PF2 Stat Generation for 5e

## PF2 Stat Generation for 5e

### Terms
#### Ability Boost
An ability boost is a one-time increase to a single ability score. Typically, an ability boost increases an ability score's value by 2. However, if the ability score to which you're applying the ability boost is 18 or higher, its value increases by only 1. At 1st level, a character can never have an ability score that's higher than 18.

#### Ability Flaw
Ability flaws are not nearly as common as ability boosts. If your character has an ability flaw - likely from ancentry - it means that ability score decreases by 2.

### Step-by-Step Instructions
The following instructions will help you calculate your character’s ability scores at 1st level. You’ll start with a value of 10 in each ability score, then make adjustments for your character’s racial ability boosts and ability flaws. This is followed by adding two ability boosts from your background and four free ability boosts at 1st level. Finally, you will receive one ability boost to your key ability score from your class.

#### Step 1: Start with 10
On your character sheet or a piece of scratch paper, write down all six abilities—Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. Each ability starts with a score of 10.

> Str 10, Dex 10, Con 10, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 10

#### Step 2: Racial Ability Boosts and Flaws
Now apply the ability boosts that your character’s race provides. Most ancestries provide ability boosts to two specific ability scores and another free ability boost. (Humans are an exception—they receive two free ability boosts instead.) When you apply these ability boosts, keep in mind that you must apply each one to a different score.

Then, apply the ability flaw your character’s race requires, if any. An ability flaw reduces that ability score by 2. You can apply your free ability boost to that score to bring your score back to 10.

Remember that you can’t apply multiple ability boosts from the same source to a score at a time, so you couldn’t have a Strength score of 14 quite yet.

After the racial step, a mountain dwarf's scores might look like this:

> Str **12**, Dex 10, Con **12**, Int 10, Wis **12**, Cha **8**

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#### Step 3: Two Background Ability Boosts
Once you’ve applied your character’s ability boosts and ability flaw, if any, from their race, it’s time to apply the ability boosts from their background. The background you choose gives your character two ability boosts. Usually, this consists of one free ability boost and one ability boost limited to certain choices by the background.

Let’s say you want your human fighter to have been a folk hero. The folk hero background says your character gets an ability boost that must be applied to either Constitution or Wisdom. You want your fighter to be hardy, so you pick Constitution. Next, for your character’s free ability boost, you decide to keep increasing their Strength. Now your ability scores are the following:

> Str **14**, Dex 10, Con **14**, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8

#### Step 4: Four Free Ability Boosts
After you’ve chosen your character’s race and background, you have four free ability boosts you can assign to their ability scores as you see fit. These represent your character’s variety of experiences growing up before they became an adventurer.

Let’s take the sample human fighter from above. We know you want your fighter to be strong, so you decide to spend one of this step’s free ability boosts on Strength. Dexterity is important for defense, so you put one into Dexterity. You want to keep making your fighter tough, so you apply an ability boost to Constitution, too. Wisdom affects your defense against most mental magic, and since a strong, tough fighter is the last person you want controlled by some evil wizard, you decide to put your last ability boost into Wisdom. After the four ability boosts, your ability scores look like this:

> Str **16**, Dex **12**, Con **16**, Int 10, Wis **14**, Cha 8

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#### Step 5: One Class Ability Boost
Finally, your choice of your character’s class will give you one ability boost in a score that’s important to your class’s abilities. This ability score is called your class’s key ability. Most of the class write-ups indicate a one or two specific score they use as a primary stat.

Because our sample character is a fighter, you get to choose Strength or Dexterity for your character’s class ability boost. Your character’s Dexterity isn’t doing so hot, and it might be a liability, but you don’t want to miss out on having a Strength score of 18, so that’s where you put your final ability boost. If you’re really worried about your Dexterity, you could go back and reassign an racial ability boost from Constitution to Dexterity, or change your background to one that allows Strength or Dexterity as a choice. Assuming you stick with your burly character, though, your ability scores look like this:

> Str **18**, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 14, Cha 8

### Racial Ability Boosts and Flaws
I grant Ability Boosts to the same stats as the PHB, but the flaws are as follows (feel free to change the flaws for your game):

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### Background Boosts
These are just the ones that made sense to me, feel free to change them as you see fit for your game.

### Class Boosts
These are just suggestions: