The One-to-Ten Scale
Every number in this game — every stat, every skill, every measure of a person — lives on a single scale from 1 to 10. There is no other math to learn. When you know what a 7 means, you know what every 7 in the world means.
The scale
| Score | Word | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Terrible | Serious weakness or almost no experience. |
| 3 | Poor | Below what most people can reliably do. |
| 4–5 | Normal | Ordinary human ability. |
| 6 | Capable | Noticeably competent. |
| 7 | Skilled | Impressive even among experienced people. |
| 8 | Exceptional | One of the better people in a profession or community. |
| 9 | Elite | Rare ability that attracts attention. |
| 10 | Extraordinary | Among the best realistically possible in the setting. |
A 5 is not bad
Most ordinary adults live around 4–5 in most stats. A 5 is competent, unremarkable, dependable — the middle of ordinary life. The bands above 5 are where a person starts to stand out, and each step up is a genuinely different kind of person.
A character with several 8s or 9s should feel unusual. An 8 is one of the better people in a profession; a 9 is rare enough to attract attention; a 10 is among the best it's possible to be. If everyone at the table is an 8, nobody is.
How to read a score
When the GM describes a scene, read the scores as who you are in that moment. A 7 in Senses spots the tail before they close in. A 4 in Senses walks into the ambush with everyone else. The number isn't a modifier you apply — it's the answer the fiction is already giving you.
Why one scale for everything
Because stats and skills share the scale, they speak the same language. Your 7 in Stealth and your 7 in Speed are the same quality of skilled — just in different directions. You never translate between systems. A 7 is a 7.
The scale is a ceiling, not a target
Nothing asks you to fill the whole scale. Most characters sit in the 4–7 range for most of their life, with a small handful of peaks. The 8–10 band is meant to be rare — that's what makes it extraordinary.