To begin, a Call of Cthulhu character has eight characteristics:
Strength (STR) measures the raw physical power yourinvestigator can bring to bear.
Constitution (CON) is a measure of the health andhardiness of your investigator.
Power (POW) is a combination of force of will, spirit, andmental stability.
Dexterity (DEX) is a measure of your investigator’sphysical agility and speed.
Appearance (APP) measures the physical appeal of yourcharacter.
Size (SIZ) reflects your investigator’s combined height andweight.
Intelligence (INT) is a rough measure of your investigator’scunning and ability to make leaps of logic and intuition.
Education (EDU) is a measure of the knowledge that yourinvestigator has accumulated through formal education, orthe venerated “School of Hard Knocks.”
Allocate the following values where you like among theseeight characteristics: 40, 50, 50, 50, 60, 60, 70, 80. Each ofthese values is a percentage number, so deciding to put 70into your investigator’s Strength means they have “STR70%,” an above average score, meaning they are quite strong.Write down the numbers on the investigator sheet in thelarge box by each of the characteristics. We call these the“Regular” characteristic values.
# Half and Fifth Characteristic Values
Looking at the investigator sheet, you will see that there arethree boxes next to each characteristic: a large box (in whichyou have just written the numbers for that characteristic) andthen two smaller boxes to the side. The top smaller box is forthe “Half ” value, and the lower box is for the “Fifth” value.
To work out the Half value of a characteristic, simply halvethe number you chose to allocate to the characteristic,rounding that value down to the nearest whole numberif necessary. For example, if you chose STR 70, the Half(Hard) value would be 35.
To work out the Fifth value, divide the Regular value by 5,again rounding down as required. For example, with STR70, the Fifth (Extreme) value would be 14.
Write in the Half and Fifth values for each characteristicon the investigator sheet. Below is a QuickReference Chart for Half and Fifth Values, which allowyou to look up the values without needing to do any math.The downloadable PDF investigator sheet works out thesevalues for you automatically.
# Quick Reference Chart for Half and Fifth Values
Find the characteristic or skill value under the Base Number column, and read across to determine the half (Hard) and fifth (Extreme) values.
Base Number Regular | Half Value (½) Hard | Fifth Value (1/5) Extreme | Base Number Regular | Half Value (½) Hard | Fifth Value (1/5) Extreme |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 13 | 5 |
2 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 13 | 5 |
3 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 14 | 5 |
4 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 14 | 5 |
5 | 2 | 1 | 30 | 15 | 6 |
6 | 3 | 1 | 31 | 15 | 6 |
7 | 3 | 1 | 32 | 16 | 6 |
8 | 4 | 1 | 33 | 16 | 6 |
9 | 4 | 1 | 34 | 17 | 6 |
10 | 5 | 2 | 35 | 17 | 7 |
11 | 5 | 2 | 36 | 18 | 7 |
12 | 6 | 2 | 37 | 18 | 7 |
13 | 6 | 2 | 38 | 18 | 7 |
14 | 7 | 2 | 39 | 19 | 7 |
15 | 7 | 3 | 40 | 20 | 8 |
16 | 8 | 3 | 41 | 20 | 8 |
17 | 8 | 3 | 42 | 21 | 8 |
18 | 9 | 3 | 43 | 21 | 8 |
19 | 9 | 3 | 44 | 22 | 8 |
20 | 10 | 4 | 45 | 22 | 9 |
21 | 10 | 4 | 46 | 23 | 9 |
22 | 11 | 4 | 47 | 23 | 9 |
23 | 11 | 4 | 48 | 24 | 9 |
24 | 12 | 4 | 49 | 24 | 9 |
25 | 12 | 5 | 50 | 25 | 10 |
Base Number Regular | Half Value (½) Hard | Fifth Value (1/5) Extreme | Base Number Regular | Half Value (½) Hard | Fifth Value (1/5) Extreme |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
51 | 25 | 10 | 76 | 38 | 15 |
52 | 26 | 10 | 77 | 38 | 15 |
53 | 26 | 10 | 78 | 39 | 15 |
54 | 27 | 10 | 79 | 39 | 15 |
55 | 27 | 11 | 80 | 40 | 16 |
56 | 28 | 11 | 81 | 40 | 16 |
57 | 28 | 11 | 82 | 41 | 16 |
58 | 29 | 11 | 83 | 41 | 16 |
59 | 29 | 11 | 84 | 42 | 16 |
60 | 30 | 12 | 85 | 42 | 17 |
61 | 30 | 12 | 86 | 43 | 17 |
62 | 31 | 12 | 87 | 43 | 17 |
63 | 31 | 12 | 88 | 44 | 17 |
64 | 32 | 12 | 89 | 44 | 17 |
65 | 32 | 13 | 90 | 45 | 18 |
66 | 33 | 13 | 91 | 45 | 18 |
67 | 33 | 13 | 92 | 46 | 18 |
68 | 34 | 13 | 93 | 46 | 18 |
69 | 34 | 13 | 94 | 47 | 18 |
70 | 35 | 14 | 95 | 47 | 19 |
71 | 35 | 14 | 96 | 48 | 19 |
72 | 36 | 14 | 97 | 48 | 19 |
73 | 36 | 14 | 98 | 49 | 19 |
74 | 37 | 14 | 99 | 49 | 19 |
75 | 37 | 15 | 100 | 50 | 20 |