Strength (STR): The legendary STR, supposedly a must-have for traveling, staying at home, and killing people to steal their stuff. If your STR is too low, staying at home won't be a problem, but you might not be able to manage your luggage when traveling. Killing someone might take a bit of effort, but stealing their stuff? What a joke! You couldn't even steal anything...
1 (-5): Human strength bottoms out at 3. There's a reason for that: if you don't even have the strength to breathe or make your heart beat...
2–3 (-4): Noodle arms~~ noodle legs~~ You can barely scrape by with enough strength for normal life. Basically, you can only move yourself around. Carrying anything? Pretty much impossible...
4–5 (-3): If someone punched you in the face with all their strength, you'd absolutely—feel great. Just like getting a massage~~~~
6–7 (-2): This is usually what people mean by "weak as a kitten." They can't tie up a chicken for a simple reason: the chicken is stronger than they are!
8–9 (-1): Be proud! At least you're not the worst! And... you're only a tiny bit weaker than most people. So even when you say, "Usually, I'm just a little stronger than him..." not many people will laugh at you.
10–11 (0): Average. At this level, there's no problem with picking on the weak and fearing the strong—as long as you've got a good eye for who's who.
12–13 (+1): People who exercise regularly can reach this level. You can do fifty push-ups in a row without much trouble. You might brag about your strength now and then. The result is usually satisfying: anyone weaker won't dare say a word, and anyone stronger won't bother putting you down...
14–15 (+2): You can flex your muscles as easily as you breathe. You can do push-ups, clap your hands in front of your chest, clap them behind your back, and some people can even clap between their legs... Others reach this level because one part of their body is particularly muscular. For example, they can lift a bucket with their eyelids, or... crush a mosquito between their wrinkles...
16–17 (+3): Probably... like Arnold Schwarzenegger, or... some Olympic athletes. You'll only run into opponents who can match them in certain places or under particular circumstances. The rest of the time, everyone around them is—useless...
18–19 (+4): "The Master does not speak of prodigies, force, disorder, or spirits." With strength like this, you can grab a god and beat it senseless with your monstrous strength—though only a minor god—just as Heracles once did. I mean the Heracles of modern legend, not B Uncle, who was obviously powered up.
Constitution (CON): A person's CON is a key measure of their health and ability to withstand disasters and disease. It's closely tied to the immune system. Since people who exercise regularly tend to be pretty healthy, some think CON is connected to STR. But that's not always true. Nobody said that being strong meant you couldn't get sick! And plenty of astonishingly weak people live to a hundred...
1 (-5): Human constitution bottoms out at 3. Any human below that... dies!
2–3 (-4): The sort of person who could break a rib just by sneezing! Buy insurance, then list the author as your beneficiary. Every day you're alive is a gift from heaven—you could kick the bucket at any moment, and no one would be surprised.
4–5 (-3): Someone who spends twenty-two hours a day in bed... Of course, they can still exercise... but... this is basically a serious chronic illness, like anemia or something.
6–7 (-2): Sister Daiyu, are you all right? Stop crying, or you'll make yourself ill...
8–9 (-1): ...You have to live very carefully. Even a bad mood could make you sick. Get caught in the rain and fail to dry off right away? You'll catch a cold. Eat something unclean? You'll have an upset stomach half an hour later. A regular at the health clinic...
10–11 (0): Just get on with your life. If healthcare reform goes smoothly, you can live with a little more peace of mind. Otherwise, you'd better save up a little money to deal with the occasional minor illness or mishap... and the chance of a serious illness... Still, disease should be a rare occurrence for you. Donating blood now and then shouldn't be a problem... It's probably best to build up some good karma...
12–13 (+1): You've basically never taken medicine... That's not to say you never get sick, but you can usually tough it out. And you haven't practiced any special arts or anything. You're also pretty thick-skinned and sturdy; ordinary bumps and scrapes don't faze you. When something happens, you tend to solve it physically—not because you're especially strong, but simply because—you don't feel pain!
14–15 (+2): You've basically never been sick... You can smash a stone on your chest without coughing up blood afterward... and even if you do cough up blood, you can lose a lot without dying.
16–17 (+3): You're said to be immune to all poisons... And... you've got the vitality of a cockroach—the kind of person who can lose half their blood and still be fine, and who can get beaten to a pulp again and again, only to keep standing back up! Charge bravely ahead, Saint of the Goddess!
18–19 (+4): If you don't count his ankle... Achilles would be at this level. If you don't count his shoulder blades... Siegfried would be this type. Generally speaking, someone with this level of constitution can still be full of energy after enduring the Ten Great Tortures of the Qing Dynasty. It seems only natural disasters can kill them; they could live for ten thousand years. But in reality... people like this usually don't live very long... Even with more lives than a cat, someone born to be a meat shield can't have enough lives! And... a meat shield meant to block heavenly tribulations, no less...
