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'''Aptitudes''' are a measure of how fast you can advance in a [[skill]] - the higher the aptitude, the faster you'll learn the skill. Aptitudes are determined by your [[species]], where each species has a separate aptitude rating for each skill. Therefore, some species will prefer certain skills over others. For example, [[Deep Elves]] have an easier time learning magic, and [[Minotaur]]s have an easier time learning melee combat. Taking advantage of your species' aptitudes is key to winning the game.

You can view your species' aptitudes at any time by opening the skill menu ('''m'''). You can also press '''? %''' in-game to see the big table of races and aptitudes, or you can check each each [[species]]' individual pages on the wiki.

==Useful Info==
Aptitudes are rated from -5 to +11, with 0 being the baseline.

Aptitudes are determined almost entirely by your [[species]]; there are very few ways to modify them during a game. A [[manual]] will increase your aptitudes by +4 until it runs out. Also, you can willingly lower your aptitudes as part of a [[Ru]] sacrifice.

Higher aptitudes are faster because they require less XP. The relative amount of XP required for a given aptitude is tabulated below:

{| class="wikitable" border="1"
!Aptitude
!Skill Cost
!Description
|-
| -5
|(238)
|abysmal aptitude
|-
| -4
|(200)
|very poor aptitude
|-
| -3
|(168)
|poor aptitude
|-
| -2
|(141)
|bad aptitude
|-
| -1
|(119)
|slightly disfavoured aptitude
|-
| 0
|(100)
|standard aptitude
|-
| +1
|(84)
|slightly favoured aptitude
|-
| +2
|(71)
|strong aptitude
|-
| +3
|(59)
|very strong aptitude
|-
| +4
|(50)
|outstanding aptitude
|-
| +5
|(42)
|exceptional aptitude
|-
|}

E.g. a species with -5 aptitude would require <code>238/100</code> = 2.38x as much XP as a species with 0 aptitude.

If an aptitude is listed as "NA", it means the species is completely unable to learn that skill. For example, [[Felid]]s can't wear [[armour]], so they can't gain any levels of the [[Armour skill]].

===Formula===
If a species has an aptitude of <font size="3"><code>n</code></font>, it needs <font size="3"><code>2^(-n/4)</code></font> as much XP to gain a level of that skill, compared to a species with aptitude 0. In other words, increasing aptitude by +4 means halving the XP cost per level.

Example: a [[Poltergeist]] has a +4 aptitude in [[Hexes]], while a [[Human]] has an aptitude of 0. If a Human would require 100 XP to advance a level, it would take the Poltegeist <code>100 * 2^(-4/4)</code>, or 50 XP, to advance that same level.

Note that half the XP cost ≠ twice the amount of levels, since XP cost rises for each level you have of a skill. So if a Human had 10 levels of Hexes, a Poltergeist would actually have 14 levels, not 20.

==Strategy==
Aptitudes are meaningful, and a species' good aptitudes should be taken advantage of when it is reasonable.

However, the impact of aptitudes are often overstated. A different of ±1 aptitude isn't a big deal ''in practice'', as training a skill at -1 aptitude is not much slower than training at 0 aptitude. Even a ±2 difference is manageable - after all, it is possible to win with [[Mummy]]. See the below table for how aptitude affects skill levels.

{| class="wikitable"
!0 Aptitude
!-1 Aptitude
!-2 Aptitude
|-
|Level 5
|Level 4.5
|Level 4.12
|-
|Level 10
|Level 9.16
|Level 8.36
|-
|Level 15
|Level 13.8
|Level 12.75
|-
|Level 20
|Level 18.49
|Level 17.08
|-
|Level 27
|Level 25.04
|Level 23.23
|}
For most types of skills, the difference between, say, level 15 and level 13.8 is small. Going from 13.8 to 15 levels of a weapon skill is rarely a make-or-break decision.

Therefore, you shouldn't dismiss a skill just because you have a poor aptitude. When deciding to train a skill, you should also consider your [[stat]]s and available gear/spells as well. For example, if you find an amazing [[randart]] [[demon blade]] early on, you should probably use it, even if you have a -2 aptitude for [[Long Blades]].

==Trivia==
The table below shows the average aptitudes of all currently playable species. Due to their skill training restrictions, [[Gnoll]]s' aptitudes and [[Djinni|Djinn]]'s magic aptitudes are not included. Of the [[Draconian]] variants, only base Draconian is included.
{{species aptitudes|Average|noheading=true}}

==History==
*Prior to [[0.7.0]], aptitudes were expressed in numbers smaller or larger than 100 (average), as in the ''Skill Cost'' table above.

[[Category:Skills]] [[Category:Characters]]

Aptitude - Revision history

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