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Message: <blockquote data-quote="The Sigil" data-source="post: 1603495" data-attributes="member: 2013">It may be neurological factors in play, but these neurological factors apply to your ability to function, interact with, and otherwise affect the physical world.  This, IMO, makes it a physical attribute - not because it has no basis in neurology, but because it's a quantification of a person's ability to interact with the physical world.Intelligence, for example, represents a charcter's ability to understand abstract concepts like "time" and "space" but does not help someone physically navigate and object through time and space (e.g., hitting a target at a distance or dodging obstacles) - the classic example is the clumsy nerd who can teach you all about the geometry of billiards but can't hit the cue ball to take advantage of that knowledge.  Dexterity measures the character's ability to navigate an object (including the body) through time and space - a character with no ability to understand abstract concepts like "time" and "space" can still have a great ability to maneuver himself or object through time and space - the classic example is the "dumb jock" who can hit a three-point shot or throw a football 50 yards with pinpoint accuracy even though he couldn't count to three or count enough yard lines to tell you he had thrown 50 yards.Basically, in D&D, physical abilities are metrics of a character's ability to interact with the physical realm.  Dexterity measures that, hence, it is a physical ability, regardless of the "ultimate source" of that ability.It is overbroad, in that a skilled piano player (high Dex in his hands) might be an uncoordinated buffoon in a game of dodgeball, or a skilled ballet dancer might be unable to tie his/her own shoes.  Gross motor control and fine motor control are two different sets of skills, yet are lumped under Dexterity.--The Sigil</blockquote>

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