant investment since there are other sources (or substitutes) for Will and skill bonuses.

Wisdom bonuses are only granted by the following:

Maximum Wisdom: +15 (WIS +(7-8), depending on point investment) for a light side Jedi, to be added to point investment.

Charisma
'''Charisma represents personality and the ability to lead. A high Charisma adds modifiers to Force-related feats and powers that are very important to all the Jedi classes. It is also central to any persuasive talker.'''

Charisma modifier (CHA) adds to the following:


 * Force power Difficulty Class
 * Force Points per level
 * bonus

Charisma is a secondary attribute for ../Force/ users. Otherwise, only a main character should invest points to be persuasive: once Persuade is a class skill after starting as a or becoming a, if maximum skill points are invested (character level + 3) then 16 Charisma (CHA +3) is the maximum ever required for 100% success of all easy, medium and hard Persuade checks (although that can be reduced by 2 for every  feat, and reduced to 12 (level < 4) or 10 (levels 4-7) for a Scoundrel on Taris or even left at 8 for a character level > 7 Scoundrel or Jedi if 75% success of hard checks is acceptable).

Charisma bonuses are only granted by the following:

Maximum Charisma: +8 (CHA +4) for a Jedi Consular main character with light side mastery, to be added to point investment.