Effective Stat Adjustment

The effective stat adjustment (ESA) of a given subrace is the modification to their ability scores that will be applied once the character is in game. The ESA will not be visible during character creation, so the player must remember to keep it in mind when chosing ability scores.

For example, on the page for the wild elf subrace of the "normal" elf, you will see a line like this:

+2 Dexterity, -2 Intelligence (ESA +2 CON, -2 INT)

This means that wild elves start out with a +2 Dexterity, and -2 Intelligence. However, the standard elf race used to create a wild elf, receives a +2 Dexterity, and -2 Constitution. So, the ESA listed in the description states that after character creation, and once you get in game, the game will adjust your character's stats by +2 CON, -2 INT. Add the ESA to the starting adjustments of the base race, and you will get the total adjustment for that subrace.

Note: Due to game mechanics ESA does not count as an adjustment to your natural abilities. It counts as a magical bonus or penalty as if you were wearing an item that gave ability modifiers. Therefore ESA will not count for anything that is dependant on a natural ability score such as prerequisites for feats, the highest level spell you can cast or how many skill points you gain each level. The ability score increases from ESA also count toward the maximum number of magical additions you can make to any ability score, which is a +12.

For more information on ESA, visit the page outlining the Subrace System.

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