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A SKILL BASED GAME
In this game, everything a character can do is a skill.
Most skills have varying levels of proficiency, while a few are binary—you can either perform them or you
cannot.
There are different types of skills:
• Core Skills: Your Ability Scores, Hit Points and Saving Throws are Core Skills.
• Ordinary Skills: Attacking with a weapon or attempting to be stealthy are ordinary skills. All
ordinary skills have an associated ability.
• Extraordinary Skills: Extraordinary skills are the result of intense training or innate talent,
setting individuals apart in unique ways. These abilities possess a special quality that elevates them beyond
the ordinary. Some of them can increase in power as your score in that skill increases, others are just smaller
feats that increase your range of options.
• Supernatural Skills: Supernatural skills are magical in nature. They may come from a mystical
source, or from the power of a deity or nature itself. Some of them can increase in power as your score in that
skill increases, others are just lesser supernatural powers that increase your range of options.
• Spells: Spells are magical powers and work as any other skill. They can be cast at will. They also
have specific activation requirements, generally needing the ability to speak, move your hands, and use a
tool.
THE CORE MECHANIC
Whenever you attempt an action that has some chance of failure, you roll a twenty-sided die (d20). To determine
if your character succeeds at a task you do this:
• Roll a d20.
• Add any relevant modifiers.
• Compare the result to a target number.
If the result equals or exceeds the target number, your character succeeds. If the result is lower than the
target number, you fail.
DICE
Dice rolls are described with expressions such as “3d4+3,” which means “roll three four-sided
dice and add 3” (resulting in a number between 6 and 15). The first number tells you how many dice to roll
(adding the results together). The number immediately after the “d” tells you the type of die to use.
Any number after that indicates a quantity that is added or subtracted from the result.
d%: Percentile dice work a little differently. You generate a number between 1 and 100 by rolling two
different ten-sided dice. One (designated before you roll) is the tens digit. The other is the ones digit. Two
0s represent 100.
ROUNDING FRACTIONS
In general, if you wind up with a fraction, round down, even if the fraction is one-half or larger.
Exception: Certain rolls, such as damage and hit points, have a minimum of 1.
ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE
Sometimes, you have favorable odds while rolling a d20. In these situations, where you have Advantage, you roll
two d20s and take the better result.
Conversely, when your odds are unfavorable, you have Disadvantage, where you roll two d20s and take the worse
result.
SKILL CHECKS
Performing a skill check is one of the most common actions you'll undertake.
You roll to attack, cast a spell, bribe someone, deceive, or see if you know something...
You then add the relevant modifiers and compare the result to the target number.
The target number varies depending on the task. For example, when attacking, you aim to hit the opponent's Armor
Class.
For most other activities, the Game Master will provide the Difficulty Class, which is the target number for
your skill check.
EXPERIENCE ROLLS
The Experience Roll is the basic element that allows character advancement.
Each skill has an associated symbol (⏺...) indicating how many Experience Rolls the skill increase costs
and it is variable.
Learning or improving the skill in a weapon, for example costs (⏺), while learning to cast or improve your
fireball costs (⏺⏺⏺).
THE ABILITIES
Each ability partially describes your character and affects some of his or her actions.
STRENGTH (STR)
Strength measures your character's muscle and physical power. This ability is crucial for success in combat and
determines how much equipment your character can carry.
You apply your character's Strength modifier to:
• Melee attack rolls.
• Ranged attack rolls made with thrown weapons.
• Damage rolls when using a melee weapon or a thrown weapon (including a sling). (Exception:
Off-hand attacks don't add the character's Strength bonus.)
• Athletics checks. This is the only skill that has Strength as its key ability.
• Strength checks (for breaking down doors and the like).
DEXTERITY (DEX)
Dexterity measures hand-eye coordination, agility, reflexes, and balance. This ability is crucial for characters
who wear light or medium armor, fight with finesse weapons, or excel in archery.
You apply your character's Dexterity modifier to:
• Melee attack rolls made with finesse weapons.
• Ranged attack rolls, including those for attacks made with bows and crossbows.
• Damage rolls when using a finesse melee weapon or a ranged weapon. (Exception: Off-hand attacks
don't add the character's Dexterity bonus.)
• Armor Class (AC).
• Reflex saving throws, for avoiding fireballs and other attacks that you can escape by moving quickly.
• Acrobatics, Stealth, Sleight of Hand, Use Rope checks. These are the skills that have Dexterity as their
key ability.
CONSTITUTION (CON)
Constitution represents your character's health and stamina. A Constitution bonus increases a character's hit
points.
You apply your character's Constitution modifier to:
• Each roll of a Hit Die (though a penalty can never drop a result below 1—that is, a character always
gains at least 1 hit point per Hit Die).
• Fortitude saving throws, for resisting poison and similar threats.
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 character learns and reasons.
This ability is important for those who study magic because it affects how hard their spells are to resist and
how powerful their spells can be.
It's also important for any character who rely on knowledge.
You apply your character's Intelligence modifier to:
• The number of languages your character knows at the start of the game.
• Craft, Knowledge, Spellcraft, Use Magic Device, Medicine checks. These are the skills that have
Intelligence as their key ability.
An animal has an Intelligence score of 1 or 2. A creature of humanlike intelligence has a score of at least
3.
WISDOM (WIS)
Wisdom describes a 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
characters whose magic comes from their willpowerbecause it affects how hard their spells are to resist and how
powerful their spells can be.
If you want your character to have acute senses, put a high score in Wisdom. Every creature has a Wisdom
score.
You apply your character's Wisdom modifier to:
• Will saving throws (for negating the effect of charm person and other spells).
• Animal Handling, Insight, Perception and Survival checks. These are the skills that have Wisdom as their
key ability.
CHARISMA (CHA)
Charisma measures a 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 characters with innate magical power. Every creature has a Charisma score.
You apply your character's Charisma modifier to:
• Deception, Intimidation, Performance, Persuasion and Use Magic Device checks. These are the skills that
have Charisma as their key ability.
• Checks that represent attempts to influence others.
When an ability score changes, all attributes associated with that score change accordingly.
The minimum Ability score needed to cast a spell is 10 + the spell's tier.