Niche D20Many abilities or magical attacks target a creature’s other statistics rather than their AC, and instead attack them more directly. Characters have their Physical resistance, Mental resistance, or overall Resilience. Similar to attack rolls vs AC, both the attacker and defender roll a d20 to determine the outcome. When a spell or ability calls for a save attack, the attacker rolls the save attack and the defender make an opposed saving throw roll to determine the outcome.
Saving Throw Types
Physical
These saves measure physical ability to avoid or push back against effects that would harm or hinder them. These saves are usually associated with Strength and Agility.
Mental
These saves measure your ability to bypass trickery, or resist effects that attempt to attack the mind and change perception of the world. Mental saves are usually associated with Intelligence and Focus
Resilience
These represent your ability to shrug off and push through effects that both attack your vital lifeforce but also your sense of sense or sanity. Resilience is effectively one’s Physical or Mental fortitude and ability to persist. These saves are usually associated with Endurance or Psyche
Determining Saving Throw Value
A creature’s saving throw modifier is:
Base save bonus + ability modifier + miscellaneous bonus to that saving throw.
Save bonus is usually determined by a creature’s level and their save allocation. From there each type of saving throw has their own ability scores tied to them. In this system saving throws are determined by the player as they level, given a number of points to spend each level with a maximum value for each save. A character has a Physical, Mental, and Resilience saving throw and must allocate points into it accordingly. At first level a character gains 4 points to spend among their 3 saving throws, with a maximum of 2 in a single save. At 2nd level and every level thereafter the character gains 2 points to allocate in their saving throws up to the maximum for each save. While detailed on Character Advancement table the formula for the maximum saving throw value for a single save is 2 + 3/4 of the character’s level. This maximum is simply the base save bonus your character has and does not limit other factors such as ability score modifiers, and other bonuses to saving throws. With this system a character can choose to attempt to equally as possible distribute their points, for example having 2, 1, 1 across their saves, while another could choose to do 2, 0, 2 for their saving throws. This is up to personal choice and a character’s confidence in their saving throws based on their stats.
From here a character adds the appropriate ability modifier. Saving throws each have two ability scores associated with them, and if not specified the one making the saving throw chooses which of the two ability score modifiers to apply to them. Some effects may call for a specific ability score such as “Physcial(Str)” would force the use of Strength for their physical save; in this situation a creature would be required to use that ability score for that save even if it was lower than the alternative.
Physical saves use Strength or Agility, Mental use Intelligence or Focus, and Resilience use Constitution or Psyche. This of course may be different based on certain major perk changes; and even some minor perks granting bonuses situationally.
Save Attack Roll
A spell or ability usually has a save attack roll associated with it. This is a D20 plus relevant modifiers that make up your Save Attack bonus.
Spell save attacks usually use 1d20 + ½ Spell Prowess Bonus (SPB) + casting ability modifier.
If the save attack bonus is from a special ability of a class or creature it is usually half your class level or half the creature’s hit dice plus constitution modifier, or a different ability modifier as specified by the feat or class.
Other modifiers may exist to boost a saving throw or save attack.
Automatic Failures and Successes
A natural 1 from the defender (the d20 comes up 1) on a saving throw is always a failure for the defender, or a natural 20 from the attacker (the d20 comes up 20) is a failure for the defender as well (and may cause damage to exposed items; see Items Surviving after a Saving Throw).
A natural 20 from the defender is always a success for the defender, and a natural 1 from the attacker is always a success for the defender.
If Both the attacker and defender roll a natural 20 it is not considered an automatic success or failure and the final values of both rolls must be used to determine success or failure.
If both the attacker and defender roll a natural 1 it is not considered an automatic success or failure and the final values of both rolls must be used to determine success or failure.
Note a creature may choose to willingly fail a saving throw, this is not treated as a critical failure or success but you still treat their result as a failure.