D&D saving throws are an essential part of the game, coming from the previous versions and finding their place in D&D 5e as well. As the name says, it’s a system that makes you throw dice in order to save yourself from a possible threat.
Saving throws cover many things, from dodging arrows to seeing through someone’s deception to avoiding death, so you must know how it works in detail.
I was confused by saving throws when I started out playing D&D, but with the help of my friends, I learned every trick in the book. So, let me transfer this knowledge to you and help you understand what you can expect when it comes to D&D saving throws!
D&D Saving Throws Explained
The Player’s Handbook describes saving throws as attempts you make to resist a threat (trap, spell, poison, disease, etc.) and emphasizes that you don’t get to choose whether you want to make a saving throw or not. Instead, it’s imposed onto you when your character is at risk of harm.
Specific effects in-game trigger this mechanic, and saving throws aren’t being used when you are attacked by a simple attack roll.
In most cases, your DM will tell you, “roll a saving throw for [attribute],” and then you will roll a d20 and add your ability score modifier for the mentioned attribute and your proficiency bonus to the number you have rolled (if you are proficient, of course).
What attribute will be mentioned depends on the type of damage that threatens you. Now there are a million different situations in which you will be asked to roll a saving throw, but I will give you some examples for each attribute, so you know what to expect.
Strength Saving Throw
Strength saving throws will help you when a pillar is falling on your head, and you want to grab it, someone tries to push you off a cliff, and you resist it, or if you are struggling to take an object that someone else is holding at the same time.
Dexterity Saving Throw
Dexterity saving throws are there to help you dodge an incoming threat (spear, arrow, etc.), save you from damage caused by falling, and reduce the damage from spells that hit you.
Constitution Saving Throw
Constitution saving throws help you resist game elements that will impose exhaustion on you, resist spell damage, and save you if you ingest something bad (poisoned drink, nerve gas, etc.)
Intelligence Saving Throw
You will roll for an intelligence saving throw to resist spell effects and monster abilities.
Wisdom Saving Throw
Using a wisdom saving throw can save you from various psychological effects. Actions that would try to charm or frighten your character could be deflected by using a Wisdom saving throw.
Charisma Saving Throw
Charisma saving throw is there to save you from occasional spells and monster abilities that can seriously harm you, such as banishment and Ghost’s Possession.
Remember: Your DM will decide which saving throw you should roll for, and some of the examples I gave can require a different attribute than the one mentioned.
Also, monsters controlled by your DM can also use saving throws to save themselves.
How Do I Know If a Saving Throw Worked?
There is only one way to find out if you managed to save yourself from a threat or if you have been caught by the effects – the DM. DM is the one that knows what the difficulty class (DC) is of any spell or ability that is threatening you and will inform you if you have succeeded in your saving throw.
The difficulty class represents a number you need to roll to pass a saving throw. Let’s break down a simple D&D saving throw calculation:
A DM says that a trap was triggered in a dungeon you are in and that a giant boulder is coming your way. They say, “roll a dexterity saving throw,” and let’s say you roll 14, your dexterity is +4, and you have +3 proficiency. The math will look like this – 14 + 4 + 3 = 21
Your DM could say something in the range of “you jumped out of the way and barely managed to dodge it.” Now you will never know the exact difficulty class that DM has set for this particular trap, but his explanation should hint that the DC was probably 18 or 19, and that’s why you’ve barely made it out alive.
There is an actual scale that ranks how hard saving throws are, and it goes like this:
- DC 1-5 = Very Easy
- DC 5-10 = Easy
- DC 10-15 = Medium
- DC 15-20 = Hard
- DC 20-25 = Very Hard
- DC 30 = Almost Impossible
To simplify, DC 1-5 is Very Easy since rolling higher than 5 with a d20 is very likely (75% chance) while rolling DC 15-20, higher than 15, is hard (25% chance). The last two DCs saving throws could be passed only if your character is high level (with a higher ability modifier) and very, very lucky.
Death Saving Throws
When your character takes heavy damage that is higher than your actual HP pool, they will instantly die. However, if you take damage equal to your HP pool and your health drops to 0, you will go unconscious and have a chance of surviving. This is where death saving throws come in.
Death saving throw is only triggered when your character drops down to 0 hit points. For this one, you won’t use the ability modifier, only a d20, and there are a couple of catches.
When it’s your turn, you roll a d20 and note down the result. Gaining a 10 or higher will give you one success point, and three success points mean you survived and don’t have to roll for a death saving throw.
On the other hand, if you roll below 10, you get a failure, and three failures mean death.
Rolling a natural 20 will immediately stabilize you and reward you with one hit point, while rolling a natural one will give you two failures instead of one.
Save Yourselves Out There
I took an abundance of my D&D knowledge, in-game experience, and a real-life saving throw to create this article and bring the topic of saving throws closer to you. I’ll let you, the readers, be my DM and decide whether I have passed the saving throw!
