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<blockquote data-quote="Bardbarian" data-source="post: 7391935" data-attributes="member: 6802784"><p>This again falls into the fallacy that games mechanics and story are inexorably separated and cannot lend to one another. Consider your example of strength increase. A +2 strength may mean to you a flat increase of manual lifting power and no more but it may also refer to the ability to use ones existing strength more effectively. If you were to compare a power lifter who can lift in excess of 800 lbs. to a heavyweight boxer who might lift half that amount, the obvious conclusion would be the power lifter is the stronger of the two. On the other hand if you were to measure the force a power lifter can put into a punch and compare it to what a boxer might measure, one will likely conclude the boxer is the stronger of the two. physical stats can be just as abstract as other elements of the game and merely represent a progression of the character through training or perseverance. This progression can be just as characterful as any other element of the game and is limited to your own interpretations. Why is one character with an 8 intelligence absolutely average while another is a savage brute? Is a monk raising wisdom power gaming, or representing the character's own growth in understanding? Like any other element you get what you want out of it. If all you want to see is combat effectiveness from the rules then you will surely find just that. If you want to use the rules as a framework to build a role play experience around, you'll find that too.</p></blockquote><p></p>

[QUOTE="Bardbarian, post: 7391935, member: 6802784"] This again falls into the fallacy that games mechanics and story are inexorably separated and cannot lend to one another. Consider your example of strength increase. A +2 strength may mean to you a flat increase of manual lifting power and no more but it may also refer to the ability to use ones existing strength more effectively. If you were to compare a power lifter who can lift in excess of 800 lbs. to a heavyweight boxer who might lift half that amount, the obvious conclusion would be the power lifter is the stronger of the two. On the other hand if you were to measure the force a power lifter can put into a punch and compare it to what a boxer might measure, one will likely conclude the boxer is the stronger of the two. physical stats can be just as abstract as other elements of the game and merely represent a progression of the character through training or perseverance. This progression can be just as characterful as any other element of the game and is limited to your own interpretations. Why is one character with an 8 intelligence absolutely average while another is a savage brute? Is a monk raising wisdom power gaming, or representing the character's own growth in understanding? Like any other element you get what you want out of it. If all you want to see is combat effectiveness from the rules then you will surely find just that. If you want to use the rules as a framework to build a role play experience around, you'll find that too. [/QUOTE]

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