D&D 5E Why do you use Floating ASI's (other than power gaming)? [+]

[BookTenTiger]

So when will we hear from the player that gave their half-orc fighter a boost to Intelligence instead of Strength? Or the dwarven cleric with more Charisma than Wisdom? Because that could be more creative than just making mechanically effective characters with uncommon race-class combinations. IMHO.

I feel like telling people how to be creative is the literal antithesis of creativity.

 

[Older Beholder]

So when will we hear from the player that gave their half-orc fighter a boost to Intelligence instead of Strength? Or the dwarven cleric with more Charisma than Wisdom? Because that could be more creative than just making mechanically effective characters with uncommon race-class combinations. IMHO.

The last character I made was a Githyanki barbarian, I used floating ASI's to boost Wis from 11 to 13 to leave an option open for multiclassing later if the story ended up going that way. It also was a reflection of that fact that with a criminal background, he eventually realised being a bandit was wrong, setting him on the path of redemption.

I really don't understand the constant badgering that people need to admit they play for mechanics over roleplay. It was exactly the same thing in the 'why do people play exotic races' thread. Where anyone that said they found exotic races more fun was told they could play exotic races if they wanted, but only if they admitted that it was only for power.

 

[Vaalingrade]

I remember back in the Early 2000s where there were horror stories of 'True Roleplayers' who purposefully bricked their character and hurt the party in the name of being unique and weird. Things like the mermaid in a desert campaign that made the others drag around a big tank of water with them in it, or Spoony's infamous 'not that kind of rogue' who had no rogue skills, no means of sneak attacking, and didn't search for traps.

And as it turns out, those guys are the actual true roleplayers all along and that's what people should be doing to avoid being a dirty powergamer who tries to be good at anything at all in the game.

 

[Scribe]

Creativity

 

[Arilyn]

I have had a variety of characters that did not seek out that bonus in their main stat and a variety that do. I had a barbarian that was smarter than he was strong. He travelled the land collecting tales. I've had a few wizards with 14 Int.

My brownie that I talked about upthread has no class yet, but I'm leaning toward sorcerer or warlock (fey patron). Does not match the +2 wis I gave him.

I've also made characters that are really focused on the stat that matches their class. It really depends on the character I'm creating.

 

[BookTenTiger]

That is absolutely one way to promote creativity.

Also, there are other ways to promote creativity.

Overall, I don't understand why folks are trying to police how people express their creativity through their character creation. What is your goal here?

 

[Jacob Lewis]

I really don't understand the constant badgering that people need to admit they play for mechanics over roleplay. It was exactly the same thing in the 'why do people play exotic races' thread. Where anyone that said they found exotic races more fun was told they could play exotic races if they wanted, but only if they admitted that it was only for power.

Thank you for sharing the details about your character, and for helping me make a point. I wasn't in that other thread, btw.

The problem isn't the choice of players. It's the design of the game, assuming it is played as intended (i.e. focus on combat). Ability scores are the core of every character's effectiveness, and they are not measured equally. Your class determines which make you more effective. Thus, only the wizards with the best Intelligence scores have a decent chance to succeed in the game. Rogues with lower Dexterity rarely do a good job at keeping the party safe, getting them into secret places, and landing crucial strikes from the shadows.

So, no. No one should be shamed to align one's ability scores in order to make an effective character. That is the expectation by how the rules are written. But nobody should compel anyone else to admit it, as if it were some great confession. Because it is expected. And we should all accept it.

For those that do play less than optimized, however, I commend you. It isn't always fun when others think you're screwing up or not pulling your weight because they seem to play a different game despite being at the same table.

The dwarf bard I brought to my one and only AL game never rolled in combat once. When the barbarians said something about bards being cowards, my character's response was to grin as he chewed his cigar and explain that it was true. If the bard gets kill, how else would anyone get to hear his ode to the blunt-headed hero who was about to die in glorious battle? Cheers!

 

[Adamant]

One option the floating ASIs open for me is playing a MAD class such as monk, paladin, or barbarian without being forced to pick a race that has a boost in at least 1 of those stats. Say what you will about whether you can notice a 5% difference, a 10% difference is very noticeable. This is compounded if your AC depends on both those stats such as with a monk or unarmored barbarian. I don't feel like this is much in the way of optimization, it's more about not feeling like I'm ineffective compared to the guy next to me. Playing against type is cool, but I don't want to drag the rest of the party down by not pulling my weight. A tpk isn't fun unless it's meaningful and we had at least a decent shot.

Edit: This actually reminded me that I want to make a dragonborn ascended dragon monk, and without the floating score rules there's no way I'd be able to make that effective. 3 stats needed and no boost in any of them, that's more than 10% worse. And yet this is a very thematic race/class combination.

 

[Scribe]

That is absolutely one way to promote creativity.

Also, there are other ways to promote creativity.

Overall, I don't understand why folks are trying to police how people express their creativity through their character creation. What is your goal here?

Not policing at all, I dont understand how creativity is created by just removing restriction, but perhaps I missed an example.

 

[BookTenTiger]

Not policing at all, I dont understand how creativity is created by just removing restriction, but perhaps I missed an example.

Maybe... You don't need to understand? You just need to accept that for some people, removing the restriction promotes creativity.