Abilities

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 most dice rolls in the game.

Overview

The six abilities each represent an aspect of a creature's capabilities:

Strength (STR), physical power and might
Dexterity (DEX), agility, coordination and balance
Constitution (CON), health and endurance
Intelligence (INT), rational reasoning and memory
Wisdom (WIS), awareness and insight
Charisma (CHA), influence and 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 score modifiers

Each ability has an ability score modifier, which is derived from its ability score, that add their ability score modifiers to any ability checks, saving throws and attack rolls they make associated with that ability, as well as to the Difficulty Class (DC) of any spells that they cast.

Creatures also add an ability score modifier to initiative rolls and some damage rolls they make, and some features allow creatures to add additional or alternative ability score modifiers to specific rolls.

An ability's modifier is decreased by 1 for every odd score below 10, and is increased by 1 for every even score above 10.^{[note 1]}

Ability score modifier chart
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

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.

Formula:

d20 + Ability Score Modifier + (when applicable) proficiency Bonus

Skills

Ability checks are usually made using a specified skill. Skills are specific areas of expertise, each associated with an ability, that characters can be proficient in.^{[note 2]}

Character add their proficiency bonus to any ability checks they make using skills they are proficient in.

List of skills, sorted by ability
Ability Score	Skills
Strength	Athletics
Dexterity	Acrobatics Sleight of Hand Stealth
Intelligence	Arcana History Investigation Nature Religion
Wisdom	Animal Handling Insight Medicine Perception Survival
Charisma	Deception Intimidation Performance Persuasion

All characters gain proficiency in two skills based on their chosen background during character creation, and can choose 2-4 more skills to be proficient in from a list of skills determined by their class.

Additionally, some races, subclasses and feats also give proficiency in specific skills, and bards receive the class feature Jack of All Trades at level 2, allowing them to add half their proficiency bonus to ability checks they make using skills they are not proficient in.

Skill proficiencies granted by each background
Background	Skills
Acolyte	Insight	Religion
Charlatan	Deception	Sleight of Hand
Criminal	Deception	Stealth
Entertainer	Acrobatics	Performance
Folk Hero	Animal Handling	Survival
Guild Artisan	Insight	Persuasion
Noble	History	Persuasion
Outlander	Athletics	Survival
Sage	Arcana	History
Soldier	Athletics	Intimidation
Urchin	Sleight of Hand	Stealth

Expertise

Characters can also have expertise in a skill, which allows them to add double their proficiency bonus:

Rogues gain expertise in two skills they are proficient in at both level 1 and level 6.
Bards gain expertise in two skills they are proficient in at both level 3 and level 10
Knowledge Domain clerics gain expertise in two skills, from a choice of Arcana, History, Nature and Religion, at level 1.
The Actor feat gives expertise in Deception and Performance.
Gnome#Rock gnomes have both expertise in History.

Multiple sources of skill proficiency

Neither proficiency nor expertise stack: there is no special benefit to having multiple sources of proficiency on a single character, nor is there any benefit to having both proficiency and expertise at the same time. Some sources of expertise do, however, require the character to already be proficient in a skill in order to gain expertise in it.

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 Shove 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.

Saving throws

Each saving throw has an associated ability, and creatures can have proficiency with or advantage on saves that use a specific ability, usually granted by class and race, respectively.

Dexterity is a common ability used for saves against spells that deal area of effect damage, often halving the damage rolls of those spells.
Constitution saves are used is used to maintain concentration on long-duration spells, and are used when saving against poisons or spells that test a target's endurance or resilience.
Intelligence saves are used against psionic spells and features, such as those used by illithids.
Wisdom is a commonly used ability for saves against spells that test a creature's composure, willpower or self control.

Interactions with classes

Each class has designated primary and secondary abilities. While these have no particular mechanical significance, they are mentioned in the character creator, and serve as recommendations for players unfamiliar with the rules of the game.

Classes do however frequently have features that rely on abilities.

Spellcasting ability

Every class has an spellcasting ability whose modifier they add to the attack rolls and save DCs of their known spells.^{[note 3]}^{[note 4]}

Intelligence: Fighter, Rogue, Wizard.
Wisdom: Cleric, Druid, Monk, Ranger.
Charisma: Barbarian, Bard, Paladin, Sorcerer, Warlock.

Spells from sources other than class instead use the spellcasting ability of the class the caster most recently took a first level in.

Overview of abilities and skills

Strength

Strength represents a creature's ability to exert physical force.

Strength is the game's recommended primary stat for barbarians and fighters.

Uses of Strength

Attack and damage rolls: Creatures add their Strength modifier to the results of attack and damage rolls for melee weapons.
Jump distance: The distance which a creature can jump is determined by their Strength score.
Carrying capacity: A creature's Strength score is used to determine how much weight a creature can carry before becoming encumbered.
Throws: The maximum weight a creature can throw is determined by their Strength score.

Strength checks

General: Strength checks are made when physical might is required, such as when attempting to push over a heavy object or when attempting to force open locked doors or containers during dialogue.
Athletics: Athletics is used during attempts to shove other creatures, as well as when attempting to resist being shoved.

