Common Terms

Each creature has 6 ability modifiers that represent a creature's most basic attributes: Constitution, Dexterity, Strength, Wisdom, Charisma, and Intelligence. The higher the modifier, the more raw potential and talent your character possesses.

An infinite value, unless opposed by another Absolute value (such as an Absolute attack roll vs Absolute AC).

An action is something done during a round of combat. Using abilities, using an item, and making attacks all require actions to perform. A character has 3 actions and 1 reaction (an action that can be used on someone else’s turn) per round.

A numeric representation of how well a creature avoids damage and how well they can take a hit. This is the number you must meet with an attack roll to damage a creature.

This is a roll of the dice used to determine if an attack hits your target. You roll 1d20 plus your Strength and proficiency for melee attacks or 1d20 plus your Dexterity and proficiency for ranged attacks.

A bonus is a numerical modifier to a dice roll. Bonuses that apply to the same thing do not stack.

A broad representation of one’s adventuring profession, granting special abilities and combat prowess.

A check is a d20 roll which may or may not be modified by another value. The most common types are attack rolls, skill checks, spellcasting checks, and saving throws.

A creature is an active participant in the story or world. This includes PCs, NPCs, and monsters. A creature is expressly not an “object” or part of the environment.

When the outcome of an action isn’t certain and requires some sort of check, this is the numerical value the check needs to meet or exceed to be successful.

Supplemental abilities you gain which are not specific to your classes. You can select any feat you qualify for when your class chart indicates you gain one.

A GM is the narrator, world builder, rules arbiter, and the one who controls the NPCs. A GM's duty is to provide a fair, fun, and engaging game.

A 6-sided dice you can use to add to a d20 roll or activate certain class features.

Hit points are an abstraction that represent one’s ability to sustain wounds and continue to function.

Social honors or rewards bestowed on characters which are not specific to their class. You can select any honor you qualify for (both mechanically and in a narrative sense) when your class chart indicates you get it.

A spell cast through means other than your Spellcasting proficiency; a natural spell. These are more “supernatural abilities” than true “spells cast by a wizard”.

A check that measures how quickly one reacts to combat beginning. The higher they roll, the sooner in a round a creature will act.

These are things that describe your character. A dwarf fighter/wizard will have keywords like: “Humanoid, Dwarf, Fighter, Wizard, Spellcaster”. These are largely used for effects and qualifying for things like feats.

A creature’s level represents their general level of power and prowess.

A creature controlled by the GM.

The driving force behind your character’s sense of morality. A character's oaths are the rules they cannot bring themselves to break. Some creatures may also have a Compulsion (a fundamental drive that a creature with the monster keyword cannot go against) or a Nature (a guiding principle or concept that underlines the purpose of a creature with the outsider keyword).

Any character portrayed and controlled by a person playing the game other than the GM.

Penalties are numerical values that are subtracted from a check.

This is how proficient you are with a given skill, armor, or weapon. You are either “Unskilled”, “Skilled”, “Professional”, or “Exceptional” at something. Depending on how skilled you are at something, you are either: Unskilled (Add a relevant ability modifier), Skilled (Add a relevant ability modifier + your level), Professional (Add a relevant ability modifier + your level + 3), Exceptional (Add a relevant ability modifier + your level + 6).

Some creatures are more resistant to particular types of damage. Resistance reduces the indicated damage type by an indicated amount.

An encounter is measured in rounds. During an individual round, all creatures have a chance to take a turn to act. A round represents 5-10 seconds in the game world. When the rules refer to a “full round”, it means a span of time from the start of the first creature to go’s turn to the end of the last creature’s turn. A minute is 10 rounds.

Occasionally, the rules will ask you to round a result or value. Unless otherwise stated, always round down to the nearest whole number (Gestalt does not use fractional numbers). For example, if you are asked to take half of 7, the result would be 3.

A saving throw represents a creature’s resistance to specific kinds of special attacks; they are a creature’s natural, passive resistance to certain things and are made automatically. There are three kinds of saving throws: Fortitude (your resistance to illnesses, poison, exhaustion, etc), Reflex (your split second reactions, and ability to avoid area attacks) and Will (your resistance to mental effects).

A skill represents a creature's ability to complete a task other than combat (or something directly related to it). A higher value is always better and the most relevant skill.

Stacking refers to the act of adding together bonuses or penalties that apply to a particular check. Things normally do not stack in Gestalt, so just use the highest value.

A collection of unspecified and unlisted items on your person whose total worth does not exceed a given value.

Some creatures are resilient to damage, up to a point. If you take the listed damage or less, you take no damage. If you take more damage than your threshold, you take all of it.

In a round, each participating creature receives one turn, during which it can perform a wide variety of actions. A character can perform 3 actions on their turn.