Ability Scores

## Using Ability Scores

**Strength**, measuring physical power

**Dexterity**, measuring agility

**Constitution**, measuring endurance

**Intelligence**, measuring reasoning and memory

**Wisdom**, measuring perception and insight

**Charisma**, measuring force of personality

### Ability Scores and Modifiers

An ability score measures base capabilities, training, and competence in activities related to that ability. 10 or 11 is the normal human average, but adventurers and monsters are a cut above average in most abilities. A score of 18 is the highest that a person usually reaches. Adventurers can have scores as high as 20, and monsters and divine beings can have scores as high as 30. Each ability also has a modifier, derived from the score and ranging from -5 to +10. To determine an ability modifier subtract 10 from the ability score and then divide the total by 2 (round down).

##### Ability Scores and Modifiers

 2-3
 4-5
 6-7
 8-9
 10-11
 12-13
 14-15

## Advantage and Disadvantage

When a special ability or spell has advantage or disadvantage, you roll a second d20. Use the higher of the two rolls if you have advantage, and use the lower roll if you have disadvantage.

If multiple situations affect a roll and each one grants advantage or imposes disadvantage on it, you don't roll more than one additional d20. If two favorable situations grant advantage, for example, you still roll only one additional d20.

If circumstances cause a roll to have both advantage and disadvantage, you are considered to have neither of them, and you roll one d20. This is true even if multiple circumstances impose disadvantage and only one grants advantage or vice versa. In such a situation, you have neither advantage nor disadvantage.

When you have advantage or disadvantage and something in the game lets you reroll or replace the d20, you can reroll or replace only one of the dice. You choose which one.

You usually gain advantage or disadvantage through the use of special abilities, actions, or spells. Inspiration can also give a character advantage. The referee can also decide that circumstances influence a roll in one direction or the other and grant advantage or impose disadvantage as a result.

## Proficiency Bonus

Determined by level. Monsters also have this bonus, which is incorporated in their stat blocks. The bonus is used in the rules on ability checks, saving throws, and attack rolls.

Your proficiency bonus can't be added to a single die roll or other number more than once.

Occasionally, your proficiency bonus might be multiplied or divided before you apply it.

You don't multiply your proficiency bonus for attack rolls or saving throws. If a feature or effect allows you to do so, these same rules apply.

 2
 3
 4
 5

## Ability Checks

An ability check tests a character's or monster's base talent and training in an effort to overcome a challenge. The referee calls for an ability check when a character or monster attempts an action (other than an attack) that has a chance of failure. When the outcome is uncertain, the dice determine the results.

To make an ability check, roll a d20 and add the relevant ability modifier. As with other d20 rolls, apply bonuses and penalties, and compare the total to the DC. If the total equals or exceeds the DC, the ability check is a success-the creature overcomes the challenge at hand. Otherwise, it's a failure, which means the character or monster makes no progress toward the objective or makes progress combined with a setback determined by the referee.

### Difficulty Class

The referee decides which of the six abilities is relevant to the task at hand and the difficulty of the task, represented by a Difficulty Class. The more difficult a task, the higher its DC. The Typical Difficulty Classes table shows the most common DCs.

##### Typical Difficulty Class

 Easy
 Medium
 Hard
 Very Hard
 Nearly Impossible

## Contests

Sometimes one's efforts are directly opposed to another's. This can occur when both sides are trying to do the same thing and only one can succeed. This situation also applies when one of them is trying to prevent the other one from accomplishing a goal. In these situations, the outcome is determined by a special form of ability check, called a contest.

Both participants in a contest make ability checks appropriate to their efforts. They apply all appropriate bonuses and penalties, but instead of comparing the total to a DC, they compare the totals of their two checks. The participant with the higher check total wins the contest. That character or monster either succeeds at the action or prevents the other one from succeeding.

If the contest results in a tie, the situation remains the same as it was before the contest. Thus, one contestant might win the contest by default.

