Chapter 1: Player Character Ability Score

• Prolouge
• Rolling Ability Scores
  • Alternative Dice-Rolling Methods
• The Ability Scores
  • Strength
  • Dexterity
  • Constitution
  • Intelligence
  • Wisdom
  • Charisma
• What the Numbers Mean

The Ability Scores

Strength

    Strength (Str) messures a character's muscle, endurance and stamina. This ability is the prime request for warriors becouse they must be physically powerful in order to wear armor and wield heavy weapons. A fighter with a score of 16 or more Strength gains a 10% bonus to the experience points he earns.
    Futhermore, any warrior with a Strength score of 18 is entiled to roll percentile dice (see Glossary) to determine exceptional Strength; exceptional Strength improves the character's chance hit an enemy, increases the damage he couses with each hit, increases the weight the character is able to carry without a penalty for encrumbrance (see below), and increases the character's ability to force open doors and similar portals.

    The rest of this section on Strength consists of expanations of the columns in Table 1. Refer to the table as you read.

    Hit Probability adjustments are assed to or subtracted from the attack roll rolled on 1d20 (one 20-sided die) during combat. A bonus (positive number) makes the opponent easier to hit, a penalty (negative number) makes him harder to hit.

    Damage Adjustments also applies to combat. The listed number is added to or subtracted from the dice rolled to determine the damage coused by an attack (regardless of subtractions, a successful attack roll can never couse less than 1 point of damage). For example, a short sword normally causes 1d6 points of damage (a range of 1 to 6). An attacker with Strength 17 causes one extra point of damage, for a range of 2 to 7 points of damage. The damage adjustment also applies to missle weapons, although bows must be specially made to gain the bonus; crossbows never benefit from the user's Strength.

    Weight Allowance is the weight (in pounds) a character can pick up and lift over his head. A character cannot walk more than few steps this way. No human or humanoid creature without exceptional Strength can lift more than twice his body weight over his head. In 1987, the world record for lifting a weight overhead in a single move was 465 pounds. A heroic fighter with Strength 18/00 (see Table 1) can lift up to 480 pounds the same way and he can hold it overhead for a longer time!

    Open Doors indicates the character's chance to force open a heavy or stuck door. When a character tries to force a door open, roll 1d20. If the result s equal to or less than the listeded number, the door until it finally opens, but each attempt takes time (exacly how much is up to the DM) and makes a lot of noise.
    Numbers in parentheses are the chances (on 1d20) to open a locked, barred or magically held door, but only one attempt per door can ever be made. If it fails, no further attempts by that character can succeed.

    Bend Bars / Lift Gates states the character's percentage chance (rolled on percentage dice) to bend normal, soft iron bars, lift a vertical gate (portcullis) or perform a similar feat of enormous strength. If the number rolled is equal to or less than the number listed on Table 1, the character bends the bar or lifts the gate. If the attempt fails, the character can never succeed at that task. A character can, however, try to bend the bars on a gate that he couldn't lift and vice versa.

Rolling Ability Scores - Top - What the Number Mean