Ability Focuses

In the Dragon Age TTRPG, ability focuses grant a flat +2 bonus to one’s ability tests. Select a focus for a primary ability on even-numbered levels and a focus for a secondary ability on odd-numbered levels.

At higher levels, characters can take a focus for a second time to further improve their bonus on those rolls. Starting at Level 11, when you would gain a new focus you may select a focus you already have to increase your bonus with that focus bonus to +3 (instead of the +2 it was before).

COMMUNICATION FOCUSES
Animal Handling: Interacting with and caring for animals.

Bargaining: Negotiating with others and making deals.

Deception: Lying to people, or tricking them.

Disguise: Making yourself appear and sound like someone else, or a different class of person.

Etiquette: Knowing the social niceties of various cultures.

Gambling: Playing games of chance and profiting from them.

Intimidation: Inducing fear to coerce or deter others.

Investigation: Interviewing people for information and finding and deciphering clues.

Leadership: Guiding, directing, and inspiring others.

Performance: Entertaining an audience with an artistic talent.

Persuasion: Convincing others to agree with you.

Seduction: Making winning moves in the game of love.

CONSTITUTION FOCUSES
Drinking: Consuming large quantities of alcohol and avoiding the aftereffects.

Drugs: Consuming drugs and avoiding the aftereffects.

Running: Moving quickly in both short sprints and long distance hauls.

Stamina: Enduring fatigue, disease, and privation.

Swimming: Moving through the water and staying afloat.

CUNNING FOCUSES
Arcane Lore: Knowing about magic, its traditions, and the Fade.

Brewing: Making ales, wines, and other concoctions.

Cartography: Making maps.

Cooking: Making food and improvising meals.

Cryptography: Creating and deciphering codes and ciphers.

Cultural Lore: Knowing the traditions and beliefs of various cultures.

Enchantment: Understanding the art and craft of enchanting magic items. Note to actually Enchant items one must be either a dwarf or one of the Tranquil.

Engineering: Knowing the practicalities of construction, building, and invention.

Evaluation: Determining the purpose, properties, and value of goods and special items.

Forgery: Forging documents and other items, as well as detecting forgeries. (Requires proper materials, handwriting samples, etc.)

Healing: Aiding the wounded and sick (with or without magic).

History: Knowing important events and personalities from the past.

Linguistics: Understanding how languages work, in both spoken and written forms. Allows you to decipher nearly any tongue, given enough time.

Military Lore: Knowing strategy, tactics, and famous applications thereof.

Music: Knowing musical traditions and songs.

Natural Lore: Knowing the flora and fauna of Thedas, as well as information about geology or terrain.

Navigation: Planning and following a route from one place to another.

Poison Lore: Knowing about poisons, their uses, and their preparation.

Qun: Knowing about the philosophy of the Qunari people.

Research: Making a systematic investigation, usually using records, archives, and books.

Religion: Knowing religious traditions and practices, particularly those of the Chantry.

Writing: Expressing yourself with the written word.

DEXTERITY FOCUSES
Acrobatics: Executing gymnastic, balancing, and tumbling maneuvers.

Bows: Fighting with weapons from the Bows Group. See Chapter 4: Weapons, Armor, & Gear.

Brawling: Fighting with weapons from the Brawling Group. See Chapter 4: Weapons, Armor, & Gear.

Calligraphy: Writing with artful penmanship.

Crafting: Making items with manual skills like woodworking, sculpting, glassblowing, etc.

Dueling: Fighting with weapons from the Dueling Group. See Chapter 4: Weapons, Armor, & Gear.

Grenades: Making ranged attacks with grenades.

Initiative: Acting quickly in tense situations.

Legerdemain: Using sleight of hand to trick others, hide things, and pick pockets.

Light Blades: Fighting with weapons from the Light Blades Group. See Chapter 4: Weapons, Armor, & Gear.

Lock Picking: Opening locks without using keys.

Riding: Directing a mount such as a horse or pony.

Staves: Fighting with weapons from the Staves Group. See Chapter 4: Weapons, Armor, & Gear.

Stealth: Sneaking about quietly and out of sight.

Traps: Detecting and disarming traps and other mechanical devices.

MAGIC FOCUSES
Arcane Lance: Using the mage’s class power of the same name.

Blood: Understanding the forbidden art of Blood Magic.

Creation: Understanding the secrets of the Creation school of magic.

Entropy: Understanding the secrets of the Entropy school of magic.

Graviturgy: Understanding the secrets of the rare Graviturgy hybrid school of magic.

Necromancy: Understanding the secrets of the Necromancy hybrid school of magic.

Primal: Understanding the secrets of the Primal school of magic.

Spirit: Understanding the secrets of the Spirit school of magic.

Veil Magic: Understanding the secrets of the rare Veil hybrid school of magic.

Wild Magic: Understanding the secrets of Wild magic.

PERCEPTION FOCUSES

Detect Darkspawn: A Grey Warden’s ability to sense nearby darkspawn. Only Grey Wardens can take this focus.

Hearing: Using your auditory sense.

Insight: Reading body language to determine someone's intentions or emotions. Can be used to detect deception.

Searching: Finding things that are hidden or obscured.

Seeing: Using your visual sense.

Seer Empathy: A Seer's ability to detect and effect the emotions of others. Only Seers can take this focus.

Smelling: Using your olfactory sense.

Tracking: Following tracks and other signs of passage.

STRENGTH FOCUSES
Axes: Fighting with weapons from the Axes Group.

Bludgeons: Fighting with weapons from the Bludgeons Group.

Climbing: Scaling walls and other vertical obstacles.

Driving: Directing and guiding carts, carriages, and other wheeled vehicles.

Heavy Blades: Fighting with weapons from the Heavy Blades Group.

Intimidation: Overawing with physical presence and threats.

Jumping: Springing and leaping over great distances.

Lances: Fighting with weapons of the Lances Group. See Chapter 4: Weapons, Armor, & Gear

Might: Performing feats of raw power, such as lifting or holding up heavy objects.

Polearms: Fighting with weapons of the Polearms Group.

Smithing: Forging metal items, from weapons to jewelry.

Spears: Fighting with weapons from the Spears Group.

WILLPOWER FOCUSES
Courage: Overcoming fear in the face of adversity.

Faith: Deriving inner strength through spiritual or moral belief.

Morale: Maintaining good spirits and confidence in yourself or your group. NPCs tend to use this focus more than Player Characters.

Self-Discipline: Focusing your mental energy or controlling your impulses and emotions.