# Ability scores

- Term: Tabletop term
- Date: 1974
- Canonical: https://www.lanternhall.org/lexicon/ability-scores/

> Numbers rating a character's basic capacities. D&D's six (Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution and Charisma), originally rolled on three six-sided dice each, became the template for countless games, from Ultima to Baldur's Gate 3.

Numbers rating a character's basic capacities. D&D's six (Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution and Charisma), originally rolled on three six-sided dice each, became the template for countless games, from Ultima to Baldur's Gate 3.

**Origin:** Dungeons & Dragons (1974).

## Quick answers

**What does "Ability scores" mean?**
Numbers rating a character's basic capacities. D&D's six (Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution and Charisma), originally rolled on three six-sided dice each, became the template for countless games, from Ultima to Baldur's Gate 3.

**Where does the term "Ability scores" come from?**
Dungeons & Dragons (1974).

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From The Lantern Hall (https://www.lanternhall.org/), a museum of fantasy literature and roleplaying games.