Abilities & Saves
Abilities
The three abilities represent a character’s basic proficiencies. Each one is associated with a score ranging between 1 and 19.
Strength (STR). Fortitude, might, physical power, toughness.
Agility (AGI). Athleticism, dexterity, reflexes, swiftness.
Wits (WIT). Awareness, charisma, cunning, willpower.
Ability changes
Abilities can change permanently or temporarily due to various effects. Temporarily altered abilities are restored after full rests. If any ability is reduced to or below 0, even if only temporarily, the character dies. Abilities can never exceed 19, or 15 for humans.
Saves
Characters must make a save when threatened or when they attempt to do something challenging or risky, where the outcome is uncertain and failure has consequences. They pass the save if they roll equal or less than the most relevant ability score on a d20, otherwise they fail.
The GM decides what are the consequences for failed save and declares them before the dice are rolled. If the save was triggered by an action initiated by a Player, they have a last opportunity to change their mind and don’t perform the action if they think it’s too risky or the consequences too harsh.
A save should is only required for challenging actions. Trivial actions should succeed automatically and impossible actions should fail automatically.
Example
Balthasar (AGI 7), Sybilla (AGI 10), and Theobald (AGI 6) want to climb a rocky cliff. The GM adjudicates that this is a risky and challenging activity requiring an AGI save: whoever fails will fall and suffer d4 damage. Theobald thinks it’s too risky for him, and declares he would rather not attempt the climb. Balthasar rolls a 6 on a d20: he passes and reaches the top of the climb unharmed. Sybilla rolls a 13 on a d20: she isn’t so lucky and falls, suffering damage and going back to where she started.
Climbing a ladder is trivial: no save should be required. Climbing a vertical rocky surface, or a wet and slipper ladder, is challenging: a save should be required. Climbing a sheer, smooth surface is impossible: characters just can’t do it.
Consequences of failure
A failed save doesn’t necessarily means a failure in the action itself: the GM may rule that the action is still successful even on failure. However, no matter the case, the GM should always define at least one additional negative consequence for a failed save. These are typical options, but don’t feel limited by them:
The character who failed can’t attempt the action again, but others can.
No character can’t attempt the same action again.
The character suffers damage or corruption.
The character wastes a significant amount of time or resources.
The character angers someone, attracts unwanted attention, or is put on a spot.
A piece of equipment is damaged or lost.
Group saves
When the rules require a group of characters to make a group save, roll the d20 once and compare the result with each individual’s ability score to see who passes and who fails. If it’s easier for you to see it this way, every character whose ability score matches or exceeds the d20 roll passes.
Example
Contests
Characters who are directly competing against each other must make a contest to determine the winner. All competing characters roll a d20 and subtract the result from the most relevant ability score. They are then ranked from highest to lowest total. Ties are broken by repeating the contest among the tied characters.
Characters who are clearly superior win contests automatically. Ability contests are only required when it is uncertain who would win.
Contests should be used rarely: prefer a save if possible, especially in asymmetric situations where one side is clearly more at risk than the other one. This speeds up the game and makes it more transparent for the Players to know what their chances are.
Example
Guidelines for saves
Adjudicating saves is one of the most common tasks for the GM. Here are a should principles you should keep in mind to create an enjoyable game experience, some repeated from the previous sections:
A failed save should never completely halt progress through the scenario. Make sure the Players always have alternative options. Remember that on a failed save the action can still succeed, but with a penalty.
When multiple characters attempt the exact same task, such as unlocking a door, don’t roll a d20 for each of them. Instead, roll only during the first attempt and keep track of the result. Other characters can pass if their ability score matches or exceeds this number, similarly to what happens during a group save. You can think of this number as the ‘difficulty level’ of the task, which applies to everyone in the same way. The reason for this is that rolling multiple times might make some tasks very easy for groups of characters.
Give the Players a chance to change their course of action before rolling for a save. They might not be able to predict when an action triggers a save, and giving them this option provides more control and freedom of choice.
Don’t ask for a save for trivial or impossible actions, only challenging ones. Don’t ask for a contest when there is a clear winner.
Prefer saves over contests.