Dexterity (DEX): Dexterity and nimbleness. In practice, this means hand-eye coordination. People with low scores in this attribute tend to be extremely clumsy and have poor balance. But... concentrating can make up for a lack of dexterity quite well. Note that dexterity and agility are different concepts; the latter means speed of movement. A dexterous person can still run very fast—they just usually don't, because it's risky. So people with low DEX generally move their feet slowly and cautiously.
1 (-5): Human dexterity bottoms out at 3. Below that, you probably wouldn't even be able to crawl out of your mother's womb properly!
2–3 (-4): This is generally the aftereffect of some kind of illness—say, a concussion—or a physical disability. Moving nimbly... is basically impossible... Another possibility is that you're an infant who can't even control your own body...
4–5 (-3): The legendary "cursed person." Disaster follows wherever you go. You're still alive so far, but you've probably already cost many people their lives trying to rescue you...
6–7 (-2): You trip on flat ground, inexplicably bump into things, and drop whatever you're holding. The captain in Full Metal Panic! belongs to this type...
8–9 (-1): This is what people call "the occasional slip-up." When they break something, they can coolly explain, "My hand slipped!" Nobody can tell whether their hand really slipped or whether they smashed the thing on purpose for a laugh!
10–11 (0): Average. There's not much to say. If none of the other descriptions fit you, this is probably what you're like...
12–13 (+1): You can catch a fly with your bare hands... if you don't mind getting dirty. But you might not get your grip quite right and crush the disgusting thing in your hand!
14–15 (+2): You can catch a fly with chopsticks, and tell which side a spinning coin will land on at the instant it falls. Human reflexes are more than good enough at this point...
16–17 (+3): Excellent reflexes, like the famous Spider-Man. You can leap from building to building. Don't think only cartoon characters can reach this level; lots of people can, such as acrobats and gymnasts. Their DEX is about this high...
18–19 (+4): Unmatched athletic ability. One famous example is the male lead in The Matrix. That's what it looks like when he dodges bullets! Smith is a little worse than him, but still pretty close...
Intelligence (INT): Hahahahaha, this is the attribute most people love best. It measures your ability to learn, understand, and remember. Don't confuse it with WIS later on...
1 (-5): Human intelligence must be at least 3. In fact, even social animals like ants might not have an INT of 1. Anyone with an INT below 3... I won't say more...
2–3 (-4): At this level of intelligence, it's basically hard to even speak. Don't bother considering it!
4–5 (-3): Someone with this level of intelligence probably couldn't understand this article, so don't waste your time explaining it to them!
6–7 (-2): Don't underestimate someone at this level. If their other attributes are impressive, you'll never beat them. Because... they don't know... when to give up!
8–9 (-1): Hello! You try hard, but you just can't learn anything. The knowledge you study flows right out of your head, untouched. Sometimes you might wonder if you're forgetful...
10–11 (0): The ordinary working masses. Under China's bizarre education system, they can get decent grades if they work hard. But the moment they slack off, it shows in their scores.
12–13 (+1): You can use a little cleverness to solve problems others struggle with, but it takes a lot out of you. The phrase you say most often is, "Break time! Let's take a break!"
14–15 (+2): Hahahahaha, this level is pretty sweet. You can easily get results that others have to work hard for... then get beaten up by your furious classmates... T_T
16–17 (+3): A genius... Their IQ... can be described as very high, but they're not all that rare. The Nobel Prize is... well... it's awarded every year, after all. There's also the Turing Award and the like...
18–19 (+4): These people have changed the lives of all humanity with their intelligence. For them, this attribute is less an ability than an honor bestowed upon everything they've done! For example, Newton, Einstein, and so on... Meow...
Wisdom (WIS): This is sometimes translated as "wisdom," and sometimes as "insight." But this kind of wisdom means the ability to tell right from wrong and make sound judgments. In plain terms, it's sharp insight. It's completely different from INT above and has meowthing to do with IQ, so "perception" is the better translation... Everyone with low WIS shares one trait: they aren't stupid, but they seem muddled. People with high WIS are cautious, attentive, and careful, and don't make many serious mistakes.
1 (-5): Human WIS bottoms out at 3. Anyone below 3 would miss the right time to be born and arrive prematurely as a stillborn...
2–3 (-4): Lost souls, you could say you're happy... because you can't even notice how miserable you are... This is what people mean when they say, "God watches over lost lambs!" You're so confused that no one but God can protect you...
4–5 (-3): If you do any of the following: go into the wrong bathroom, get lost all the time, fail to find things right in front of you, can't find your room in a building, often say stupid things, or get fooled by obvious lies, then you belong here if these things happen often...
6–7 (-2): The above things happen to you occasionally. But really, you're worse off than the people just described, because truly unfortunate people have gotten used to the inconveniences caused by their extremely low WIS. People at this level, on the other hand, haven't realized what's going on. And their moments of confusion tend to happen suddenly, at critical times... Sob...
8–9 (-1): You look like a normal person on the surface—except during exams, when you realize how careless you are!
