Notes

Charisma
Charisma represents your character’s confidence
and personality. It also determines how persuasive and
attractive your character is to others. It is the base for
interpersonal and performance skills. Characters with
high Charisma ratings are charming and magnetic,
while characters with low Charisma ratings are rude
and unattractive.
Charisma Rolls
Charisma is rolled whenever your character tries
to charm or ingratiate himself to someone else. It also
represents your character’s ability to befriend animals.
Influence
Dice Pool: Charisma x 2*
Type: Standard Action
Make a Charisma roll whenever your character tries
to influence a non-player character (NPC). The Difficulty
of the task is equal to the NPC’s Willpower rating.
Allies loyal to you are easier to sway, so you receive
a +2 bonus to your Charisma roll. Conversely, sworn
enemies are harder to influence, so you suffer a –2 penalty
to your Charisma roll.
The Gamemaster determines the NPC’s initial attitude
toward your character and each success rolled in
excess of their Willpower rating improves their attitude
by one step. Failing to roll enough successes degrades
the NPC’s opinion of your character by one step for
each success fewer than the required number.

Attitude
Loyal (+2 bonus)
Helpful
Friendly
Neutral
Unfriendly
Hostile
Enemy (–2 penalty)
* Characters with the Diplomacy Skill may substitute that Skill
rating for this roll.

Intelligence
Intelligence represents your character’s reason and
intellect. It determines how well your character senses
the world around him and how quickly he reacts to
danger. It is the base for all knowledge and craft skills.
Characters with high Intelligence ratings are clever
and observant, while characters with low Intelligence
ratings are dim-witted and inattentive.

Intelligence Rolls
Intelligence is rolled whenever your character tries
to recall a piece of information or commit something to
memory. It also determines how proficient your character
is at recognizing patterns and putting information
together.
Reason
Dice Pool: Intelligence x2*
Type: Reflexive Action
Make an Intelligence roll when your character tries
to make sense of a piece of information or understand
the reasons behind a series of events. The difficulty of
the roll depends on the complexity of the information
or situation. Failing this roll means that your character
is unable to figure it out, or only figures out part of
what is going on.

Reason Difficulty
Clear directions 1
Complex instructions 2
Bizarre situations 3
Esoteric information 4
Arcane mysteries 5
* Characters with the Investigation Skill may substitute that Skill
rating for this roll.

Willpower
Willpower represents your character’s courage and
resolve. It determines how hard it is for others to manipulate
your character. It also represents your character’s
will to live, and determines how much damage he can
take in combat. Characters with high Willpower ratings
are courageous and determined, while characters
with low Willpower ratings are craven and gullible.
Willpower Rolls
Willpower is rolled when someone tries to manipulate
your character or when her life is in danger. It also
represents her resistance to pain and torture.
Courage
Dice Pool: Willpower x 2
Type: Reflexive Action
Make a Willpower roll whenever your character is
in a life-threatening situation. The difficulty of the roll
depends on how threatening the situation is. Failing
this roll means that your character is shaken and will
try to remove herself from the situation as soon as possible.

Courage Difficulty
Facing danger 1
Being hurt or wounded 2
Being maimed or disfigured 3
Facing certain death 4
Facing a slow and agonizing death 5
Secondary Attributes
Size
Size represents your character’s height, weight, and
bulk. Unlike other Secondary Attributes, Size is not
calculated: it is set at zero for average human characters.
Larger and smaller Sizes are generally for children,
animals, and non-human characters.
Your character’s Size rating modifies his Defense,
Health, and maximum Body and Strength ratings. It is
also subtracted from his Stealth and attack rolls. Larger
characters are easier to hit, but they’re stronger and take
more damage to kill. Conversely, smaller characters are
harder to hit, but are weaker and take less damage to kill.
For example, a Size 1 character, being both bigger
and stronger than average, may have maximum Body
and Strength ratings of 6. He also receives a +1 bonus
to his Health rating. Unfortunately, his size makes him
a larger target and makes it more difficult for him to
hit smaller creatures. Therefore, he suffers a –1 penalty
to his attack and Defense rolls. See p. 123 for more
information on how Size affects combat.

Move
Move represents how fast your character moves during
combat and while walking or running.
Your character’s Move rating is calculated as follows:
Move = Strength + Dexterity*
* Characters with the Athletics Skill may substitute that Skill rating
for their Move rating.
Characters with high Move ratings are strong and
fast, while characters with low Move ratings are slow
and easily tired. A character’s Move rating is used to
calculate how fast he can walk, run, swim, climb, and
jump. See the chart below to convert Move ratings to
distance.

