What to do when the character's ability scores exceeds the limit?

ahh power gaming, I love it.

Never forget that a 10 is average.

Str is going to be a must for a fighter. You want a fighter with no neck. That's definately your constitution. As for your TWF dont worry about dex, thats what the ranger PC class is for. And unless you plan on developing a Ki type of guy Wisdom isnt nescessary either. I'm gonna have to go with Zappo on maxing out Bluff/Intimidate here As it seems that that is more important.

So we got:

Str 16
Dex 8
Con 16
Int 14
Wis 8
Cha 12

Thats 30 points that you've spent and that leaves you with 2 points to spare.

Since you are going to be limited by armor based on Ranger dex might be a little more important, but not much. Generally AC matters at lower levels only anyway as BaB outstrips it quickly, and there are a good deal of abilities and spells that catch you flat footed or with a touch attack. You might want to consider an animated shield so that you can use TWF and have a shield. The dex penalty might hurt you a bit so I would suggest putting the Dex at 10 and leave Cha at 12. Improved feint is definately going to help you.

Later on in levels you might want to consider the mage (asuming there is one in the group) making you a head band of perf excellence or a an arcane belt of the magus (for a service or favor). You could make the thing at a lower level (such as +2 or +4) and that would greatly reduce the price (and experience cost).

Ranger's lose their abilities if they wear medium or heavier armor right? well It looks like a mithral shirt is going to be your best bet. Assuming you take my idea. (not saying you will) that is a maximum of a +6 to dex right. well you can only go so far.

Heck even if you used mithral full plate the max dex is +3. Make sure you enhance that Bluff/Intimidate as well.

My 2 scents



food and powergaming mmmmmm smell like victory.

For me as a GM, the hardest part to get through player's skulls, sometimes even longterm players, is that when starting off, their characters, at least in my campaign, aren't all that special. Sure, the fighter is a little better than the warrior, the rogue than the expert, and the mage(cleric) than the adapt, but not much better. Their ability to rise through the ranks and acheive higher power is what really seperates them from the masses.

You might want to think of ways to acquire those things you desire. For instance, in one game I was a player in, I wanted to become a Man of Iron Will (or Man of Will...) from Swashbuckling Adventuers, but my wisdom was way too low. It took about three adventuers before I could finally find something that raised my Wisdom high enough to allow that to happen.

The important thing to remember is that you can start playing you character up to concept now and build him mechanically wise into it as you go. A good GM will allow it, but isn't going to allow you to powerful off that. For example, if others in the party don't get stat modifiers and get weapons, items, fame, power, or prestige, you get stats. Eventually you may be able to get those things, but by then, the other players will have the stats.

Decamber,

You're not try trying to pull the other one are you?

You don't. Consider the concept a write-off: If you're stuck with point-buy, you're not going to have good anythings in more than one or two stats, tops. Just scratch the entire concept and prioritize. Point-buy characters don't have character, they're just clones from a character factory. If you're going to develop any character for your character, it's going to have to come from someplace other than statistical attributes.

I modified your stats. Mike Tyson has an 18 Strength and Constitution. Some of the other people you mentioned would have an 18 intelligence and charisma.

In order to get those stats, it would take 16 +10 +16 + 16 + 4 + 16 = 78 characteristic points. So tell the gm you'll take -14 points on your next point buy character, but you want 78 points on this character.

STR 18
DEX 16
CON 18
INT 18
WIS 12
CHR 18

If the GM is completely unwilling to bend on the 32 point buy, then I recommend obtaining a race or template that will give you the characteristic bonuses you want (half-celestial wood elf?), or invest heavily in magic items to increase your characteristics, or become very high level (for stat increases), or all three.

Norfleet said:

Point-buy characters don't have character, they're just clones from a character factory.

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that sounds like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

If you're going to develop any character for your character, it's going to have to come from someplace other than statistical attributes.

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very true, and also true of characters with random rolled stats.

Endur said:

Mike Tyson has an 18 Strength and Constitution.

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More like 20+, IMO, but then he's not 1st level.

Decamber said:

Hello all!

What do you do when your character is a Mike Tyson with the intelligence as Hannibal and charisma as Kasparov, whilst the ability method is point-buy of 32 points? That's were I am now; My character is a native from Chult whose size equals a pro-boxer - lacking a neck, of course. He is extremely intelligent, and a master of psychology and the body language. Have you ever seen Garry Kasparov playing a game of chess? He psychs his opponents by looking at them with a half-opened mouth. My character does that while in combat to gain advantage. When he has it, he slashes the enemy in pieces in a fierceful rage with his two knives!

These stats fits my picture of him:

STR 16
DEX 14
CON 16
INT 16
WIS 10
CHA 15

But that's rather high - especially using 32 points.

Any ideas? By what you know, do you think I could lower any stats but still fulfill my demands?

Thanks in advance!

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Drop the Dex down to 10 and go ranger with two-weapon fighting route.

Int is not that important mechanically for a straight warrior, perhaps drop that down from 16 to something else above average. Same with Charisma, except that you want bluff, a tough one to get for a real warrior. Think of Int as skilled, not crafty, and you can do it no problem.

Wisdom on the other hand is the stat for sense motive, the skill for reading body language and D&D's equivalent of psychology.

Instead of Mike Tyson, picture someone like The Rock, or Tripple H from the WWF. They are incredibly strong, quick, agile and tough, yet very charismatic and attractive people (if you like muscle men).

STR 16
DEX 14
CON 16
INT 16
WIS 10
CHA 15

Why not trim 2 points or so from each from his above 10 stats, take his first increase in Dex (to take it back up to 13), and simply roleplay how smart, powerful, and threatening he is? Most characters in movies aren't awesome because they make all their die rolls, it's because they have good players or the DM likes them.