Primary Attributes for RPGs

[Man_Over_Game]

So let me ask this question:

If we went with:

Strength
Agility
Charisma - convincing based on emotion.
Guile (Cunning?) - convincing based on reason (could be lies)
Intellect
Wits

I then have several secondary attributes that I’d want, like

Stamina = STR + WIL+ ?? { I want it to be physical + mental)
Reflexes = AGI + WIT (how quickly you notice and respond)
Composure = CHA + WIT (How well you convince people you’re fine and how quickly you think of how to do that)
Willpower = INT + WIL + ?? (Intellect certainly helps willpower but it’s not enough alone ...)

STR and AGI are quite important in other aspects, so they’re not getting shorted by appearing once each. I am not sure that I see Guile/Cunning/Manipulation (all judges words I think) filling into Stamina, perhaps into Willpower.

Thoughts would be helpful.

There’s no reason I can’t make characters spend points in Stamina stat etc, I just was trying to eliminate dump stats.

Hmm...

One particular thing that we don't always think about is that faking an emotion isn't much different than forcing it. Many actors don't just "pretend" they're sad, they actually convince themselves to feel that emotion. You do not "pretend" you are fine, but you actually feel that you are.

I bring this up, because often times your "stamina" in combat really comes down to both how much physical punishment you can take, but also how long you can convince yourself to keep going. In rare moments, someone could be knocked unconscious in a fight and their body is still trying to fight with no lights on. That's a great example of someone who has a high stamina reflected from their mentality.

Alternatively, large brutes having a "glass jaw" is so common that we have come up with a slang for it.

To reflect this, I'd probably make Stamina based off of Strength + Wits or Strength + Charisma.
Reflexes is pretty good with Agility + Wit, but this could also be done with Agility + Guile (knowing the problem before it happens)
Composure is a pretty hard stat to justify if there's going to be a lot of combat. Charisma + Wit seems to be the closest option here.
Willpower... I think Intelligence + Charisma is going to be your best bet here.