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Your character’s abilities represent her physical and mental
capabilities. The modifiers derived from these abilities will modify
just about every die roll you make in an EverQuest Role-Playing Game
session. A [powerfulcharacter does more damage with a greatsword.
A nimble character can evade blows and sneak through small
spaces. A frail character can't take as much damage and is less likely
to maintain concentration in the face of pain and distraction. When
making checks in situations like this. your character's abilities have
a strong inﬂuence over her success or failure.

Every character. creature and monster has six abilities: Strength
(Str). Dexterity (Dex), Constitution (Con). Intelligence (lnt).
Wisdom (Wis). and Charisma (Cha). In the EverQuest Role-
Playing Game. the Dexterity ability score combines the Agility
and Dexterity attributes used in the online version of EverQuest .
An above average ability score gives a character a bonus on
related rolls in the form of a positive modifier. Similarly. 21 below
average ability score imposes a penalty on other die rolls in the
form of a negative modifier.

You determine your character's scores by assigning ability
points to a base score. generally assigning more points to abilities
important to your character. Scores can he modified by a character's
race and class. and scores increase gradually over time as your
character gains levels.

Determining Your Ability
Scores

All characters begin with a score of 8 in all six abilities and an
additional 27 ability points that can he added to increase these
scores. Ability scores are increased by one point for every ability
point added. up to a maximum of 16. Increasing a starting ability
score beyond 16 requires two ability points for each additional
point by which the ability score is increased. Ability points
cannot be used to raise any starting ability score beyond 18.

'''Table 1-1 : Ability Point Cost:'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Ability Score
! Ability Points Spent
|-
| 8
| 0
|-
| 9
| 1
|-
| 10
| 3
|-
| 11
| 3
|-
| 12
| 4
|-
| 13
| 5
|-
| 14
| 6
|-
| 15
| 7
|-
| 16
| 8
|-
| 17
| 10
|-
| 18
| 12
|}

A character can have a score of less than 8. but receives no
benefit from lowering the score. The only reason to do this is if you
have a character concept that calls for a great weakness in one of
your character's abilities. Also note that a character's racial ability
modifiers can raise an ability to above 18 or lower it below 8.

The average ability score for the typical inhabitant of the
EverQuest world is 10 or 11. but your character does not represent
a typical inhabitant. Player characters are heroes. adventurers and
people of exceptional potential. Among such people. the most
common ability scores are 12 and 1 3. and many have one or more
abilities with scores of 16 or higher. Player characters are the focus
of an EverQuest adventure, and generally need above-average
scores to survive the experience.

Note that once you've begun playing your character. you can't
change your initial ability scores around. so you should give
serious thought on how to assign them. You'll likely need to
decide what race and class you want to play before you assign all
your ability points in purchasing the abilities your character will
most often use. A monk. for example. needs good Strength and
Dexterity scores to be an effective combatant. and may want a
high Constitution as well. A warrior needs good Strength and
Constitution scores to excel, but with heavy armor, she may be
able to skimp a little on her Dexterity score. A wizard needs as
high an Intelligence as possible. but may not have much use for
Strength However. the most important consideration when
assigning your ability scores is your character concept.

If you envision your shaman as a powerful fighter cursed by the
constant attention of his tribe‘s spirits. you may want to develop
his Strength and Constitution rather than his Wisdom (which
dictates a shaman's spellcasting ability). There can he benefits to
such an approach — while high physical scores won't help your
shaman cast spells. they do make him a much more effective
fighter than most other shamans, a factor that can result in a nasty
surprise for his enemies. No ability is useless. and having a high
score is almost always a good idea if you can manage it. Since
characters are limited to 27 ability points. however. you have to
decide what's most important to your character concept.

After you spend your ability points to purchase your initial
ability scores. remember to modify your resulting ability scores by
the racial ability modifiers for your race (see Chapter 2: Races).
Racial ability modifiers can raise a character's starting scores well
above 18 or lower them below 8. For example. if you decide to play
an Ogre your Strength is increased by 6 points and your Constitution by 4.
but you lose 2 points of both Dexterity and Wisdom
and 4 points of both Intelligence and Charisma.

'''Ability Modifiers:'''

Each ability provides a modifier, most commonly ranging from
-3 to +8. The modifier represents the number you add to or subtract
from die rolls when your character tries to do something
related to that ability. For example, you add your Constitution
modifier to both your Hit Dice (which determine your total hit
points) and to Channeling checks made to successfully cast a spell
after taking damage. Some modifiers also apply to numbers other
than die rolls. such as the way your character's Dexterity modifier
affects his Armor Class.

