Just about every dice roll you make is going to get a bonus or penalty based on your character's abilities. A tough character has a better chance of surviving a freezing night on Hoth. A perceptive character is more likely to notice stormtroopers sneaking up from behind. A stupid character is less likely to find a concealed panel that leads to a secret cargo compartment. Your ability scores tell you what your modifiers are for rolls such as these.
Your character has six abilities: Strength (abbreviated Str), Dexterity (abbreviated Dex), Constitution (abbreviated Con), Intelligence (abbreviated Int), Wisdom (abbreviated Wis), and Charisma (abbreviated Cha). Each of your character's above-average abilities gives you a benefit on certain die rolls, and each below-average ability gives you a disadvantage on other die rolls. You roll your scores randomly, assign them to the abilities you like, raise and lower them according to your character's Species, and then raise them as your character advances in experience.
Your Ability Scores[]
To create an ability score for your character, roll four six-sided dice (4d6). Disregard the lowest die and total the three highest dice.
This roll gives you a number between 3 (horrible) and 18 (tremendous). The average ability score for the typical galactic citizen is 10 or 11, but your character is not typical. The most common ability scores for player characters (heroes) are 12 and 13. (The average Hero is above average.)
Make this roll six times, recording the result each time on a piece of paper. Once you have all six scores, assign each score to one of your six abilities. At this step, you need to know what kind of person your character is going to be, including their Species and Class, in order to know where best to place your character's ability scores. Remember that choosing a Species other than Human causes some of these ability scores to change.
Ability Modifiers[]
Each ability, after changes made because of Species, has between a -5 to a +5 modifier. The table below shows the modifier for each ability, based on its score.
The modifier is the number you add to or subtract from the die roll when your character tries to do something related to that ability. For instance, you add or subtract your Strength modifier to your roll when you try to hit someone with a Vibroblade. You also apply the modifier to some numbers that aren't die rolls, such as when you add or subtract your Dexterity modifier to your Reflex Defense. A positive modifier is called a bonus and a negative modifier is called a penalty.
| SCORE | MODIFIER | SCORE | MODIFIER | SCORE | MODIFIER | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | -5 | 12-13 | +1 | 24-25 | +7 | ||
| 2-3 | -4 | 14-15 | +2 | 26-27 | +8 | ||
| 4-5 | -3 | 16-17 | +3 | 28-29 | +9 | ||
| 6-7 | -2 | 18-19 | +4 | 30-31 | +10 | ||
| 8-9 | -1 | 20-21 | +5 | 32-33 | +11 | ||
| 10-11 | 0 | 22-23 | +6 | etc... | etc... |
Rerolling[]
If your scores are too low, you may scrap them and reroll all six scores. Your scores are considered too low if your total modifiers (before changes according to Species) are 0 or less, or if your highest score is 13 or lower.
Planned Generation[]
Instead of rolling dice, you may select the scores you want by using the planned character generation method. This requires a bit more thought and effort on your part, since you need to know what kind of character you want to play so you can select your scores as outlined below.
Your character's scores all start at 8. You have 25 points to spend to increase these scores, using the costs shown below. After you select your scores, apply any Species modifiers.
Alternatively, your Gamemaster may allow for 28 points to be spent, such as in the Dawn of Defiance campaign.
| SCORE | COST | SCORE | COST | SCORE | COST | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 16 | 10 | ||
| 9 | 1 | 13 | 5 | 17 | 13 | ||
| 10 | 2 | 14 | 6 | 18 | 16 | ||
| 11 | 3 | 15 | 8 |
Standard Score Package[]
The third method of determining ability scores is the standard score package, a balanced mix of scores designed to quickly create hero characters. Assign the scores to the abilities you like. After you assign your scores, apply Species modifiers.
The standard score package is:
15, 14, 13, 12, 10, and 8.
The Abilities[]
Each ability partially describes your character and affects some of your character's actions. The description of each ability includes a list of notable characters along with their scores in that ability.
| ABILITY | DESCRIPTION | |
|---|---|---|
| Strength (STR) | Strength (Str) measures your character's muscle and physical power. This ability is especially important for Soldiers because it helps them prevail in physical combat. | |
| Dexterity (DEX) | Dexterity (Dex) measures hand-eye coordination, agility, reflexes, and balance. This ability is the most important ability for Scoundrels, but it's also high on the list for characters who want to be good shots with ranged weapons or who want to handle the controls of a starship or speeder fairly well. | |
| Constitution (CON) | Constitution (Con) represents your character's health and stamina. Constitution adds to a hero's Hit Points, so it's important for everyone, but most important for Soldiers and Jedi. | |
| Intelligence (INT) | Intelligence (Int) determines how well your character learns and reasons, Intelligence is important for Scouts, Nobles, and any character who wants to have a wide assortment of Skills. | |
| Wisdom (WIS) | Every creature has a Wisdom (Wis) score. Wisdom describes a character's willpower, common sense, perception, and intuition. Compared to Intelligence, Wisdom is more related to being in tune with and aware of one's surroundings, while Intelligence represents one's ability to analyze information. An "absent-minded professor" has a low Wisdom score and a high Intelligence score. A simpleton with low Intelligence might nonetheless have great insight (high Wisdom). Wisdom is the most important ability for Scouts, but it's also important for characters wishing to be in-tune with their environment or characters who like to Gamble. If you want your character to have keen senses, put a high score in Wisdom. | |
| Charisma (CHA) | Every creature has a Charisma (Cha) score. Charisma measures a character's force of personality, persuasiveness, personal magnetism, ability to lead, and physical attractiveness. It represents actual strength of personality and force of presence, not merely how others perceive you in a social setting. Charisma is most important for Nobles and Jedi. |
Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma[]
A character with a high Intelligence score is curious, knowledgeable, and prone to using big words. A character with a high Intelligence but low Wisdom may be smart but absent-minded, or knowledgeable but lacking in common sense. A character with a high Intelligence but a low Charisma may be a know-it-all or a reclusive scholar. The smart character lacking in both Wisdom and Charisma usually puts her foot in her mouth.
A character with a low Intelligence mispronounces and misuses words, has trouble following directions, or fails to get a joke.
A character with a high Wisdom score may be sensible, serene, "in tune," alert, or centered. A character with a high Wisdom but a low Intelligence may be aware, but simple. A character with a high Wisdom but a low Charisma knows enough to speak carefully and may become an advisor or "power behind the throne" rather than a leader.
A character with a high Charisma may be beautiful, handsome, striking, personable, and confident. A character with a high Charisma but a low Intelligence can usually pass herself off as knowledgeable, until she meets a true expert. A charismatic character with a low Wisdom may be popular, but he doesn't know who his real friends are.
A character with a low Charisma may be reserved, gruff, rude, fawning, or simply nondescript.
Changing Ability Scores[]
Over time, your character's ability scores can change. Ability scores can increase without limit.
- At 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th level, a heroic character increases two ability scores by 1 point each.
- As a character ages, some ability scores go up and others go down. Details can be found in the Heroic Traits section.
When an ability score changes, all attributes associated with that score change accordingly. For example, when Sia-Lan becomes a 4th level Jedi, she increases her Dexterity from 15 to 16 and increases her Charisma from 13 to 14. Now she's harder to hit, better at using ranged weapons, and all of her Dexterity-based and Charisma-based Skills improve as well.