Ability Score Survival, Round 1 - FIGHT!

[GoodKingJayIII]

I think Wisdom and Charisma are pretty close when it comes to the dump stat category, but Charisma is a leader (or loser, depending on your POV) by a little bit.

 

[drothgery]

I had to vote Cha; sure there are tons of ways to make Cha useful via feats and PrCs, but that's because it's not all that useful for anyone but Cha-based casters, paladins, and social skill monkeys on its own.

Even if my current tabletop PC is a 23-cha bard.

 

[Quartz]

Cha can be put to very good use. As a dump stat, I'd put Str or Wis and Dex, depending on the character. If you're in heavy armour, you don't need Dex, and if you're not a front-line combatant or have a good Dex, you don't need Str. You always need a good Int for feats and skill points. You need a good Con for HP, and Cha has so many uses. Wis can be ignored if you're not a Cleric or Druid - both Paladin and Ranger don't need particularly high Wis scores and have other options available. And the effects of a low Wis can be overcome witht the appropriate feats.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Not sure if this one has been done before...

Vote for the ability score which is, in your opinion, the weakest of the 6 ability scores.

Every day, there will be one less one to choose from

cheers,
--N

Charisma obviously loses.

It's useful if you're a sorcerer, bard, paladin, or use Charisma for a special ability. But on its own it's pretty weak.

Sure it boosts social skills, but it can't match ranks for effectiveness in the use of social skills.

Even in somewhat more flexible game systems, like Iron Heroes and d20 Modern (both of which have made Charisma powerful without using magic), if you're not interested in a few talents/traits or feats, it's still pretty useless.

Wis can be ignored if you're not a Cleric or Druid - both Paladin and Ranger don't need particularly high Wis scores and have other options available.

Two words: Will save!

Almost any stat can be dumped though, not just Charisma; Con is the exception. (You don't want it to be low, but you rarely want it to be your highest stat, at least in core rules.) Even Wisdom can be dumped if you're a wizard, sorcerer, or other class iwth a decent Will save but doesn't use Wisdom for class abilities.

 

[Wik]

Dexterity.

It's my least favourite stat. I tend to put my lowest score in there. I like the idea of tough, strong heroes, and smart and alert are definately things I appreciate.

As for Charisma, I don't like the idea of it being a "dump stat". My reasoning is this: our heroes that we play are alter-egos, and I really don't like the idea of playing an unloved loser with my free time. I'd much rather play the charming, likable type. I guess I'd rather be the hero in the movie (who tends to have high Charisma) over the annoying Sidekick.

Plus, in my post-apocalyptic game, Charisma determines starting wealth, special items (higher charisma means better guns!), and it's even at the core of a simplified "luck" mechanic that replaces action points.

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Dexterity.

It's my least favourite stat.

I'm too happy with Weapon Finesse to ever dislike the stat. I might dump it once in a while, though.

Plus, in my post-apocalyptic game, Charisma determines starting wealth, special items (higher charisma means better guns!), and it's even at the core of a simplified "luck" mechanic that replaces action points.

Honestly, the first two would have no effect on me. Ooo... starting wealth low. Well, gee, good thing I have lots of ranks in Survival and can craft a handgun from scratch, and have the skills to steal a horse, etc, plus I can kill a villain who had a better gun and take theirs, etc. It's not the gun, it's the hand that shoots it. I'd like to see your luck mechanic, though.

Alternity tried to do this (you got "last resort" points based on Charisma, which was called Personality) but it didn't really work. (In Alternity, your last resort points never refreshed unless you spent skill points (!), which meant no one ever wanted to use theirs.) It would be interesting to see a working Charisma-based luck system.

 

[Ry]

IMC, I replaced int/wis/cha with Intellect and Will.

Works great, and no gritty aftertaste!

 

[PieAndDragon]

Ha! what sort of person needs Intelligence anyway

 

[Agamon]

My PC's lowest stat is most often Wisdom. In fact, my current divine caster PC, a Favored Soul, has an 8 Wis (he just doesn't take any spells that require a save). Int/Chr/Str come next, though I can't say in which order. Then Con/Dex, though I'm not which order for those, either.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Low CHA is easy to circumvent with either lousy roleplaying (or rather, ignoring the fact that while the player may have some smooth talking ability, his character isn't necessarily - and either getting a penalty for munchkinism or failing in social situations because the DM runs everything you say through the low-cha-filter), or through other simple means (charm, etc.)

Fixed it for you