Ability

Level ups

Characters can increase one ability of their choice by +1 at levels: 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, and 32. This can be the same ability or different ones over those levels. These levels ups are valid for Ability requisites for Feats.

Strength (STR)

Strength measures your Player Character's muscle and physical power. This ability is especially important for fighters, barbarians, paladins, and rangers because it helps them prevail in combat. Strength also limits the amount of equipment your character can carry.

You apply your character's Strength modifier to:

Melee attack rolls.
Damage rolls when using a melee attack. (Exceptions: If your Strength modifier is positive, two-weapon off-hand attacks receive only half the usual modifier, and two-handed weapons receive one-and-a-half times it. Negative Strength modifiers apply at normal values in all cases.)
Damage rolls when using a thrown weapon. (Please note: attack rolls for thrown weapons apply your Dexterity modifier unless you have the feat Brutal Throw.)
If negative, applies to damage rolls when using a bow. Positive Strength modifiers only add to bow damage if the character possesses the Bow Strength feat. This applies to all Shortbows and Longbows.
Jump and Swim checks. These skills have Strength as their key ability.
Strength checks to break down some doors and pull some levers/valves. For example:
- The Vault of Night requires Strength 25
- The Tear of Dhakaan requires Strength 22
Strength Domain clerics can apply Strength to their Reflex save

Note #1: Negative Strength modifiers cannot reduce a damage roll below 1 point.

Note #2: Several of the damage adjustments on this page do not display correctly in your wielded weapons' mouseover descriptions. They are listed correctly in the details at the bottom of your inventory panel, however.

Dexterity (DEX)

Dexterity measures hand-eye coordination, agility, reflexes, and balance. This ability is the most important one for rogues, but it’s also high on the list for Player Characters who typically wear light armor (rangers and barbarians), medium armor (barbarians), or no armor at all (monks, wizards, and sorcerers), and for anyone who wants to be a skilled archer.

You apply your Player Character’s Dexterity modifier to:

Ranged attack rolls, including those for attacks made with bows, crossbows, throwing axes, and other ranged and thrown weaponss.
Armor Class (AC), 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.
Balance, Hide, Move Silently, Open Lock and Tumble checks. These are the skills that have Dexterity as their key ability.

Constitution (CON)

Constitution represents your Player Character’s health and stamina. A Constitution bonus increases a character’s hit points, so the ability is important for all classes.

You apply your character’s Constitution modifier to:

The number of extra Hit points you get each level. (equal to your ability modifier multiplied by your character level)
Fortitude saving throws, for resisting poison and similar threats.
Concentration checks. Concentration is a skill, important to spell casters, that has Constitution as its key ability.
- A monk's stable ki level is also equal to his or her total Concentration skill.
Dwarf Characters may use the Tier 4 Enhancement - Throw your Weight Around - to use their Constitution Modifier for Melee Damage rolls (instead of Strength) with specific racial weapons.

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 Player Character learns and reasons. This ability is important for Wizards, Artificers and Alchemists as it affects how many spell points they have, how hard their spells are to resist, and how powerful their spells can be. It's also important for any character who wants to have a wide assortment of skills.

You apply your Player Character’s Intelligence modifier to:

Disable Device, Repair, Search, and Spellcraft skill checks. These are the skills that have Intelligence as their key ability.
The amount of bonus spell points you gain as a Wizard, Artificer or Alchemist.
The number of skill points gained each level.
The Spell Difficulty Class (DC) for Wizard, Artificer and Alchemist spells.
The Insightful Reflexes Feat allows Intelligence to be used for all Reflex Save rolls, instead of Dexterity.
The Alchemist bonus feats Liquid Courage and Tough Tincture allow Intelligence to be used for Will or Fortitude saves respectively.
Harper Know the Angles will add 1/2 your intelligence modifier to your damage rolls and the Difficulty Class(DC) of your Tactical feats.
Mechanic Tanglefoot, Thunderstone, Ooze Flask, and Time Bomb use Int Modifier for the Difficulty Class(DC).
Assassin Poison Strikes, Shadow Dagger and Assassinate use Int Modifier for the Difficulty Class(DC).
Arcanotechnician Arcane Empowerment uses Int Modifier for the Difficulty Class(DC).
Vile Chemist More Hidden Blades allows Int modifier to improve the effects of the Simple Thrown Expertise feat.