Perception
Perception represents your character’s ability to
notice and interpret her surroundings. It also represents
her ability to focus her attention and remain vigilant
over long periods of time. The more successes you
roll, the more observant your character will be. In some
cases, your roll will be opposed by another character’s
Stealth roll. Failing to roll enough successes means that
your character misses something or overlooks a vital
piece of information.
Perception = Intelligence + Willpower
Characters with high Perception ratings are insightful
and observant, while characters with low Perception
ratings are oblivious and unaware.

Size Attack/Defense Health Max. Body/Strength Height/Length Weight Example
8 –8 +8 14 50–100 ft. 50–100 tons Brontosaurus
4 –4 +4 10 25–50 ft. 10–50 tons T.
Rex
2 –2 +2 8 15–25 ft. 1–10 tons Mammoth
1 –1 +1 6 7–15 ft. 500 lbs.–1 ton Cave Bear
0 0 0 5 5–7 ft. 100–500 lbs. Human
–1 +1 –1 4 2–5 ft. 10–100 lbs. Dog
–2 +2 –2 3 1–2 ft. 1–10 lbs. Monkey
–4 +4 –4 1 6 in.–1 ft. ½–1 lb. Toad
–8 +8 –8 0 6 in. or less ½ lb. or less Insect

Move Combat (turn) Swimming (turn) Climbing (turn) Horizontal Jump* Vertical Jump* Walk (hour) Run (hour)
1 5 ft. 2.5 ft. 2.5 ft. 2.5 ft. 1 ft. ½ mile 1 mile
2 10 ft. 5 ft. 5 ft. 5 ft. 2 ft. 1 mile 2 miles
3 15 ft. 5 ft. 5 ft. 5 ft. 3 ft. 1.5 miles 3 miles
4 20 ft. 10 ft. 10 ft. 10 ft. 4 ft. 2 miles 4 miles
5 25 ft. 10 ft. 10 ft. 10 ft. 5 ft. 2.5 miles 5 miles
6 30 ft. 15 ft. 15 ft. 15 ft. 6 ft. 3 miles 6 miles
7 35 ft. 15 ft. 15 ft. 15 ft. 7 ft. 3.5 miles 7 miles
8 40 ft. 20 ft. 20 ft. 20 ft. 8 ft. 4 miles 8 miles
9 45 ft. 20 ft. 20 ft. 20 ft. 9 ft. 4.5 miles 9 miles
10 50 ft. 25 ft. 25 ft. 25 ft. 10 ft. 5 miles 10 miles
*If your character does not have a running start, his jumping distance is halved.

Initiative
Initiative represents how quickly your character
reacts to danger. It also determines when he acts during
a combat round. The more successes you roll for Initiative,
the earlier your character acts during combat.
Your character’s Initiative rating is calculated as
follows:
Initiative = Dexterity + Intelligence
Characters with high Initiative ratings are quick
and vigilant; characters with low Initiative ratings are
slow and often surprised.
Defense
Defense represents your character’s toughness and
ability to evade attacks. This includes avoiding an attack
and protecting vulnerable areas. An attacker must roll
more successes than your character’s Defense rating to
hurt her. If they roll fewer successes, the attack misses.
If the attacker rolls more successes than your Defense
rating, your character takes that much damage. See p.
125 for more detail on Defense and damage.
Your character’s Defense ratings are calculated as
follows:
Defense = Passive Defense + Active Defense – Size
Passive Defense = Body rating
Active Defense = Dexterity rating
Characters with a high Defense rating are tough
and hard to wound, while characters with low Defense
ratings are weak and easily hurt.
Sometimes your character will only get to use her
Active or Passive Defense rating. This normally occurs
when your character is unable to evade an attack or
when her attacker is only trying to touch her. Some
bonuses and penalties will only apply to your Active
or Passive Defense ratings. In certain cases, your character
may lose her Active Defense rating completely,
leaving her with only her Passive Defense rating.

