Abilities & Skills

Each ability covers a broad range of capabilities, while a skill represents a specific focus that a character or a monster can be proficient in. 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 Your Strength is a measure of your body's physical might. 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 DM might also call for a Strength check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following: - Force open a stuck, locked, or barred door - Push through a tunnel that is too small - Hang on to a wagon while being dragged behind it - Tip over a statue or keep a boulder from rolling ###### Carrying Capacity >Your carrying capacity is your Strength score multiplied by 10. This is the weight (in pounds) that you can carry. If you carry weight equal to or in excess of 10 times your Strength score, you are encumbered, which means your speed drops by 10 feet. If you carry weight in excess of 20 times your Strength score, up to your maximum carrying capacity, you are instead heavily encumbered, which means your speed drops by 20 feet and you have disadvantage on checks, attack rolls, and saving throws that use Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution. ###### Push, Drag, or Lift >You can push, drag, or lift a weight in pounds up to twice your [[#carrying capacity]] (or 20 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. ### Dexterity Your Dexterity is a measure of precision and control. A Dexterity check can model any attempt to move nimbly, quickly, or quietly, or to keep from [[Exploration & Environment#Falling|falling]] on tricky footing. The DM might call for a Dexterity check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following: - Control a heavily laden cart on a steep descent or steer a chariot around a tight turn - Pick a lock or disable a trap - Wriggle free of bonds - Play a stringed instrument or craft a small or detailed object ###### Armour Class >Your Armour Class (AC) represents how well your character avoids being wounded in battle. Things that contribute to your AC include the armour you wear, the shield you carry, and your Dexterity modifier. Not all characters wear armour or carry shields, however. > >Without armour or a shield, most character’s AC equals 10 + his or her Dexterity modifier. If your character wears armour, carries a shield, or both, calculate your AC using the rules in [[Armour & Weapons#Armour|armour]] section. Record your AC on your character sheet. > >Your character needs to be proficient with armour and [[Armour & Weapons#Shields|shields]] to wear and use them effectively, and your armour and shield proficiencies are determined by your class. There are drawbacks to wearing armour or carrying a shield if you lack the required proficiency, as explained in the section. > >Some spells, species and class features give you a different way to calculate your AC. If you have multiple features that give you different ways to calculate your AC, you choose which one to use. **Initiative** >At the beginning of most encounters, you roll [[Order of Combat#Initiative 🛠|initiative]] by rolling a d10 and adding your Dexterity modifier. ### Constitution Your Constitution is a measure of your physical fortitude and wellbeing. Constitution measures health, stamina, and vital force. A Constitution check can model your attempt to push beyond normal limits, and The DM might call for a Constitution check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following: - Hold your breath beyond normal limits - March or labour for hours without rest or go without sleep - Survive without food or water - Quaff an entire stein of ale in one go **Hit Points** >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 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. ###### Hit Dice >Your class’s description tells you the die type of your character’s Hit Point Dice (or Hit Dice for short); write this on your character sheet. At level 1, your character has 1 Hit Die. You can spend Hit Dice during a [[Survival Needs#Rest|rest]] to recover Hit Points. Your character sheet also includes space to note how many Hit Dice you’ve spent. > >Each time you gain a level, you gain 1 additional Hit Die. Take the average roll of that die (rounded up), plus your Constitution modifier, and them to your hit point maximum. ###### Concentration >Certain actions will require your unparalleled attention. This is also referred to as concentration. Normal activity, such as moving and attacking, doesn’t interfere with concentration. The following factors can break concentration: > >- Performing another action that requires concentration. You can’t concentrate on two activities at once. >- Whenever you take damage while you are concentrating, you must make a Constitution saving throw to maintain your concentration. The DC equals 10 or half the damage you take, whichever number is higher. If you take damage from multiple sources, such as an arrow and a dragon’s breath, you make a separate saving throw for each source of damage. >- Being [[Conditions#Staggered 🛠|staggered]], [[Conditions#Stunned 🛠|stunned]], [[Conditions#Unconscious|unconscious]] or [[Conditions#Dying 🛠|dying]]. You lose concentration if you suffer any of these conditions or if you die. >- The DM might also decide that certain environmental phenomena, such as a wave crashing over you while you’re on a storm-tossed ship, require you to succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw to maintain concentration on a spell. ### Intelligence A use of your Intelligence is a measure of your intellect and knowledge on a subject. An Intelligence check comes into play when you need to draw on logic, education, memory, or deductive reasoning. The DM 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 - Recall a memory or lore - Win a game of skill ### Wisdom Your Wisdom is a measure of how you gauge the world around you. 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. The DM 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 [[Creature Type#Undead|undead]] - Determine whether an item is magical or not - Predict the weather ### Charisma Your Charisma is a measure of your presence and social affluence. 