D&D 5E Ability Score Balance: through the eyes of fresh players

[Flamestrike]

Indeed, but your Initiative and ranged attacks - both important capabilities - will suffer for it.

Paladins and Barbarians are utter naughty word with ranged attacks anyway (and as pointed out, they're the two classes that really benefit from Strength). They have zero class features that assist ranged attacks (other than extra attack, but by the time they're 5th level, they're really trying to close to melee at all costs anyway).

If your Barbarian or Paladin is whipping out a bow, they've already lost. No rage bonus damage, no reckless attack, no smites, no Smite spells, rage ending without a melee attack, no advantage to Strength checks etc etc etc.

Rogues and Rangers are the Dex go to guys. Barbarians and Paladins are always better going with Strength.

Fighters can go either way.

Feature; not a bug.

 

[Flamestrike]

I think between INT and STR, INT is the dumpiest of the dump stats.

Which seems like a smart choice right up until your first mind flayer, intellect devourer, or Wizard spamming Int save or suck spells (Maze, psychic scream, synaptic static and a few others).

 

[Raduin711]

Which seems like a smart choice right up until your first mind flayer, intellect devourer, or Wizard spamming Int save or suck spells (Maze, psychic scream, synaptic static and a few others).

These are niche threats, though. "I had better put a couple extra points in INT in case I run into a mind flayer or get hit by a maze spell" is kind of... odd. If a player said this at my table I would probably think they needed a little help weighing the cost/benefits of their ability scores.

Edit: For the record, I would consider "I put a 12 into INT because I want my character to be reasonably smart" to be a viable justification.

 

[Flamestrike]

These are niche threats, though. "I had better put a couple extra points in INT in case I run into a mind flayer or get hit by a maze spell" is kind of... odd. If a player said this at my table I would probably think they needed a little help weighing the cost/benefits of their ability scores.

There is also the fact that with an Intelligence of 8 your PC is somewhere as learned and smart as something between an Ape (Int 6) and a Commoner (Int 10).

You're as intelligent as a crab, a kobold or a cyclops (Int 8).

They should be portraying that stupidity (via roleplaying) and if they refuse to, feel free to enforce that naughty word mechanically as a DM to your hearts desire.

 

[Raduin711]

They should be portraying that stupidity (via roleplaying) and if they refuse to, feel free to enforce that naughty word mechanically as a DM to your hearts desire.

I prefer not to enforce roleplaying in that kind of antagonistic manner, but you do you.

 

[reelo]

I play my 12 wisdom gnome rogue with no wisdom skills trained as very impulsive, lacking insight into people, habitually lost in thought, etc. It wouldn’t be enhanced by a 6 wisdom, it would just make him bad at making the most common mental stat save.

But 12 is already above average! Why would that be "bad" ?

 

[reelo]

No.

(Aside from the tedious bookkeeping it probably won’t work. It‘s not sufficient to stop them dumping strength it’s just a way of punishing them for doing that.)

You willfully disregard a mechanism that helps prevent STR from becoming a dump-stat, and then complain players dump STR?

 

[FrogReaver]

You willfully disregard a mechanism that helps prevent STR from becoming a dump-stat, and then complain players dump STR?

Unless you use tougher encumbrance rules - the default ones don't punish any character.

 

[FrogReaver]

Which seems like a smart choice right up until your first mind flayer, intellect devourer, or Wizard spamming Int save or suck spells (Maze, psychic scream, synaptic static and a few others).

Still was a smart choice

 

[FrogReaver]

The issue isn't that Strength (and Intelligence) -based characters are not viable. Its that Str and Int are generally either primary or dump stats, with little in between. Whereas Dex is useful for any character and so is primary or secondary, and dumping it has significant downsides for almost any character.

Dumping dex dumps AC from everything except fighters, paladins and clerics. That's the only reason players don't dump dex.

In fact to further bolster my point, dex is dumped by most heavy armored fighters, paladins and clerics.