Ability Scores
Strength (STR)
Brawn, muscle power, and physical might.
- Melee: Is applied to attack and damage rolls with melee weapons.
- Open doors: The chance of success with attempts to force open a stuck door (see Dungeon Adventuring).
Strength Modifiers
| STR | Melee | Open Doors |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | -3 | 1-in-6 |
| 4–5 | -2 | 1-in-6 |
| 6–8 | -1 | 1-in-6 |
| 9–12 | None | 2-in-6 |
| 13–15 | +1 | 3-in-6 |
| 16–17 | +2 | 4-in-6 |
| 18 | +3 | 5-in-6 |
Intelligence (INT)
Learning, memory, and reasoning.
- Spoken languages: Denotes the number of Languages the character can speak.
- Literacy: Indicates the character’s ability to read and write their native languages.
Intelligence Modifiers
| INT | Spoken Languages | Literacy |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Native (broken speech) | Illiterate |
| 4–5 | Native | Illiterate |
| 6–8 | Native | Basic |
| 9–12 | Native | Literate |
| 13–15 | Native + 1 additional | Literate |
| 16–17 | Native + 2 additional | Literate |
| 18 | Native + 3 additional | Literate |
Wisdom (WIS)
Insight, common sense, and intuition.
- Magic saves: Is applied to saving throws (see Saving Throws) versus magical effects. This does not normally include saves against breath attacks, but may apply to any other saving throw category.
Wisdom Modifiers
| WIS | Magic Saves |
|---|---|
| 3 | -3 |
| 4–5 | -2 |
| 6–8 | -1 |
| 9–12 | None |
| 13–15 | +1 |
| 16–17 | +2 |
| 18 | +3 |
Dexterity (DEX)
Agility, reflexes, speed, and balance.
- AC: Modifies the character’s AC (a bonus lowers AC, a penalty raises it).
- Missile: Applied to attack rolls (but not damage rolls) with ranged weapons.
- Initiative: Modifies the character’s initiative roll, if the optional rule for individual initiative is used (see Combat).
Dexterity Modifier
| DEX | AC | Missile | Initiative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | -3 | -3 | -2 |
| 4–5 | -2 | -2 | -1 |
| 6–8 | -1 | -1 | -1 |
| 9–12 | None | None | None |
| 13–15 | +1 | +1 | +1 |
| 16–17 | +2 | +2 | +1 |
| 18 | +3 | +3 | +2 |
Constitution (CON)
Health, stamina, and endurance.
- Hit points: Applies when rolling a character’s hit points (i.e. at 1st level and every time a level is gained thereafter). A character always gains at least 1 hit point per Hit Die, regardless of CON modifier.
Constitution Modifiers
| CON | Hit Points |
|---|---|
| 3 | -3 |
| 4–5 | -2 |
| 6–8 | -1 |
| 9–12 | None |
| 13–15 | +1 |
| 16–17 | +2 |
| 18 | +3 |
Charisma (CHA)
Leadership potential, personal magnetism, and physical appearance.
- NPC reactions: Applies when hiring Retainers and when interacting with monsters.
- Max # of retainers: Determines the number of retainers a character may have at any one time.
- Retainer loyalty: Determines retainers’ loyalty to the character.
Charisma Modifiers
| CHA | NPC Reactions | Max # Retainers | Loyalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | -2 | 1 | 4 |
| 4–5 | -1 | 2 | 5 |
| 6–8 | -1 | 3 | 6 |
| 9–12 | None | 4 | 7 |
| 13–15 | +1 | 5 | 8 |
| 16–17 | +1 | 6 | 9 |
| 18 | +2 | 7 | 10 |
Prime Requisite
Playable Classes have one or more prime requisites—ability scores of special importance to that class’ function. A character’s score in their prime requisites affects how quickly they gain XP.
- XP modifier: Applied to all XP to characters with a single prime requisite. The modifiers for classes with multiple prime requisites are noted in the class description.
Prime Requisite Modifiers
| Prime Requisite | XP Modifier |
|---|---|
| 3–5 | -20% |
| 6–8 | -10% |
| 9–12 | None |
| 13–15 | +5% |
| 16–18 | +10% |