Ability Scores
Each creature in Dungeons and Dragons, including player characters, has six ability scores: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. These define your character’s basic capabilities, such as how much weight they can lift or how naturally charming they are.
More important than your ability score is your “ability modifier”. Ability modifiers are the number which you add to other numbers like your attack rolls and ability checks. Ability modifiers are determined by your ability score.
Player characters have a maximum of 20 on every ability score, though some very rare effects like magic items can raise this, and a level 1 character will typically have ability scores no higher than 17. Monsters have a cap of 30 on every ability score.
| Ability Score | Ability Modifier |
|---|---|
| 1 | -5 |
| 2-3 | -4 |
| 4-5 | -3 |
| 6-7 | -2 |
| 8-9 | -1 |
| 10-11 | +0 |
| 12-13 | +1 |
| 14-15 | +2 |
| 16-17 | +3 |
| 18-19 | +4 |
| 20-21 | +5 |
| 22-23 | +6 |
| 24-25 | +7 |
| 26-27 | +8 |
| 28-29 | +9 |
| 30 | +10 |
Further Reading
We’ll discuss choosing ability scores later in this article series.
FAQ
How many ability scores are there?
There are six ability scores: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.
What is the most important ability score.
Constitution. Every character needs hit points, and Constitution saves are very common. Dexterity is used to do more things, but many characters do well with poor Dexterity.
