Abilities

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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 poison sting. A perceptive character is more likely to notice an enemy 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). They are his raw talent and prowess. While a character rarely rolls a check using just an ability score, these scores, and the modifiers they create, affect nearly every aspect of a character’s skills and abilities. 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.

### **Generating Ability Scores**

Generating ability scores is a big part of character creation and arguably sets the tine for the campaign. Classic ability generation fits more heroic settings and adventures where the players are impressive subjects destined for greatness from the start. However gritty ability generation is more for campaigns were the players are much more towards the norm, and sometimes even below the curve.

### **Classic Ability Generation**

Roll 2d6 and add 6 to the sum of the dice. Record this total and repeat the process until seven numbers are generated then drop the lowest number so that you have six. Assign these totals to your ability scores as you see fit. This is less random than the Old method and generates characters with mostly above-average scores.

### **Gritty Ability Generation**

Roll 2d4 and add 6 to the sum of the dice. Record this total and repeat the process until six numbers are generated. Assign these totals to your ability scores as you see fit. This is less random than the Old method and generates characters with very average scores.

### **Determine Bonuses**

Each ability, after changes made because of race, has a modifier ranging from –5 to +5. Table 1–1 shows the modifier for each score. The modifier is the number you apply to the die roll when your character tries to do something related to that ability. You also use the modifier with some numbers that aren’t die rolls. A positive modifier is called a bonus, and a negative modifier is called a penalty.

### **Ability Modifiers**

Each ability will have a modifier. The modifier can be calculated using this formula: (ability/2) -5 [round result down]. The modifier is the number you add to or subtract from the die roll when your character tries to do something related to that ability. A positive modifier is called a bonus, and a negative modifier is called a penalty.

### **Ability Scores**

Each ability helps to describe character’s personality and physical description and affects some of their actions.

#### **Strength (Str)**

Strength measures muscle and physical power. This ability is important for those who engage in hand-to-hand (or “melee”) combat, such as fighters, monks, paladins, and some rangers. Strength also sets the maximum amount of weight your character can carry. A character with a Strength score of 0 is too weak to move in any way and is unconscious. Some creatures do not possess a Strength score and have no modifier at all to Strength-based skills or checks. You apply your character’s Strength modifier to:

• • Melee attack rolls.

• • Damage rolls when using a melee weapon or a thrown weapon, including a sling. (Exceptions: Off-hand attacks receive only half the character’s Strength bonus, while two-handed attacks receive 1 1/2 times the Strength bonus. A Strength penalty, but not a bonus, applies to attacks made with a bow that is not a composite bow.)
• • Climb and Swim checks.

• • Strength checks (for breaking down doors and the like).

#### **Dexterity (Dex)**

Dexterity measures agility, reflexes, and balance. This ability is the most important one for rogues, but it’s also useful for characters who wear light or medium armor or no armor at all. This ability is vital for characters seeking to excel with ranged weapons, such as the bow or sling. A character with a Dexterity score of 0 is incapable of moving and is effectively immobile (but not unconscious). You apply your character’s Dexterity modifier to:

• • Ranged attack rolls, including those for attacks made with bows, crossbows, throwing axes, and many ranged spell attacks like *scorching ray* or *searing light*.

• • Defense Class (DC), provided that the character can react to the attack.

• • Reflex saving throws, for avoiding *fireballs* and other attacks that you can escape by moving quickly.

• • Acrobatics, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Fly, Ride, Sleight of Hand, and Stealth checks.

#### **Constitution (Con)**

Constitution represents your character’s health and stamina. A Constitution bonus increases a character’s hit points, so the ability is important for all classes. Some creatures, such as undead and constructs, do not have a Constitution score. Their modifier is +0 for any Constitution-based checks. A character with a Constitution score of 0 is dead. You apply your character’s Constitution modifier to:

• • Each roll of a Hit Die (though a penalty can never drop a result below 1—that is, a character always gains at least 1 hit point each time he advances in level).

• • Fortitude saving throws, for resisting poison, disease, and similar threats.

