Ability scores.
- Thread starter Bryon_Soulweaver
- Start date
ARandomGod
First Post
Thanee said:Actually, physical attractiveness is listed in the PHB under Charisma.
High Cha doesn't have to mean physical attractiveness, but it could mean that.
Bye
Thanee
It's listed there, sure. But only as a token nod. It has no "beauty effects", and right after listing it the entry goes out of it's way to meantion that the 'beauty' part is actually irrelevant. At least the physical part of that. Sure, a non-physical beauty, but that's the 'force of personality', or willpower.
In other words, saying that it's appearance is all flavor text at this point. Thrown in there because that's what it USED to be. And some gamers want to hold on to what it used to be, while others are thrown off by the name, while still others are put offbalance by both factors.
ElectricDragon
Explorer
As far as your example of Climbing a cliff, failing the Climb check (by 5 or more?), and catching yourself: that is already covered in the rules: another Climb check is allowed at +20 to the DC to catch yourself. Someone else could also try to catch you at +10 to the Climb check DC. Giving another Climb check at normal DC seems overpowered for an ability score. Why not just put most points into Luck then and get infinite retries (gotta roll a 20 sometime).
Ciao
Dave
Ciao
Dave
kanithardm
First Post
I have a different name for luck---THE D20 ROLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
Yes the d20 is a great example of luck. Action Points too!
If you want some characters (as opposed to players) to be more lucky than others, let them take the Lucky feat (see below)
Lucky [general]
The powers that be are watching over you.
Prerequisites: Cha 13+
Benefit: You can add a +1 bonus to any d20 roll you make, even after rolling the d20. You may use this a number of times per day equal to your Cha modifier.
With this feat you may change near-hits for hits, change a climb check that failed by 5 (causing you to fall) to fail by 4 (not causing you to fall), change a barely missed saving throw to a succes, etc. It is slightly weaker than the average Action Point (for those who use these), but of course is usable x times per day.
If you want some characters (as opposed to players) to be more lucky than others, let them take the Lucky feat (see below)
Lucky [general]
The powers that be are watching over you.
Prerequisites: Cha 13+
Benefit: You can add a +1 bonus to any d20 roll you make, even after rolling the d20. You may use this a number of times per day equal to your Cha modifier.
With this feat you may change near-hits for hits, change a climb check that failed by 5 (causing you to fall) to fail by 4 (not causing you to fall), change a barely missed saving throw to a succes, etc. It is slightly weaker than the average Action Point (for those who use these), but of course is usable x times per day.
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Bryon_Soulweaver
First Post
Dont have any D20 projucts besides Faerun and Greyhawk and straight D&D. I put to much money into my truck and amp system for it otherwise.
Aus_Snow
First Post
Sounds awfully familiar actually.Bryon_Soulweaver said:I wanted to post a house-rule that I was wanting to try, I used it on my own DM time yesterday. Luck and Beauty are added to ability scores, giving the point-buy system 4 extra points at start up. so 28 would be 32, 30 would be 34, ect., ect. Beauty would be how attractive one is and how people react to them. Luck would let the character have as many rerolls as bonuses and let also give bonus to gambling, a house-skill.
Now the question is, what do you guys think of this?
It's precisely how I've chosen to run things - well, minus the point buy. I don't generally like that method.
No issues so far. Players don't just dump on Beauty (or Comeliness, Attractiveness, Looks, Appearance etc.), neither on Luck, which is a more recent addition. Oh, and not necessarily on Charisma, for that matter.
But then the way I run things, Charisma can swing events just as much as any other ability, though really a player's wits, inventiveness and resourcefulness will count for more than any of them. There's no real incentive per se to dump on a particular ability, other than perhaps Beauty/et al. Interestingly, that ability still nonetheless ranges from very low to very high, consistently.
I think it will depend very much on you as a DM, and the group(s) of players involved. The only way to truly know is to try it out, and see if it works. My advice would be to ignore any advice - based purely or substantially on opinion - that tells you what to do with your game or group. :\ (I don't think that was self-contradictory).
Best of luck with it.
Sadrik
First Post
And your statement begs the question then why are clerics and the various divine casters spell casting stat based on perception and not "force of personality"?
I actually think that wisdom is more of an inner focus-outer focus thing, it helps you inwardly like a sixth sense (monk ac bonus/will save/using incredible focus to create something magically or psionically) and outwardly with things like awareness and perception. I would still attribute the will save to wisdom because of that distinction. But really think all the divine casters should be based on charisma because they are drawing their power from elswhere, in a sense constantly bargaining for power with their diety. That screams charisma to me.
Sadrik
ARandomGod
First Post
Sadrik said:
Strangely, I thought that made plenty of sense. I view it as the divine casters being able to percieve the ways of manipulating divine energy. Of being able to 'see' and 'understand' the ways of divinity, and therefore having the divine more likely to grant boons in the form of spells. Of course, under that viewpoint the divine powers are there for the taking, free, you just have to be able to see and understand how to use them
Sadrik said:
I agree that it's a focus, a sixth sense of perception. And for that reason I would certainly not put willpower there. Will power is about your own ego, not your perceptions of others. Just about the only "perception" willpower saves I can think of is illusions. And even they are someone else attempting to force their reality into your vision. All willpower saves are attempting to control your mind, and have nothing to do with you being able to percieve a way out of it, but more about you being able to use your force of will, personality, willpower to NOT succumb.
In fact, the sixth sense you're talking about seems to fit well into what's not the reflex save. OK, I admit that I've already thought that through rather thoroughly. I think that the reflex save should be moved to wisdom, because it's generally not how fast you move, but you being able to move that instant before you can percieve the threat, or being able to move into the exact spot (say in a fireball) where you'll take the least amount of damage.
Besides, Dex doesn't need a save to remain a strong stat.
Sadrik said:
Certainly a valid view there. A different way of looking at things, barganing for power. But quite appropriate considering.
Of course, all this is a big tangent, but hey the threads getting older. It's time it explored all the aspects of it's personality. Or maybe I'm just a little bored at work. Either way, right?
