Concentration Question

[Aleolus]

Does it make sense to anyone that the Concentration skill, which is used almost exclusively by casters (Wizards, Clerics, etc) and skill-monkeys (Rouges, Bards, etc), is based off your Constitution, which is only of vital importance to tanks and meleeists (Fighters, Barbarians, etc.)? I think Concentration should be based off a mental ability score, like Wisdom or some such. That way, Casters can get better mods for it, because they'll have a +3 or +4 starting off (not including ranks), rather than a +1 or +2. I just think it makes more sense that you would use a mental ability score to represent how well you can concentrate on matters (ignoring distractions), rather than a physical ability score like Constitution (how tough your body is)

 

[Victim]

...

What makes you think that Con isn't a major stat for casters? Classes with d4 HD generally match or exceed fighter types in their emphasis on Con, in my experience, since the bonus from Con forms a much larger percentage of their total HP.

 

[werk]

I just think it makes more sense that you would use a mental ability score to represent how well you can concentrate on matters (ignoring distractions), rather than a physical ability score like Constitution (how tough your body is)

I think that Con makes sense for this...it's about how well you (mostly) resist damage. Sure you may have to make a concentration check for casting defensively or for casting while on the deck of a ship, but most of the time you need to roll concentration it is because you were dealt damage and need to see if you are tough enough to ignore it and finish casting successfully. Call it mental toughness...mystic fortitude...

I also like that it is not a mental skill for balance purposes.

 

[Claudius Gaius]

Well, it isn't really related to learning and problem-solving, social-relationship, prescision and reaction speed, or raw muscular power. I suppose you could make a case for basing it on Wisdom, since it contributes to willpower as well as perceptiveness, but constitution - resisting the effects of injury - certainly seems to fit it better.

 

[Gloombunny]

Attaching it to Wisdom would make sense, but it would be a boon to clerics & druids and kind of a kick in the pants to arcane casters, who tend to focus much more on Constitution than Wisdom anyway. And anyway, attaching it to Constitution isn't that unreasonable, especially when you're rolling it to maintain concentration after taking damage. A tough guy just shrugs off the pain, y'know?

 

[Arkhandus]

Because most things that force Concentration checks are damaging effects, which means you're trying to ignore the pain and continue your precise chanting, hand-motions, and whatnot without losing your place or messing up one of the words/gestures, despite what is likely severe pain (and possibly one that makes it harder to breathe, speak, or whatnot, or it could be a blow to the head...).

Thus it's Constitution-based. Your pain resistance and intestinal fortitude (don't forget that you might be forced to make a check due to coughing from smoke or illness or whatnot, or when feeling nauseous or something, or when you've got a swarm of critters gnawing on you all over and stinging you and crawling all over you and into your mouth and ears and nose and such....not pleasant!) determines how well you manage to cope and continue casting without error.

 

[Claudius Gaius]

I suppose you could always use Wisdom instead if the distraction happens to be the party clown whispering puns into your ear while you're trying to focus on something else - but I suspect that that's much less common in the game than it is around the table.

 

[Infiniti2000]

Note that in the description of Constitution:

You apply your character’s Constitution modifier to:
...

• Concentration checks. Concentration is a skill, important to spellcasters, that has Constitution as its key ability.

The designers didn't just set Con as the key ability for concentration, but set Concentration as one of the key functions of Constitution.

Note also the variant on page 33 of the DMG titled "Skills with Different Abilities." Read it carefully, particularly the last sentence.

 

[UltimaGabe]

Does it make sense to anyone that the Concentration skill, which is used almost exclusively by casters (Wizards, Clerics, etc) and skill-monkeys (Rouges, Bards, etc), is based off your Constitution, which is only of vital importance to tanks and meleeists (Fighters, Barbarians, etc.)?

Does it make sense that the Intimidate skill, which is used almost exclusively by Fighters and Barbarians, is based off your Charisma, which is only of vital importance to Spontaneous Casters (Sorcerers & Bards) and Skill-Monkeys (Rogues)?

Short answer: Yes. Longer answer: When you think about what it is, and what it entails, yes. Sometimes things have to be a little bit less mechanically-minded than reason-minded. True, Fighters use Intimidate, but being intimidating is less about being musclely and more about convincing someone you're a threat. Concentration (the skill, at least) is all about maintaining focus while damaged, and less about logic and pontification. Just because it isn't very synergistic to the people who use it most doesn't mean that it's incorrect.