Dexterity

Dexterity represents a creature's agility and reflexes.

Dexterity is the gams's recommended primary stat for monks, rangers and rogues.

Uses of Dexterity

Attack and damage rolls: Creatures add their Dexterity modifier to 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.
Armour Class: Creatures also add their Dexterity modifier to their Armour Class (AC) – making them more difficult to hit, up to a maximum of +2 when wearing medium armour. The bonus is ignored when wearing heavy armour.
Initiative: Creatures add their Dexterity modifier when rolling for initiative, used to determine the turn order during combat.

Dexterity checks

General: Dexterity checks are made when attempting to be nimble.
Acrobatics: Acrobatics is used to resist attempts at being shoved.
Sleight of Hand: Sleigh of Hand is used when attempting to pick locks, disarm traps, pickpocketing NPCs or when attempting to steal items without being noticed.
Stealth: Stealth is used to hide from other characters and when attempting to remain undetected while invisible.

Constitution

Constitution represents a creature's health and endurance.

Uses of Constitution

Hit points: Creatures add their Constitution modifier to the amount of hit points they gain on level up. This increase is applied retroactively.

Constitution checks

Constitution checks are rare and have no associated skills.

General: Constitution checks are made when a creature's resilience is tested, but more commonly a Constitution save is attempted instead.

Intelligence

Intelligence represents a creature's recall, as well as their ability to think quickly and reason.

Intelligence is the game's recommended primary stat for wizards, as it is the spellcasting ability of wizards, fighters and rogues.

Intelligence checks

General: Intelligence checks are used when a creature attempts to apply logic or reason, or when attempting to remember something specific.
Arcana: Arcana is used when attempting to remember facts about the Weave, the source of magic and spells.
History: History is used when attempting to remember specific historical dates or events.
Investigation: Investigation is used by creatures to discover unusual things in their surroundings, and is used during attempts at deduction during dialogue.
Nature: Nature is when attempting to remember facts about nature.
Religion: Religion is used when attempting to remember facts about deities and the planes of existence.

Wisdom

Wisdom represents a creature's awareness of their surroundings and their intuition.

Wisdom is the game's recommended primary stat for clerics and druids, and it is the spellcasting ability of clerics, druids, monks and rangers.

Wisdom is also an important ability for monks, as several of their class features benefit from.

Wisdom checks

General: Wisdom checks are attempts to discern situations and read between the lines.
Animal Handling | Animal Handling is used when interacting with animals.
Insight: Insight is used to read situations and when attempting to get a greater understanding of someone's intentions
Medicine: Medicine is used during dialogue to heal and aid others, as well as by Transmutation School wizards to craft extra materials with the Experimental Alchemy class feature.
Perception: Perception is used when a creatures attempts to discover hidden or hard to find things in their surroundings, such as hidden containers, mechanisms or traps, as well as when attempting to spot hidden creatures. During dialogue, it is used to notice hard to spot details.
Survival: Survival is used when attempting to spot hidden treasure, as well as to dialogues when dealing with anything related to experience with animals or the wilderness.

Charisma

Charisma represents a creature's ability to exert their will when interacting with others.

Charisma is the game's recommended primary ability for bards, sorcerers, warlocks and paladins, and it is the spellcasting ability of barbadians, bards, paladins, sorcerers and warlocks.

Charisma checks

General: Charisma checks are attempts at influencing others during dialogue.
Deception: Deception is used when attempting to deceive or trick others.
Intimidation: Intimidation is used when attempting to frighten or coerce others.
Performance: Proficiency in Performance allows characters to play instruments, and the skill is used when attempting to entertain others.
Persuasion: Persuasion is used when attempting to negotiate with or convince others.

Improving or reducing ability scores

There are multiple ways of improving or reducing ability scores, either permanently or temporarily.

Permanently

Ability scores can be permanently improved through the Ability Improvement feat, though this cannot raise a score above 20.

There are also several ways of permanently improving ability scores by through quests and interactions, which can raise ability scores over 20.^{[note 5]}

Temporarily

Ability scores may be temporarily increased above 20 through various enhancements, such as magical spells, elixirs, or special equipment.^{[note 5]}

Ability score reduction

Some supernatural or magical effects (like Devour Intellect) can temporarily 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.

Footnotes

↑ Ability score modifiera cannot be increased beyond +10, even if their respective ability scores are increased further.
↑ Ability checks made using skills are often referred to as skill checks by the community, although they are not referred to as such in-game.
↑ 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.
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 The Mirror of Loss can both permanently improve and temporarily reduce ability scores.

Spotted an issue with this page? Leave a comment! Note that your IP address will be publicly logged unless you create an account. You can also edit the page to fix the issue. See How to Contribute to get started, and maybe join our Discord so we can coordinate our efforts.

[1] Ability score modifiera cannot be increased beyond +10, even if their respective ability scores are increased further.

[2] Ability checks made using skills are often referred to as skill checks by the community, although they are not referred to as such in-game.

[3] 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.

[4] 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.

[mirror-5] 5.0 ^5.1 The Mirror of Loss can both permanently improve and temporarily reduce ability scores.

[note 1]

[note 2]

[note 3]

[note 4]

[note 5]