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Abilites are representations of a creature's physical and mental attributes. There are six abilities in Baldur's Gate 3, and every creature has a set of six ability scores, numerical values which repdesent how well they perform at each ability.
Each ability score translate directly into an ability score modifier – modifiers which function as bonuses or penalties that are added to (or subtracted from) most dice rolls in the game.
Overview
Each ability describes a creature's capability in a different area:
- Strength: Physical power.
- Dexterity: Agility and finesse.
- Constitution: Overall health and endurance.
- Intelligence: Rational reasoning and memory.
- Wisdom: Common sense and insight.
- Charisma: Charm or force of character.
Ability scores are bought with points during character creation. The minimum ability score during character creation is 8, and the maximum is 15, before any of the ability score increases are applied.
Ability scores can be permanently increased through the Ability Improvement class feature (presented in the list of feats), though this cannot raise them above 20.
- Strength
- A creature's Strength score increases that creature's carrying capacity and jump distance. The Strength modifier improves chances of success of shoving or resisting being shoved. It is also added to the result of attack and damage rolls for melee weapons.
- Associated skills
- Athletics
- Dexterity
- A creature's Dexterity modifier is added to the results of attack and damage rolls of ranged weapons and, when the creature's Dexterity score is higher than their Strength score, melee weapons with the Finesse property.
- A creature's Dexterity modifier is also added to their Armour Class (AC), but the bonus added may be limited depending on what armour they have equipped.
- Medium armour usually limits the bonus added to the creature's AC to +2, whereas, heavy armour tends to ignore the bonus entirely.
- Dexterity is a common ability used for saves against spells, often halving the damage rolls of those spells.
- Associated skills
- Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand, Stealth
- Constitution
- A creature's Constitution modifier is added to the amount of hit points it gains on level up. This increase is applied retroactively.
- Constitution is commonly used for saves against poisons, and is a common ability used in saves against spells. It is also what is used to maintain Concentration on a long-duration spell and needing to roll saves against concentration being broken.
- Associated skills
- None
- Intelligence
- Intelligence is the spellcasting ability of wizards, fighters and rogues.
- Associated skills
- Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature, Religion
- Wisdom
- Wisdom is the spellcasting ability for clerics, druids and rangers, and is an important ability score for monks, as several of their class features depend on it.
- Wisdom is also a commonly used ability for saves against spells.
- Associated skills
- Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Perception, Survival
- Charisma
- Charisma is the spellcasting ability for bards, sorcerers, warlocks and paladins.
- Associated skills
- Deception, Intimidation, Performance, Persuasion
Ability score modifiers
Each ability has an ability score modifier, which is derived from its respective ability score. The modifier is added to dice rolls in the game, including attack rolls, damage rolls, ability checks and saving throws.
Ability score modifiers are decreased by 1 for every odd ability score below 10, and are increased by 1 for every even ability score above 10.
For example, a Strength score of 8 or 9 has a Strength modifier of -1, and a Strength score of 12 or 13 has a Strength modifier of +1.
The formula used for calculation an ability score's modifier is Modifier = (Score − 10) ÷ 2 (rounded down).
| Ability score | Modifier value | Ability score | Modifier value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | -5 | 16-17 | +3 | |
| 2-3 | -4 | 18-19 | +4 | |
| 4-5 | -3 | 20-21 | +5 | |
| 6-7 | -2 | 22-23 | +6 | |
| 8-9 | -1 | 24-25 | +7 | |
| 10-11 | +0 | 26-27 | +8 | |
| 12-13 | +1 | 28-29 | +9 | |
| 14-15 | +2 | 30 | +10 |
Interactions with classes
Primary and secondary abilities
Each class has designated primary and secondary abilities. While these have no particular mechanical significance, they are mentioned in the game's tooltips, and serve as recommendations for players unfamiliar with the rules of the game.
The primary abilities for the classes are:
Spellcasting ability
Every class has an ability that affects their spellcasting. These affect the attack rolls and Difficulty Class of their spells. The primary ability of casters classes always corresponds to their spellcasting ability, with the exception of rangers and classes that gain spellcasting via a subclass class feature.
