One of The Six Stats, abbreviated as DEX.
This is the stat that determines how nimble someone is, usually also affecting their reaction times accordingly - translating as any combination of dodge bonuses, number of actions taken and combat initiative. While it does not provide any out-and-out fighting ability, the fine motor control of Dexterity generally lends itself well to the use of ranged weapons and weapons that require finesse rather than brute force to wield.
assassins are pretty much required to have high dexterity, but so are Lovable Rogues and any action hero who is capable of dodging gunfire.
12-15: The character is fairly agile and has quick reflexes, but only enough to react as a normal person would to danger.
16-19: The character has the accuracy of a trained marksman and a substantial, but still not yet superhuman, ability to weave around attacks.
20-23: Cat-like tread, fly-like reflexes and absolute mastery of firearms are the signatures at this level. The character is the equal of almost any ninja, fictional or otherwise.
24+: However well you sneak up on this character, they're likely to sneak up on you first. They'll get the first attack, and you'd better hope you have the best helmet or thickest skull in the universe, because otherwise you'll be dead before anyone can say "boom, headshot!".
Examples:
12-15:
16-19:
Comic Books- Batman. His physical conditioning makes him very agile, and his stealth and prominent use of thrown weapons are both related to Dexterity.
20-23:
Video Games- The Paleblood Hunter, the PC of Bloodborne starts out with this right out of the gate after receiving Yahrnam blood, which allows for a technique called "The Quickening". This allows the player to "blink" as a form of dodging, and also makes the Hunter faster than any human would be normally.
- Danielle from Mind Games, when not in Magical Catgirl form, has 23 Dexterity, on a scale where 20 is "literally as dexterous as it is physically possible for a human being to be without magic." She can do the "snatch-the-pebble-from-my-hand" trick without even looking.
- In The Order of the Stick, The Lancer Haley Starshine has about 21 dexterity.
24+:
Anime- A common strong point in Naruto - arguably, one of the points of ninja training is to level-grind this particular stat.
- Danielle from Mind Games (see above) has her Dexterity boosted by 50% in Magical Catgirl form, giving her effective 35 Dexterity. It's impossible to hit her with a physical attack unless she's somehow limited in movement, even if she can't see it coming: when she feels whatever it is start to touch her, she can move out of its way before it does more than lightly touch her outermost layer of skin.
- Considering Dexterity tends to be The God Stat in tabletop games, mid-level characters in Dungeons & Dragons or Pathfinder will often have a 24 - 30 in dexterity.
