Master Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous attributes! Learn about point buy, racial bonuses, attribute costs, and how Strength, Dexterity, and more impact your character.
In Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, you start with 10 points in each attribute. You receive a racial bonus, which can be +2 to one attribute, or +2 to two attributes and -2 to another. You then have 25 points to spend during character creation. Additionally, you gain one attribute point at levels 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20.
Point Buys
Attribute costs increase as they get further from 10. The cost to reach a certain attribute value is as follows:
| Value | Cost |
|---|---|
| 7 | +4 |
| 8 | +2 |
| 9 | +1 |
| 10 | - |
| 11 | -1 |
| 12 | -2 |
| 13 | -3 |
| 14 | -5 |
| 15 | -7 |
| 16 | -10 |
| 17 | -13 |
| 18 | -17 |
You can gain additional points by taking penalties on less important attributes. The minimum attribute value is 7 (or 5 if there's a racial penalty), and the maximum initial value is 18 (or 20 with a racial bonus).
Racial modifiers to two primary attributes can offer a significant advantage. For example, a human Alchemist (Intelligence and Dexterity primary) with a +2 to Intelligence might start with: 10 Strength, 16 Dexterity, 12 Constitution, 19 Intelligence, 10 Wisdom, 10 Charisma. An elven Alchemist could start with: 10 Strength, 18 Dexterity, 10 Constitution, 19 Intelligence, 10 Wisdom, 10 Charisma.
Due to the non-linear cost, an 18 Dexterity compared to a 12 Constitution is equivalent to an additional 5 points to spend at character creation. Consider these attribute spreads when choosing your race.
Bonuses accrue on even values above 10 (12, 14, 16, etc.), so buying two points is more efficient than one. Penalties accrue on odd values below 10 (9, 7, 5), so docking two points is better than one. However, docking three points is disproportionately harmful as you cannot buy a +2 bonus with four points.
Odd-valued attributes can be useful for feat prerequisites, like Combat Expertise requiring 13 Intelligence, even if Intelligence is not a primary stat for a combat build. You might also select an odd-numbered value if you plan to increase it with attribute points gained from leveling up.
Attribute Bonuses
The following table shows bonuses at various attribute values and the number of additional spells cast per day for a given spell level. The spellcasting attribute depends on the class. To cast a level _x_ spell, you need 10 + _x_ in the relevant attribute.
| Value | Modifier | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | -3 | Unable to cast spells | |||||||||
| 7 | -2 | ||||||||||
| 9 | -1 | ||||||||||
| 10 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 12 | +1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 14 | +2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 16 | +3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 18 | +4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 20 | +5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | |
| 22 | +6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | |
| 24 | +7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | |
| 26 | +8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | |
| 28 | +9 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| 30 | +10 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
Strength
Strength contributes to melee attack rolls (including "melee touch" attacks), damage with melee and thrown weapons, composite bows, CMB and CMD, the Athletics skill, and carrying capacity.
Carrying capacity is shown below (in lb.):
| Value | Medium | Heavy |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 17 | 34 |
| 6 | 21 | 41 |
| 7 | 24 | 47 |
| 8 | 27 | 54 |
| 9 | 31 | 61 |
| 10 | 34 | 67 |
| 11 | 39 | 77 |
| 12 | 44 | 87 |
| 13 | 51 | 101 |
| 14 | 59 | 117 |
| 15 | 67 | 134 |
| 16 | 77 | 154 |
| 17 | 87 | 174 |
| 18 | 101 | 201 |
| 19 | 117 | 234 |
Beyond Strength 19, encumbrance is generally not an issue. Carrying a medium load reduces your maximum Dexterity bonus to +3 and imposes a -3 penalty on Dexterity-related skill checks. A heavy load reduces the maximum Dexterity bonus to +1 and increases the skill penalty to -6.
When using a two-handed weapon, or a one-handed weapon with the off-hand free, you apply 1.5x your Strength modifier to damage rolls.
Dexterity
Dexterity contributes to Dodge AC, Reflex saves, melee attack rolls (with Weapon Finesse), ranged attack rolls (bows, thrown weapons, "ranged touch" attacks), melee damage (with Fencing Grace / Slashing Grace / Finesse Training), CMD, CMB (with Agile Maneuvers / Fury's Fall), and the Mobility, Stealth, and Trickery skills.
Do you need Strength? For melee attack and damage, Dexterity can be used with the feats Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus, and Fencing/Slashing Grace. Agile Maneuvers is needed for combat maneuvers. However, do not neglect Strength entirely, as low Strength leads to encumbrance, negating Dexterity benefits. You also need sufficient Strength to meet feat prerequisites by levels 2 or 3.
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