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=Ability Scores=
==Ability Modifiers==
Each ability, after changes made because of race, has a modifier ranging from -4 to +5. Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells shows the modifier for each score. It also shows bonus spells, which you’ll need to know about if your character is a spellcaster. 

The modifier is the number you apply to the die roll when your character tries to do something related to that ability. You also use the modifier with some numbers that aren’t die rolls. A positive modifier is called a bonus, and a negative modifier is called a penalty. 

{|border=1px
!Ability score!!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
|-
|30-31||+10
|-
|32-33||+11
|-
|34-35||+12
|-
|36-37||+13
|-
|38-39||+14
|-
|40-41||+15
|}

==Ability score descriptions==
===Strength (Str)===
Strength measures your character’s muscle and physical power. This ability is especially important for fighters, barbarians, paladins, rangers, and monks because it helps them prevail in combat. Strength also limits the amount of equipment your character can carry. 

You apply your character’s Strength modifier to: 

•Melee attack rolls.
•Damage rolls when using a melee weapon or a thrown weapon (including a sling). (Exceptions: Off-hand attacks receive only one-half the character’s Strength bonus, while two-handed attacks receive one and a half times the Strength bonus. A Strength penalty, but not a bonus, applies to attacks made with a bow that is not a composite bow.)
•Climb, Jump, and Swim checks. These are the skills that have Strength as their key ability.
•Strength checks (for breaking down doors and the like).
==Agility (Ag)==
Agility measures hand-eye coordination, agility, reflexes, and balance. This ability is the most important one for rogues, but it’s also high on the list for characters who typically wear light or medium armor (rangers and barbarians) or no armor at all (monks, wizards, and sorcerers), and for anyone who wants to be a skilled archer. 

You apply your character’s agility modifier to: 

•Ranged attack rolls, including those for attacks made with bows, crossbows, throwing axes, and other ranged weapons.
•Armor Class (AC), provided that the character can react to the attack.
•Reflex saving throws, for avoiding fireballs and other attacks that you can escape by moving quickly.
•Balance, Hide, Move Silently, Ride, and Tumble checks. These are the skills that have Dexterity as their key ability.
== Coordination (Cor)==
Coordination is a measure of your characters hand-eye coordination, and is used for skill checks that require steady hands such as disable device and open lock. Coordination also reduces the damage reduction of your opponents.
==Constitution (Con)==
Constitution represents your character’s health and stamina. A Constitution bonus increases a character’s hit points, so the ability is important for all classes. 

You apply your character’s Constitution modifier to: 

•Hit points gained at each level. (though a penalty can never drop a result below 1—that is, a character always gains at least 1 hit point each time he or she advances in level).
•Fortitude saving throws, for resisting poison and similar threats.
•Concentration checks. Concentration is a skill, important to spellcasters, that has Constitution as its key ability.
If a character’s Constitution score changes enough to alter his or her Constitution modifier, the character’s hit points also increase or decrease accordingly. 

==Intelligence (Int)==
Intelligence determines how well your character learns and reasons. This ability is important for wizards because it affects how many spells they can cast, how hard their spells are to resist, and how powerful their spells can be. It’s also important for any character who wants to have a wide assortment of skills. 

You apply your character’s Intelligence modifier to: 

•The number of languages your character knows at the start of the game.
•The number of skill points gained each level. (But your character always gets at least 1 skill point per level.)
•Appraise, Craft, Decipher Script, Disable Device, Forgery, Knowledge, Search, and Spellcraft checks. These are the skills that have Intelligence as their key ability.
A wizard gains bonus spells based on her Intelligence score. The minimum Intelligence score needed to cast a wizard spell is 10 + the spell’s level. 

An animal has an Intelligence score of 1 or 2. A creature of humanlike intelligence has a score of at least 3. 

==Wisdom (Wis)==
Wisdom describes a character’s common sense, perception, and intuition. While Intelligence represents one’s ability to analyze information, Wisdom represents being in tune with and aware of one’s surroundings. Wisdom is the most important ability for clerics and druids, and it is also important for paladins and rangers. If you want your character to have acute senses, put a high score in Wisdom. Every creature has a Wisdom score. 

You apply your character’s Wisdom modifier to: 

•Heal, Listen, Profession, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks. These are the skills that have Wisdom as their key ability.
Clerics, druids, paladins, and rangers get bonus spells based on their Wisdom scores. The minimum Wisdom score needed to cast a cleric, druid, paladin, or ranger spell is 10 + the spell’s level. 

==Willpower (will)==
Willpower represents a characters mental strength, and is used by spontaneous casters to channel magic. It is important for spontaneous spellcasters as it determines how much magical power they are able to channel in a day. It also lets you resist mental attacks, adding it's bonus to mental defences and will saves.

When an ability score changes, all attributes associated with that score change accordingly. A character does not retroactively get additional skill points for previous levels if she increases her intelligence.
=Generating ability scores=
Characters are normally created using one of two methods for determining ability scores: dice rolling and point buy.

Dice rolling includes rolling 4d6, dropping the lowest die and taking the total of the others eight times. Characters then put the numbers into the ability scores that they wish to, allowing players to have the characters they want.

In point buy each character begins with an 8 in each attribute, and then has 40points to spend bringing attributes higher. Each number up to 14 costs one point per increase, while numbers above 14 cost more points. The following table lists the cost for all ability scores:
{|border=1px
!Ability score!!Cost
|-
|9||1
|-
|10||2
|-
|11||3
|-
|12||4
|-
|13||5
|-
|14||6
|-
|15||8
|-
|16||10
|-
|17||13
|-
|18||16
|}