Starting with the basics: attributes and traits

I was thinking, actually, of doing away with the attributes. They don't actually bring that much to the table, other than the bonuses. Instead, characters can just have Psyche points which would allow a bonus here and there and fuel any supernatural effects such as precognition, etc. I don't want to get rid of the Gift concept altogether, but I think what i'm going to do is let the player decide what sort of "gift" the character has (rather than choosing from a published list with statistics and all that rot), and when they want to use it they spend a Psyche point and roll. The same points would be used for bonuses to actions, etc, which would simulate to some degree the effort that an attribute would normally deliver. I just don't think that in the grand scheme of things it makes much difference who is stronger, faster or even smarter. That can all be roleplayed rather than dictated by numbers. I think the less to be a pain in the bum the better. I'll keep the Profession and Hobby/Special Interest bonuses, simply because they add flavor and help players to distinguish their characters further by bringing certain advantages to the table without them being over the top. Just my thoughts there.

I don't know why I started thinking about that today, but I realized that my need for attributes comes from previous experience with RPGs, but they aren't, strictly speaking, necessary in this case. Along those lines, the damage system will change by default, so we'll see what I come back with. I don't think the fear mechanism will change much, other than there is no bonus from Mind on the roll.