The modifier can be determined for any score through the use
of the simple formula (score ~10)/2. Thus an ability score of 18
results in a modifier of(18—10)/2 = +4. while a score of 6 results
in a modifier of (6—10)/Z = —2. As with all calculations in the
EverQuest Role—Playing Game, fractions are always rounded down.
For ease of reference. the modifiers for the most common ability
scores are listed in Table 1-2.

'''Table 1-2 : Ability Score Modifiers:'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Ability Score
! Modifier
|-
| 2-3
| -4
|-
| 4-5
| -3
|-
| 6-7
| -2
|-
| 8-9
| -1
|-
| 10-11
| +0
|-
| 12-13
| +1
|-
| 14-15
| +2
|-
| 16-17
| +3
|-
| 18-19
| +4
|-
| 20-21
| +5
|-
| 22-23
| +6
|-
| 24-25
| +7
|-
| 26-27
| +8
|-
| 28-29
| +9
|}

'''Abilities and Spellcasting:'''

Different spellcasters use different abilities when spellcasting.
Divine spellcasters (beastlords. clerics. druids, paladins. rangers
and shamans) use their Wisdom to determine their mana and the
Difficulty Class (DC) of saving throws of the spells they cast.
Arcane spellcasters (enc chanters. magicians. necromancers. shadow
knights and wizards) use their Intelligence for all spellcasting
modifiers. Finally, bards use Charisma for their magical songs. For
more information on how a spellcaster's abilities interact with his
spellcasting see: Using Magic.

'''Strength (Str):'''

Strength measures your character's ability to carry weight and
hit hard. This ability is especially important for monks, paladins,
rangers, rogues, shadow knights, warriors, or anyone else who gets
involved in a lot of combat. A good Strength score can make the
difference between a mediocre fighter and someone who is an elite
combatant.

You apply your character‘s Strength modifier to:

* Melee attack rolls.

* Damage rolls when using a melee weapon or a thrown
weapon. However. attacks made with your off—hand receive only
one'half your Strength bonus. while rwo—handed attacks receive
one and a half times the Strength bonus. A Strength penalty, but
not a bonus, applies to attacks made with a bow or a sling. See
Chapter 12: Combat for more details on combat modifiers.

* Climb. Jump and Swim checks. These skills have Strength as
their key ability.

* Strength checks (for breaking down doors and performing
similar brute force tasks).

'''Dexterity (Dex):'''

Dexterity measures a character's ability to perform delicate
tasks. shoot accurately. avoid blows and maintain balance. This
ability is most important for rogues and monks, but many other
characters also benefit from high Dexterity scores. including
those who typically wear light, medium. or no armor (enchanters.
magicians. necromancers and wizards. for example). and for
characters who want to be skilled archers.

You apply your character's Dexterity modifier to:

* Ranged attack rolls. including attacks made with bows.
throwing spears, thrown knives. and other ranged weapons.

* Armor Class. provided you can react to the attack (see
Chapter [2: Combat for more information on when your character
may not get any Dexterity bonus to AC).

* Reﬂex saving throws, for avoiding attacks that you can escape
by moving quickly.

* Balance. Escape Artist. Hide. Pick Lock, Pick Pocket. Ride.
Safe Fall. Sneak. Tumble and Use Rope checks. These skills
(along with the bard exclusive skills of Play Percussion Instruments.
Play String Instruments. and Play Wind Instruments) all
have Dexterity as their key ability.

'''Constitution (Con):'''

Constitution represents a character's toughness. health. and
stamina. This is most important for characters who expect to act
as front line ﬁghters, such as warriors. However. since a character's
Constitution score affects his hit points, it's an important ability
for everyone in the EverQuest world.

You apply your character‘s Constitution modiﬁer to:

* Each Hit Die (HD) (although a penalty can never reduce a
HD roll to less than 1 — a character always gains at least 1 hit
point every time he goes up a level).

* Fortitude saving throws, which characters use to resist poison
and numerous other threats.

* Channeling checks; this skill. important to spellcasters. has
Constitution as its key ability. The hard skill Play Brass instruments
is also affected by the bard's Constitution.

A character's hit points are always by her current Constitution
score. and any changes to her Constitution modifier are retroactive.
For example. if a 5th-level warrior increases her Constitution
from 1.3 to 14 (thereby increasing her Con modifier by +1). she
gains 5 extra hit points — one for each of her five levels.

'''Intelligence (Int):'''

Intelligence represents how well your character can acquire
skills, use logic, and make deductions. Intelligence is important
for arcane spellcasters. since it affects how much mana they have
and how hard their spells are to resist. It's also important for any
character who depends upon a wide selection of skills. since it modifies
how many skill points a character has to spend at each level.

