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

[Vince_Snetterton]

Yes they can. It's actually fairly easy. It may not be entirely accurate, but they can roleplay it just the same. Just like I can roleplay a Tabaxi as a cat person, even though I'm not one.

I see my players do it when they have a low intelligence. Now, when the players are talking out of character during the week about what they want to do in the next game, the players will sometimes give a different opinion and/or use their intelligence, but in the game the character isn't roleplayed as a great strategist.

Okay. Instances of some people getting it wrong is not proof that it can't be done. I've seen low intelligence, wisdom and charsima roleplayed well quite often.

Absolutely false. That is not the only true measure. Those things are simply the mechanical measure.

If a PC has a gift with something, the player and I will have worked that out.

And that's false. None of those in my group are even decent actors. Hell, we're not actors at all, and yet we all roleplay these things just fine.

I play Warlocks quite often. As you may have guessed, no one has ever accused me of being highly charismatic in RL. There is no way I can RP a high CHA char when I am not a high CHA person in RL.

 

[el-remmen]

I don't know what people mean by "none of the above" ~ do they just make up numbers

I do a stat draft with my groups, in which case yes, I do make the numbers the players are choosing from to draft their ability scores. I am probably doing a sample one on the boards starting tomorrow-ish if you want to check it out or even participate.

 

[Maxperson]

I play Warlocks quite often. As you may have guessed, no one has ever accused me of being highly charismatic in RL. There is no way I can RP a high CHA char when I am not a high CHA person in RL.

Yeeeaaaahhh, moving the goal posts isn't a good argument. We're discussing LOW stats, not high ones.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Nearly 40% for random, letting one out of four players role up a garbage guy and role play it for the next 12 months? Really? How many that say they do actually do?

Randomizing stats doesn’t require allowing anyone to have garbage stats. You can just not do that.

Lots of ways, too. Some folks do all 10+1d6 or 6+2d6, some folks do 4d6 reroll 1s drop lowest, some folks do multiple sets take the one you want, etc.

I know a group who each player rolls 2 sets using the PHB method, and everyone can pick from the whole list.

Some people use the PHB method but allow redos if the set sucks.

 

[Deset Gled]

I play Warlocks quite often. As you may have guessed, no one has ever accused me of being highly charismatic in RL. There is no way I can RP a high CHA char when I am not a high CHA person in RL.

I'm sorry to hear that you're having such a hard time. If you want to make a thread about it, you could present a few examples of scenarios you have had trouble RPing. I'm sure myself and a number of people would be willing to give advice or constructive criticism on different ways you could approach different situations. Personally, my current character is a low INT, high CHA warlock and it's a lot of fun for RP.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

Having agreed-upon expectations of how stats will be played, however, seems sensible. This seems very much a Session Zero kind of thing.

It can be, but even then I’d say that telling the players that there is a right and a wrong way to play thier character in session 0 is, itself, bunk.

 

[Maxperson]

I'm sorry to hear that you're having such a hard time. If you want to make a thread about it, you could present a few examples of scenarios you have had trouble RPing. I'm sure myself and a number of people would be willing to give advice or constructive criticism on different ways you could approach different situations. Personally, my current character is a low INT, high CHA warlock and it's a lot of fun for RP.

We could have a discussion here about how to play high stats in a game, just not as some sort of counter argument in a discussion about low stats. It would be a separate discussion.

 

[Deset Gled]

We could have a discussion here about how to play high stats in a game, just not as some sort of counter argument in a discussion about low stats. It would be a separate discussion.

I actually find that a number of the techniques that I use for RPing high mental stats and low mental stats are similar. Opposite sides of the coin, so to speak.

 

[Umbran]

At Session Zero, would you suggest going over each stat with each player?

The physical stats seem to handle themselves in the mechanics - noting to a player what encumbrance rules you are using before they take a low strength would be only fair, though.

Setting expectations around low Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, which the player can attempt to exceed without reference to the mechanics, would seem wise. Also, letting the players know how you handle very high mental stats, that the players themselves may not possess, may be in order, depending on your game and players.

 

[Maxperson]

I actually find that a number of the techniques that I use for RPing high mental stats and low mental stats are similar. Opposite sides of the coin, so to speak.

I find it easy to roleplay low mental stats, but very difficult to roleplay high stats. My players are the same way. However, as DM I can help their PC achieve the higher mental stats by doing things on my side of it. I filter the roleplay of a player who is not naturally charismatic, but has a high charisma PC, through a filter. The NPCs will hear what the player is saying as if it were much more personable and persuasive than the player is being. If the PC has a higher intelligence than the player, I will sometimes offer up clues or make connections that the PC would make with the higher intelligence. For wisdom I will occasionally offer up bits of wisdom that the player may not have considered when the player is mulling over possible decisions.