I like everything I've seen in the 4e books--almost. We're now at a point where we have enough info to know that dump-statting is going to be very pronounced in 4e, certainly more so than in 3e (which is not to say it was non-existent). I'm wondering if anybody else has pondered this.
I know some of the responses I should expect, so I should qualify that I'm not contending that dump-statting is inherently a bad thing. Not every character ought to be great at everything. But there's a distinction between optional dump-statting, where you choose to forego the benefits of having a high ability score, and obligatory dump-statting, where you simply receive no benefits from having a high ability score--not merely suboptimal benefits, but pretty much zilch, so elevating the score beyond the absolute minimum has no practical value.
In particular, we now know that Intelligence no longer provides any general benefit to skills as it did in 3e or SWS. It factors into the same defenses that Dex does, so it seems a nimble character doesn't get any value from being smart. Wizards are the obvious exception, and warlocks and warlords would do well to mind their Int. But I'm wondering now if Int 8 rogues and rangers are going to be as ubiquitous as Str 8 wizards and Cha 8 fighters. The "smart and fast" character is a pretty classic concept, and I know many folks loved that 3e gave skill-oriented a benefit for making their characters smart. Is anyone disappointed now?
I know some of the responses I should expect, so I should qualify that I'm not contending that dump-statting is inherently a bad thing. Not every character ought to be great at everything. But there's a distinction between optional dump-statting, where you choose to forego the benefits of having a high ability score, and obligatory dump-statting, where you simply receive no benefits from having a high ability score--not merely suboptimal benefits, but pretty much zilch, so elevating the score beyond the absolute minimum has no practical value.
In particular, we now know that Intelligence no longer provides any general benefit to skills as it did in 3e or SWS. It factors into the same defenses that Dex does, so it seems a nimble character doesn't get any value from being smart. Wizards are the obvious exception, and warlocks and warlords would do well to mind their Int. But I'm wondering now if Int 8 rogues and rangers are going to be as ubiquitous as Str 8 wizards and Cha 8 fighters. The "smart and fast" character is a pretty classic concept, and I know many folks loved that 3e gave skill-oriented a benefit for making their characters smart. Is anyone disappointed now?