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<blockquote data-quote="Al" data-source="post: 2312141" data-attributes="member: 2486">The problem with this is of course the question of where one starts.&nbsp; One can begin by taking the bell curve, buying the old canard that IQ = Int x 10 and then shoe-horn the statistics necessary.&nbsp; The major deficiency with this approach is that it de facto makes any PC with an Intelligence of 7 of less unplayable.&nbsp; With a score of 5 or below, our friend the half-orc will be instutionalised, not saving the world.&nbsp; The same could apply for other low PC statistics: the odd 5 or 6 here or there is certainly a disability, but when one jury-rigs the system so that a 5 moves from being &quot;within the scope of normality but deficient&quot; to &quot;utterly handicapped&quot; it queries the playability of certain characters.To compensate, I have long-maintained that IQ should be modelled as (Int x 5) + 50.&nbsp; This approximates reasonably well to a standard 3d6 bell curve, centres the 10/11 at roughly the mean of IQ distribution and has the advantage that means that the poor soul with a 5 in Intelligence didn't do very well at school but can at least count if he takes his gloves off.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Al, post: 2312141, member: 2486"] The problem with this is of course the question of where one starts. One can begin by taking the bell curve, buying the old canard that IQ = Int x 10 and then shoe-horn the statistics necessary. The major deficiency with this approach is that it de facto makes any PC with an Intelligence of 7 of less unplayable. With a score of 5 or below, our friend the half-orc will be instutionalised, not saving the world. The same could apply for other low PC statistics: the odd 5 or 6 here or there is certainly a disability, but when one jury-rigs the system so that a 5 moves from being "within the scope of normality but deficient" to "utterly handicapped" it queries the playability of certain characters. To compensate, I have long-maintained that IQ should be modelled as (Int x 5) + 50. This approximates reasonably well to a standard 3d6 bell curve, centres the 10/11 at roughly the mean of IQ distribution and has the advantage that means that the poor soul with a 5 in Intelligence didn't do very well at school but can at least count if he takes his gloves off. [/QUOTE]

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