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<blockquote data-quote="FireLance" data-source="post: 4982622" data-attributes="member: 3424">Variability is not a bad thing. It gives characters depth. However, when a character acts in a way that he normally does not, or in a way that he is not expected to, it tends to be one of the following:1. It is a one-off incident, perhaps played for laughs or for dramatic effect, which is not repeated.2. Some explanation is provided which shows how the behavior is actually consistent with the character's established personality, or which reveals a previously hidden side to the character.3. It may be a &quot;turning point&quot; for the character which starts him on a path of growth or development.A character who occasionally succeeds despite his poor mental ability scores might fall within the first category.&nbsp; A character who consistently does so would not. However, if some explanation can be found for why the character manages to succeed regularly, it might still fall within the second category. Otherwise, if the player undertakes to portray the character's subsequent growth, it could fall within the third.Of course, all of the above assumes that you and your group believe that certain ability scores should correlate with certain types of behavior, that the player's insights have to be expressed through his character (as opposed to, say, the player of the barbarian PC making a suggestion that, in game, comes from the wizard PC) and that this type of role-playing is important to you and your group in the first place. If any of the above does not apply, it shouldn't even be an issue for your game!</blockquote>

[QUOTE="FireLance, post: 4982622, member: 3424"] Variability is not a bad thing. It gives characters depth. However, when a character acts in a way that he normally does not, or in a way that he is not expected to, it tends to be one of the following: 1. It is a one-off incident, perhaps played for laughs or for dramatic effect, which is not repeated. 2. Some explanation is provided which shows how the behavior is actually consistent with the character's established personality, or which reveals a previously hidden side to the character. 3. It may be a "turning point" for the character which starts him on a path of growth or development. A character who occasionally succeeds despite his poor mental ability scores might fall within the first category. A character who consistently does so would not. However, if some explanation can be found for why the character manages to succeed regularly, it might still fall within the second category. Otherwise, if the player undertakes to portray the character's subsequent growth, it could fall within the third. Of course, all of the above assumes that you and your group believe that certain ability scores should correlate with certain types of behavior, that the player's insights have to be expressed through his character (as opposed to, say, the player of the barbarian PC making a suggestion that, in game, comes from the wizard PC) and that this type of role-playing is important to you and your group in the first place. If any of the above does not apply, it shouldn't even be an issue for your game! [/QUOTE]

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