The Nightfall DnD Preparation Thread

Strength is your characters ability to apply physical force on physical objects. This can be used for breaking or moving things and helps you with most of your physical attacks. A character with high Strength can lift more then a character with low Strength and can more easily break objects. The skills associated with Strength are Climb, Jump and Swim, all things that require good muscles. If your Strength gets reduced to 0, your character is unable to move a muscle and is thus helpless. A character doesn't have a Strength score, if they are completly unable to affect physical objects physically. This is the case for ghosts and other incorporeal creatures.

Dexterity is your characters ability to move their body. This can be used for reacting more quickly, dodging attacks or aiming at a (moving) target. A character with high Dexterity can bend and twist their body much more easily then a character with low Dexterity, allowing them to evade even more attacks and react even more quickly. The skills associated with Dexterity are Balance, Escape Artist, Hide, Move Silently, Open Lock, Ride, Slight of Hand, Tumble and Use Rope, all of which require a certain flexibilty from the character. If your Dexterity gets reduced to 0 you become too stiff to move and become helpless. A character doesn't have a Dexterity score if they are unable to move on their own. This is the case for some plant creatures, who can attack via other means but are unable to move their own body.

Constitution is your characters "aliveness", your health and your endurance. This can be your resistance to physical attacks, the ability to shrug off poisons or general health and your resistance to becoming ill. A Character with high Constitution can usually last longer at physical tasks then a character with low Constitution, whether it is running for a long time, swimming for a long time or simply fighting of a long time. Only Concentration is associated with Constitution, which for example represents the abillity to continue focussing on a task even if you get injured during it. If your Constitution is reduced to 0 you die. A characters doesn't have a Constitution score if they aren't alive. This is the case for most constructs as well as undeads.

Intelligence is your characters affinity to learned knowledge. In the game that usually means that you know more about things that you needed to learn. A character with high Intelligence knows more languages, more skills and, depending on their class, morer spells then one with low Intelligence. Appraise, all Craft skills, Decipher Script, Disable Device, Forgery, all Knowledge skills, Search and Spellcraft are all the skills usually associated with Intelligence, noticably many of which can only be used if "trained" in it. If your Intelligence becomes reduced to 0 you loose the ability to remember, and I don't mean like demenz, I mean like EVERYTHING. You are left as a brainless wreck. Characters who can't learn or think by themself but instead need to be "programmed" in some way have no Intelligence score. This is the case for many constructs, like Golems or mindless undead.

Wisdom is your characters ability to understand things. In the game, it allows you to counter mental attacks and allows you to see through illusions. A character with high Wisdom will likely have an easier time with understandding things and noticing things, then a character with low Wisdom. The associated skills are Heal, Listen, all Profession skills, Sense Motive, Spot and Survival. Many of those have to do with noticing objects or understanding people and problems. If your Wisdom is reduced to 0 you loose your ability to reason and thus your ability to think, falling into a catatonic sleep. Except in some cases, where it drives you insane, but that's usually a special ability of some maddening creature. Anything without a Wisdom score isn't a creature but an object, since it lacks the ability to understand and to notice it's surroundings.

Charisma is your characters ability to influence others with their will. In game that mostly means being able to convince people of doing what you want them to do. A character with high Charisma is likely better at dealing with other people then one with low Charisma. The associated skills are Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise, Gather Information, Handle Animal, Intimidate, all Perform skills and Use Magic Device. Most of those are interactions with other people or creatures. If your Charisma is reduced to 0, you loose your ability to interact with the world. Anything without a Charisma score doesn't understand the difference between itself and what's around it and is only an object, not a creature.