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 also increases your chance to hit with melee weapons by increasing your Melee skill. 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. Some other actions and tools like crowbar also require varying amounts of strength.
High strength score is important for melee fighters and characters who use the heaviest of armors and heavy weaponry.
Strength directly affects the following skills:
Other effects:
- Carry capacity
- Melee bonus damage
- Requirement for heavy weapons (rifles, sledgehammers)
- Requirement for heavy armor (metal 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. Each point of dexterity above 5 decreases AP cost of light weapons by 4% (additive). In the Alpha versions, no items require a set score of dexterity to be used.
High dexterity score is important for thief characters and characters who intend to use light weapons.
Dexterity directly affects the following skills:
Other effects:
- Melee critical chance
- Initiative
- AP cost of light weapons (unarmed, fist weapons, knives, pistols, SMGs)
Agility
Agility in Underrail determines how effectively your character can move and how much you can move. Each point of agility above 5 increases your character's maximum movement points in combat by 3, 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.
High agility score is important for characters who rely on high mobility, attack avoidance and stealth as their defense.
Agility directly affects the following skills:
Other effects:
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. Health per level gains from constitution work retroactively.[2] There is no explicit information whether constitution reduces the effects of bleeding in the game.
High constitution score is important for characters who rely on the armor suit and damage absorption as their defense.
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. 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 your ranged weapon skills, which in turn increases your chance to hit with ranged weapons. Melee weapon hit rate is unchanged but increased with melee skill (through strength).
High perception score is important for characters who wish to use ranged weapons effectively.
Perception directly affects the following skills:
Other effects:
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.
High will score is important for psionic characters.
Will directly affects the following skills:
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.
High intelligence score is important for crafters.
Intelligence directly affects the following skills:
Other effects:
- Dialogue options