One of the first questions that has to be answered playing Amber is whether the value of an attribute will be based on the points paid for it (particularly in auction) or only on the rank that those points achieved. In this game the absolute effectiveness of an attribute will be based off of the points. However, rank is still very important because Drama Points will move your ability up by ranks, not by increments of points. So if your first rank in Warfare is fifty points higher than the second rank you can control them easily... until they start using DPs against you, at which point they close the gap quickly.
Next... in keeping with the drama-oriented approach to the game, I am expanding the abilities granted by the various attributes. Beyond just showing the individual capabilities of the character, the attributes will govern how the character interacts with the world and how the world interacts with the character.
Psyche measures how well the character can intuit causes from observed effects. For example, a high-Psyche character looking at disturbed ground can tell what manner of animals passed over it, and how long ago. Or, looking at the expressions on a persons face, they can tell the emotions underlying them, and intuit the childhood events and cultural prejudices that formed that emotional landscape.
For humans a complicated situation will muddy the root causes of an event. Time and the accumulation of details can disguise the ruins of a once great city. But with increasing Psyche this effect becomes less and less of a problem. By first-rank the character sees not only what is happening, but why it is happening and what led up to it. Their understanding of the human-level mind, and their ability to influence it by word and gesture reaches a keen edge that puts less skilled speakers in mind of magic. And, indeed, their ability to ferret out secrets and focus on the essentials of existence make them particularly powerful when combined with real magic, or even more potent Powers.
Warfare measures how well the character can control the cascades of events that radiate from a single cause. For example, a high-Warfare character can sink every ball on a billiards table, in numerical order, every time. Or they can insure that a young man will be at a market at a specific time by making a seemingly innocuous comment on another subject to the man's mother's cousin's roommate's hairdresser's friend.
For humans a long chain of events will garble intent. A message passed by word of mouth will, after enough people, become completely incomprehensible. But with increasing Warfare this effect becomes less and less of a problem. By first-rank the intent of the character takes on an almost metaphysical weight, so that those effected by it, even at dozens of removes, are as effected as if the character had dealt with them directly. Soldiers with twenty layers of command between them and their general still act with the inspiration and skill that would result from his giving them their orders in person.
Strength measures how well the character can make an impact on people and situations. For example, a high-Strength character can strike a wall so hard that the entire building is weakened. Or they can invent a rumor that spreads like wildfire, quickly becoming a widely accepted fact.
For humans the world dilutes their actions with countless other influences. A man may be a brilliant swordsman, but his impact against an army can't go far beyond the men he kills personally. But with increasing Strength this effect becomes less and less of a problem. By first-rank the character's actions are like massive stones dropped into a still pond, causing ripples everywhere. Armies they defeat will be wiped out to the last man. A commandment they give one person will eventually become law, and then a treasured principle of an entire culture.
Endurance measures how little the world and its troubles make a lasting impact on the character. For example, if a high-Endurance character has the ability to walk a tightrope then they'll also be able to do it in a hurricane, carrying an unconscious princess, while clutching a sucking chest wound. Or they can remain popular and beloved by the people even when at the center of a shocking and disgusting scandal.
For humans the world can wear them down through an accumulation of little things. A warrior might kill one man on a staircase, or even three or four, but eventually exhaustion, wounds and the raw power of statistics will catch up with them, and they will fall. But with increasing Endurance this effect becomes less and less of a problem. By first-rank the character's abilities are unchanged by almost any type of setback, whether inadequate tools, terrible conditions or a drug-fogged mind. They can run marathons with arrows sticking out of them. They can keep a group of good-hearted thieves hidden in the same patch of forest through years of fruitless search by the authorities.