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Saving Throw Proficiencies

Saving Throw Proficiencies

Saving throw proficiencies represent your character's natural resistance and training against specific types of threats. These proficiencies determine which saves your character is particularly good at making, reflecting their class training and inherent capabilities.

Understanding Saving Throws​

Saving throws are reactive rolls made when your character faces effects that could harm, control, or otherwise affect them. Success means avoiding or reducing the effect, while failure means suffering its full impact. Your class's saving throw proficiencies give you significant advantages against certain types of threats.

Types of Saving Throws​

Most game systems feature several categories of saving throws, each representing different ways characters can resist harm:

  • Physical saves: Resistance to poison, disease, physical transformation, and bodily harm
  • Mental saves: Protection against mind control, fear, illusions, and psychological effects
  • Reflexive saves: Quick reactions to avoid area effects, traps, and sudden dangers
  • Spiritual saves: Resistance to supernatural influences, energy drain, and otherworldly effects

How Proficiencies Work​

When you have proficiency in a saving throw, you add your proficiency bonus to rolls of that type. This bonus starts small but grows as you advance in level, making you increasingly resistant to your favored save types over time.

Classes typically gain proficiency in two saving throw types that reflect their training and focus. For example, a physically-oriented class might have proficiency in physical and reflexive saves, while a mentally-disciplined class might excel at mental and spiritual saves.

Class Identity Through Saves​

Your saving throw proficiencies help define your character's role and capabilities beyond just combat. They indicate what kinds of challenges your class is naturally equipped to handle and what threats you should be wary of.

A character with strong mental saves can serve as the team's anchor against psychic threats, while someone with excellent physical saves might be the one to test mysterious substances or resist environmental hazards.

Tactical Applications​

Understanding your saving throw strengths helps in both character building and tactical play. You can position yourself to face threats you're good at resisting while relying on teammates for challenges that target your weaker saves.

Your proficiencies also influence equipment and ability choices—knowing your weak saves helps you identify areas where magical protection or special abilities might be most valuable.