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. The DM might call for a Charisma check when you try to accomplish tasks like the following: - Find the best person to talk to for news, rumours, and gossip - Blend into a crowd to get the sense of key topics of conversation - Give a compelling speech or tell a harrowing tale - Draw attention to distract a crowd ___ ### Using Stats Each of a creature’s abilities has a score, a number that defines the magnitude of that ability. An ability score is not just a measure of innate capabilities, but also encompasses a creature’s training and competence in activities related to that ability. A score of 10 or 11 is the normal human average, but adventurers and many monsters are a cut above average in most abilities. A score of 18 is the highest that a person usually reaches. Most adventurers can have scores as high as 22, and monsters and divine beings can have scores as high as 30. ##### Modifiers Each ability also has a modifier, derived from the score and ranging from -5 (for an ability score of 1) to +10 (for a score of 30). The following table notes the ability modifiers for the range of possible ability scores, from 1 to 30. | Score | Modifier | | ----- | -------- | | 1 | -5 | | 2-3 | -4 | | 4-5 | -3 | | 6-7 | -2 | | 8-9 | -1 | | 10-11 | +0 | | 12-13 | +1 | | 14-15 | +2 | | 16-17 | +3 | | 18-19 | +4 | | 20-21 | +5 | | 22-23 | +6 | | 24-25 | +7 | | 26-27 | +8 | | 28-29 | +9 | | 30 | +10 | To determine an ability modifier without consulting the table, subtract 10 from the ability score and then divide the total by 2 (round down). Because ability modifiers affect almost every attack roll, ability check, and saving throw, ability modifiers come up in play more often than their associated scores. ##### Checks A check tests a character’s or monster’s innate talent and training in an effort to overcome a challenge. The DM calls for an 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. For every check, the DM 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 following table shows the most common DCs. | Task Difficulty | DC | | ----------------- | --- | | Trivial | 5 | | Basic | 10 | | Average | 15 | | Tricky | 20 | | Difficult | 25 | | Nearly impossible | 30 | To make a 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 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 DM. **Group Checks** >When a number of individuals are trying to accomplish something as a group, the DM might ask for a group 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 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 DM might call for a group 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. **Working Together** >Sometimes two or more characters team up to attempt a task. The character who’s leading the effort can make an check with [[#Advantage & Disadvantage|advantage]], reflecting the help provided by the other characters. In combat, this requires the [[Actions in Combat#Help|Help]] action. > >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 often requires proficiency with [[Adventuring Gear#Thieves' Tools|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. When a character wants to assist, their assistance must be justifiable. ##### 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 DM wants to secretly determine whether the characters succeed at something without rolling dice, such as noticing a hidden monster. In most cases, when a rule calls for a passive check, the rule will specify which ability modifier to add to the passive check. In situations where no modifier is specified, the DM will choose an appropriate ability for the situation. Here’s how to determine a character’s total for a passive check: >10 + an ability modifier that the DM deems appropriate + the characters proficiency bonus (only if they are proficient or have expertise with with skill in question). If the character has [[#Advantage & Disadvantage|advantage]] on the check, add 5. For [[#Advantage & Disadvantage|disadvantage]], subtract 5. The rules on [[Actions in Combat#Hide|hiding]] rely on passive checks, as do the [[Survival Needs#Sleep|travel and sleep]] rules. ### 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 & Disadvantage|advantage and disadvantage]], as determined by the DM. Each class gives proficiency in at least two saving throws. The [[Wizard]], for example, is proficient in Intelligence saves. As with skill proficiencies, proficiency in a saving throw lets a character add his or her [[Levels & Proficiency Bonus#Proficiency Bonus|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#Spellcasting Ability 🛠|spellcasting ability]] and [[Levels & Proficiency Bonus#Proficiency Bonus|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. If you don't want to resist an effect that would have you roll a saving throw, you can choose to fail the save without rolling. ### Advantage & Disadvantage Sometimes a special ability or spell tells you that you have advantage or disadvantage on a check, a saving throw, or an attack roll. When that happens, you roll a second d20 when you make the roll. Use the higher of the two rolls if you have advantage, and use the lower roll if you have disadvantage. For example, if you have disadvantage and roll a 17 and a 5, you use the 5. If you instead have advantage and roll those numbers, you use the 17. 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 favourable 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, such as the [[Feats#Lucky|Lucky]] feat, lets you reroll the d20, you can reroll only one of the dice. You choose which one. Following the same example, if a creature has advantage or disadvantage on an ability check and rolls a 1 and a 13, the creature could use the [[Feats#Lucky|Lucky]] feat to reroll the 1. You usually gain advantage or disadvantage through the use of special abilities, actions, or spells. [[Alignment & Inspiration|Inspiration]] can also give a character advantage. The GM can also decide that circumstances influence a roll in one direction or the other and grant advantage or impose disadvantage as a result. ___ ### Skills Sometimes, the DM might ask for a check using a specific skill--for example, “Make a Wisdom check with your Perception skill.” At other times, a player might ask the DM 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 [[Levels & Proficiency Bonus#Proficiency Bonus|proficiency bonus]] to checks that involve that