Just about every die roll you make is going to be modified based on your character's abilities. A tough character has a better chance of surviving a wyvern's poison sting. A perceptive character is more likely to notice bugbears sneaking up from behind. A stupid character is not as likely to find a secret door that leads to a hidden treasure chamber. Your ability scores tell you what your modifiers are for rolls such as these.

Your character has six abilities: Strength (abbreviated Str), Dexterity (Dex), Constitution (Con), Intelligence (Int), Wisdom (Wis), and Charisma (Cha). Each of your character's above-average abilities gives you a benefit on certain die rolls, and each below-average ability gives you a disadvantage on other die rolls. When creating your character, you roll your scores randomly, assign them to the abilities as you like, and raise and lower them according to the character's race. Later, you can increase them as your character advances in experience.

ABILITY SCORES

To create an ability score for your character, roll four six-sided dice (4d6). Disregard the lowest die roll and total the three highest ones. The result is a number between 3 (horrible) and 18 (tremendous). The average ability score for the typical commoner is 10 or 11, but your character is not typical. The most common ability scores for player characters (PCs) are 12 and 13. (That's right, the average player character is above average.)

Make this roll six times, recording each result on a piece of paper. Once you have six scores, assign each score to one of the six abilities. At this step, you need to know what kind of person your character is going to be, including his or her race and class, in order to know how best to distribute the ability scores. Choosing a race other than human or half-elf causes some of these ability scores to change (see Table 2–1: Racial Ability Adjustments, page 12).

ABILITY MODIFIERS

Each ability, after changes made because of race, has a modifier ranging from –5 to +5. Table 1–1: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells (on the next page) shows the modifier for each score. It also shows bonus spells, which you'll need to know about if your character is a spellcaster.

The modifier is the number you apply to the die roll when your character tries to do something related to that ability. For instance, you apply your character's Strength modifier to your roll when he or she tries to hit someone with a sword. A positive modifier is called a bonus, and a negative modifier is called a penalty.

Armor Class (AC): You also use modifiers with some numbers that aren't die rolls. For example, you apply your character's Dexterity modifier to his or her Armor Class (AC).

ABILITIES AND SPELLCASTERS

TABLE 1–1: ABILITY MODIFIERS AND BONUS SPELLS

The ability that governs bonus spells (see Chapter 3: Classes) depends on what type of spellcaster your character is: Intelligence for wizards; Wisdom for clerics, druids, paladins, and rangers; or Charisma for sorcerers and bards. In addition to having a high ability score, a spellcaster must be of high enough class level to be able to cast spells of a given spell level. (See the class descriptions in Chapter 3 for details.) For instance, the wizard Mialee has an Intelligence score of 15, so she's smart enough to get one bonus 1st-level spell and one bonus 2nd-level spell. (She will not actually get the 2nd-level spell until she is 3rd-level wizard, since that's the minimum level a wizard must be to cast 2nd-level spells.)

If your character's ability score is 9 or lower, you can't cast spells tied to that ability. For example, if Mialee's Intelligence score dropped to 9 because of a poison that reduces intellect, she would not be able to cast even her simplest spells until cured.

REROLLING

If your scores are too low, you may scrap them and roll all six scores again. Your scores are considered too low if the sum of your modifiers (before adjustments because of race) is 0 or lower, or if your highest score is 13 or lower.

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 roll (1), he records the result on scratch paper: 13. He rolls the dice five more times and gets these six scores: 13, 10, 15, 12, 8, and 14. Monte decides to play a strong, tough dwarf fighter. Now he assigns his scores 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 racial bonus to Constitution (see Table 2-1: Racial Ability Adjustments, page 12) improves his Constitution score to 16, which gives him a +3 modifier. This bonus gives the character more hit points and better Fortitude saving throws.

Monte puts his lowest score, 8, into Charisma. The dwarf's -2 racial penalty to Charisma (see Table 2-1) 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), which helps with ranged weapon attacks 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 90).

Wisdom gets the 12 (+1 bonus). The Wisdom bonus helps with perception skills, such as Spot and Listen (see Table 4-2: Skills, page 63), 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.

CHANGING ABILITY SCORES

Over time, the ability scores your character starts with can change. Ability scores can increase with no limit. Points at which ability changes occur include the following:

* Add 1 point to any score upon attaining 4th level and at every fourth level your character attains thereafter (8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th level). * Many spells and magical effects temporarily increase or decrease ability scores. The ray of enfeeblement spell reduces a creature's Strength, and the bull's strength spell increases it. Sometimes a spell simply hampers a character, reducing his or her ability score. A character trapped by an entangle spell, for example, acts as if his or her Dexterity were 4 points lower than it really is. * Several magic items improve ability scores as long as the character is using them. For example, gloves of dexterity improve the wearer's Dexterity score. (Magic items are described in the Dungeon Master's Guide.) Note that a magic item of this type can't change an ability score by more than +6. * Some rare magic items can boost an ability score permanently, as can a wish spell. Such an increase is called an inherent bonus. An ability score can't have an inherent bonus of more than +5. * Poisons, diseases, and other effects can temporarily harm an ability (ability damage). Ability points lost to damage return on their own at a rate of 1 point per day for each damaged ability. * Some effects drain abilities, resulting in a permanent loss (ability drain). Points lost this way don't return on their own, but they can be regained with spells, such as restoration. * As a character ages, some ability scores go up and others go down. See Table 6-5: Aging Effects (page 109).

When an ability score changes, all attributes associated with that score change accordingly. For example, when Mialee becomes a 4th-level wizard, she decides to increase her Intelligence score to 16. That score gives her a 3rd-level bonus spell (which she'll pick up upon attaining 5th level, when she becomes able to cast 3rd-level spells), and it increases the number of skill points she gets per level from 4 to 5 (2 per level for her class, plus another 3 per level from her Intelligence bonus). As a new 4th-level character, she can get the skill points immediately after raising her Intelligence, so she'll get 5 points for attaining 4th level in the wizard class. She does not retroactively get additional points for her previous levels (that is, skill points she would have gained if she had had an Intelligence score of 16 starting at 1st level).

INTELLIGENCE, WISDOM, AND CHARISMA

You can use your character's Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores to guide you in roleplaying your character. Here is some background (just guidelines) about what these scores can mean.

A smart character (one with high Intelligence) is curious, knowledgeable, and prone to using big words. A character with a high Intelligence but low Wisdom may be smart but absentminded, or knowledgeable but lacking in common sense. A character with a high Intelligence but a low Charisma may be a know-it-all or a reclusive scholar. A smart character lacking in both Wisdom and Charisma may put her foot in her mouth often.

A character with a low Intelligence mispronounces and misuses words, has trouble following directions, or fails to get the joke.

A character with a high Wisdom score may be sensible, serene, "in tune," alert, or centered. A character with a high Wisdom but low Intelligence may be aware, but simple. A character with high Wisdom but low Charisma knows enough to speak carefully and may become an advisor (or "power behind the throne") rather than a leader. The wise character lacking in both Intelligence and Charisma is uncouth and unsophisticated.

A character with a low Wisdom score may be rash, imprudent, irresponsible, or "out of it."

A character with high Charisma may be attractive, striking, personable, and confident. A character with high Charisma but a low Intelligence can usually pass herself off as knowledgeable, until she meets a true expert. A charismatic character lacking in both Intelligence and Wisdom is likely to be shallow and unaware of others' feelings.

A character with low Charisma may be reserved, gruff, rude, fawning, or simply nondescript.