Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 greasyspoon Oct 19, 2014 8:43:02	Bit of a history, last time I played D&D it was AD&D2 back in high school.   Trying to do some family time with my kids and though we would give D&D a try again.  They love it but I a bit confused on space casting.    Here is my question using the free basic rules.  Page 81 "Some spells require the caster to make an attack roll to determine whether the spell effect hits the intended target. Your attack bonus with a spell attack equals your spellcasting ability modifier + your proficiency bonus."   OK no were in the pdf could I find what “spellcasting ability modifier” and “proficiency bonus” were for wizards or clerics.   Here is what I assumed Spellcasting Ability Modifier is Intelligence for Wizards and Wisdom for Clerics proficiency bonus is Arcana for Wizards and Religion for Clerics   Example from the starter box characters http://media.wizards.com/downloads/dnd/StarterSet_Charactersv2.pdf Wizard Intelligence 16 (+3) and Arcana +5 If the wizard was going to cast Magic Missile or Ray of Cold the formula would be D20+ 3 (Spellcasting Ability) +5 (Proficiency Bonus) Is this correct? do I always add Spellcasting ability and Proficiency or just sometimes?   Thanks for the help
#2 AaronOfBarbaria Oct 19, 2014 9:03:08	Under each class that has spells you will find a class feature, usually called "Spellcasting" though it is "Pact Magic" for warlocks, that tells you what ability score is the spellcasting ability for that class.   You are correct that it is Intelligence for wizards and Wisdom for clerics.   However, you are wrong about skills having anything to do with it. "Proficiency bonus" is a rating which all characters have that is based on their level (+2 at 1st level, going up every few levels) that is added to checks and attacks they are proficient with - and since spellcasters are always proficient with the spells that they can cast, that bonus is added to their spell attack rolls (regardless of what skill proficiencies they happen to have).
#3 greasyspoon Oct 19, 2014 9:30:52	Thanks that helped a lot. I had not noticed that part of the rule book.
#4 2Chlorobutanal Oct 19, 2014 22:46:23	"Proficiency Bonus" is basically THAC0 + Saving Throws + Skill Proficiency all boiled down into one number.   Since AD&D, the game has moved away from providing "target numbers" on a character sheet (such as THAC0 and rolling under your ability score for a proficiency check) to using a "bonus" and adding it to a d20, so that high rolls are almost always better than low rolls - even for skill checks and AC, as well as for saving throws and attack rolls.   In most cases in 5e, you add the relevant ability score + your "proficiency" bonus (if you are proficient in the attack, saving throw, or skill) to most things your character will do.   Note that you only make a roll if the game tells you to make a roll, with the implication that "making an attack" always means rolling an attack roll.   In the case of magic missile, there is no attack (and thus no attack roll) and no saving throw, so there is no d20 roll - just the damage.   In the case of burning hands, there is no attack, but the victims must make saving throws.  The saving throw "target" or "DC" is (8 + ability modifier + proficiency bonus), or 13 for a first-level Wizard with a 16 (+3 modifier) Intelligence.  Any monster that rolls a Dexterity saving throw (d20 + their dexterity bonus + proficiency bonus if they have proficiency, this is summarized in the monster's stats) can reduce the effects of the spell as stated in the spell description (in this case, half damage).   In the case of fire bold, the spell says "make a ranged spell attack," so the Wizard would roll d20 + Intelligence modifier (3) + proficiency (2), or d20+5.  if the result equals or beats the victim's AC, the target is hit, and suffers the effects of a hit.