As well as your S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes and skills, you also have a number of derived statistics.

Carry Weight

You can carry a base of 150 pounds of equipment, plus your Strength attribute multiplied by 10. You can carry more by using perks, increasing your Strength attribute, and using equipment with extra carrying space.

Over-encumbered

If you carry more gear than your carry weight allows, you will suffer a number of penalties.

• If the total weight of your gear exceeds your carry weight, all tests using your Strength or Agility increase in difficulty by +1, you cannot take the Sprint action, and your Initiative is reduced by 1.
• If you carry 50 lbs. or more than your carry weight, then the difficulty of those tests increases by a further 1, and your initiative is reduced by another 1. Each additional 50 lbs. over your carry weight increases those penalties by 1.
• If you’re carrying twice your carry weight, you cannot move, you will automatically fail any Strength or Agility-based skill tests, and your Initiative is 0.

Initiative

Your initiative determines how quickly you act in combat. It is equal to your PER + AGI (minus any penalties for being over-encumbered). This is a static number, which determines your place in the turn order during a combat encounter—it isn’t a target number for a skill test. It can be modified by perks and the effects of encumbrance.

For example, if your Perception is 5, and your Agility is 7, your Initiative is 12. You will act before people with an Initiative of 11 or lower, and after anyone with an Initiative of 13 or higher. The higher your initiative compared to those of other characters in the scene, the sooner you can act each round.

Defense

Your Defense statistic is the basic difficulty of any attacks made against you. It is based on your Agility attribute:

• AGI 1-8: your Defense is 1.
• AGI 9+: your Defense is 2.

Damage Resistance

Your resistance to different types of damage is determined by your equipment and your perks. Damage Resistance (DR) is subtracted from damage inflicted of the same type before it reduces your health—Physical Damage Resistance reduces Physical damage, Radiation Damage Resistance reduces radiation damage, etc.

• Physical Damage Resistance is how much Physical damage you can shrug off from an attack. Clothing and armor are the main sources of Physical DR, depending on how they’re made, but mutations can also provide some natural resistance to incoming attacks. Physical DR normally varies by hit location, depending on clothing or armor.
• Energy Damage Resistance is how resistant you are to Energy damage, and it normally comes from clothing or armor that has been made in a particular way. Energy Damage Resistance normally varies by hit location, depending on the clothing or armor worn.
• Poison Damage Resistance is how much Poison damage you ignore from toxins. Perks and mutations provide poison DR, as can certain chems and consumables. You have a single Poison DR value for your entire body—it doesn’t vary by location.
• Radiation Damage Resistance is rare but often vital, as it reduces how much Radiation damage you receive from attacks and hazards, and it normally comes from protective clothing or armor, from chems like Rad-X, or from other consumables. Some creatures, like super mutants and ghouls, are entirely immune to Radiation damage, as are machines such as robots. Radiation DR normally varies by hit location, depending on the clothing or armor you wear.

Health Points

Your starting maximum health points (HP) are determined by adding together your Endurance and your Luck scores. Your health points deplete as you suffer damage, and generally show how far you are from death, as explained in the Combat section. As you increase in level, you increase your maximum health points, and you can use perks to increase them further.

Melee Damage

Your melee damage statistic lists any bonus damage you do with melee weapons or unarmed attacks, due to having a high Strength attribute. You add the number of bonus Combat Dice listed to your melee damage rolls.

Perks

Perks are special bonuses that you can obtain to boost your character’s S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes, skills, give them a unique edge, or even a brand-new ability. Perks are often tied to S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attributes or skills, enhancing them, or providing you with a totally new ability in a specific circumstance.