Table of Contents
Ability Scores
Six abilities provide a quick description of every creature's physical and mental characteristics://
- 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
Is a character muscle-bound and insightful? Brilliant and charming? Nimble and hardy? Ability scores define these qualities–a creature's assets as well as weaknesses. The three main rolls of the game–the ability check, the saving throw, and the attack roll–rely on the six ability scores. The book's introduction describes the basic rule behind these rolls: roll a d20, add an ability modifier derived from one of the six ability scores, and compare the total to a target number.
Ability Scores and Modifiers
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. 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 (for an ability score of 1) to +10 (for a score of 30). The Ability Scores and Modifiers 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 |
Describe Appearance and Personality
Ability scores are an essential part of the rules, but they can be more than that. Once you’ve assigned your ability scores, give some thought to what those scores might say about your character’s appearance and personality. A very strong character with low Charisma might look and behave differently from a charismatic character with low Strength. The following tables of descriptive words give suggestions of how you might describe your character based on having a high or low score in an ability.
Note your character’s appearance and personality on your character sheet.
1d4 High Strength Low Strength 1 Muscular Weak 2 Sinewy Slight 3 Protective Self-conscious 4 Direct Indirect
1d4 High Dexterity Low Dexterity 1 Lithe Jittery 2 Dynamic Clumsy 3 Fidgety Hesitant 4 Poised Unsteady
1d4 High Constitution Low Constitution 1 Energetic Frail 2 Hale Squeamish 3 Hearty Lethargic 4 Stable Fragile
1d4 High Intelligence Low Intelligence 1 Decisive Artless 2 Logical Illogical 3 Informative Uninformed 4 Curious Frivolous
1d4 High Wisdom Low Wisdom 1 Serene Rash 2 Considerate Distracted 3 Attentive Oblivious 4 Wary Naive
1d4 High Charisma Low Charisma 1 Charming Pedantic 2 Commanding Humorless 3 Hilarious Reserved 4 Inspiring Tactless
Source SRD 2014 https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/free-rules/creating-a-character#DescribeAppearanceandPersonality