[top]The Abilities

Each ability partially describes your character and affects some of his or her actions.
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.
[top]Nonabilities
Some creatures lack certain ability scores. These creatures do not have an ability score of 0?they lack the ability altogether. The modifier for a nonability is +0. Other effects of nonabilities are detailed in the ability descriptions.

[top]Ability Scores

[top]Abilities and Spellcasters

The ability that governs bonus spells depends on what type of spellcaster your character is: Intelligence for wizards; Wisdom for clerics, druids, paladins, and rangers; or Charisma for sorcerers and bards. In addition to having a high ability score, a spellcaster must be of high enough class level to be able to cast spells of a given spell level. (See the class descriptions for details.)

[top]Abilities and Manifesters

The ability that your powers depend on?your key ability score as a manifester?is related to what psionic class (or classes) you have levels in: Intelligence (psion), Wisdom (psychic warrior), and Charisma (wilder). The modifier for this ability is referred to as your key ability modifier. If your character?s key ability score is 9 or lower, you can?t manifest powers from that psionic class.
Just as a high Intelligence score grants bonus spells to a wizard and a high Wisdom score grants bonus spells to a cleric, a character who manifests powers (psions, psychic warriors, and wilders) gains bonus power points according to his key ability score. Refer to Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Power Points.

[top]Ability Modifiers

Each ability, after changes made because of race, has a modifier ranging from ?5 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.

[top]Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells
ScoreModifierBonus Spells (by Spell Level)
01st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th
1?5Can?t cast spells tied to this ability
2?3?4
4?5?3
6?7?2
8?9?1
10?110??????????
12?13+1?1????????
14?15+2?11???????
16?17+3?111??????
18?19+4?1111?????
20?21+5?21111????
22?23+6?221111???
24?25+7?2221111??
26?27+8?22221111?
28?29+9?322221111
30?31+10?332222111
32?33+11?333222211
34?35+12?333322221
36?37+13?433332222
38?39+14?443333222
40?41+15?444333322
42?43+16?444433332
44?45+17?544443333
etc. . .
[top]How To Determine Bonus Power Points
Your key ability score grants you additional power points equal to your key ability modifier × your manifester level ×1/2. Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Power Points shows these calculations for class levels 1st through 20th and key ability scores from 10 to 41.

[top]Table: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Power Points
Ability
Score
Bonus Power Points (by Class Level)
1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th15th16th17th18th19th20th
10?1100000000000000000000
12?13011223344556677889910
14?151234567891011121314151617181920
16?171346791012131516181921222425272830
18?19246810121416182022242628303234363840
20?212571012151720222527303235374042454750
22?233691215182124273033363942454851545760
24?2537101417212428313538424549525659636670
26?2748121620242832364044485256606468727680
28?2949131822273136404549545863677276818590
30?315101520253035404550556065707580859095100
32?3351116222733384449556066717782889399104110
34?356121824303642485460667278849096102108114120
36?3761319263239455258657178849197104110117123130
38?39714212835424956637077849198105112119126133140
40?417152230374552606775829097105112120127135142150

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This article is a D20 reference page
The System Reference Document is a comprehensive toolbox consisting of rules, races, classes, feats, skills, various systems, spells, magic items, and monsters compatible with the d20 System version of Dungeons & Dragons and various other roleplaying games from Wizards of the Coast.
 

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