## Skills

Each ability covers a broad range of capabilities, including skills that a character or a monster can be proficient in. A skill represents a specific aspect of an ability score, and an individual's proficiency in a skill demonstrates a focus on that aspect. A character's starting skill proficiencies are determined at character creation, and a monster's skill proficiencies appear in the monster's stat block.

The skills related to each ability score are shown in the following list. (No skills are related to Constitution.) See an ability's description in the later sections of this chapter for examples of how to use a skill associated with an ability.

Sometimes, the referee might ask for an ability check using a specific skill. At other times, a player might ask the referee if proficiency in a particular skill applies to a check. In either case, proficiency in a skill means an individual can add his or her proficiency bonus to ability checks that involve that skill. Without proficiency in the skill, the individual makes a normal ability check.

## Different Types of Checks

### Passive Checks

A passive check is a special kind of ability check that doesn't involve any die rolls. Such a check can represent the average result for a task done repeatedly, such as searching for secret doors over and over again, or can be used when the referee wants to secretly determine whether the characters succeed at something without rolling dice, such as noticing a hidden monster.

Here's how to determine a character's total for a passive check: 10 + all modifiers that normally apply to the check. If the character has advantage on the check, add 5. For disadvantage, subtract 5. The game refers to a passive check total as a score.

### Working Together

Sometimes two or more characters team up to attempt a task. The character who's leading the effort-or the one with the highest ability modifier-can make an ability check with advantage, reflecting the help provided by the other characters. A character can only provide help if the task is one that he or she could attempt alone. For example, trying to open a lock requires proficiency with thieves' tools, so a character who lacks that proficiency can't help another character in that task. Moreover, a character can help only when two or more individuals working together would actually be productive. Some tasks, such as threading a needle, are no easier with help.

### Group Checks

When a number of individuals are trying to accomplish something as a group, the referee might ask for a group ability check. In such a situation, the characters who are skilled at a particular task help cover those who aren't. To make a group ability check, everyone in the group makes the ability check. If at least half the group succeeds, the whole group succeeds. Otherwise, the group fails. Group checks don't come up very often, and they're most useful when all the characters succeed or fail as a group. For example, when adventurers are navigating a swamp, the referee might call for a group Wisdom (Survival) check to see if the characters can avoid the quicksand, sinkholes, and other natural hazards of the environment. If at least half the group succeeds, the successful characters are able to guide their companions out of danger. Otherwise, the group stumbles into one of these hazards.

## Saving Throws

A saving throw--also called a save--represents an attempt to resist a spell, a trap, a poison, a disease, or a similar threat. You don't normally decide to make a saving throw; you are forced to make one because your character or monster is at risk of harm. To make a saving throw, roll a d20 and add the appropriate ability modifier. For example, you use your Dexterity modifier for a Dexterity saving throw. A saving throw can be modified by a situational bonus or penalty and can be affected by advantage and disadvantage, as determined by the referee. Each class gives proficiency in at least two saving throws. The Mind froth-user, for example, is proficient in Intelligence saves. As with skill proficiencies, proficiency in a saving throw lets a character add his or her proficiency bonus to saving throws made using a particular ability score. Some monsters have saving throw proficiencies as well. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw is determined by the effect that causes it. For example, the DC for a saving throw allowed by a spell is determined by the caster's spellcasting ability and proficiency bonus. The result of a successful or failed saving throw is also detailed in the effect that allows the save. Usually, a successful save means that a creature suffers no harm, or reduced harm, from an effect.

# Using Each Ability

Every task that a character or monster might attempt in the game is covered by one of the six abilities. This section explains in more detail what those abilities mean and the ways they are used in the game.

* Strength
* Dexterity
* Constitution
* Intelligence
* Wisdom
* Charisma

* Description
* Lifting and Carrying

Measures bodily power, athletic training, and the extent of exerting raw physical force.