Racial spells may use their own designated ability. For example, the cantrip granted during character creation by the elf or half-elf race always uses Intelligence, regardless of the creature's class.
Overview of abilities
Strength
- Associated skills: Athletics.
A creature's Strength score increases that creature's carrying capacity and jump distance. The Strength modifier improves chances of success of shoving or resisting being shoved. It is also added to the result of attack and damage rolls for melee weapons.
Dexterity
- Associated skills: Acrobatics, Sleight of Hand and Stealth.
A creature's Dexterity modifier is added to the results of attack and damage rolls of ranged weapons and, when the creature's Dexterity score is higher than their Strength score, melee weapons with the Finesse property.
A creature's Dexterity modifier is also added to their Armour Class (AC), but the bonus added may be limited depending on what armour they have equipped.
Medium armour usually limits the bonus added to the creature's AC to +2, whereas, heavy armour tends to ignore the bonus entirely.
Dexterity is a common ability used for saves against spells, often halving the damage rolls of those spells.
Constitution
- Associated skills: None.
A creature's Constitution modifier is added to the amount of hit points it gains on level up. This increase is applied retroactively.
Constitution is commonly used for saves against poisons, and is a common ability used in saves against spells. It is also what is used to maintain Concentration on a long-duration spell and needing to roll saves against concentration being broken.
Intelligence
- Associated skills: Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature and Religion.
Intelligence is the spellcasting ability of wizards, fighters and rogues.
Wisdom
- Associated skills: Animal Handling, Insight, Medicine, Perception, and Survival.
Wisdom is the spellcasting ability for clerics, druids and rangers, and is an important ability score for monks, as several of their class features depend on it.
Wisdom is also a commonly used ability for saves against spells.
Charisma
- Associated skills: Deception, Intimidation, Performance, and Persuasion.
Charisma is the spellcasting ability for bards, sorcerers, warlocks and paladins
Ability checks
Ability checks are dice rolls made to determine whether a creature succeeds or fails at a task. When attempting an ability check, a creature rolls a d20, and then adds the relevant ability score modifier and, if applicable, proficiency bonus to the results of the roll. If the final results equal or exceeds a target Difficulty Class (DC), specific to that task, it is considered as success.
d20 + Ability Score Modifier + (when applicable) proficiency BonusSkills
Ability checks are usually made using a specified skill. If a creature is proficient with an ability check's associated skill, they may add their proficiency bonus to the results of that roll, in addition to the relevant ability score modifier. These rolls are often referred to as skill checks by the community, although they are not referred to as such in-game.
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Common scenarios
Automatic rolls
Some ability checks are automatic. For example, when a creature approaches an unactivated trap, the game rolls a Perception ability check to determine whether the creation notices the trap. Perception is a Wisdom Skill, so the character adds their Wisdom modifier and, if proficient in Perception, their proficiency bonus to the ability check. Once the trap is discovered, the character can interact with it to attempt to Disarm it, which requires a successful Sleight of Hand check, a Dexterity Skill.
During dialogue
Ability checks are also common during dialogue, where some responses require a ability check to determine the outcome. Examples include using Charisma-based skills like Persuasion, Deception or Intimidation to influence others, or Intelligence-based Skills like Investigation, History or Religion to determine or remember facts.
Contests
A contest is a special type of ability check in which two creatures both roll an ability check to oppose each other, and one wins over the other. The creatures don't necessarily roll the same type of check.
An example of this is the 
action. The creature attempting the Shove rolls Athletics, and the defending creature rolls either Athletics or Acrobatics (the game chooses the Skill with the highest bonus) to contest the Shove. If the attacker's roll is higher than the defender's, the Shove succeeds; otherwise it fails.
Notes
- While ability scores cannot normally be increased over 20, certain permanent bonuses can permanently increase ability scores over 20.
- Ability scores may be temporarily increased above 20 through various enhancements, such as magical spells, elixirs, or special equipment.
- Some supernatural or magical effects (like Devour Intellect) can drain abilities, reducing one or more of the target's ability scores, potentially to zero. If any score is reduced to zero, the target dies instantly.