skill. Without proficiency in the skill, the individual makes a normal ability check. In standard 5th edition, your proficiency in a skill applies only to a specific kind of check. Proficiency in [[#Athletics|Athletics]], for example, usually only applies to Strength checks. In this game, your skill proficiencies are not tied to specific abilities and can be used a with any ability when it might suit you best. The following is a full list of the Skills available in the game, as well as how and when proficiency in those skills may apply to a given situation. ##### Acrobatics Your 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 DM might also call for a Acrobatics check to see if you can perform acrobatic stunts, including dives, rolls, somersaults, and flips. ##### Animal Handling When there is any question whether you can calm down a domesticated animal, keep a [[Companions, Mounts & NPCs#Mounts|mount]] from getting spooked, or intuit an animal’s intentions, the DM might call for a Animal Handling check. You also make a Animal Handling check to control your [[Companions, Mounts & NPCs#Mounts|mount]] when you attempt a risky maneuver. ##### Arcana Your Arcana check measures your ability to apply knowledge about spells, magic items, eldritch symbols, magical traditions, occult rituals and other matters surrounding the nature of magic and magical effects. ##### Athletics An 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. A good measure for whether or not you can use your Athletics proficiency is whether or not the activity you're performing would feature as an Olympic event. If it wouldn't you probably shouldn't be using Athletics. ##### Commerce 🛠 The Commerce skill is your characters ability to accurately know something's value and worth. This could be for items in a shop, how much to get paid for a job, how a local economy functions. Proficiency with the Commerce skill is used to determine whether you're getting a bad deal, and if there's wiggle room to negotiate for a better one. When trade of any kind is involved, the Commerce skill is invaluable. ##### Deception Your 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. ##### Etiquette 🛠 Etiquette covers knowledge about, and the ability to act within the confines of specific cultures, knowing societal rules and navigating them with finesse. Etiquette can be used to find out social details about an location, including who’s important, what areas are dangerous, where to get what you need, how to get where you're going (and where not to go). Using this skill could also help to prevent a faux pas before it's made, or even used to blend-in with a social gathering where others might stick out. ##### Insight Your 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. ##### Intimidation When you attempt to influence someone through overt threats, hostile actions, and physical violence, the DM might ask you to make a 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. ##### Investigation When you look around for clues and make deductions based on those clues, you make an 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 Investigation check. ##### Lore Your Lore check measures your ability to recall lore about historical events, legendary people, ancient kingdoms, past disputes, recent wars, and lost civilizations. Your Lore skill is representative of something you'd read or have read in a book. For checks involving memory, use your Intelligence ability on its own. ##### Medicine A Medicine check lets you try to stabilize a dying companion or diagnose an illness. ##### Nature Your Nature check measures your ability to apply knowledge about terrain, plants and animals, the weather, and natural cycles. ##### Navigation 🛠 Your Navigation check is for when you're trying to find your way to a location without directions or other specific guidance. Generally, a character does not need to make a Navigation check to find a local street or other common urban site, or to follow an accurate map. However, you might make a Navigation check to blaze a trail through a dense forest or a labyrinth of underground storm drains. ##### Perception Your Perception check uses your senses in order to spot, hear, or otherwise detect the presence of something. It measures your general awareness of your surroundings and the keenness of your senses. 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 orcs lying in ambush on a road, thugs hiding in the shadows of an alley, or candlelight under a closed secret door. ##### Performance Your Performance check determines how well you can delight an audience with music, dance, acting, storytelling, or some other form of entertainment. Performance is a good measure of how well you can draw attention and keep it, for better or for worse. ##### Persuasion When you attempt to influence someone or a group of people with tact, social graces, or good nature, the DM might ask you to make a Persuasion check. Typically, you use persuasion when acting in good faith, to foster friendships, or make cordial requests. 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. ##### Religion Your Religion check measures your ability to apply knowledge about rites and prayers, religious hierarchies, holy symbols, and the practices of secret cults. Religion also covers knowledge on [[The Paragons]], the [[Planes of Existence]], and the inhabitants of those planes. ##### 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 Sleight of Hand check. The DM might also call for a 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 Stealth check when you attempt to conceal yourself from enemies, slink past guards, slip away without being noticed, or sneak up on someone without being seen or heard. ##### Survival The DM might ask you to make a Survival check to follow tracks, hunt wild game, endure the elements, identify signs that owlbears live nearby, predict the weather, or avoid quicksand and other natural hazards. ##### Technology 🛠 Your Technology check measures your ability to apply knowledge of modern technology. Checks can be used to recall or analyze technological principles and practices, examine and evaluate technical devices and systems, decipher schematics, etc. This skill also covers modern scientific and arcano-technical theories as they relate to practical technology.