You apply your character‘s Intelligence modifier to: .

* The number of skill points your character gains at each level.
(But even if your character has an Intelligence penalty. he always
gets at least 1 skill point per level.) Unlike all other ability score
modiﬁcations. Intelligence bonuses to skill points are not retroactive.
The bonus skill points a character gets upon achieving a new
level is based on the Intelligence he had for the majority of the
previous level.

* Appraise. Disable Device. Forgery. Knowledge, Language.
Meditation (for arcane spellcasters), Read Lips. Search, Spellcraft
and Trade Skill checks. These skills have Intelligence as their key
ability.

'''Wisbom (Wis):'''

Wisdom describes a character's self—control. common sense.
and perceptiveness. While Intelligence measures a character’s
ability to reason. Wisdom relates more to being aware of both
internal and external forces, A character with a low Intelligence
but high Wisdom may seem slow-witted, but often understands
more of what's going on than she has the words to explain ——
insight and intuition are functions Wisdom.

Wisdom is important for characters who are alert or who know
how to analyze or "read" people. It modifies most of the perception
skills. which are often as important as combat or spellcasting
abilities. Wisdom Is also crucial for divine spellcasters, as it
determines how much mana they receive and the potency of many
of their spells.

You apply your character's Wisdom modifier to:

* Will saving throws. which allow a character to negate the
effects of various spells and other mind-influencing effects.

* Heal, Innuendo, Listen, Meditation (for divine spellcasters).
Profession. Sense Heading. Sense Motive. Spot, Trade Skill and
Wilderness Lore checks. These skills have Wisdom as their key
ability.

'''Charisma (Cha):'''

Charisma represents a character's ability to influence those
around her. It includes such factors as a character's appearance.
personal magnetism. and force of personality. A character can be
extremely attractive but might irritate those around her. and thus
have a low Charisma, or be unpleasant to look at yet possess an
extraordinary way with people, and thus have a high Charisma.
However, Charisma Is Just as often closely related to how a person
looks. A character's Charisma isn't always obvious — a young
noblewoman might seem to be a fainting ﬂower whom everyone
ignores, yet have a high Charisma that is revealed only when she
takes command in emergencies

Charisma Is most important to characters who wish to influence the
opinions of others. Including leaders, con men, and
diplomats. Such influence often becomes important to characters
who are attempting to win the trust of a certain faction of
people or creatures, whether to gain information from them or
to be entrusted With Important quests by them.

Charisma Is also Important as a spelleasting trait for bards
(who base all spellcasting modifiers on their Cha bonus), for
beastlords' ability to befriend and command their warders.
and also for any spellcaster who uses enchantment spells
(which use Charisma to determine their save DCs. regard—
less of the source ~— I.e., arcane. divine, or bardic — of the spell).

You apply your character's Charisma modifier to:
*Animal Empathy, Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise, -.
Gather information, Handle Animal, Intimidate, Meditation
(for bards), Perfor, Taunt , and lUndead “Empathy checks.
These skills have Charisma as their key ability.
*Charisma checks, for attempts to influence others
(which are generally treated as untrained Diplomacy checks).

'''Changing Ability Scores:'''

Over time, your character's ability scores will change. At first
level the character receives five training points and then receives
ﬁve more mining points for each level of experience attained.
Training points can be spent to raise abilities as described in
Chapter 3. Training points reﬂect a character's progress as he
gains experience and are not the same as ability points which are
used to determine a character's initial ability scores.

Many poisons. diseases. and other effects can harm an ability
(through what is called “temporary ability damage"). Ability
points lost to damage typically return on their own at a rate of 1
point per day for each damaged ability. Some creatures possess the
power to drain abilities permanently. Points lost permanently in
this fashion don‘t return on their own, but the victim can
sometimes bring them back through other, often difficult, means.

Numerous spells and magic items can increase a character‘s
ability scores. When an ability score changes. all attributes
associated with that score change accordingly. For example, when
Cakazu. a monk with a 13 intelligence. reaches 8th level, she
decides to spend training points to increase her Intelligence to 14.
As a result, all other Intelligence based skill bonuses are increased
by + l . arid the number of skill points she gets per level thereafter
increases from 5 to 6 (4 per level for her class. plus another 2 per
level — formerly l per level — from her Intelligence bonus).
However. since she had a 13 Intelligence for most of the time she
spent at 7th level. she still only gets 5 skill points for 8th level.
(This is an exception to how most stat bonuses work. as explained
under the Intelligence section in this chapter). When Cakazu
reaches 9th level. she'll get 6 skill points.

