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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pawsplay" data-source="post: 4981142" data-attributes="member: 15538">They are constructs. Unless you are willing to argue that characters, in-game, can tell how smart each other by how many languages they know, I think it has to be accepted that they are not real in the sense of having substance. Ability scores are not realistic. Strength comes the closest, simply because you can usually measure lifting capacity, but even then, it's such a generalized ability that the lifting value could be a compromise with a number of other factors. In D&D, it tends to do triple duty as carrying, lifting, and shoving, for instance. Let's say you are playing a supers RPG and somebody is playing Spider-Man. Spider-Man has a huge intelligence. He designed his own web-shooters, and regularly improvises things like trampolines or electric fences. Now, literally speaking, he regularly interacts with other characters who are, strictly speaking, more intelligent in the comic book universe. But he has a higher Intelligence because, being the hero, he is more likely to make an Intelligence check and succeed at something. If I am content with my character regularly failing Knowledge checks, I can state my character is whatever level of Intelligence relative to his intelligence I want. It is really not convincing to claim Int is a a quantity that means any one thing. I have performed IQ tests and I can tell you that modern science has not identified any essence to intelligence. Intelligence always depends on functionality.So, let's say someone wants to play a brilliant sage. However, he makes him as a rogue with 12 Int. He takes Skill Focus (Knowledge: History). He wil now regularly make those checks more often than many other characters. However, despite being an alleged genius, he won't outperform the cleric in Religion or the Wizard in arcane, perhaps by design. Later, he takes a level of Wizard so he can cast a few minor spells and raise his Knowledge skill to the level of a class skill (he is a 3.5 character, apparently). There is no sense in complaining a 12 Int is not "smart enough" to be a sage; he is smart enough to be this particular sage. Assigning a given score is basically saying, "This is how I rate the importance of succeeding these kinds of checks in-game."Imagine you were rolling for ability scores and get 18, 16, 16, 15, 14, and 14. Let's say you wanted to play a halfling rogue. Well, your halfling rogue is going to have a Str of at least 12! Does that mean your halfling is a little Arnold? No. It means you put your lowest score in Str and it just happens to be high enough to grant you powerful attacks and succeed more at Jump checks. Maybe your carrying capacity is halfling adrenaline. You have the choice of describing a burly little halfling, but you also have the choice of describing the character as wiry, determined, and a little lucky.</blockquote>

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