Stun
Stun represents your character’s ability to shrug
off damage and keep fighting. If your character takes
more damage than his Stun rating in a single blow, he
is stunned and loses his next action. If your character
takes more damage than twice his Stun rating in a
single blow, he is knocked out for a number of minutes
equal to the amount of excess damage he took.
Your character’s Stun rating is calculated as follows:
Stun = Body rating
Characters with high Stun ratings are resilient and
determined fighters, while characters with low Stun
ratings are weak and easily dispatched.
Health
Health represents your character’s vitality and
capacity to take damage. This covers both Lethal
and Nonlethal damage. Your character can take up
to her Health rating in damage without suffering any
ill effects. When your character’s current Health rating
drops below zero, she falls unconscious. When she
reaches –5 Health, she dies. See p. 130 for more information
about healing and damage.
Your character’s Health rating is calculated as follows:
Health = Body + Willpower + Size
Characters with high Health ratings are robust and
resistant to wounds; characters with low Health ratings
are weak and fragile.

BLACK BOX
Negative Health
Small characters tend to be weak and fragile creatures.
As such, they receive a penalty to their Health
and maximum Body ratings. This may result in a small
character starting with a negative Health rating, which
is ignored at the start of play. When the character takes
his first wound, the new Health rating takes effect. This
usually results in the character falling unconscious;
however, a character with a starting Health of –4 or
lower will die as soon as he takes his first wound.
END BOX

Skills
Skills represents your character’s training and education
over the course of his life. They cover a wide
variety of topics and activities—everything from negotiating
a business deal in a foreign language to performing
acrobatic stunts on the wing of a plane. The
specific Skills you choose for your character will reflect
his personality and background. Professors and mercenaries,
for example, will have very different areas of
expertise. Use your character’s Archetype as a guide
when selecting Skills.
Base Attribute
Each Skill is based on an Attribute that represents
your character’s natural ability with a particular Skill.
Even if your character has no training, he may still
have some proficiency. To be a real expert, however, he
needs to invest time and energy into mastering a Skill.
Skill Levels
Skill Levels represent the amount of effort your
character has put into learning a Skill, either through
formal education or hands-on experience. Your character’s
Skill rating is calculated by adding a number of
Skill Levels to the appropriate Base Attribute rating.

Skill Level Skill Rating
0 Base Attribute –2
1 Base Attribute +1
2 Base Attribute +2
3 Base Attribute +3
4 Base Attribute +4
5 Base Attribute +5

You may not purchase more than five Skill Levels in
any one Skill during character creation, but additional
Skill Levels may be purchased with experience points
during play.
Skill Ratings
Skill ratings represent your character’s overall expertise
with a particular topic or activity. More importantly,
they determine the number of dice you use when
making a Skill roll. Typical Skill ratings are between
zero and ten, though exceptional characters may have
higher ratings.

Skill Rating Ability
0 – 1 Abysmal
2 – 3 Poor
4 – 5 Average
6 – 7 Good
8 – 9 Great
10 – 11 Excellent
12 or more Amazing

Skill Specializations
Skills cover a broad range of topics and activities,
but you may choose to have your character specialize in
a specific aspect of a Skill. A Skill Specialization represents
a specific topic, activity, or item that your character
is particularly familiar with. For example, your
character may be better with pistols or rifles than with
other firearms. Whenever your character’s Specialization
applies to the action being taken, you receive a
bonus die to your Skill roll. You must have at least one
Skill Level in a Skill to specialize in it, and you may
not purchase more than one Specialization in a particular
Skill during character creation.
There are countless different Skill Specializations
for each Skill; the ones most common to HEX are listed
below. Feel free to come up with your own Specializations,
but be sure to get Gamemaster approval first.

Advanced
Skill Specializations
You may use your experience points during play to
purchase additional Specializations in a Skill. In fact,
you may even choose to purchase the same Skill Specialization
more than once, giving your character a
greater expertise in a specified area. If your character
has an advanced Skill Specialization, you will receive
additional bonus dice (up to a maximum of five) each
time that Specialization is called into play. For example,
if your character already has a Skill Specialization in
Rifles, purchasing Rifles again would give your character
Rifles +2. Every time he uses a rifle in combat, he
will get two bonus dice to his Firearms roll.

Untrained Skill Rolls
You may normally make a Skill roll even if your
character has no Skill Levels in a particular Skill. Your
character’s untrained Skill rating is equal to the associated
Base Attribute with a –2 penalty, plus or minus any
conditional modifiers. If this lowers your dice pool to
zero or less, you’ll automatically fail the roll unless you
get some help, take more time, or spend Style points on
the roll. Though most Skills can be rolled untrained,
a Specialized Skill (i.e., Academics, Art, Craft, Pilot,
or Science) cannot be rolled without at least one Skill
Level in that Skill.