### Strength Check

A Strength check can model any attempt to lift, push, pull, or break something, to force your body through a space, or to otherwise apply brute force to a situation. The Athletics skill reflects aptitude in certain kinds of Strength checks. Athletics. Your Strength (Athletics) check covers difficult situations you encounter while climbing, jumping, or swimming.

Examples include the following activities:

* You attempt to climb a sheer or slippery cliff, avoid hazards while scaling a wall, or cling to a surface while something is trying to knock you off.
* You try to jump an unusually long distance or pull off a stunt midjump.
* You struggle to swim or stay afloat in treacherous currents, storm-tossed waves, or areas of thick seaweed.
	+ Or another creature tries to push or pull you underwater or otherwise interfere with your swimming.

Other Strength Checks. The referee might also call for a Strength check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following:

* Force open a stuck, locked, or barred door Break free of bonds
* Push through a tunnel that is too small
* Hang on to a wagon while being dragged behind it
* Tip over a statue Keep a boulder from rolling

### Attack and Damage Roll

Add Strength modifier to your attack roll and damage roll when attacking with a melee weapon. Use melee weapons in hand-to-hand combat, and some of them can be thrown to make a ranged attack.

Your Strength score determines the amount of weight you can bear. The following terms define what you can lift or carry:

**Carrying Capacity**. Your carrying capacity is your Strength score multiplied by 15. This is the weight (in pounds) that you can carry, which is high enough that most characters don't usually have to worry about it.

**Push, Drag, or Lift.** You can push, drag, or lift a weight in pounds up to twice your carrying capacity (or 30 times your Strength score). While pushing or dragging weight in excess of your carrying capacity, your speed drops to 5 feet.

**Size and Strength**. Larger creatures can bear more weight, whereas tiny creatures can carry less. For each size category above Medium, double the creature's carrying capacity and the amount it can push, drag, or lift. For a Tiny creature, halve these weights.

* Description
* Hiding

Measures agility, reflexes, and balance.

### Dexterity Checks

A Dexterity check can model any attempt to move nimbly, quickly, or quietly, or to keep from falling on tricky footing.

**Acrobatics**. Your Dexterity (Acrobatics) check covers your attempt to stay on your feet in a tricky situation, such as when you're trying to run across a sheet of ice, balance on a tightrope, or stay upright on a rocking ship's deck. The referee might also call for a Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to see if you can perform acrobatic stunts, including dives, rolls, somersaults, and flips.

**Sleight of Hand**. Whenever you attempt an act of legerdemain or manual trickery, such as planting something on someone else or concealing an object on your person, make a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check. The referee might also call for a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check to determine whether you can lift a coin purse off another person or slip something out of another person's pocket.

**Stealth**. Make a Dexterity (Stealth) check when you attempt to conceal yourself from enemies, slink past guards, slip away without being noticed.

**Other Dexterity Checks**. The referee might call for a Dexterity check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following:

* Control a heavily laden cart on a steep descent
* Steer a chariot around a tight turn
* Pick a lock Disable a trap
* Securely tie up a prisoner
* Wriggle free of bonds
* Play a stringed instrument
* Craft small or detailed object

### Attack Rolls and Damage

You add your Dexterity modifier to your attack roll and your damage roll when attacking with a ranged weapon, such as a sling or a longbow. You can also add your Dexterity modifier to your attack roll and your damage roll when attacking with a melee weapon that has the finesse property, such as a dagger or a rapier.

### Armor Class

Depending on the armor you wear, you might add some or all of your Dexterity modifier to your Armor Class.

### Initiative

At the beginning of every combat, you roll initiative by making a Dexterity check. Initiative determines the order of creatures' turns in combat.

