Should stats have any bearing on roleplay?

[Haltherrion]

I'm more of a 'B' response. I like stats to matter but in the end, I'm not a complete stickler on it. It's a game, folks need to have fun. If the dumb fighter played by the smart player is mostly stupid but one session really wants to make a clever suggestion, I might remind him of his character's int but I'd let the suggestion stand.

 

[Diamond Cross]

I'd say yes to some extent. Let's face it, not all players are good at roleplaying and all some want to do is go in, kill monsters, take treasure. That's why the mechanics are there to help players who are not good at roleplaying.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Should stats effect more than just the pure game dice rolling mechanics and so should Stats effect roleplay?

A) Yes always where appropriate.
B) Yes, but not always, a general loose guideline that can be deviated from.
C) No. The game mechanics is the game mechanics and the roleplaying something detached and separate?
D) Something else, then please state...

I'm either an "A" or "B" guy...but I just rolled a "10" on my d20 for my Wis check...

 

[JRRNeiklot]

Depends on how it's handled. If I'm trying to talk my way past the guard at the gate, my 6 charisma is going to be a problem. If I'm ordering a steak or just dispensing information, then no. I hate it when a dm has an npc refuse to believe something just because a pc with a low charisma is the messenger. Yes, he may be crass and boorish, but it doesn't mean he's a liar. If I report a crime, or bring information that the entire orc kingdom is invading Hommlet at midnight the sheriff doesn't have to set me up with his daughter, he just has to do his job. Now, he could just be a stupid sheriff, but if everyone reacts that way because of my charisma, it's not the cop's fault, it's the dm's.

 

[kitsune9]

I'm in the camp it would make for a more interesting experience to at least try to roleplay the stats that you have unless it's not possible. Back in the day, for every point of Int you had equated to 10 points of IQ so someone who has 18 Int had an 180 IQ. This would be a real challenge to play someone with this extreme or extremes in Wis and Cha.

As a DM, I'm not a stickler for people to follow their scores in their roleplaying, but it would make a more interesting session for them to try.

 

[Argyle King]

I think stats should give you some sort of indication of the type of character and that character's general abilities. If a player wants his character to be smart, he should purchase more IQ; likewise, if he wants to have more Charisma, he should buy the Charisma advantage.


However, I also realize there are games in which it's difficult to do this due to the way the game mechanics interact with stats. In such games, the structure of the mechanics dictate that someone of a certain class needs to have certain stats for their abilities to function. In such games, I think stats should be a loose general guideline or just not used as a guideline at all. I highly prefer for stats to have meaning beyond simple mechanics, but I realize that some games are built in a manner which clash with what I prefer.

 

[Theo R Cwithin]

I'm probably in the (B) category, let the stats be a suggestion for rp, not a straightjacket. In D&D with it's 6 stats, the game mechanics attempts to stuff a wide range of behavior & motive into a very few boxes, so it's difficult to know exactly what that means, though.

The way I've come to approach it is first to clarify what exactly is the overarching meaning of a given stat for a particular PC. High Cha for example is often explained in several ways: deep self-awareness, strong force of personality, general likeableness, and so on. Those personality characteristics, of course, aren't really tied together in the real world. But for a character, I pick one of those interpretations to guide rp, and allow the others to slide into the background of mechanics.

The most important thing here is that another high-Cha PC might go with a different vision of what the Charisma stat means. So a party can have a gregarious bard and a surly sorceror, both with high Cha. Strangers respond to the bard because he's charming and eloquent; strangers respond to the sorc because he seems vaguely dangerous and commands respect.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Don't forget, stats cut both ways.

I HATE it when smart players playing stupid PCs nevertheless do the bulk of the problem-solving:

Player: "The safe/trapped doors in the multi-door rooms follow a Fibonacci sequence! In the next room, the 8th door will be safe, and after that, door #13 is the one we want!"

DM: *grrrrrrrr* "Didn't your character sheet explain your PC's low Int as being the result of accumulated brain damage from repeated head-trauma as a child and young teen?"

 

[The Shaman]

I think it's possible to roleplay a character against type - a low-Dexterity cutpurse, a low-Charm ladies' man - provided that the stats' modifiers are used to determine actual success or failure.

Frex, the low-Dexterity cutpurse is going to fail his Stealth checks and the low-Charm ladies' man is going to tank his Seduction checks more often than someone with a higher stat.

That second example comes straight from my current game, by the way, a King's Musketeer with a very average Charm score and the Don Juan disadvantage. It's been pretty funny watching him try to get some action . . .

Roleplay your character how you wish, and let the stats do their job in determining if your character can actually walk the walk.

 

[Dice4Hire]

I consider roleplayinthe crunch bits part of roleplaying.

If a stat is low, try to roleplay it, or if it is high, though the DM might have to step in a lot more if the player him/herself does not have such a high stat.