S.P.E.C.I.A.L. is an acronym referring to the 7 attributes that all creatures of the fallout universe posses. In Fallout: New Vegas, you allocate your attributes using a contraption called the Vit-O-Matic Vigor Tester as part of the opening quest Ain't that a Kick in the Head. You can look at each attribute in turn and there is a total of 33 points to spend on the 7 attributes, with the 1st point of each being free. There will be another chance to change your attribute allocation when you leave the Goodsprings area for the first time. Attribute rankings are from 1 (Abysmal) up to 10 (Almost god-like) with 5 being roughly average. Each level has a quirky name given to it in order to give you a rough idea of what that level of attribute signifies.
Strength will tell you how easily a cowboy totes his saddle and those bigger firearms, or how much help he's gonna be for ya in a saloon brawl.
Strength affects the skill of Melee Weapons and adds to your Unarmed damage. It is also the skill for how much salvage you can carry on your prospecting runs. If you plan on packing a lot of gear and don't want to make too many trips just to sell and offload stuff then this is an extremely valuable attribute to have. Remember that in Hardcore mode, ammo has weight, so keep that in your mind when planning your character out.
Strength levels
Strength
Carry Weight(lbs)
Unarmed Damage
Skill Modifiers(%)
1
Wet Noodle
160
0.5
Melee Weapons +2
2
Beached Jellyfish
170
1
Melee Weapons +4
3
Doughy Baby
180
1.5
Melee Weapons +6
4
Lightweight
190
2
Melee Weapons +8
5
Average Joe
200
2.5
Melee Weapons +10
6
Barrel Chested
210
3
Melee Weapons +12
7
Beach Bully
220
3.5
Melee Weapons +14
8
Circus Strongman
230
4
Melee Weapons +16
9
Doomsday Pecs
240
4.5
Melee Weapons +18
10
Hercules' Bigger Cousin
250
5
Melee Weapons +20
Perks related to strength
Name
Req Str
Req Level
Heave, Ho!
5
2
Stonewall
6
8
Strong Back
5
8
Super Slam
6
8
Unstoppable Force
7
12
Weapon handling
< 10
16
Strength Implant
< 10
N/A
Perception
A perceptive cowboy always knows when there's a lit stick of dynamite nearby... or when a varmint's sneakin' up on him.
Perception affects the skills of Energy Weapons, Explosives and Lockpick. It also controls when you see entity markers on your compass, and adds accuracy to all of your attacks. If you want to notice sooner if someone is nearby, and don't want to be ambushed a lot, then this is an extremely valuable attribute to have.
Perception levels
Perception
Skill Modifiers(%)
1
Deaf Bat
Energy Weapons/Explosives/Lockpick +2
2
Senile Mole
Energy Weapons/Explosives/Lockpick +4
3
Squinting Newt
Energy Weapons/Explosives/Lockpick +6
4
Unsuspecting Trout
Energy Weapons/Explosives/Lockpick +8
5
Wary Trout
Energy Weapons/Explosives/Lockpick +10
6
Alert Coyote
Energy Weapons/Explosives/Lockpick +12
7
Big-eyed Tiger
Energy Weapons/Explosives/Lockpick +14
8
Monocled Falcon
Energy Weapons/Explosives/Lockpick +16
9
Sniper Hawk
Energy Weapons/Explosives/Lockpick +18
10
Eagle with Telescope
Energy Weapons/Explosives/Lockpick +20
Perks related to Perception
Name
Req Per
Req Level
Four Eyes (Trait)
< 10
Char Gen
Friend of the night
6
2
Sniper
6
12
Light Step
6
14
Better Criticals
6
16
Infiltrator
7
18
Perception Implant
< 10
N/A
Endurance
You can't keep a good cowboy down, not if he's the endurin' type... and not if he's got a six-shooter the size of all tarnation.
Endurance affects the skills Survival and Unarmed. It is also the attribute that assigns your health points. If you are going to be a hand to hand expert you will consider this an extremely important attribute to have. If however you want to focus more on killing things from afar or social skills, then you can skimp on this attribute some. There is a hidden attribute of fatigue that is also governed by your endurance. Some weapons and poisons inflict fatigue damage instead of lethal, and if you are fatigued enough you will fall unconscious. A higher endurance affects how long you can get hit before you fall down.
Endurance levels
Endurance
Initial Health
Skill Modifiers(%)
1
Basically Dead
120
Survival/Unarmed +2
2
Crumbly
140
Survival/Unarmed +4
3
Do Not Bend
160
Survival/Unarmed +6
4
Handle With Care
180
Survival/Unarmed +8
5
Stain-resistant
200
Survival/Unarmed +10
6
Hardy
220
Survival/Unarmed +12
7
Tough-as-nails
240
Survival/Unarmed +14
8
Flame Retardant
260
Survival/Unarmed +16
9
Bulletproof
280
Survival/Unarmed +18
10
Unstoppable
300
Survival/Unarmed +20
Perks related to Endurance
Name
Req End
Req Level
Lead Belly
5
6
Rad Resistance
5
8
Stonewall
6
8
Strong Back
5
8
Life Giver
6
12
Long Haul
6
12
Solar Powered
7
20
Rad Absorption
7
28
Endurance Implant
< 10
N/A
Charisma
You'll find there are some smooth-talkin' cowboys out there that got themselves a voice sounds like an angel's harmonica.