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

#### **Intelligence (Int)**

Intelligence determines how well your character learns and reasons. This ability is important for wizards because it affects their spell-casting ability in many ways. Creatures of animal-level instinct have Intelligence scores of 1 or 2. Any creature capable of understanding speech has a score of at least 3. A character with an Intelligence score of 0 is comatose. Some creatures do not possess an Intelligence score. Their modifier is +0 for any Intelligence-based skills or checks. You apply your character’s Intelligence modifier to:

• • The number of bonus languages your character knows at the start of the game. These are in addition to any starting racial languages and Common. If you have a penalty, you can still read and speak your racial languages unless your Intelligence is lower than 3.

• • The number of skill points gained each level, though your character always gets at least 1 skill point per level.

• • Appraise, Knowledge, and Linguistics checks.

#### **Wisdom (Wis)**

Wisdom describes a character’s willpower, common sense, awareness, and intuition. If you want your character to have acute senses, put a high score in Wisdom. Every creature has a Wisdom score. A character with a Wisdom score of 0 is incapable of rational thought and is unconscious. You apply your character’s Wisdom modifier to:

• • Will saving throws (for negating the effects of *charm person* and other spells).

• • Heal, Perception, Profession, Sense Motive, and Survival checks.

#### **Charisma (Cha)**

Charisma measures a character’s personality, personal magnetism, and ability to lead. Every creature has a Charisma score. A character with a Charisma score of 0 is not able to exert himself in any way and is unconscious. You apply your character’s Charisma modifier to:

• • Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise, Handle Animal, Intimidate, and Perform checks.

• • Checks that represent attempts to influence others.

### **Ability Score Modification**

The following section is about changes that can happen during game to your ability scores.

## **Permanent Bonuses**

Ability bonuses with a duration greater than 1 day actually increase the relevant ability score after 24 hours. Modify all skills and statistics related to that ability. This might cause you to gain skill points, hit points, and other bonuses. These bonuses should be noted separately in case they are removed. Ability Score Damage, Penalty, and Drain Diseases, poisons, and other abilities can all deal damage directly to your ability scores. This damage does not actually reduce an ability, but it does apply a penalty to the skills and statistics that are based on that ability. For every 2 points of damage you take to a single ability, apply a –1 penalty to skills and statistics listed with the relevant ability. If the amount of ability damage you have taken equals or exceeds your ability score, you immediately fall unconscious until the damage is less than your ability score. The only exception to this is your Constitution score. If the damage to your Constitution is equal to or greater than your Constitution score, you die. Unless otherwise noted, damage to your ability scores is healed at the rate of 1 point per day to each ability score that has been damaged.

### **Strength**

Damage to your Strength score causes you to take penalties on Strength-based skill checks, melee attack rolls, and weapon damage rolls (if they rely on Strength). The penalty also applies to your Combat Maneuver Bonus (if you are Small or larger) and your Combat Maneuver Defense.

### **Dexterity**

Damage to your Dexterity score causes you to take penalties on Dexterity-based skill checks, ranged attack rolls, initiative checks, and Reflex saving throws. The penalty also applies to your Defense Class, your Combat Maneuver Bonus (if you are Tiny or smaller), and to your Combat Maneuver Defense.

### **Constitution**

Damage to your Constitution score causes you to take penalties on your Fortitude saving throws. In addition, multiply your total Hit Dice by this penalty and subtract that amount from your current and total hit points. Lost hit points are restored when the damage to your Constitution is healed.

### **Intelligence**

Damage to your Intelligence score causes you to take penalties on Intelligence-based skill checks.

### **Wisdom**

Damage to your Wisdom score causes you to take penalties on Wisdom-based skill checks and Will saving throws.

### **Charisma**

Damage to your Charisma score causes you to take penalties on Charisma-based skill checks.

## **Ability Drain**

Ability drain actually reduces the relevant ability score. Modify all skills and statistics related to that ability. This might cause you to lose skill points, hit points, and other bonuses.

