Beside general appearance and race, ability scores is the main factor when determining a creature's capabilities. They determine how well or ill your character traverses the world, as well as how they do it, both mechanically and through role-playing.
Ability scores lay the foundation for every part of the game in some way or another. Either through ability modifiers which add a bonus to ability checks, or to fixed changes in effectiveness of many mechanics, rules and features. Carrying Capacity for example, is always affected by your Strength score.
Below is a short summary on each ability score and their main roles and effect on a character.
| Ability Score | Summary |
|---|---|
| Dexterity (DEX) | Readiness, grace, quickness and reflexes. Dexterity affects initiative, Armor Class (AC) and gives bonus to certain Attack and damage rolls. |
| Perception (PER) | The interpretation of sensory information. Whether by sight or other senses. Perception affects Passive Perception, Initiative. |
| Strength (STR) | Bodily power and the extent to which you can exert raw physical force. Strength affects Carrying Capacity, Encumbrance, movement speed, throwing distance, melee Attack rolls and much more. |
| Constitution (CON) | Health, stamina, and vital force. Constitution affects hit point gain per level and movement Endurance. Constitution may affect some innate powers, like racial features. |
| Intelligence (INT) | Mental acuity, accuracy of recall, and the ability to reason. Intelligence affects the effectiveness of the Arcane and Cunning themes, by for instance Spellcasting. Additionally, it increases number of proficiencies. |
| Wisdom (WIS) | Reflects attunement to the world around you and represents perceptiveness and intuition. Wisdom affects the effectiveness of the Divine, Primal and Occult themes, by for instance Spellcasting. |
| Charisma (CHA) | Your force of personality and your general ability to interact with others. Charisma affects the effectiveness of the Innate theme, by for instance Spellcasting. Charisma also affects power of some innate capabilities like racial spells. |
| Luck | Your fate's skewness to either fame and fortune or squalor and despair. Luck affects all rolls made against or for you that isn't an ability check. Rolls such as loot tables, Wild Surges and weather are included. |
Contest Scores
Contested scores measure your ability to avoid, withstand or shrug off harmful or dangerous effects. These can be curses, afflictions, traps, damage, weather or conditions. You alaways add two ability score modifier bonuses to each contested score.
Scores are calculated when rolled like ability checks, but are always called for when affected by something, never when causing an effect. It is calculated as such:
Contest result = d20 roll + 1st ability score modifier + 2nd ability score modifier + other bonuses + penalties
| Contested Score | Combined Ability Score Modifiers |
Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Reflex | Dexterity Perception |
Your physical reaction time and how quickly and gracefully you can avoid physical effects. |
| Fortitude | Strength Constitution |
Your physical ability to withstand and shrug off effects and afflictions of the body. |
| Sanity | Intelligence Constitution |
Your mental ability to withstand and shrug off effects and afflictions of the body. |
| Will | Wisdom Charisma |
Your mental reaction time and how quickly and gracefully you can avoid mental effects. |
Modifier
All Ability Scores has a modifier value which is what usually is being used when making a roll, it can either be positive or negative depending on your Ability Score.
Every second point from the baseline 10 add (or retract if negative) from the Ability Scores Modifier.
- Ability Score Modifier =
Ability Score - 10 / 2
- Ability Score Modifier =