10–11 (0): Normal, absolutely normal. But remember one principle: most people's scores fluctuate within plus or minus two. Of course, if you happen to become exceptionally sharp at certain times, congratulations. But if one day you get muddled too... are you... prepared?
12–13 (+1): You're better at finding things. If you put something somewhere yourself, you can definitely find it... "Mom! My things may be a mess, but I can still find them. After you tidy up, I can't find anything!"
14–15 (+2): You notice details others miss and can use them to deduce things they don't know. People like this are always the first to realize something's wrong in supernatural or horror movies... and the first to die...
16–17 (+3): "There's only one truth!" "You're the murderer!" "Hmph! What a stupid trap!" "..."
18–19 (+4): Nothing happening around you escapes your notice, and you can perceive every connection in the world. But... is that really a good thing? When you're too sensitive, you start noticing things humans were never meant to notice—like the meaning of the universe and the meaning of humanity. With insight this sharp, you might notice the existence of the gods... or end up in a psychiatric hospital!
Charisma (CHA): The legendary CHA. It takes more than a pretty face. This attribute mainly measures your ability to influence others through your will. Put another way, it could be called presence—or, well, personal magnetism.
Also... To those who claim their CHA is as high as 18, please take a good measure of yourselves. You might want to listen to the story below...
When Napoleon returned from the island of Elba, the restored Bourbon monarchy sent an army to meet him. Napoleon brought no one with him. He walked up to them alone, waved, and said, "I'm back..." The soldiers... "Welcome, Your Majesty!"... and switched sides just like that... Of course, it's hard not to suspect this fellow had an inhuman CHA of 25+. Still, it should give everyone a chance to compare their own charisma. Don't feel too inferior...
1 (-5): Human CHA bottoms out at 3. Anyone below 3... would be strangled by the midwife at birth... or thrown away as a stillborn...
2–3 (-4): Your opinions can absolutely sway others, but never in the direction you want. Even when you're obviously right, other people will do something absurd... Another possibility is that you'll be ignored forever, and even classmates you've known for three years won't know your name. Oh, don't lose heart. Maybe your looks aren't that bad, either. I know of at least one beautiful woman with very low CHA. Her name is Cassandra...
4–5 (-3): Through unremitting effort, you can influence one important person in your life. As for everyone else... give up. But at least you can influence one person, can't you? If you've been abandoned, there's still a chance you'll find a partner. Otherwise, the only person of the opposite sex who loves you might be your dad (or mom). Of course, you're not alone in this world. The bell-ringer at Notre-Dame and the beast in the castle in the forest are in the same league as you—though the latter is only temporarily cursed...
6–7 (-2): If you walk down the street, a dog by the roadside might charge over and bite you... But if you stand still, it might pee on your pant leg instead. Still, humans are fairly reasonable. Even if every suggestion you make annoys them or gets ignored, at least your life won't be in danger. Of course, if you stubbornly refuse to learn, be ready to get beaten up...
8–9 (-1): Even the most obviously correct advice will be met with scrutiny and obstacles before it might be accepted. Everyone thinks they can persuade you with ease, but at least they'll persuade you instead of ignoring you outright. If you want to apply for funding, you'd better ask a friend to do it rather than show up in person. Otherwise, you'll be in for a miserable time...
10–11 (0): When what you say makes sense, people will accept it. If you're wrong, they'll argue back. Of course, they decide what counts as right or wrong. As an ordinary person, if your opinion really isn't accepted, you might try persuading them physically. Otherwise, there's no point in arguing...
12–13 (+1): Obviously absurd ideas won't be accepted, but under normal circumstances, you're pretty persuasive—at least you're good at haggling and can keep the vendors from making too much money off you. You can also chase away beggars with a semblance of grace without being called cruel. Still, don't overdo it. Your charisma isn't enough to sway the justice system...
14–15 (+2): You can easily puff up your chest and put on a show, but you're still just a little short of projecting a king's aura... Even so, your friends are quite likely to accept your opinions. And when a group gets together, people tend to pick you to make the decisions... Lawyers are generally at this level, but the problem is, so are their opponents...
16–17 (+3): Your influence extends beyond your companions, and even your enemies tend to agree with your views. Your every move, even when you're not thinking about it, affects and draws in others. You don't really have to fear death—as long as you don't die horribly disfigured. I mean, if you die suddenly in a clean and dignified way, there's a good chance a graceful, beautiful noblewoman will choose you... May God spare you from fainting at the sight of blood...
18–19 (+4): When Lin Mingmei sings "We Will Win" while a space fortress charges toward the Zentradi and the cosmos is ablaze with war, you'll understand what high CHA means. The Zentradi fleet, vast as a swarm of locusts, completely loses its ability to resist. Of course, in the Japanese version, she sings "Do You Remember Love?" But that doesn't matter. If you're not a woman, there's another example you can consider: Adolf Hitler. He was LE, but his CHA was undeniably impressive. In other words, someone with this kind of CHA can cause—or prevent—a disaster brought about by intelligent beings. Your only mistake was being born in the wrong era. Otherwise, you could easily gather a bunch of followers and become king...