Understand how primary and secondary attributes affect your skills in Tyranny. Learn how to invest points wisely for maximum effectiveness in combat and spellcasting.
Hey there! So, you wanna get a handle on how skills work in Tyranny? It's pretty straightforward once you know the system. Basically, every skill you have is linked to two main stats: a primary attribute and a secondary attribute. This combo is what sets your starting skill level.
Think of it like this: pouring points into a primary attribute gives you a bigger boost to that skill – 1.5 skill points for every attribute point, rounded down. Your secondary attribute is still important, but it's more of a supporting role, giving you 0.5 skill points per attribute point. At higher levels, this difference can be huge, like an 8 to 16 point swing in accuracy, which can make or break certain checks.
This is especially true for skills like Lore, Athletics, and Subterfuge. For these, a higher skill level isn't just about a small bonus; it can mean the difference between casting a powerful spell or passing a crucial dialogue check. So, it really pays off to think ahead about which skills you want to focus on and make sure your attribute investments complement each other. Even a single extra attribute point on level-up, if invested wisely, can give you a nice bump across several skills you use a lot.
The secondary attribute is mostly there to help you stay flexible. For example, a lot of the 'Control X' magic skills use Wits as their secondary attribute. This means that even if you've focused your attributes on, say, Vitality and Wits to be great at Control Fire, you'll still have a decent starting point for other 'Control X' spells like Control Frost. It helps you dabble without falling too far behind.
Skill Breakdown
Here’s a look at all the skills and how they’re tied to attributes:
| Skill | Category | Primary attribute | Secondary attribute |
| Bows | Weapon | Finesse | Might |
| Dual Wield | Weapon | Quickness | Finesse |
| Magic Staff | Weapon | Wits | Finesse |
| One-handed Weapons | Weapon | Might | Finesse |
| Thrown Weapons | Weapon | Might | Quickness |
| Two-handed Weapons | Weapon | Might | Resolve |
| Unarmed Combat | Weapon | Finesse | Quickness |
| Athletics | Support | Finesse | Might |
| Dodge | Support | Quickness | Wits |
| Lore | Support | Wits | Resolve |
| Parry | Support | Finesse | Wits |
| Subterfuge | Support | Quickness | Wits |
| Control Atrophy | Magic | Resolve | Wits |
| Control Emotions | Magic | Resolve | Wits |
| Control Fire | Magic | Vitality | Wits |
| Control Force | Magic | Resolve | Wits |
| Control Frost | Magic | Resolve | Wits |
| Control Gravelight | Magic | Finesse | Wits |
| Control Illusions | Magic | Quickness | Wits |
| Control Life | Magic | Vitality | Wits |
| Control Lightning | Magic | Quickness | Wits |
| Control Stone | Magic | Might | Wits |
| Control Vigor | Magic | Might | Wits |
| Performance | Magic | Vitality | Wits |
| Tidecasting | Magic | Might | Wits |
Just a heads-up: Performance and Tidecasting are special skills. You'll only be able to use Performance with Sirin and Tidecasting with Eb. Keep that in mind when you're building your party!
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