In Portuguese, just like in English, certain adjectives must be followed by specific prepositions to complete their meaning. Let's learn some common combinations by looking at RPG character stats.
Adjectives + a (To)
Adjectives related to reactions or weaknesses—such as vulnerável (vulnerable), imune (immune), and resistente (resistant)—take the preposition a. Remember that a contracts with definite articles (e.g., a + o = ao).
| I think that the warrior is vulnerable to magic damage. | Acho que o guerreiro é vulnerável a dano mágico. |
| Thanks to this attribute, the hero is immune to the cold. | Graças a este atributo, o herói é imune ao frio. |
Adjectives + de (Of / With)
Adjectives describing what a character has or lacks—like dotado (gifted) and desprovido (devoid)—take the preposition de. Since these end in -o, they must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.
| The class is gifted with great attributes. | A classe é dotada de ótimos atributos. |
| A warrior devoid of a shield receives more damage. | Um guerreiro desprovido de escudo recebe mais dano. |
Adjectives + em (In / At)
Adjectives for skills or resources—like hábil (skillful) and rico (rich)—take the preposition em. If followed by an action rather than a noun, use the infinitive form of the verb.
| The warrior is skillful at blocking damage. | O guerreiro é hábil em bloquear danos. |
| The sorceress is rich in magical energy. | A feiticeira é rica em energia mágica. |
Finally, here is how different prepositions come together to describe a class's stats:
| The class is skillful at magic, but vulnerable to fire. | A classe é hábil em magia, mas vulnerável ao fogo. |