System	
  Reference	
   Document	
  5.1 	
   79	
  
	
   For	
  example,	
  if	
  a	
  1st -­‐‑level	
  character	
  has	
  a	
  Wisdom	
  
of	
  15	
  and	
  profi ciency	
  in	
  Perception,	
  he	
  or	
  she	
  has	
  a	
  
passive	
  Wisdom	
  (Perception)	
  score	
  of	
  14. 	
  
	
   The	
  rules	
  on	
  hiding	
  in	
  the	
  “Dexterity”	
  section	
  
below	
  rely	
  on	
  passive	
  checks,	
  as	
  do	
  the	
  exploration	
  
rules.	
  
Working Together 
Sometimes	
  two	
  or	
  more	
  characters	
  team	
  up	
  to	
  
attempt	
  a	
  task.	
  The	
  character	
  who’s	
  leading	
  the	
  
effort—or	
  the	
  one	
  with	
  the	
  highest	
  ability	
  
modifier—can	
  make	
  an	
  ability	
  check	
  with	
  advantage,	
  
reflecting	
  the	
  help	
  provided	
  by	
  the	
  other	
  characters.	
  
In	
  combat,	
  this	
  requires	
  the	
  Help	
  action.	
  
	
   A	
  character	
  can	
  only	
  provi de	
  help	
  if	
  the	
  task	
  is	
  one	
  
that	
  he	
  or	
  she	
  could	
  attempt	
  alone.	
  For	
  example,	
  
trying	
  to	
  open	
  a	
  lock	
  requires	
  proficiency	
  with	
  
thieves’	
  tools,	
  so	
  a	
  character	
  who	
  lacks	
  that	
  
proficiency	
  can’t	
  help	
  another	
  character	
  in	
  that	
  task.	
  
Moreover,	
  a	
  character	
  can	
  help	
   only	
  when	
  two	
  or	
  
more	
  individuals	
  working	
  together	
  would	
  actually	
  
be	
  productive.	
  Some	
  tasks,	
  such	
  as	
  threading	
  a	
  
needle,	
  are	
  no	
  easier	
  with	
  help. 	
  
Group Checks 
When	
  a	
  number	
  of	
  individuals	
  are	
  trying	
  to	
  
accomplish	
  something	
  as	
  a	
  group,	
  the	
  GM	
  might	
  ask	
  
for	
  a	
  group	
  ability	
  check.	
  In	
  such	
  a	
  situation,	
  the	
  
characters	
  who	
  are	
  skilled	
  at	
  a	
  particular	
  task	
  help	
  
cover	
  those	
  who	
  aren’t. 	
  
	
   To	
  make	
  a	
  group	
  ability	
  check,	
  everyone	
  in	
  the	
  
group	
  makes	
  the	
  ability	
  check.	
  If	
  at	
  least	
  half	
  the	
  
group	
  succeeds,	
  the	
  whole	
  group 	
  succeeds.	
  
Otherwise,	
  the	
  group	
  fails. 	
  
	
   Group	
  checks	
  don’t	
  come	
  up	
  very	
  often,	
  and	
  
they’re	
  most	
  useful	
  when	
  all	
  the	
  characters	
  succeed	
  
or	
  fail	
  as	
  a	
  group.	
  For	
  example,	
  when	
  adventurers	
  
are	
  navigating	
  a	
  swamp,	
  the	
  GM	
  might	
  call	
  for	
  a	
  
group	
  Wisdom	
  (Survival) 	
  check	
  to	
  see	
  if	
  the	
  
characters	
  can	
  avoid	
  the	
  quicksand,	
  sinkholes,	
  and	
  
other	
  natural	
  hazards	
  of	
  the	
  environment.	
  If	
  at	
  least	
  
half	
  the	
  group	
  succeeds,	
  the	
  successful	
  characters	
  
are	
  able	
  to	
  guide	
  their	
  companions	
  out	
  of	
  danger.	
  
Otherwise,	
  the	
  group	
  stumbles 	
  into	
  one	
  of	
  these	
  
hazards.	
  
