
If two favorable situations grant advantage, for example, you still roll only one additional d20. If multiple situations affect a roll and each one grants advantage or imposes disadvantage on it, you don’t roll more than one additional d20. If you instead have advantage and roll those numbers, you use the 17. For example, if you have disadvantage and roll a 17 and a 5, you use the 5. Use the higher of the two rolls if you have advantage, and use the lower roll if you have disadvantage.

When that happens, you roll a second d20 when you make the roll. To determine an ability modifier without consulting the table, subtract 10 from the ability score and then divide the total by 2 (round down).īecause ability modifiers affect almost every Attack roll, ability check, and saving throw, ability modifiers come up in play more often than their associated scores.Īdvantage and DisadvantageSometimes a Special ability or spell tells you that you have advantage or disadvantage on an ability check, a saving throw, or an Attack roll. The Ability Scores and Modifiers table notes the ability modifiers for the range of possible Ability Scores, from 1 to 30. Adventurers can have scores as high as 20, and Monsters and divine beings can have scores as high as 30.Įach 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). A score of 18 is the highest that a person usually reaches. 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.Ī score of 10 or 11 is the normal human average, but Adventurers and many Monsters are a cut above average in most Abilities. 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.Ībility Scores and ModifiersEach of a creature’s Abilities has a score, a number that defines the magnitude of that ability. The three main rolls of the game-the ability check, the saving throw, and the Attack roll-rely on The Six Ability Scores. 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.

