System	
  Reference	
   Document	
  5.1 	
   82	
  
Spellcasting Ability 
Wizards	
  use	
  Intelligence 	
  as	
  their	
  spellcasting	
  ability,	
  
which	
  helps	
  determine	
  the	
  saving	
  throw	
  DCs	
  of	
  
spells	
  they	
  cast. 	
  
Wisdom 
Wisdom	
  reflects	
  how	
  attuned	
  you	
  are	
  to	
  the	
  world	
  
around	
  you	
  and	
  represents	
  perceptiveness	
  and	
  
intuition.	
  	
  
Wisdom Checks 
A	
  Wisdom	
  check	
  might	
  reflect	
  an	
   effort	
  to	
  read	
  body	
  
language,	
  understand	
  someone’s	
  feelings,	
  notice	
  
things	
  about	
  the	
  environment,	
  or	
  care	
  for	
  an	
  injured	
  
person.	
  The	
  Animal	
  Handling,	
  Insight,	
  Medicine,	
  
Perception,	
  and	
  Survival	
  skills	
  reflect	
  aptitude	
  in	
  
certain	
  kinds	
  of	
  Wisdom	
  checks. 	
  
	
   Animal	
  Handling.	
   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,	
  the	
  GM	
  might	
  call	
  for	
  a	
  Wisdom	
  
(Animal	
  Handling)	
  check.	
  You	
  also	
  make	
  a	
  Wisdom	
  
(Animal	
  Handling) 	
  check	
  to	
  control	
  your	
  mount	
  
when	
  you	
  attempt	
  a	
  risky	
  maneuver. 	
  
	
   Insight.	
  Your	
  Wisdom	
  (Insight)	
  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. 	
  
	
   Medicine.	
  A	
  Wisdom	
  (Medicine)	
  check	
  lets	
  you	
  try	
  
to	
  stabilize	
  a	
  dying	
  companion	
  or	
  diagnose	
  an	
  illness. 	
  
	
   Perception.	
  Your	
  Wisdom	
  (Perception)	
  check	
  lets	
  
you	
  spot,	
  hear,	
  or	
  other wise	
  detect	
  the	
  presence	
  of	
  
something.	
  It	
  meas ures	
  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	
  in	
  the	
  
forest.	
  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.	
  
	
   Survival.	
  The	
  GM	
  might	
  ask	
  y ou	
  to	
  make	
  a	
  
Wisdom	
  (Survival)	
  check	
  to	
  follow	
  tracks,	
  hunt	
  wild	
  
game,	
  guide	
  your	
  group	
  through	
  frozen	
  wastelands,	
  
identify	
  signs	
  that	
  owlbears	
  live	
  nearby,	
  predict	
  the	
  
weather,	
  or	
  avoid	
  quicksand	
  and	
  other	
  natural	
  
hazards.	
  
	
   Other	
  Wisdom	
  Checks.	
   The	
  GM	
  might	
  call	
  for	
  a	
  
Wisdom	
  check	
  when	
  you	
  try	
  to	
  accomplish	
  tasks	
  like	
  
the	
  following:	
  
• Get	
  a	
  gut	
  feeling	
  about	
  what	
  course	
  of	
  action	
  to
follow
• Discern	
  whether	
  a	
  seemingly	
  dead	
  or	
  living
creature	
  is	
  undead
Spellcasting Ability 
Clerics,	
  druids,	
  and	
  rangers	
  use	
  Wisd om	
  as	
  their	
  
spellcasting	
  ability,	
  which	
  helps	
  determine	
  the	
  
saving	
  throw	
  DCs	
  of	
  spells	
  they	
  cast. 	
  
Charisma 
Charisma	
  measures	
  your	
  ability	
  to	
  interact	
  
effectively	
  with	
  others.	
  It	
  includes	
  such	
  factors	
  as	
  
confidence	
  and	
  eloquence,	
  and	
  it	
  can	
  represent	
  a	
  
charming	
  or	
  commanding	
  personality. 	
  
Charisma Checks 
A	
  Charisma	
  check	
  might	
  arise	
  when	
  you	
  try	
  to	
  
influence	
  or	
  entertain	
  others,	
  when	
  you	
  try	
  to	
  make	
  
an	
  impression	
  or	
  tell	
  a	
  convincing	
  lie,	
  or	
  when	
  you	
  
are	
  navigating	
  a	
  tricky	
  social	
  situation.	
  The	
  
Deception,	
  Intimidation,	
  Performance,	
  and	
  
Persuasion	
  skills	
  reflect	
  aptitude	
  in	
  certain	
  kinds	
  of	
  
Charisma	
  checks. 	
  
	
   Deception.	
  Your	
  Charisma	
  (Deception)	
  check	
  
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	
  wit h	
  false	
  assurances,	
  or	
  
maintain	
  a	
  straight	
  face	
  while	
  telling	
  a	
  blatant	
  lie. 	
  
	
   Intimidation.	
   When	
  you	
  attempt	
  to	
  influence	
  
someone	
  through	
  overt	
  threats,	
  hostile	
  actions,	
  and	
  
physical	
  violence,	
  the	
  GM	
  might	
  ask	
  you	
  to	
  make	
  a	
  
Charisma	
  (Intimidation)	
  check.	
  E xamples	
  include	
  
trying	
  to	
  pry	
  information	
  out	
  of	
  a	
  pr isoner,	
  
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. 	
  
	
   Performance.	
   Your	
  Charisma	
  (Performance)	
  
check	
  determines	
  how	
  well	
  you	
  can	
  delight	
  an	
  
audience	
  with	
  music,	
  dance,	
  acting,	
  storytelling,	
  or	
  
some	
  other	
  form	
  of	
  entertainment. 	
  
	
   Persuasion.	
  When	
  you	
  attempt	
  to	
  influence	
  
someone	
  or	
  a	
  group	
  of	
  people	
  with	
  tact,	
  social	
  graces,	
  
or	
  good	
  nature,	
  the	
  GM	
  migh t	
  ask	
  you	
  to	
  make	
  a	
  
Charisma	
  (Persuasion)	
  check.	
  Typically,	
  you	
  use	
  
persuasion	
  when	
  acting	
  in	
  good	
  faith,	
  to	
  foster	
  
friendships,	
  make	
  cordial	
  requests,	
  or	
  exhibit	
  proper	
  
etiquette.	
  Examples	
  of	
  persuading	
  others	
  include	
  