Presence

Analysis is one of the seven Aptitudes, the basic statistics that paint a character in the broadest possible brush strokes (from a mechanical perspective). As an aptitude, it is meant as a coarse representation of the character's capacity to exercise mental faculty toward social goals - this is best contrasted against the other three "mental" aptitudes, Intuition (the capacity for leaps of logic and non-linear deduction), Analysis (their capacity to apply hard logic and straight-line deduction), and Willpower (the capacity for mental sturdiness and sustained focus). The statistic is used the base level for a number of Skills, and as well as being the basis of a number of setting-optional pools.

Use of Presence Checks

Like all aptitudes, Presence checks can be used directly as though they were skills in the resolution of contests and challenges, though this is rare. Many social activities are (or should be) covered by explicit skills, but a Facilitator may choose to demand a presence check as a magical challenge (perhaps to resist demonic possession if that makes sense in the setting), or perhaps as a social grace check (for example, to determine if a non-player character has been cowed or angered by the action of a player character).

Use for Pools

While pools are as varied as the settings that use them, there are a few common pools predefined as starting points that are available to setting developers to include whole-cloth in their settings. Several of these are derived from Presence:

• Gravitas, an optional pool used in the Wisteria setting as a cost pool for spells.