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Chapter 1: Abilities - The Abilities

Each ability partially describes your character and affects some of your character's actions.
The description of each ability includes a list of races and creatures along with their average scores in that ability. (Not every creature has a score in every ability, as you'll see when you look at the lists that follow.) These scores are for an average, young adult member of that race or species, such as a dwarven tax collector, a halfling merchant, or an unexceptional gnoll. An adventurer--say, a dwarven fighter or a gnoll ranger--probably has better scores, at least in the abilities that matter most to them, and player characters are above average overall.

STRENGTH (Str)
Strength measures your character's muscle and physical power. This ability is especially important to fighters, barbarians, paladins, rangers, and monks because it helps them prevail in combat.
You apply your character's Strength modifier to:

Melee attack rolls
Damage rolls when using a melee weapon or a thrown weapon. (Exceptions: Off-hand attacks receive only half the Strength modifier, while two-handed attacks receive one and a half times the Strength modifier. A Strength penalty, but not a bonus, applies to attacks made with a bow or a sling.)
Climb, Jump, and Swim checks. These are the skills that have Strength as their key ability.
Strength checks (for breaking down doors and the like).

Table 1-2: Average Strength Scores

DEXTERITY (Dex)
Dexterity measures hand-eye coordination, agility, reflexes, and balance. This ability is the most important ability for rogues, but it's also high on the list for character's who typically wear light or medium armor (barbarians and rangers) or none at all (monks, wizards, and sorcerers), and for anyone who wants to be a skilled archer.
You apply your character's Dexterity modifier to:

Ranged attack rolls, including attacks made with bows, crossbows, throwing axes, and other ranged weapons.
Armor Class (AC), provided the character can react to the attack.
Reflex saving throws, for avoiding fireballs and other attacks that you can escape by moving quickly.
Balance, Escape Artist, Hide, Move Silently, Open Lock, Pick Pocket, Ride, Tumble, and Use Rope checks. These are the skills that have Dexterity as their key ability.

Table 1-3: Average Dexterity Scores

CONSTITUTION (Con)
Constitution represents your character's health and stamina. Constitution increases a character's hit points, so it's important for everyone.
You apply your Constitution modifier to:

Each Hit Die (though a penalty can never drop a Hit Die roll below 1--that is, a character always gains at least 1 hp each time he or she goes up a level).
Fortitude saving throws, for resisting poison and similar threats.
Concentration checks. This is a skill, important to spellcasters, that has Constitution as its key ability.

If a character's Constitution changes enough to alter his or her Constitution modifier, his or her hit points also increase or decrease accordingly.

Table 1-4: Average Constitution Scores

INTELLIGENCE (Int)
Intelligence determines how well your character learns and reasons. Intelligence is important for wizards because it affects how many spells they can cast, how hard their spells are to resist, and how powerful their spells can be. It's also important for any character who wants to have a strong assortment of skills.
You apply your character's Intelligence modifier to:

The number of languages your character knows at the start of the game.
The number of skill points gained each level. (But your character always gets at least 1 skill point per level.)
Alchemy, Appraise, Craft, Decipher Script, Disable Device, Forgery, Knowledge, Read Lips, Scry, Search, and Spellcraft checks. These are the skills that have Intelligence as their key ability.

Wizards gain bonus spells based on their Intelligence scores. The minimum Intelligence needed to cast a wizard spell is 10 + the spell's level.
Animals have Intelligence scores of 1 or 2. Creatures of human-like intelligence have scores of at least 3.

Table 1-5: Average Intelligence Scores

WISDOM (Wis)
Wisdom describes a character's willpower, common sense, perception, and intuition. While Intelligence represents one's ability to analyze information, Wisdom is more related to being in tune with and aware of one's surroundings. An "absentminded professor" has low Wisdom and high Intelligence. A simpleton (low Intelligence) might still have great insight (high Wisdom). Wisdom is the most important ability for clerics and druids, and is also important for paladins and rangers. If you want your character to have keen senses, put a high score in Wisdom.
You apply your character's Wisdom modifier to:

Will saving throws (for negating charm person and other spells).
Heal, Innuendo, Intuit Direction, Listen, Profession, Sense Motive, Spot, and Wilderness Lore checks. These are the skills that have Wisdom as their key ability.

Clerics, druids, paladins, and rangers get bonus spells based on their Wisdom scores. The minimum Wisdom needed to cast a cleric, druid, paladin, or ranger spell is 10 + the spell's level.
Every creature has a Wisdom score.

Table 1-6: Average Wisdom Scores

CHARISMA (Cha)
Charisma measures a character's force of personality, persuasiveness, personal magnetism, ability to lead, and physical attractiveness. It represents actual personal strength, not merely how one is perceived by others in a social setting. Charisma is important for paladins, sorcerers, and bards. It is also important for clerics, since it affects their ability to turn undead.
You apply your Charisma modifier to:

Animal Empathy, Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Perform, and Use Magic Device checks. These are the skills that have Charisma as their key ability.
Checks that represent an attempt to influence others.
Turning checks for clerics and paladins attempting to turn zombies, vampires, and other undead.

Sorcerers and bards get bonus spells based on their Charisma scores. The minimum Charisma needed to cast a sorcerer or bard spell is 10 + the spell's level.
Every creature has a Charisma score.

Table 1-7: Average Charisma Scores

Example of Generating And Assigning Ability Scores
Monte wants to create a new character. He rolls four six-sided dice (4d6) and gets 5, 4, 4, and 1. Ignoring the lowest die, he records the result on scratch paper: 13. He does this five more times and gets these scores: 13, 10, 15, 12, 8, and 14. Monte decides to play a strong, tough dwarven fighter. Now he assigns his rolls to abilities.
    Strength gets the highest score, 15. His character has a +2 Strength bonus that will serve him well in combat.
    Constitution gets the next highest score, 14. The dwarf's +2 Constitution racial ability adjustment (see Table 2-1: Racial Ability Adjustments, page 12) improves his Constitution score to 16, for a +3 bonus, which gives him more hit points and better Fortitude saving throws.
    Monte puts his lowest score, 8, into Charisma. The dwarf's -2 Charisma racial ability adjustment (see Table 2-1: Racial Ability Adjustments, page 12) reduces his Charisma score to 6, for a -2 penalty.
    Monte has two bonus-range scores left (13 and 12), plus an average score (10). Dexterity gets the 13 (+1 bonus). That helps with attacking with ranged weapons and with Reflex saving throws. (Monte's also thinking ahead. A Dexterity score of 13 qualifies his character for the Dodge feat--see Table 5-1: Feats, page 79).
    Wisdom gets the 12 (+1 bonus). That helps with perception skills, such as Spot and Listen (see Table 4-2: Skills, page 59), as well as with Will saving throws.
    Intelligence gets the 10 (no bonus or penalty). An average Intelligence isn't bad for a fighter.
    Monte records his character's race, class, ability scores, and ability modifiers on his character sheet.

Continue to Chapter 1.4: Changing Ability Scores