Attributes and Checks

Taking a little material from GURPS and Vampire, I've tried to give some qualitative descriptions to the attribute levels given in the Mechwarrior Third Edition rules. Also, for clarity (and in some cases, for lack of a better description) I've included the mechwarrior phrase for the level.

You'll notice that a stat of 4 is listed as "average" even though you could consider 5 to be the true average on a scale of 1-10 (and is in fact what most characters seem to choose as an "average" score). However, since most normal humans can only achieve a score of 8 in any attribute, 4 is average. As for characters averaging a 5, we must remember that characters are not "normal" people; they are a cut above the average.

Strength

1	Impaired	Crippled
2	Terrible	Young child
3	Poor	Older child
4	Fair	Average
5	Good	Above average
6	Advanced	Weekend athlete, really good
7	Remarkable	Athlete
8	Excellent	Weightlifter, exceptional
9	Astounding	Olympic weightlifter
10	Unbelievable	Inhuman, outstanding

Body

1	Impaired	Barely awake
2	Terrible	Sickly
3	Poor	Weak
4	Fair	Average
5	Good	Healthy
6	Advanced	Good shape
7	Remarkable	Energetic
8	Excellent	Very health, hours of stamina
9	Astounding	You could swim the English channel
10	Unbelievable	Perfect specimen

Dexterity

1	Impaired	Infantile
2	Terrible	Avoid sharp objects
3	Poor	Clumsy
4	Fair	You could mend a garment
5	Good	You could type well
6	Advanced	Card dealer
7	Remarkable	Surgeon
8	Excellent	Could cheat at cards
9	Astounding	Stage magician
10	Unbelievable	Precise as a machine

Reflexes

1	Impaired	Infantile
2	Terrible	Lethargic
3	Poor	Sluggish
4	Fair	Average
5	Good	Raw athletic potential
6	Advanced	Graceful
7	Remarkable	Athlete
8	Excellent	Gymnast
9	Astounding	Olympic fencer
10	Unbelievable	Hands like striking serpents

Intelligence

1	Impaired	Vegetable
2	Terrible	Bumpkin
3	Poor	Dull
4	Fair	Average, you can learn to do your job
5	Good	Above average
6	Advanced	You could attain moderate skills in several areas
7	Remarkable	Very bright
8	Excellent	Genius, you could master a field of knowledge
9	Astounding	Your reasoning and ideas are ahead of your time
10	Unbelievable	The intricacies of your thoughts are unexplainable

Willpower

1	Impaired	Weak
2	Terrible	Timid
3	Poor	Unassertive
4	Fair	Diffident
5	Good	Certain
6	Advanced	Confident
7	Remarkable	Strong
8	Excellent	Controlled
9	Astounding	Iron-willed
10	Unbelievable	Unshakable

Charisma

1	Impaired	Repulsive
2	Terrible	Others avoid you
3	Poor	Unimpressive
4	Fair	Others get along with you
5	Good	People like you
6	Advanced	People trust you
7	Remarkable	People are drawn to you
8	Excellent	You could easily win an election
9	Astounding	You could lead nations
10	Unbelievable	Stangers would live and die for you

Edge

1	Impaired	Very slim chances
2	Terrible	Occasional lucky break
3	Poor	Things aren't always for you
4	Fair	You win some, you lose some
5	Good	You have a special knack
6	Advanced	Doors open for you
7	Remarkable	Unusually lucky
8	Excellent	You could live gambling
9	Astounding	Nine lives
10	Unbelievable	Untouchable

Social Standing

1	Slave	'nuff said
2	Lower Class	Laborer
3	Middle Class	Merchant
4	Upper Class	Well-to-do
5	Baronet	A title of honor
6	Baron	Leader of minor worlds or major cities
7	Count	Leader of minor worlds or major cities
8	Marquess	Leader of minor worlds or major cities
9	Duke	Leader of major worlds and regions
10	Sovereign	The realm is yours

Pseudo-Attributes:

Also, I've added a list of "pseudo-attributes" that might be useful for combined attribute checks.

Checks and Saving Throws:

Now, to borrow a page from the D&D system. For ease of reference it is a good idea to list the attribute check value next to the attribute, either on the character's sheets or in the gamemaster's notes. I know the math is simple, but having a "save" to glance at streamlines things a little and helps the new players when you tell them to make an attribute check. In a similar vein, the "pseudo-attribute" check values can be listed on the back of the character sheet, on another sheet, in the GM's notes, etc.

Skills:

As for skills, the following is a table showing your chances of succeeding at an average task, target number 10. It can also give you an idea of your level of mastery and knowledge in that field.

Intensity	Willpower + Strength
Potency	Body + Strength
Vigor	Reflexes + Strength
Adroitness	Dexterity + Intelligence
Agility	Dexterity + Reflexes
Focus	Willpower + Intelligence
Influence	Willpower + Charisma
Fascination	Intelligence + Charisma
Charm	Social Standing + Charisma

Unskilled (difficult)	??%	Inept, you won't succeed except by luck
Unskilled	??%	Mediocre, an average man trying something easy for the first time
+0	64%	Green, Average, Rookie
+1	72%	Green/Regular, Some training
+2	79%	Regular, Well-trained
+3	85%	Veteran, Experienced
+4	90%	Veteran, You rarely miss / fail
+5	94%	Elite, Expert
+6	97%	Elite, Master, You could train others and train them well
+7	99%	Elite, Wizard, You could fight / perform blindfolded