Skill Attribute Specializations and Disciplines
Academics* Intelligence History, Law, Literature, Philosophy, Religion
Acrobatics Dexterity Balance, Breakfall, Contortion, Juggling, Tumbling
Animal Handling Charisma Cats, Dogs, Horses, Birds, Reptiles
Archery Dexterity Blowguns, Bows, Crossbows, Nets, Slings
Art* Intelligence Music, Painting, Photography, Sculpture, Writing
Athletics Strength Climbing, Jumping, Running, Swimming, Throwing
Brawl Strength Dirty Tricks, Grappling, Kicking, Punching, Throws
Bureaucracy Intelligence Academia, Business, Government, Legal, Military
Con Charisma Bluff, Fast Talk, Lies, Tricks, Seduction
Craft* Intelligence Carpentry, Chemistry, Electronics, Mechanics, Medicines
Demolitions Intelligence Defusing, Dynamite, Gunpowder, Improvised, Incendiary
Diplomacy Charisma Etiquette, Leadership, Negotiation, Persuasion, Politics
Drive Dexterity Buses, Cars, Motorcycles, Tanks, Trucks
Empathy Intelligence Body Language, Emotions, Intuition, Lies, Motives
Firearms Dexterity Archaic, Pistols, Rifles, Shotguns, Submachine Guns
Gambling Intelligence Cheating, Blackjack, Craps, Poker, Roulette
Gunnery Intelligence Artillery, Bombs, Cannons, Machine Guns, Rockets
Intimidation Charisma Interrogation, Orders, Staredown, Threats, Torture
Investigation Intelligence Crimes, Enigmas, Interview, Research, Search
Larceny Dexterity Lockpicking, Pickpocketing, Safecracking, Security, Sleight of Hand
Linguistics Intelligence Codes, Deciphering, Gestures, Lip Reading, Translation
Medicine Intelligence Diagnosis, Diseases, First Aid, Surgery, Veterinary
Melee Strength Axes, Clubs, Knives, Spears, Swords
Performance Charisma Acting, Dancing, Musical Instrument, Oratory, Singing
Pilot* Dexterity Aircraft, Balloons, Drilling Machines, Ships, Submarines
Ride Dexterity Bulls, Camels, Elephants, Horses, Mules
Science* Intelligence Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, Geology, Physics
Stealth Dexterity Camouflage, Disguise, Hiding, Shadowing, Sneaking
Streetwise Charisma Black Market, Carousing, Haggling, Rumors, Scrounging
Survival Intelligence Foraging, Hunting, Navigation, Shelter, Tracking
* Specialized Skill

Specialized Skills
Some Skills are so broad or complex that you are
required to focus on a single discipline. Each discipline
is treated as a separate Skill, and must be purchased
individually at the normal cost for Skill Levels. (Specializations
for these disciplines may be purchased at
normal cost with the Gamemaster’s approval.)
Example: Clay is selecting Skills for his Academic
character and wants to buy three general Skill Levels in
Science. The Gamemaster explains that Clay cannot do
this because Science is a Specialized Skill, so he must
choose a specific discipline to purchase instead. After
thinking it over, Clay decides to purchase three Skill
Levels in the Archeology discipline. If Clay wanted to
purchase the Chemistry discipline as well, he would
have to buy it as its own Skill.
Because of their broad scope, Specialized Skills
cannot be rolled untrained unless you have at least one
Skill Level in a related discipline. If your character has
one or more Skill Levels in Mechanics, for example,
he could make an untrained Electronics roll using his
Mechanics rating with a –2 penalty.

Skill Synergy
Whenever your character has one or more Skills
applicable to a given situation, you receive bonus dice to
your Skill roll. Always use the highest appropriate Skill
rating for the roll, but gain +2 bonus dice for each applicable
Skill with a rating of 4 or higher (maximum of +10
bonus dice). Skill ratings lower than 4 do not provide
any bonus. For example, if your character is trying to
communicate with a native, and your character has Linguistics
6 and Anthropology 4, you would roll 8 dice for
your Skill roll (6 dice for your character’s Linguistics rating
with +2 bonus dice for his Anthropology rating).

Teamwork
In some situations, characters may work together to
complete a project. Each character must have an applicable
Skill rating of 4 or higher. The character with the
highest Skill rating makes the roll with +2 bonus dice
for each person assisting him (maximum of +10 bonus
dice). If three characters are trying to fix a damaged
airship, and your character has Mechanics 5 and the
other two characters have Mechanics 4, you would roll
9 dice for your Skill roll (5 dice for your Mechanics rating
with +4 dice for your two assistants).