Dexterity: Mental or Physical Stat?

[Angcuru]

D&D - purely physical. It invovles bodily functions involving the eyes, hands, limbs, torso, etc.

Reality - D&D stats do not describe realistic functions accurately, but admittedly to do so would require at least ten main stats and upwards of a half dozen for each in order to in some way realistically mimic the complexity of mind and body.

But it does it's job of being possibly the most coveted stat for non-tanks, and that's all we can expect of it.

 

[MDSnowman]

Physical..

Your mind can process information at amazing speeds, but if you're body can't keep up you're bound to trip over a few things.

 

[Gez]

Physical.

Last time I checked, D&D's worlds were more about simplicity and symbolism than about hard-science and modern neurology.

I know that a disease like Parkinson's is a good example of the mental's influence on Dex. But I don't care.

Dexterity is considered to be one of the three physical stats. And it's fine there. Making it mental is maybe more scientifically acurate, but it's counter-intuitive.

 

[nopantsyet]

Physical.

D&D is not The Matrix.

 

[MDSnowman]

Physical.

D&D is not The Matrix.

Or an old 2e Ravenloft Dreamscape

Dex = Int
Str = Wis

 

[Gez]

Or an old 2e Ravenloft Dreamscape

Dex = Int
Str = Wis

That was the rules given? I'd rather use Str=Cha, Con=Wis.

 

[Jeph]

My resident neurologist says it's a bit of both, and refers me to Why Michael Can't Play Baseball as an example of that sort of thing.

--Jeff

 

[MDSnowman]

That was the rules given? I'd rather use Str=Cha, Con=Wis.

Yep that was how it worked... Charisma pretty much determined how much control you had in the dreamscape. It was a messed up System, and it pretty much gaurenteed that and 2e Psioncist owned any dreamscape he/she walked into.

 

[Sejs]

Just like Shadowrun's astral plane.

Cha = mental assertiveness = Astral Str.
Int = mental reaction speed = Astral Dex.
Wis = mental stability = Astral Con.

(swapping the SR terms for their D&D equivalents)

 

[Thanee]

Traditionally, it seems to be considered a physical attribute, but ask any neurologist (I did) and he/she will tell you that balance, aim, precision and most other factors ( in fact, all factors I can think of except flexibility) generally considered to constitute dexterity depend far more on neurological factors than on 'bodily' factors. So should dexterity not be considered a mental stat more than a physical one? Or should it be both, or neither?

Muscles also (mostly) function with neurological impulses. So is Strength a mental stat, too?

Of course, movement is not purely physical, otherwise you could move, even if your brain was removed...

How do you train balance and the likes? Sit in a chair reading a manual, or actually do the moves over and over again to train the movement patterns?

Sounds like a very physical process to me, as opposed to being mental.

Bye
Thanee