'''Converting Characters From EverQuest Online:'''

Rather than make a brand new character. it is possible to
convert an EverQuest online character for use with the EverQuest
Role—Playing Game. The rules below are only guidelines. and once
you are familiar with the game rules you and your GM may want
to make a few adaptations (or "house rules") regarding this
process. In general. where the online game and EverQuest Role—
Playing Game disagree, follow the rules in this book. And be sure
to check all your decisions with your GM. who always has the final
say on what is allowed in her game.

Ability Scores:

Converting your EverQuest online character's attributes to
EuerQuest Role—Playing Game ability scores is a two'step process.
First, find each attribute on Table 1—3: Attributes to Abilities to
see what ability it becomes. Then convert your attribute value to
an ability score using the numbers on Table 1—4: Converting
Scores‘ Be sure to use your character's base attribute ratings,
unmodified by spells or items (your “naked and unbuﬂed" ratings).
You'll be able to select similar magic items from the
EverQuest: Game Master's Guide which will then add to your
character's abilities. but for figuring your character's base ability
scores. ignore these factors.

'''Table l-3: Attributes to Abilities:'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! EQ Online
! EQ RPG
|-
| Atributte
| Ability
|-
| Strength
| Strength
|-
| Stamina
| Constitution
|-
| Agility/Dexterity
| Average For Dexterity
|-
| Wisdom
| Wisdom
|-
| Intelligence
| Intelligence
|-
| Charisma
| Charisma
|}

'''Table 1-4: Converting Scores:'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! EQ Online Score
! EQ RPG Score
|-
| 0-50
| 6
|-
| 51-55
| 7
|-
| 56-60
| 8
|-
| 61=65
| 9
|-
| 66-70
| 10
|-
| 71-75
| 11
|-
| 76-80
| 12
|-
| 81-85
| 13
|-
| 86-90
| 14
|-
| 91-95
| 15
|-
| 96-100
| 16
|-
| 101-110
| 17
|-
| 111-120
| 18
|-
| 121-130
| 19
|-
| 131-140
| 20
|-
| 141-150
| 21
|-
| 151-160
| 22
|-
| 161-170
| 23
|-
| 171+
| 24
|}

'''Races:'''

All the player races from EverQuest online are presented in
Chapter 2: Races. Read through your race description for information
on background and culture — these things can be important
in an ongoing EverQuest Role—Playing Game campaign. While you
do want to note any bonus skills or feats and any special abilities
your character‘s race may have. you do not need to worry about the
race's ability score adjustments. (These adjustments were already
ﬁgured into your EverQuest online character's attributes. and
were translated when you converted them.)

Classes, Skills, and Feats

Each class from the EverQuest online game is included in
Chapter 3: Classes. To determine your character‘s EverQuest
Role—Playing Game level. divide your EverQuest online character‘s
level by Z (rounding down, as with all in-game calculations).
Then you need to spend all of your character’s skill points and
select her feats. Some things. such as spells, can be convened
almost directly from the online game. Many things are done
differently in the EQ RPG, however, and you'll want to take some
time familiarizing yourself with the options available to your class.
Many classes have special abilities open to them that may not
correlate directly to the abilities of your EverQuest online character.
Simply select those abilities that most closely match what
your character might have chosen in the EverQuest online game,
had those choices been available.

Note that basic progress in fighting prowess is automatic in the
EverQuest Role—Playing Game. so you don't need to worry about
buying ranks in combat skills such as “lH-Slashing.“ Instead.
familiarity with various weapons is represented through appropriate
feat acquisition. while your chance to succeed with an attack
is measured by your character's attack bonus. Fighting classes have
excellent attack bonuses. while spellcasters are generally less
effective in direct melee or ranged combat.

Many Skills are available, including many that are similar to those from
EverQuest online. Some skills are considered feats, or a combination of a skill and a feat.
A list of online skills and their equivalents are given in Table 1-5.

'''Table 1-5: Online Skill Conversions:'''
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! EQ Online Skill
! EQ RPG Skill
|-
| Abjuration
| Channeling
|-
| Alchemy
| Trade Skill (alchemy)
|-
| Alcohol Tolerance
| Alcohol Tolerance
|-
| Alteration
| Channeling
|-
| Baking
| Trade Skill (baking)
|-
| 71-75
| 11
|-
| 76-80
| 12
|-
| 81-85
| 13
|-
| 86-90
| 14
|-
| 91-95
| 15
|-
| 96-100
| 16
|-
| 101-110
| 17
|-
| 111-120
| 18
|-
| 121-130
| 19
|-
| 131-140
| 20
|-
| 141-150
| 21
|-
| 151-160
| 22
|-
| 161-170
| 23
|-
| 171+
| 24
|}

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imported>Kingfisher SA at 16:41, 21 September 2018