Abilities Capped at 20 Won't Work

[Steely_Dan]

II could imagine a flat +1 to all ability scores every few levels

I heard humans get +1 to all ability scores at 1st level.

 

[triqui]

If it is possible to roll a natural 18 before modifiers, that means that the player's ability score can only scale 2 points before they max it. Even if levels are cut down to 20, it isn't satisfying to gain just 2 points in a lifetime of 20 level-ups.

It isn't satisfying... to who? Lots and lots of people playing OD&D or AD&D did not have such increase in ability scores at all, and those were satisfying games, I hear. I remember enjoying AD&D

 

[FreeTheSlaves]

I like the 20 cap.

This will mean that you don't have to keep on pouring everything into the prime stat and can distribute things to other scores too.

Aesthetically I don't really like the 25 10 12 13 8 14 character. I'd rather the 20 10 13 14 9 16 character instead.

 

[Grazzt]

It isn't satisfying... to who? Lots and lots of people playing OD&D or AD&D did not have such increase in ability scores at all, and those were satisfying games, I hear. I remember enjoying AD&D

Yep. Some of the best games I ever played (as player and/or DM) were 1e. Only stat bumps back then were from magic items and wishes..unless you had Unearthed Arcana and played a cavalier. I may be mistaken, but I don't recall any other spells that raised scores except wish...and even then, IIRC, it took 10 wish spells to raise an ability score 1 point.

 

[keterys]

I remember some of my stats getting bumped on a 1e character I played up to ridiculous levels. Some (Str) were just me wearing the right item, but I want to say I got bumped by a... Deck of Many Things. It might have been the DM's own thing, or a variation, but I'm pretty sure my Charisma ended up higher as a result.

 

[Grazzt]

I remember some of my stats getting bumped on a 1e character I played up to ridiculous levels. Some (Str) were just me wearing the right item, but I want to say I got bumped by a... Deck of Many Things. It might have been the DM's own thing, or a variation, but I'm pretty sure my Charisma ended up higher as a result.

Yeah. I think the Deck had a couple of cards that bumped them, maybe. Ioun Stones too (course the bonus here went away when the stone did IIRC). Some magic items just gave a flat score too...like the girdles of giant strength and gauntlets of ogre power.

 

[serch]

Yep, I'm all for a 20 cap. It's good for flattening the math and it keeps settings reasonable. Your fighter-general may have a 16 int while your great wizard of the king's court will be 19 or 20 int, significantly more intelligent, but in the same league. I can't even imagine what a 30 in intelligence or wisdom means.

 

[CleverNickName]

Time to Chop Down the Christmas Tree

Not only would I keep the ability score cap at 20, I would go two steps further.

Step One: I would apply racial modifiers to the limit of 20. Humans, having no racial modifiers, would max out all skills scores at 20. Dwarves, having a +2 racial bonus to Constitution and a -2 racial penalty to Charisma*, would max out at 22 Con and 18 Cha. That way, even the sweetest and most charming maxed-out super-dwarf will still be less charismatic than the sweetest and most charming maxed-out super-human.

Step Two: I would rule that no amount of level advancement, training, magic, divine intervention, wishes, or miracles can increase your ability score higher than your racial limit. A belt of giant strength +4 can raise your wizard's Strength from an 11 to a 15, but it won't do anything at all for your fighter if his Strength is already 20.

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*AFAIK, we don't have exact stats on racial modifiers yet. So I am borrowing the ones from 3.5E for this example.

 

[jadrax]

Or could simply give you a strength of 18/00?

Yeah, Old School for the win! ;o)

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Not only would I keep the ability score cap at 20, I would go two steps further.

Step One: I would apply racial modifiers to the limit of 20. Humans, having no racial modifiers, would max out all skills at 20. Dwarves, having a +2 racial bonus to Constitution and a -2 racial penalty to Charisma*, would max out at 22 Con and 18 Cha. That way, even the sweetest and most charming maxed-out super-dwarf will still be less charismatic than the sweetest and most charming maxed-out super-human.

Step Two: I would rule that no amount of level advancement, training, magic, divine intervention, wishes, or miracles can increase your ability score higher than your racial limit. A belt of giant strength +4 can raise your wizard's Strength from an 11 to a 15, but it won't do anything at all for your fighter if his Strength is already 20.

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*AFAIK, we don't have exact stats on racial modifiers yet. So I am borrowing the ones from 3.5E for this example.

I am really fond of items that set your ability to x

On the other hand I could also accept, that they raise an ability by x to a maximum of y. Sounds like a good compromise.