## **Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma**

You can use your character’s Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores to guide you in role-playing your character. Here are some guidelines (just guidelines) about what these scores can mean. A character with a high Intelligence score is curious, knowledgeable and prone to using big words. A character with a high Intelligence and a low Wisdom score may be smart but absent-minded, or knowledgeable but lacking common sense. A character with high Intelligence and a low Charisma score may be a know-it-all or a reclusive scholar. The smart character lacking in both Wisdom and Charisma usually puts her foot in her mouth. A character with a low Intelligence score 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 and a low Intelligence score may be aware but simple. A character with a high Wisdom and a low Charisma knows enough to speak carefully but may become an adviser or “power behind the scenes” rather than a leader. A character with low Wisdom may be rash, impudent, irresponsible, or “out of it.” A character with high Charisma may be beautiful, handsome, striking, personable, and confident. A character with high Charisma and low Intelligence can usually pass herself off as knowledgeable, at least until she meets a true expert. A character with a high Charisma and low Wisdom may be popular, but he doesn’t know who is real friends are. A character with low Charisma may be reserved, gruff, rude, fawning, or simply nondescript. When an ability score changes, all attributes associated with that score change accordingly.

## **Carrying Capacity**

Encumbrance rules determine how much a character’s armor and equipment slow him or her down. Encumbrance comes in two parts: encumbrance by armor and encumbrance by total weight.

### **Encumbrance by Armor**

A character’s armor defines his or her maximum Dexterity bonus to DC, armor check penalty, speed, and running speed. Unless your character is weak or carrying a lot of gear, that’s all you need to know. The extra gear your character carries won’t slow him or her down any more than the armor already does. If your character is weak or carrying a lot of gear, however, then you’ll need to calculate encumbrance by weight. Doing so is most important when your character is trying to carry some heavy object.

### **Weight**

If you want to determine whether your character’s gear is heavy enough to slow him or her down more than the armor already does, total the weight of all the character’s items, including armor, weapons, and gear. Compare this total to the character’s Strength on the Carrying Capacity Table 1-2. Depending on how the weight compares to the character’s carrying capacity, he or she may be carrying a light, medium, or heavy load. Like armor, a character’s load affects his or her maximum Dexterity bonus to DC, carries a check penalty (which works like an armor check penalty), reduces the character’s speed, and affects how fast the character can run, as shown on Carrying Loads Table (). A medium or heavy load counts as medium or heavy armor for the purpose of abilities or skills that are restricted by armor. Carrying a light load does not encumber a character.

### **Lifting and Dragging**

A character can lift as much as his or her maximum load over his or her head. A character can lift as much as double his or her maximum load off the ground, but he or she can only stagger around with it. While overloaded in this way, the character loses any Dexterity bonus to DC and can move only 1 meter per round (as a full-round action). A character can generally push or drag along the ground as much as five times his or her maximum load. Favorable conditions (such as being on smooth ground or dragging a slick object) can double these numbers, and bad circumstances (such as being on broken ground or pushing an object that snags) can reduce them to one-half or less.

### **Bigger and Smaller Creatures**

The figures on Table 9–1: Carrying Capacity are for Medium bipedal creatures. A larger bipedal creature can carry more weight depending on its size category, as follows: Large ×2, Huge ×4, Gargantuan ×8, Colossal ×16. A smaller creature can carry less weight depending on its size category, as follows: Small ×3/4, Tiny ×1/2, Diminutive ×1/4, Fine ×1/8. Thus, a human with a Strength score magically boosted to equal that of a giant would still have a harder time lifting, say, a horse or a boulder than a giant would.

## **Starting Sanity**

A characters Starting Sanity is equal to the characters Wisdom Score multiplied by 5. This total not only represents the starting number of Sanity points but also the upper limit of sanity points they can have restored by the Psychoanalysis skill. After creation, a character’s current Sanity score and/or point total often fluctuates considerably as the character moves on through the stresses of adventuring abroad, and the total might never again match the starting Sanity points. A change in a character’s Wisdom score changes the starting Sanity score in regards to what Psychoanalysis can restore. Current Sanity, however, does not change if the character’s Wisdom score rises or falls.

