D&D 5E How do you determine your initial Attributes?

[Sepulchrave II]

According to the movie, Gump has an IQ of 75. That would translate to INT 7.5 in 1E, although I don't think the correlation is quite as straightforward in later editions.

 

[Maxperson]

According to the movie, Gump has an IQ of 75. That would translate to INT 7.5 in 1E, although I don't think the correlation is quite as straightforward in later editions.

3e did the same conversion. IQ was int x 10. So he's around an 8.

 

[Vaalingrade]

You don't understand grades and intelligence, do you?

You don't want to go here. You really don't. It's a nice attempt to divert the conversation by taking the analogy literally, but no.

Let me ask you this then: how do you represent a dumb guy in D&D?

Like not neurodivergent, just not very bright.

10 is average, 8 is Gump, and 9 doesn't matter because you only care about the modifier. So how do you represent Kronk (or really any character voiced by Patrick Warburton)?

 

[Sepulchrave II]

3e did the same conversion. IQ was int x 10. So he's around an 8.

I can buy that. Average INT on 3d6 is 10.5 and average IQ is 100.

 

[Maxperson]

It's a nice attempt to divert the conversation by taking the analogy literally, but no.

It's not my fault that the analogy was a really bad one.

Let me ask you this then: how do you represent a dumb guy in D&D?

Like not neurodivergent, just not very bright.

10 is average, 8 is Gump, and 9 doesn't matter because you only care about the modifier. So how do you represent Kronk (or really any character voiced by Patrick Warburton)?

8-9 are close enough. Not all of them will be impaired in the same way. One might be Kronk and another Forest Gump. I don't need to get more granular than that since I'm not making any effort to mirror reality. An approximation works just fine.

 

[Vaalingrade]

It's not my fault that the analogy was a really bad one.

You used Forrest Gump as a descriptor for slightly below average intelligence. I used the well known grade scale to explain what 'below average' means.

8-9 are close enough. Not all of them will be impaired in the same way. One might be Kronk and another Forest Gump. I don't need to get more granular than that since I'm not making any effort to mirror reality. An approximation works just fine.

If 8-9 spans from 'dumb' to 'caricature of the mentally disabled', what even is an 18?

 

[Sepulchrave II]

If 8-9 spans from 'dumb' to 'caricature of the mentally disabled', what even is an 18?

Bobby Fischer.

Radford University estimates Holmes's IQ at 190 - so, super-genius.

 

[Scars Unseen]

If 8-9 spans from 'dumb' to 'caricature of the mentally disabled', what even is an 18?

Yeah, this is kind of my whole problem with that whole take. It gives a wide range of divergence between "normal, everyday guy" and "the mysteries of the universe unravel before my gaze!" but then tries to fit the span of "barely functions without assistance" to "needs to watch the movie twice to get it" into 2 ability score points.

 

[Maxperson]

You used Forrest Gump as a descriptor for slightly below average intelligence.

Did not. YOU said slightly. Not me.

If 8-9 spans from 'dumb' to 'caricature of the mentally disabled', what even is an 18?

Dunno. This isn't anything I claimed.

 

[Scars Unseen]

Did not. YOU said slightly. Not me.

You did. You used him as a description for someone with an 8 intelligence. At a -1 penalty, that's slightly below average, just like a 12 is slightly above average.