Calculating Defense & Speed

There are two final numbers you need to calculate for your
character: Defense and Speed.

Defense

Defense measures how hard it is to hit your character in
combat. The higher the Defense, the better. You calculate
Defense as follows:

Defense = 10 + Dexterity+Shield Bonus
(if applicable)

Shield bonuses are explained in Chapter 4: Weapons, Armor & Gear. For the moment, you just need to know that light shields have a +1 bonus and mediums shield a +2 bonus.

Example

Kate now calculates her rogue’s Defense. With her Dexterity of 4, her Defense is 14 (10 + 4). If she equips her light shield, it rises to 15.

Speed

Speed measures gait and quickness of foot. Basically, your character can move up to a number of yards equal to Speed when taking a move action. This is explained in greater detail in Chapter 2: Playing the Game. You calculate Speed as follows:

Dwarf Speed = 8 + Dexterity – armor penalty (if applicable)

Elf Speed = 12 + Dexterity – armor penalty (if applicable)

Human Speed = 10 + Dexterity – armor penalty (if applicable)

Qunari Speed = 10 + Dexterity – armor penalty (if applicable)

Most suits of armor have a penalty that represents their weight and bulk; this naturally slows characters down some. You can learn more about this in Chapter 4: Weapons, Armor & Gear. For the moment, you just need to know that light leather armor has no penalty and heavy leather armor has a –1 penalty.

Example

Kate is ready to calculate her rogue’s speed. Since her character is an elf, she takes a base of 12 and adds her Dexterity of 4 for a total Speed of 16 (12 + 4 = 16). Her light leather armor has no armor penalty, so Speed 16 it is. Kate’s rogue is quite light on her feet.