A little science.
A little magic.
The fantasy should feel personal. The numbers should tell you what they actually know.
Three kinds of evidence
Reference estimate: a supported physical measurement compared with a named research sample. This remains a proxy for a fantasy ability, with measurement error and limits to the reference population.
Reported norm: an existing percentile you provide from an assessment, together with its test, date, and reference population. We convert the percentile but cannot verify the source or test quality.
Game estimate: your answer to a behavior-based question, translated into a deliberately broad fantasy score. These questions have not been validated against population norms. We do not assign them population percentiles. Skipped abilities stay unassessed.
What the six abilities mean here
Strength reflects muscular force; Dexterity, precise and coordinated movement; Constitution, sustained physical effort; Intelligence, unfamiliar reasoning; Wisdom, awareness and reflective judgment; and Charisma, communication and connection. Each label compresses several different real-world abilities. There is no single scientific test for all six.
Your occupation, education, name, interests, alignment, and appearance never set your numeric abilities. They can help shape fantasy lore and skills. A reference photo is used for portrait appearance only.
From percentile to a 3d6 score
We use the exact distribution of three fair six-sided dice: 216 equally likely outcomes. A percentile maps to the smallest ability score whose cumulative probability reaches that percentile. This gives a conventional scale from 3 to 18, not a claim that 18 is a human biological limit.
| Reported percentile | Fantasy score | Modifier |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | 7 | −2 |
| 50th | 10 | +0 |
| 75th | 13 | +1 |
| 90th | 14 | +2 |
| 99th | 17 | +3 |
At exactly 50%, this inverse-CDF convention returns 10; values just above 50% return 11. Scores of 18 occupy the upper 1/216 of the dice distribution. Modifiers use floor((score − 10) / 2).
The five self-description choices instead map to 6, 8, 10, 13, and 16. These are game-design anchors. They neither establish a rank nor reproduce a population distribution. We keep the two systems visibly distinct.
Strength: a careful starting point
A gym’s lifters are a selected group. A percentile among people who log bench presses is not a percentile among all adults. Handgrip measurements offer a more defensible public research reference, but grip is still one part of strength, not a full measure of lifting or combat ability.
Our optional grip comparison uses public NHANES 2011–2014 records with complete three-trial results for both hands, ages 18 and over. The measure is the sum of the best result for each hand, in kilograms. We pool survey examination weights across the two cycles. The reference is US adult grip-test participants, NHANES 2011–2014, including seated accommodations; it does not recover people who could not complete the test, and it does not represent the entire world. Percentiles are approximate; extreme values are reported as bands.
Use existing measurements from a comparable dynamometer protocol. Do not try a new maximum for this app. We do not give training or medical advice, and a low estimate says nothing about your worth or potential.
Where deeper measurement goes next
Cardiorespiratory fitness, motor control, and cognitive reasoning each need their own test protocol and properly matched reference sample. Profession and education are not substitutes for cognitive testing. Wisdom and Charisma are particularly dependent on how the construct is defined. We will add numerical norms only when the underlying comparison can be defended.
Sources and reproducibility
- CDC NHANES 2011–2012 Muscle Strength: protocol and data
- CDC NHANES 2013–2014 Muscle Strength: protocol and data
- CDC guidance on NHANES survey weights
- Updated FRIEND cardiorespiratory fitness reference standards
- International Cognitive Ability Resource: initial validation research
Scores record their calculation version. The repository includes the scoring rules, data-generation script, reference metadata, and tests. Fantasy class, alignment, backstory, and skill names are roleplaying interpretations. Characterize is an independent project inspired by tabletop roleplaying.
Meet your character