The referee decides when circumstances are appropriate for hiding. When you try to hide, make a Dexterity (Stealth) check. Until you are discovered or you stop hiding, that check's total is contested by the Wisdom (Perception) check of any creature that actively searches for signs of your presence. You can't hide from a creature that can see you clearly, and you give away your position if you make noise, such as shouting a warning or knocking over a vase. An invisible creature can always try to hide. Signs of its passage might still be noticed, and it does have to stay quiet. In combat, most creatures stay alert for signs of danger all around, so if you come out of hiding and approach a creature, it usually sees you. However, under certain circumstances, the referee might allow you to stay hidden as you approach a creature that is distracted, allowing you to gain advantage on an attack roll before you are seen.

**Passive Perception**. When you hide, there's a chance someone will notice you even if they aren't searching. To determine whether such a creature notices you, the referee compares your Dexterity (Stealth) check with that creature's passive Wisdom (Perception) score, which equals 10 + the creature's Wisdom modifier, as well as any other bonuses or penalties. If the creature has advantage, add 5. For disadvantage, subtract 5. For example, if a 1st-level character (with a proficiency bonus of +2) has a Wisdom of 15 (a +2 modifier) and proficiency in Perception, he or she has a passive Wisdom (Perception) of 14. What Can You See? One of the main factors in determining whether you can find a hidden creature or object is how well you can see in an area, which might be lightly or heavily obscured.

* Description
* Hit Points

Measures health, stamina, and vital force.

### Constitution Checks

Constitution checks are uncommon, and no skills apply to Constitution checks, because the endurance this ability represents is largely passive rather than involving a specific effort on the part of a character or monster. A Constitution check can model your attempt to push beyond normal limits, however. The referee might call for a Constitution check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following:

* Hold your breath
* March or labor for hours without rest
* Go without sleep
* Survive without food or water
* Quaff an entire stein of ale in one go

Your Constitution modifier contributes to your hit points. Typically, you add your Constitution modifier to each Hit Die you roll for your hit points. If your Constitution modifier changes, your hit point maximum changes as well, as though you had the new modifier from 1st level. For example, if you raise your Constitution score when you reach 4th level and your Constitution modifier increases from +1 to +2, you adjust your hit point maximum as though the modifier had always been +2. So you add 3 hit points for your first three levels, and then roll your hit points for 4th level using your new modifier. Or if you're 7th level and some effect lowers your Constitution score so as to reduce your Constitution modifier by 1, your hit point maximum is reduced by 7.

Measures mental acuity, accuracy of recall, and the ability to reason.

### Intelligence Checks

An Intelligence check comes into play when you need to draw on logic, education, memory, or deductive reasoning.

**Froth**. Your Intelligence (Froth) check measures your ability to recall lore about spells, magic items, eldritch symbols, magical traditions, the planes of existence, and the inhabitants of those planes.

**History**. Your Intelligence (History) check measures your ability to recall lore about historical events,legendary people, ancient kingdoms, past disputes, recent wars, and lost civilizations.

Investigation. When you look around for clues and make deductions based on those clues, you make an Intelligence (Investigation) check. You might deduce the location of a hidden object, discern from the appearance of a wound what kind of weapon dealt it, or determine the weakest point in a tunnel that could cause it to collapse. Poring through ancient scrolls in search of a hidden fragment of knowledge might also call for an Intelligence (Investigation) check.

**Nature**. Your Intelligence (Nature) check measures your ability to recall lore about terrain, plants and animals, the weather, and natural cycles.

**Religion**. Your Intelligence (Religion) check measures your ability to recall lore about deities, rites and prayers, religious hierarchies, holy symbols, and the practices of secret cults.

**Other Intelligence Checks**. The referee might call for an Intelligence check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following:

* Communicate with a creature without using words
* Estimate the value of a precious item
* Pull together a disguise to pass as a city guard
* Forge a document
* Recall lore about a craft or trade
* Win a game of skill

* Description
* Finding a Hidden Object

Reflects how attuned you are to the world around you. Perceptiveness and intuition.

### Wisdom Checks

A Wisdom check might reflect an effort to read body language, understand someone's feelings, notice things about the environment, or care for an injured person.

