Base Abilities

The base abilities in Underrail serve as the base for your character and consist of seven attributes: Strength, Dexterity, Agility, Constitution, Perception, Will and Intelligence. Certain functions, items and actions require a minimum score of a certain base ability to be used or performed, while some items, such as foods, temporarily boost them. Some feats also require a minimum score of a certain base ability (and skill level) to be picked and used. Each base ability is set to a default of 5 and has a maximum of 10 during character creation

You gain a base ability point every 4 levels. Theoretical maximum base ability score is 20, although not reachable with the current level cap.

Base abilities directly boost related skills by a certain number. An ability score of 4 is the breakpoint where related skills receive no bonus nor penalty from the ability score.[1]
Every point in base ability above 4 increases the effective value of dependent skills by 10%, while every point below 4 decreases it by 8.5%.

Strength

Strength in Underrail determines how much damage you can deal in unarmed combat and with melee weapons. Strength is also a requirement to use heavier types of weapons and armor. This includes metal armor (8), sledgehammers (8), assault rifles (7) and sniper rifles (5). You can use heavy equipment without meeting its strength requirements, but too heavy weapons will suffer reduced precision and wearing too heavy armors reduces your action points.

“Strength measures your character's muscle power. It is important for characters who intend to engage in melee combat often or use heavy weapons. ”

—The in-game description

NOTE: The description says you need strength to equip heavy weapons, but it is a requirement for heavy armor as well.

Strength directly affects the following skills:

• Melee

Other effects:

• Melee bonus damage
• Requirement for heavy weapons (rifles, sledgehammers)
• Requirement for heavy armor

Dexterity

Dexterity in Underrail determines how effectively your character can perform dexterous actions such as throwing items (examples: grenades and flashbangs), pick locks, pick pockets (or plant items into the pockets) of NPCs and set up traps. In the Alpha versions, no items require a set score of dexterity to be used.

“Dexterity measures your character's reflexes, hand-eye coordination and finger nimbleness. It affects many things, such as operating lock handling, thievery and throwing.
It also increases critical strike chance of melee attacks. ”

—The in-game description

Dexterity directly affects the following skills:

• Throwing
• Lockpicking
• Pickpocketing
• Traps

Other effects:

• Melee critical chance

Agility

Agility in Underrail determines how effectively your character can move and how much you can move. Agility increases your character maximum movement points in combat as well as dodge and evasion chance in combat. Agility also affects your stealth performance by increasing your stealth skill. In the Alpha versions, no items require a set score of agility to be used.

“Agility represents your character's reflexes, fleet-footedness, jumping ability, as well as affinity towards other athletic and acrobatic activities. Among other things it affects dodge, evasion and movement points. It also allows the character to move more quietly, increasing the stealth performance. ”

—The in-game description

NOTE: In the description, it says Agility affects your ability to jump while jumping is in fact impossible in the game.

Agility directly affects the following skills:

• Dodge
• Evasion
• Stealth

Other effects:

• Movement points

Constitution

Constitution in Underrail determines your overall health and how effectively your character can resist various kinds of poisons and the effects of diseases. Constitution does not affect nor boost any of your skills but increases your max health and health per level. There is no explicit information whether constitution reduces the effects of bleeding in the game.

“Constitution represents the health and general stamina of your character. It is important for all types of characters, but especially for those who plan on making the armor suit their main defense. It also helps prevent or lessen the effects of poisons and diseases. ”

—The in-game description

NOTE: In the description it says that constitution is important for characters that "plan on making the armor suit their main defense". Other forms of defense currently include high mobility, the defensive skills Dodge, Evasion, Stealth and also Shields in upcoming versions.

No skills are directly related to Constitution.

Other effects:

• Max health
• Health gained per level
• Fortitude

Perception

Perception in Underrail determines your character's overall awareness and effectiveness with ranged weapons such as pistols, rifles, and crossbows. It also affects your character's chance to detect hidden passages, objects or stealthed creatures and NPCs. It does not increase your vision or visible range. Perception does not seem to directly affect your chance to hit, but rather increases the skill of ranged weapons which in turn increases your chance to hit with only ranged weapons, melee weapon hit-rate is unchanged but increased with melee skill (through strength).

“Perception helps the character to use ranged weapons more effectively, as well as detect hidden objects, passages and creatures. ”

—The in-game description

Perception directly affects the following skills:

• Guns
• Crossbows

Other effects:

• Detection

Will

Will in Underrail determines your character's overall determination to certain actions, such as persuading or intimidating NPCs in conversation to make them choose your side of the argument. It also determines your effectiveness with psi abilities and modifies your max psi points. Various dialogue options require not only a high persuation or intimidation skill, but some require your character to have a minimum score of pure will in order to successfuly use the dialogue option.

“Will measures your character's mental determination to see to his action regardless of various mental difficulties, such as pain, suggestion and overwhelming odds, as well as to force his will onto others and the environment.
It heavily affects all psi disciplines, as well as determines the maximum psi. ”

—The in-game description

Will directly affects the following skills:

• Thought Control
• Psychokinesis
• Metathermics
• Persuasion
• Intimidation

Other effects:

• Resolve
• Dialogue options

Intelligence

Intelligence in Underrail determines your character's ability to concieve and understand complex concepts such as hacking computer terminals and electrical locks, as well as the ability to craft items from components of any kind. Intelligence also increases your barter skill, allowing you to buy and sell items for better prices. In the Alpha versions of the game, no items require intelligence in order to be used or equipped.

“Intelligence determines how well the character learns and reasons. It is important for a character that focuses on science as all disciplines are dependent on it. ”

—The in-game description

Intelligence directly affects the following skills:

• Hacking
• Mechanics
• Electronics
• Chemistry
• Biology
• Tailoring
• Mercantile

Other effects:

• Dialogue options