D&D 5E So 5 Intelligence Huh

[Maxperson]

You agreed to a -3 modifier to Intelligence-related checks. How you roleplay that is up to you, the player, and no way is wrong by any standard the rules set forth.

You also agreed to low = low. That's the way intelligence is written and how the common usage is used.

 

[Maxperson]

"Low" is a specific way as compared to "acting however you like."

Nobody gets to "act however you like." There are always limits. Whether from the social contract, or due to the class and race you chose. "Acting however you like" is a myth.

 

[Maxperson]

Okay, so what then is the problem with putting a low score into Intelligence without any negative consequences to RP?

If you meant, "Without appropriately roleplaying the low score.", then...

1) It's cheating
2) It causes disconnects
3) It's piss poor roleplaying.

If you meant what you typed, then there is no negative consequence for roleplaying the low score you chose.

It isn't cheating the system to play an Intelligence 5 PC as someone who is capable of solving a puzzle. The rules do not say that you need to have a certain Intelligence score to solve a puzzle.

Nice Strawman. I didn't say solving a puzzle was cheating. I said roleplaying your int as higher than it is is cheating the system.

 

[Maxperson]

I'm sorry, but how is there a significant distinction between those two things?

It's the difference between wet and dry. If you can't see that...

Does that input involve things like solving puzzles? Because if so, then we may not have much to disagree on.

Where in the game does it say an Intelligence 5 PC is limited in solving puzzles?

Page 177 of the PHB. Low int = low ability to reason. Low ability to reason affects puzzle solving. You want to help solve a puzzle now and then? Fine. You want to run around being a puzzle solving guru? You failed by putting a 5 into intelligence. You should have chosen better.

Being free to "play out" the limitations you've set for my character according to your preference for a certain type of roleplay just doesn't feel like freedom to me.

Nobody forced you to put a 5 into int. You were free to choose that limitation.

 

[iserith]

You also agreed to low = low. That's the way intelligence is written and how the common usage is used.

Nobody gets to "act however you like." There are always limits. Whether from the social contract, or due to the class and race you chose. "Acting however you like" is a myth.

What's low is trying to tell people they're wrong to play in ways you don't like and for which the rules place no limits. Feel free to say you wouldn't like it if Arthur played Int 5 Sherlock in a way you wouldn't. Just don't say Arthur is wrong by doing so by any standard other than your own.

 

[Maxperson]

A giant lizard has DEX 12. Does that mean that my 12 DEX fighter can't pick locks or use chopsticks? (A giant lizard isn't dexterous enough to do either).

An eagle has a STR 6. A giant rat has a STR 7. Does this mean that my STR 5 wizard has not better prospect than one of those animals when it comes to lifting, pushing, breaking etc? Can eagles in the D&D world carry 90 lb (which is about 4 times the weight of even the largest eagle)?

You can't have it both ways. If you think that a STR 6 eagle can carry 4 to 10 times its own weight (depending on species and individual variation), then clearly eagles in D&D are very different from eagles in the real world. And then there is no reason to think that frogs and baboons mightn't be different too. (Animals in fairy stories, after all, can often talk and reason.)

For my part, though, I think it's always been obvious that when it comes to non-human creatures, the translation of ability scores is a rough-and-ready exercise at best. (Runequest, one of the earliest games to rate all creatures in ability scores, tackled this with its contrast between Fixed and non-Fixed INT.)

You need to do your research better. An eagle can carry a sheep. As for the giant lizard picking a lock, sure. If it was smart enough to figure it out, it has the dex to do it.

An eagle is the strongest bird, able to lift something four times its own body weight during flight.
Learn how eagles have a connection with ancient Aztecs in our Animals A-Z section.

 

[Maxperson]

What's low is trying to tell people they're wrong to play in ways you don't like and for which the rules place no limits. Feel free to say you wouldn't like it if Arthur played Int 5 Sherlock in a way you wouldn't. Just don't say Arthur is wrong by doing so by any standard other than your own.

5e set the standard, not me.

 

[iserith]

If the definition "Intelligence measures mental acuity, accuracy of recall, and the ability to reason" isn't a "standard", then what is it?

Yeah, it measures it via a modifier to Intelligence-related checks.

And "martial combat" is a specific way as compared to "acting however you like", so is the fighter class placing unjustified restrictions on your roleplay too?

Nope. The rules are clear on what a fighter can and can't do as [MENTION=42582]pemerton[/MENTION] pointed out in a post upthread. There are no rules that say what an Intelligence 5 character can and can't do. It just does them with a -3 modifier to Intelligence-related checks if and when they come up.

I mean, I get it that some of you guys really want people to roleplay the way you do. And I bet more often than not, I'd roleplay them much the same as you do (only better, naturally). But you can't declare your preference is the right way to play and all others are wrong. If that's not what you're saying, then we have no thing to argue about. If that is what you're saying, then let's continue arguing. I need more laughs and XP.

 

[Maxperson]

Yeah, it measures it via a modifier to Intelligence-related checks.

There is no rule that says that. You are assuming. What there is, though, is a rule that says intelligence measures reasoning ability, so it's not an assumption that low int = low reasoning ability.

 

[iserith]

5e set the standard, not me.

D&D 5e said it's a -3 modifier to Intelligence-related checks to test the character's mental acuity, ability to recall, and reason. It didn't set a standard for how people should roleplay. That's just your preference.

What's more, you can't even admit that it's inappropriate and impossible for a frog to take an IQ test. Why should anyone trust your judgment on anything else?