**Animal Handling**. When there is any question whether you can calm down a domesticated animal, keep a mount from getting spooked, or intuit an animal's intentions, the referee might call for a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check. You also make a Wisdom (Animal Handling) check to control your mount when you attempt a risky maneuver.

**Insight**. Your Wisdom (Insight) check decides whether you can determine the true intentions of a creature, such as when searching out a lie or predicting someone's next move. Doing so involves gleaning clues from body language, speech habits, and changes in mannerisms.

**Medicine**. A Wisdom (Medicine) check lets you try to stabilize a dying companion or diagnose an illness. Perception. Your Wisdom (Perception) check lets you spot, hear, or otherwise detect the presence of something. It measures your general awareness of your surroundings and the keenness of your senses.

**Other Wisdom Checks**. The referee might call for a Wisdom check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following:

* Get a gut feeling about what course of action to follow
* Discern whether a seemingly dead or living creature is undead

When your character searches for a hidden object such as a secret door or a trap, the referee typically asks you to make a Wisdom (Perception) check. Such a check can be used to find hidden details or other information and clues that you might otherwise overlook. In most cases, you need to describe where you are looking in order for the referee to determine your chance of success. For example, a key is hidden beneath a set of folded clothes in the top drawer of a bureau. If you tell the referee that you pace around the room, looking at the walls and furniture for clues, you have no chance of finding the key, regardless of your Wisdom (Perception) check result. You would have to specify that you were opening the drawers or searching the bureau in order to have any chance of success. For example, you might try to hear a conversation through a closed door, eavesdrop under an open window, or hear monsters moving stealthily in the forest. Or you might try to spot things that are obscured or easy to miss, whether they are monsters lying in ambush on a road, thugs hiding in the shadows of an alley, or candlelight under a closed secret door. Survival. The referee might ask you to make a Wisdom (Survival) check to follow tracks, hunt wild game, guide your group through frozen wastelands, identify signs that owlbears live nearby, predict the weather, or avoid quicksand and other natural hazards.

Measures your ability to interact effectively with others. It includes such factors as confidence and eloquence, and it can represent a charming or commanding personality.

### Charisma Checks

A Charisma check might arise when you try to influence or entertain others, when you try to make an impression or tell a convincing lie, or when you are navigating a tricky social situation.

**Deception**. Your Charisma (Deception) check determines whether you can convincingly hide the truth, either verbally or through your actions. This deception can encompass everything from misleading others through ambiguity to telling outright lies. Typical situations include trying to fast-talk a guard, con a merchant, earn money through gambling, pass yourself off in a disguise, dull someone's suspicions with false assurances, or maintain a straight face while telling a blatant lie.

**Intimidation**. When you attempt to influence someone through overt threats, hostile actions, and physical violence, the referee might ask you to make a Charisma (Intimidation) check. Examples include trying to pry information out of a prisoner, convincing street thugs to back down from a confrontation, or using the edge of a broken bottle to convince a sneering vizier to reconsider a decision.

**Performance**. Your Charisma (Performance) check determines how well you can delight an audience with music, dance, acting, storytelling, or some other form of entertainment.

**Persuasion**. When you attempt to influence someone or a group of people with tact, social graces, or good nature, the referee might ask you to make a Charisma (Persuasion) check. Typically, you use persuasion when acting in good faith, to foster friendships, make cordial requests, or exhibit proper etiquette. Examples of persuading others include convincing a chamberlain to let your party see the king, negotiating peace between warring tribes, or inspiring a crowd of townsfolk.

Other Charisma Checks. The referee might call for a Charisma check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following:

* Find the best person to talk to for news, rumors, and gossip
* Blend into a crowd to get the sense of key topics of conversation

### Spellcasting Ability

Witches use Charisma as their spellcasting ability, which helps determine the saving throw DCs of spells they cast.