Abilities and Skills

Here is a fast list of Skills based on ability score modifiers. With the post one can quickly look up what sort of general actions correlate to which skill (see bottom of page for Skill List). Pictures from the Player's Handbook, direct quotes, examples from my own games, and specially made diagrams will be used.

What is an ability? Well it is the "possession of the means or skill to do something". (Oxforddixtionaries.com). In the most literal sense that is what the game views ability as. Yet, it also coincides with a more vague definition of the term. "The quality of being able to do something; physical, mental, financial, or legal power to perform." (Berube et. al., pg. 67). To the game an ability, defines what the characters in play is adept at.

Figure 1: Ability Types, Players Handbook page 173

The game Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) also has an elaborate combat system as well as social system. How do abilities relate to this? The designers created the Ability Score system as a means of imposing some order to a free form adventure game.

Figure 2 (left) & 3 (right): Ability Score blocks from Character Sheet, one unfilled and another filled in.

Because ability determines success of actions in D&D most mechanics spawn off of it. Strength begets physical might, the game then recognizes that ability in strength adds to successful rolls in melee combat. Dexterity is added to ranged combat, and lighter armor where its more reasonable the character would be agile.

What does 10 Ability Score in wisdom mean though? Well that's where Modifiers come into play. Ability Modifiers are just a way of translating Ability Score into simply additions and subtractions to dice rolls related to that ability. For example 18 Wisdom would give a +4 to all wisdom related rolls, such as insight which is used whenever a character is attempting to deduce something. That means if the roll for a character, with one dice of twenty sides, is 10 four more points are added to it becoming 14. In plenty of cases rolls like that could mean life or death for characters.

(Ability Score-10)/2 = Ability Modifier <rounding down>

Equation for discovery what an Ability Modifier is based of Ability Score.

One doesn't always need the ability modifier of course, its just a boost to something a character is skilled in. For example my D&D group was in a haunted monastery. The Female Human Barbarian, Olga the Dainty who has average intelligence, 10 ability score, rolled a religion check to see if her character had any knowledge of the lore the place. She got a 15 with the 1d20, and I told her. With no modifiers the roll succeeded. The Male Human Fighter, Bruce Nightvale that same night rolled a 2 for a hit chance on an enemy but even with modifiers that wasn't enough to do damage.

Abilities help defines the character and playstyle, but don't rule over them. Yet, the boost is a great boon. So much so the character sheet from the Wizard's of the Coast, who own D&D, have that the side of the Ability Score blocks.

Figure 4: Ability Scores, Modifiers, and Skill list.

These are the skills that character abilities effect. We'll ignore inspiration points, and proficiency this time. Remember that history check? Well ability scores directly transfer over to the related skills on the skill list. Strength Modifier goes into Athletics; Dexterity into Sleight of Hand, Acrobatics, and Stealth; and so on. That tells the player what type of modifiers they have, and where.

Skills

1. Athletics (Strenght Modifier). For difficult situations you encounter while climbing, jumping, or swimming.
2. Acrobatics (Dexterity Modifier). Use whenever your character is attempting to stay balanced, such as when walking a tight rope or running on a sheet of ice. Can also apply to stunts like summersaults, and backflips.
3. Sleight of Hand (Dexterity Modifier). For situations where a character attempts to pick a pockets, conceal, or plant something.
4. Stealth (Dexterity Modifier). Make this check when you attempt to conceal yourself from enemies, slink past guards, slip away without being noticed, or sneak up on someone without being seen or heard.
5. Arcana (Intelligence Modifier). The character attempts to recall lore on spells, magical objects, different planes of existence, and their inhabitants.
6. History (Intelligence Modifier). Character recalls lore on historical events, legendary people, ancient kingdoms, past disputes, recent wars, and lost civilizations.
7. Investigation (Intelligence Modifier). When you look around for clues and make deductions based on those clues.
8. Nature (Intelligence Modifier).  Measures your ability to recall lore about terrain, plants and animals, the weather. and natural cycles.
9. Religion (Intelligence Modifier). Knowledge on deities, rites and prayers, religious hierarchies, holy symbols, and the practices of secret cults.
10. Animal Handling (Wisdom Modifier). When there is any question whether you can calm down a domesticated animal, keep a mount from getting spooked, or intuit an animal's intentions,
11. Insight (Wisdom Modifier). This check decides whether you can determine the true intentions of a creature, such as when searching out a lie or predicting someone's next move. Doing so involves gleaning clues from body language, speech habits, and changes in mannerisms.
12. Medicine (Wisdom Modifier). Allows a character the ability to stabilize a dying party member of diagnose an illness.
13. Perception (Wisdom Modifier). It measures your general awareness of your surroundings and the keenness of your senses. For example, you might try to hear a conversation through a closed door, eavesdrop under an open window, or hear monsters moving stealthily. Or you might try to spot things that are obscured or easy to miss, whether they are orcs lying in ambush on a road, thugs hiding in the shadows of an alley, or candlelight under a closed secret door.
14. Survival (Wisdom Modifier). Check to follow tracks, hunt wild game, guide your group through frozen wastelands, identify signs that owl bears live nearby, predict the weather, or avoid quicksand and other natural hazards.
15. Deception (Charisma Modifier). Determines whether you can convincingly hide the truth, either verbally or through your actions. This deception can encompass everything from misleading others through ambiguity to telling outright lies. Typical situations include trying to fast-talk a guard, con a merchant, earn money through gambling, pass yourself off in a disguise, dull someone's suspicions with false assurances, or maintain a straight face while telling a blatant lie.
16. Intimidation (Charisma Modifier). When you attempt to influence someone through overt threats, hostile actions, and physical violence. Examples include trying to pry information out of a prisoner, convincing street thugs to back down from a confrontation, or using the edge of a broken bottle to convince a sneering vizier to reconsider a decision.
17. Performance (Charisma Modifier). Determines how well you can delight an audience with music, dance, acting, storytelling, or some other form of entertainment.
18. Persuasion (Charisma Modifier). When you attempt to influence someone or a group of people with tact. social graces, or good nature. Typically, you use persuasion when acting in good faith, to foster friendships, make cordial requests, or exhibit proper etiquette. Examples of persuading others include convincing a chamberlain to let your party see the king, negotiating peace between warring tribes, or inspiring a crowd of townsfolk.

Works Cited
Berube, Margery, Diane Neely, Pamela DeVinne, et al. Second College Edition The American Heritage History Dictionary. Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston, 1982. Print.

Crawford, Jeremy, et al. Dungeon Master's Guide. USA: Wizards of the Coast, 2014. Print.

Crawford, Jeremy, et al. Player's Handbook. USA: Wizards of the Coast, 2014. Print.

Oxforddictionaries.com. Oxford University Press. 2016. Web. Accessed <https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/ability>. 1/21/2017.