You can also apply your Intelligence Modifier to your Melee and/or Ranged attack rolls and/or damage rolls through the use of:

Harper Strategic Combat I (attack rolls only)
Harper Strategic Combat II (damage rolls only)
Swashbuckler Tier 3 enhancement Different Tack (damage rolls only)
Mechanic Core 3 enhancement Targeting Sights (damage rolls with Crossbows and Thrown Weapons only)
Battalion Brew Alchemist bonus feat (attack rolls with Simple weapons only)

Wisdom (WIS)

Wisdom describes a Player Character’s willpower, common sense, perception, and intuition. While Intelligence represents one’s ability to analyze information, Wisdom represents being in tune with and aware of one’s surroundings.

Wisdom is the most important ability for Clerics, and it is also important for Favored Souls, Paladins, Rangers, Druids and Monks. If you want your character to have acute senses, put a high score in Wisdom. Every creature has a Wisdom score.

You apply your Player Character’s Wisdom modifier to:

Will saving throws (for negating the effect of charm person and other spells).
Heal, Listen, and Spot checks. These are the skills that have Wisdom as their key ability.
Using Wisdom-based stat runes.
- The Vault of Night Requires Wisdom 20 for two runes
- The Tear of Dhakaan Requires Wisdom 20
- The Xorian Cipher Requires Wisdom 21
Armor Class bonus for Monks.
Several Monk ki attacks, such as Stunning Fist and the granted attacks from Shintao Monk enhancements use Wisdom to determine DCs.
Spell Difficulty Class (DC) for Cleric, Druid, and Favored Soul all use Wisdom modifier.

Clerics, Paladins, Druid and Rangers get bonus spell points based on their Wisdom scores. The minimum Wisdom score needed to cast a Cleric, Paladin, or Ranger spell is 10 + the spell’s level.

Wisdom may be used to hit with Shortbows and Longbows if using the Zen Archery feat. To use Wisdom as attack and/or damage modifier in melee, use Flame Blade or some of the named items, for example Scepter of Healing.

Charisma (CHA)

Charisma measures a player character's force of personality, persuasiveness, personal magnetism, ability to lead, and physical attractiveness. This ability represents actual strength of personality, not merely how one is perceived by others in a social setting. Charisma is most important for bards, paladins, sorcerers, and warlocks. It is also important for clerics, since it affects their ability to turn undead. Every creature has a Charisma score.

You apply your character's Charisma modifier to:

Bluff, Diplomacy, Haggle, Intimidate, Perform, and Use Magic Device checks. These are the skills that have Charisma as their key ability.
Checks that represent attempts to influence others.
Turning checks for clerics and paladins attempting to turn zombies, vampires, and other undead.
Healing capacity of Lay on Hands.
Increasing the saving throws of a level 2 (or higher) paladin via Divine Grace.
Increasing the benefits of Divine Might for Cleric, Favored Soul and Paladin.
Spell Difficulty Class (DC) for Sorcerer, Bard, and Warlock spells.
Difficulty Class (DC) for many racial SLA/Enhancements, e.g.:
- Dragonmarks
- Dragonborn Breath Weapon
- Drow Darkfire SLA
Purple Dragon Knight Cormyrian Knight Training adds 1/3 of Charisma Modifier to Tactical Feats
Purple Dragon Knight For Cormyr Enhancement's Damage Bonus
DC on Bard Warchanter Enhancements: Frozen Fury, Spinning Ice
DC on Warlock Enhancements: Devour the Soul, Hurl through Hell, Stricken
Force of Personality Feat allows Charisma to be used for all Will Save rolls, instead of Wisdom

Charisma for Spellcasters

Bards, favored souls, sorcerers, and warlocks get bonus spell points based on their Charisma scores. The minimum Charisma score needed to cast a bard, sorcerer, or warlock spell is 10 + the spell's level.

Ability modifiers

Each ability has a modifier that is 0 for an ability score of 10 and increases by 1 every 2 ability points above 10 (or decreases by 1 every 2 ability points below 10). This 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.

When an ability modifier changes, all attributes associated with that modifier change accordingly. Note that a character does not retroactively get additional skill points for previous levels if they increases their intelligence; however, a character who increases their constitution will get additional hit points.

See the modifier page for a table giving the modifier tied to an ability score.

Non-standard uses

Some feats, enhancements and items let you change the ability score that applies to particular mechanics (usually attacks, damage or saving throws)

Non-standard attack and damage mods