Charisma affects the skills Barter and Speech. It also affects how others react to you in conversation. If you want to be a smooth talker and try to avoid combat through conversation, then this skill will be extremely important to have. It also provides a percentage bonus to the armor and damage of your companions.
Charisma levels
Charisma
Companion Modifier(%)
Skill Modifiers(%)
1
Misanthrope
5
Barter/Speech +2
2
Old Hermit
10
Barter/Speech +4
3
Creepy Undertaker
15
Barter/Speech +6
4
Peevish Librarian
20
Barter/Speech +8
5
Substitute Teacher
25
Barter/Speech +10
6
Cheery Salesman
30
Barter/Speech +12
7
Diplomat
35
Barter/Speech +14
8
Movie Star
40
Barter/Speech +16
9
Casanova
45
Barter/Speech +18
10
Cult Leader
50
Barter/Speech +20
Perks related to Charisma
Name
Req Cha
Req Level
Ferocious Loyalty
6
6
Animal Friend
6
10
Charisma Implant
< 10
N/A
Intelligence
A smart cowboy is good at most anything, from suckin' the poison out of your rattler bite to fixin' your broken wagon axle.
Intelligence affects the skills of Medicine, Repair and Science. It also affects the amount of skill points you receive at each level, with the .5 of odd intelligence scores holding over until the next level. This can be an extremely important skill for a number of reasons: keeping yourself healed, keeping your equipment in good condition and being able to hack computers or do other science related challenges easier. The drawbacks of an extremely low intelligence score is that your character will barely be able to converse in monosyllabic grunts. This can make some quests very difficult if not downright impossible.
Intelligence levels
Intelligence
Skill Points
Skill Modifiers(%)
1
Sub-Brick
10.5
Medicine/Repair/Science +2
2
Vegetable
11
Medicine/Repair/Science +4
3
Cretin
11.5
Medicine/Repair/Science +6
4
Knucklehead
12
Medicine/Repair/Science +8
5
Knowledgeable
12.5
Medicine/Repair/Science +10
6
Gifted
13
Medicine/Repair/Science +12
7
Smartypants
13.5
Medicine/Repair/Science +14
8
Know-it-all
14
Medicine/Repair/Science +16
9
Genius
14.5
Medicine/Repair/Science +18
10
Omniscient
15
Medicine/Repair/Science +20
Perks related to Intelligence
Name
Req Int
Req Level
Retention
5
2
Swift Learner
4
2
Comprehension
4
4
Educated
4
4
Entomologist
4
4
Pack Rat
5
8
Nerd Rage!
5
10
Computer Whiz
7
18
Intelligence Implant
< 10
N/A
Agility
When a fella's in a gunfight and shoots the other guy six times before they can get off a shot, it's because that fella is agile.
Agility affects the skills of Guns and Sneak. It also affects how fast you run, draw/reload your weapon, how many action points you have and how fast they regenerate. There is no real way to measure your speed, however the higher agility the faster you will move. If you have a two-handed weapon out, it will slow you down as well, so if you are in a hurry holster it or carry a one-handed weapon. If you intend on using VATS a great deal, you will want a higher agility to reap higher action points. You will also want it for sneaking potential.
Agility levels
Agility
Action Points
Skill Modifiers(%)
1
Walking Disaster
68
Guns/Sneak +2
2
Accident Prone
71
Guns/Sneak +4
3
Oaf
74
Guns/Sneak +6
4
Butterfingers
77
Guns/Sneak +8
5
Under Control
80
Guns/Sneak +10
6
Catlike
83
Guns/Sneak +12
7
Knife Thrower
86
Guns/Sneak +14
8
Knife Catcher
89
Guns/Sneak +16
9
Acrobatic Marvel
92
Guns/Sneak +18
10
Walks on Water
95
Guns/Sneak +20
Perks related to Agility
Name
Req Agi
Req Level
Small Frame (Trait)
< 10
N/A
Rapid Reload
5
2
Quick Draw
5
8
Silent Running
6
12
Sniper
6
12
Light Step
6
14
Action Boy/Girl
6
16
Slayer
7
24
Nerves of Steel
7
26
Agility Implant
< 10
N/A
Luck
Some folks claim not to believe in luck, but when they lose in a duel you'll hear them say "That lucky son-of-a-gun!".
Luck is a very difficult attribute to completely quantify. It affects all skills to a lesser degree than the other attributes. Your critical chance is improved with a higher luck score, enemies may have more mishaps and if you are gambling, you will find that the cards/wheel/slots seem to fall in your favor more often. If you are something of a generalist, want a broader range of more equal skills and want to clean house at gambling with a minimal amount of actual skill, then luck will be your favored attribute.