## **Damage Threshold**

Attacks that deal massive damage can impair or incapacitate you regardless of how many hit points you have remaining. Your damage Threshold determines how much damage a single attack must deal to reduce your combat effectiveness or, in some cases, kill you. Your damage threshold is calculated as follows:

**Damage Threshold = 1/2 Constitution Score + 1/3rd Character Level or Hit Dice Rounded Down + Size Modifiers**

### **Damage threshold for Mecha, Droids and, Vehicles.**

Just like with biological creatures mechanical vehicles creatures and other such things all have a Damage Threshold that works exactly the same way the damage threshold for biological creatures. The difference comes in how the damage threshold is calculated.

**Mechanical Damage Threshold = 10 + 1/3rd Character Level Rounded Down (Droids and Robots only if applicable) + Hardness of Frame Material + Size Modifiers**

## **Condition Track**

All characters, creatures, droids/robots and, vehicles lose combat effectiveness as they take damage and as a battle goes on. Whenever a character, creature, droid/robot and, vehicle takes damage from an attack that meets or exceeds the damage threshold of that character, creature, droid/robot and, vehicle they must make a fortitude save (or in the case of a vehicle a piloting check) TN = damage dealt, or go down one step on the condition track.

 Helpless (unconscious or disabled)

### **Removing Conditions**

All characters and, creatures can go up one step in the condition track by resting by taking no actions for a full round and making a fortitude save TN = constitution score. Resting or sleeping allows a character or creature may go back up on the condition track. Droids/robots and, vehicles cannot go up the condition track without being repaired.

### **Stable Characters and Recovery**

A dying character (one with –1 up to 1 short of –(Con Score) hit points) is unconscious and loses 1 hit point every round until he or she becomes stable or dies.

### **Recovering without Help**

Each round, a dying character makes a Fortitude saving throw (TN 20). If the save fails, the character loses 1 hit point and must make another save on his or her turn the next round. If the save succeeds, the character becomes stable. A stable character stops losing hit points every round, but remains unconscious. If no one tends to the stable character (see below), he or she remains unconscious for 1 hour, at which point he or she makes a Fortitude save (TN 20). If the save succeeds, the stable character regains consciousness, becoming disabled (see above). The character’s current hit point total remains where it is, however, even though it’s negative. If the save fails, the character remains unconscious. An unaided stable, conscious character who has negative hit points (and is disabled) doesn’t heal naturally. Instead, each day the character makes a Fortitude save (TN 20) to start recovering hit points naturally that day; if the save fails, he or she loses 1 hit point. Once an unaided character starts recovering hit points naturally, the character is no longer in danger of losing additional hit points (even if his or her current hit point total is still negative).

### **Recovering with Help**

A dying character can be made stable by the use of the Treat Injury skill (TN 15). One hour after a tended, dying character becomes stable, he or she makes a Fortitude save (TN 20) to regain consciousness. If successful, the character becomes disabled (see above). If the character remains unconscious, he or she makes the same Fortitude save every hour until he or she becomes conscious. Even while unconscious, the character recovers hit points naturally, and he or she can return to normal activity when his or her hit points rise to 1 or higher.

## **Healing**

After taking damage, a character can recover hit points through natural healing (over the course of days) or through medical technology (somewhat faster). In some campaign settings, magical healing is also available. In any case, a character can’t regain hit points past his or her full normal total.

### **Natural Healing**

A character recovers 1 hit point per character level per evening of rest (8 hours of sleep). A character undergoing complete bed rest (doing nothing for an entire day) recovers 2 hit points per character level.

### **Healing Ability Damage**

Ability damage returns at the rate of 1 point per evening of rest (8 hours of sleep). Complete bed rest (24 hours) restores 2 points per day.

### **Temporary Hit Points**

Certain effects can give a character temporary hit points. When a character gains temporary hit points, make a note of his or her current hit points before adding the temporary hit points. When the temporary hit points go away, the character’s hit points drop to that score. If the character’s hit points are already below that score at that time, all the temporary hit points have already been lost, and the character’s hit point total does not drop. When temporary hit points are lost, they can’t be restored as real hit points can be, even with medical treatment or magic.

### **Increases in Constitution Score and Current Hit Points**

An increase in a character’s Constitution score—even a temporary one—can give the character more hit points (an effective hit point increase), but these are not temporary hit points. They can be restored through normal healing. When a character’s Constitution drops back down to its previous score after a temporary increase, the character’s full normal hit points go down accordingly.