Roll Factory

This time, we’re talking about Ability Scores: how they work, why they matter, and why you only need to think about them around every four levels.The 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons character sheet uses the same six abilities the game has used since the earliest editions: Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution represent your character’s physical capacities. Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma represent mental acuity. Kind of.We’ll explain what each of those abilities is used for in a future episode. For now, you just need to know these six numbers lay the groundwork for determining what your character is great at, and what tasks they’re better off leaving to an ally.The scores generally range from 3 to 18, with 10 representing the average for an adventurer. There are several methods for determining them; your DM will tell you which one to use when you’re rolling up your character.However, it’s not the ability score itself that we use when rolling for an action. Instead, the ability score total determines a modifier. At the average score of 10, your modifier is 0 (what some players call “flat”). Every two points up or down from 10 means an increase or decrease of 1 to the modifer. So at 12 your modifier is +1, at 14 it’s +2, and on up. At 8 your modifier is -1, at 6 it’s -2, and on down. You’ll add or subtract that modifier when you make an ability or skill check which relies on that ability.Most of the time you don’t need to remember if your Strength is 16 or 17, as long as you know that you get a +2 to melee weapon attacks and strength-based skill checks. The only time you want to pay attention to the raw score is when your character levels up. For most classes, every fourth level gives you the opportunity to improve one or two ability scores. If your Charisma is a 13, you’ll only need 1 point to get up to 14 and an additional +1 to your modifier. If it’s a 12, you’ll need 2 more points to get that same increase.Next time on Roll Factory we’ll begin our tour of the ability scores, starting with Strength.For our past adventures, or to join the campaign, search and subscribe to Roll Factory wherever you get podcasts.If you enjoyed this episode, please help us grow our audience. Tell a friend, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, or tag the show in a post: we’re on social at RPGRollFactory, and our website is rpgrollfactory.com.Send your questions, concerns, corrections, disputations, guest suggestions, and soulful laments by email to [email protected].
The music in this episode is by Arcane Anthems.  https://www.patreon.com/arcaneanthems

On this episode, we demonstrate the core mechanic of Dungeons & Dragons: the roll of the 20-sided dice. You and your DM will use it to determine the success or failure of practically every action your character takes.These rolls fall into three categories: Attacks, Checks, and Saving Throws. In each case, you roll a d20, then add or subtract the relevant modifier that appears on your character sheet. If you roll high enough, congratulations! You achieve your goal. If you roll too low, you don’t, and the story proceeds from there.To demonstrate each of these rolls I'm joined by my first Dungeon Manager, and a character he's been playing from the very beginning.The music in this episode is by Arcane Anthems.  https://www.patreon.com/arcaneanthemsA quick heads up for the rules enthusiasts: the spell mechanics in this episode were homebrewed on the fly, so Fladnag could roll a save, attack, and check back to back to back. If you’re about to send a scathing email about how Fireball works, let’s save you some time and pretend I’m mortified enough already.Next time on Roll Factory we’ll dive into the character sheet, and look at the six most important numbers you never need to remember.For our past adventures, or to join the campaign, search and subscribe to Roll Factory wherever you get podcasts.For our past adventures, or to join the campaign, search and subscribe to Roll Factory wherever you get podcasts.If you enjoyed this episode, please help us grow our audience. Tell a friend, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, or tag the show in a post: we’re on social at RPGRollFactory, and our website is rpgrollfactory.com.Send your questions, concerns, corrections, disputations, guest suggestions, and unqualified praise by email to [email protected].SOCIAL LINKSFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/rpgrollfactory
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rpgrollfactory
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Twitter - https://twitter.com/rpgrollfactory Sound Effects:
Table crash: https://freesound.org/people/pauliep83/sounds/33675/
Stone break: https://freesound.org/people/WIM/sounds/25064/Water drips: https://freesound.org/people/tosha73/sounds/546359/ 

Meet our Mid-Level Dungeon Manager, and learn about our plan to tour the D&D 5e character sheet, one number at a time.Roll Factory is a podcast for new and returning players. And if you’ve ever looked at a character sheet and thought “what the hell do all these numbers mean?” it might be for you, too.In each bite-sized episode, we’ll zoom in on a single feature of the Dungeons and Dragons fifth edition character sheet. I’ll explain what each number means, and how it’s used in the game. Then, a guest will show us how it works, by playing a short scenario featuring that particular roll.You can listen to the episode that covers the feature you have questions about, or subscribe for a guided tour of the entire sheet. Along the way, you’ll meet some of the players and characters who’ve made gathering around the table a lifelong joy, and who’ve inspired me as a player and a DM.My approach to running a roleplaying game is pretty simple: I work to create a safe, comfortable, collaborative environment, where players can express themselves, and we can have fun spinning a fantastic tale together. Players tell me what they want to do, I figure out how difficult it should be to accomplish that goal, and what feature on the character sheet will help - or hinder - their chances. Then they roll the dice, and the result determines if they succeed.The chance of failure heightens the drama by adding stakes to the choices the players make. The dice determine the outcome, but they also encourage creativity. If a plan falls apart, the player and the party have to figure out what to do next, and I get to decide how the attempt changes the situation they find themselves in.The rules are there to give structure to the narrative, not dictate how it unfolds. I want my players to know how the rules work, so we know when to apply them, and when to bend them if it makes the story more engaging. And if there’s a difference between the standard rule and a house rule I like, I’ll make sure to explain them both. If that sounds like your kind of game, I hope you’ll keep listening.To join the campaign, search and subscribe to Roll Factory wherever you get podcasts. Send your questions, concerns, corrections, disputations, guest suggestions, and pseudonymous hexes by email to [email protected], or tag the show in a post: we’re on social at RPGRollFactory and our website is https://rpgrollfactory.com.SOCIAL LINKSFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/rpgrollfactory
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/rpgrollfactory
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The music in this episode is by Arcane Anthems.  https://www.patreon.com/arcaneanthems