Dungeons & Dragons burst onto the scene in 1974 and introduced us to fantasy gaming that took place in the “theatre of the mind”. Players control characters and decide what action they take while a Dungeon Master runs the game, enforces the rules, and decides on behalf of the dungeon’s denizens.

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With the outcome determined upon a die roll, there is no guarantee that an action succeeds, and during a game, you and your party will make hundreds of these, with the direction the game takes depending upon the results. Your survival will often be held in the palm of your hands.

What Are Saving Throws?

Dungeons and Dragons - official art of adventurers on a boat

A saving throw, or save, is made as a last-ditch effort by your character to avoid something bad happening, by rolling a D20 and adding the appropriate ability-based modifier. They are not voluntary, and they will be in direct response to an action you or an opponent makes. The DM will tell you when to make and the type of saving throw you need to make, and additional modifiers can affect the final tallied value, as set by the DM, affecting the result positively or negatively.

How Do I know What Saving Throws I Can make?

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Each class has a minimum of two types of saving throw and is based on a character’s class. Characters with a leaning towards magic will have Wisdom as one of their choices, while combat focussed roles will have Strength.

The following table gives the standard saving throws per class:

Barbarian

Strength, Constitution

Bard

Dexterity, Charisma

Cleric

Wisdom, Charisma

Druid

Intelligence, Wisdom

Fighter

Strength, Constitution

Monk

Strength, Dexterity

Paladin

Wisdom, Charisma

Ranger

Strength, Dexterity

Rogue

Dexterity, Intelligence

Sorcerer

Constitution, Charisma

Warlock

Wisdom, Charisma

Wizard

Intelligence, Wisdom

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How Are Saving Throws Made

Dungeons & Dragons wizard performing a ritual from a spellbook
Silverquill Apprentice by Mike Bierek

When a saving throw is needed, the GM will direct you to make a ‘save’. Take a D20 and roll the dice. Take the result and add the saving modifier for your character. This is the value used to see if your save is successful Your save modifier is calculated by taking the base modifier for the ability, proficiency bonus, and applying any additional modifiers based on race, class, skills, etc. The DM may also advise as to any environmental modifiers that need to be considered. They will compare this value against the Difficulty Class (DC) of the action, spell, or effect that triggered a save roll. The DM handles this out of sight and will advise you if your save was successful or not. At their discretion, the difference between your value and DC may influence the severity of the in-game failure. This can lead to some interesting storytelling opportunities.

When making a save, don't roll a one on your D20. This is an instant fail and regardless of any bonuses, your save will not work.

Difficulty Class roll required

DifficultyClass

Difficulty

5

Very Easy

10

Easy

15

Medium

20

Hard

25

Very Hard

30

Nearly Possible

Saving Against Death

Elven warlock with a Genie patron fighting an orc in Dungeons & Dragons
Genie Patron Warlock from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything by Zuzanna Wuzyk

Your character can avoid death by making a special saving throw once they reach 0HP, where you must simply roll over 10 on a D20 to escape death that round, with no modifiers added. Pass three consecutive rolls, and you stabilize, and no further attempts are needed. Lose three in a row, and you are out of luck.

Saving Throw Examples

Dungeons & Dragons adventuring party wielding weapons with horse
Dungeons & Dragons Party Of Adventurers via Wizards of the Coast
  1. Sergeant Colon and Corporal Nobbs are awaiting a dragon attack on top of a tall building. As the dragon flies over, they take a million to one shot (after all, we all know ‘million-to-one shots’ happen nine times out of ten). They miss their shot and antagonize the dragon, who turns and makes their attack, breathing fire and atomizing the building they are standing on. Colon and Nobbs must make a dexterity save of “Nearly Impossible” requiring 30 or more. As members of the City Watch, and graduates of the school of hard knocks, both are street-hardened and have an unnatural sense of survival. They each have a Dexterity value of 20, giving a +5 modifier. They roll their die and both score 20 giving a value of 25, The DM notes the odds of both characters scoring 20 on their die roll and applies an additional +5 modifier bringing the final total to 30, with both characters avoiding death and landing in a water trough below.
  2. The Dread Pirate Roberts has succumbed to his wounds following Prince Humperdinck’s anger and subsequent turning of the torture device up to 11. To survive long enough to reach Max the Miracle Worker, Roberts must roll three consecutive death saves of 10 or more to remain mostly dead.
  3. Luke is under attack from a powerful wizard who is firing lightning bolts at him. So far he has resisted the spell damage, but he doesn’t have long left. Next to the wizard stands his apprentice, Luke’s father. Luke makes a last-ditch effort to connect with his father using telepathic communication; this comes under the telepathy spell. The DM decides this is a hard task and will require a wisdom save roll. Luke has a wisdom rating of 16 giving a +3 modifier and needs a final score of 20 or more to survive. Luke scores 14, giving a total score of 17 after his modifier is applied. He is unsuccessful and eventually dies, his body collapsing and leaving behind nothing but a smoking pile of dust. The rebellion in the village below fails. The evil wizard, with his loyal apprentice, has won and continues to rule the galaxy world forever, with no future interference.

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