Using Each Ability 
Every	
  task	
  that	
  a	
  character	
  or	
  monster	
  might	
  
attempt	
  in	
  the	
  game	
  is	
  covered	
  by	
  one	
  of	
  the	
  six	
  
abilities.	
  This	
  section	
  explains	
  in	
  more	
  detail	
  what	
  
those	
  abilities	
  mean	
  and	
  the	
  ways	
  they	
  are	
  used	
  in	
  
the	
  game.	
  
Strength 
Strength	
  measures	
  bodily	
  power,	
  athletic	
  training,	
  
and	
  the	
  extent	
  to	
  which	
  you	
  can	
  exert	
  raw	
  physical	
  
force.	
  
Strength Checks 
A	
  Strength	
  check	
  can	
  model	
  any	
  attempt	
  to	
  lift,	
  push,	
  
pull,	
  or	
  break	
  something,	
  to	
  force	
  your	
  body	
  through	
  
a	
  space,	
  or	
  to	
  o therwise	
  apply	
  brute	
  force	
  to	
  a	
  
situation.	
  The	
  Athletics	
  skill	
  reflects	
  aptitude	
  in	
  
certain	
  kinds	
  of	
  Strength	
  checks. 	
  
	
   Athletics.	
  Your	
  Strength	
  (Athletics)	
  check	
  covers	
  
difficult	
  situations	
  you	
  encounter	
  while	
  climbing,	
  
jumping,	
  or	
  swimming.	
  Examples	
  inclu de	
  the	
  
following	
  activities: 	
  
• You	
  attempt	
  to	
  climb	
  a	
  sheer	
  or	
  slippery	
  cliff,
avoid	
  hazards	
  while	
  scaling	
  a	
  wall,	
  or	
  cling	
  to	
   a
surface	
  while	
  something	
  is	
  trying	
  to	
  knock	
  you	
  off.
• You	
  try	
  to	
  jump	
  an	
  unusually	
  long	
  distance	
  or	
  pull
off	
  a	
  stunt	
  midjump.
• You	
  struggle	
  to	
  swim	
  or	
  stay	
  afloat	
  in	
  treacherous
currents,	
  storm -­‐‑tossed	
  waves,	
  or	
  areas	
  of	
  thick
seaweed.	
  Or	
  another	
  creature	
  tries	
  to	
  push	
  or	
  pull
you	
  underwater	
  or	
  otherwise	
  interfere	
  with	
  your
swimming.
Other	
  Strength	
  Checks.	
   The	
  GM	
  might	
  also	
  call	
  for
a	
  Strength	
  check	
  when	
  you	
  try	
  to	
  accomplish	
  tasks	
  
like	
  the	
  following: 	
  
• Force	
  open	
  a	
  stuck,	
  locked,	
  or	
  barred	
  door
• Break	
  free	
  of	
  bonds
• Push	
  through	
  a	
  tunnel	
  that	
  is	
  too	
  small
• Hang	
  on	
  to	
  a	
  wagon	
  while	
  being	
  dragged	
  behind	
  it
• Tip	
  over	
  a	
  statue
• Keep	
  a	
  boulder	
   from	
  rolling
Attack Rolls and Damage 
You	
  add	
  your	
  Strength	
  modifier	
  to	
  your	
  attack	
  roll	
  
and	
  your	
  damage	
  roll	
  when	
  attacking	
  with	
  a	
  melee	
  
weapon	
  such	
  as	
  a	
  mace,	
  a	
  battleaxe,	
  or	
  a	
  javelin.	
  You	
  
use	
  melee	
  weapons	
  to	
  make	
  melee	
  attacks	
  in	
  hand -­‐‑
to-­‐‑hand	
  combat,	
  a nd	
  some	
  of	
  them	
  can	
  be	
  thrown	
  to	
  
make	
  a	
  ranged	
  attack. 	
  
Lifting and Carrying 
Your	
  Strength	
  score	
  determines	
  the	
  amount	
  of	
  
weight	
  you	
  can	
  bear.	
  The	
  following	
  terms	
  define	
  
what	
  you	
  can	
  lift	
  or	
  carry. 	
  
	
   Carrying	
  Capacity.	
   Your	
  carrying	
  capacity	
  is	
  your	
  
Strength	
  score	
  multiplied	
  by	
  15.	
  This	
  is	
  the	
  weight	
  
(in	
  pounds)	
  that	
  you	
  can	
  carry,	
  which	
  is	
  high	
  enough	
  