Do you need high stats to be an effective character?

[Henry]

Reminds me of a game I'm in right now. I'm playing a bard, and the rest of the party consists of fighter-awesomes. Last time, we raided a thieves guild. I walked around with a wine glass in hand, occasionally listening at doors. I asked people to surrender so we didn't have to kill them.

On the other hand, if I were in your game, I'd remember your character far easier than I'd remember the fighters, and retell his story more often.

 

[Technik4]

Curious

A pair of 14s is fine with me.

I'm not trying to be mean [/preface]

Have you played a wizard with a pair of 14s?

Technik

 

[Ibram]

The way the system works its a virtual requirement that you have at least one stat 13+, otherwise you cannot realy use your abilities (magic users cant cast spells, combat types cannot use their feats).

Personaly I prefer (as a DM and as a Player) characters that have some extrordinary talents... otherwise it can be a little dull running from goblins all the time.

 

[Crothian]

Some classes are harder to stat out like this. Monks are fairly stat dependent, needing good strength, dexterity, and constitution scores. A paladin can really only afford to dump wisdom if they're willing to pick up Iron Will to offset it. Spellcasters have to put such a concentrated effort on boosting their primary stat that more than one poor score becomes hard to overcome.

I think this is one of the problems, people think some classes need all sortsof high abilities to be effective. Monks get good unarmed damage, they don't need high strength. They get great saves so that lessons their need for high Dex, Con, and Wisdom. They get good skills so that also helps them overcome some low stats. HD is good, another reason not to need a high con.

 

[billd91]

I cant rp a high int char with int 12. I cant be exceptionally charismatic with charisma 12. I cant make wise pronouncements that are actually wise at wisdom 12. This hampers my roleplay.

Thus, higher than "average" stats are nice, since it lets me roleplay someone who isnt joe schmoe "I swing my axe at it again" guy.

I hope you're being a bit facetious here. How would having average stats hamper your role-playing? It just hampers your ability to role-play extremes because that isn't a role supported by the character's base characteristics. I'm tempted to say it hampers your ability to over-act like a community theater reject, not your ability to play a realistic role.

 

[Thanee]

Voted 3x 14 on the base of 4d6-drop-lowest. It's surely not precise, because it also depends on the other stats, but that is about the level, which I consider decent enough in that context.

Bye
Thanee

 

[Technik4]

Monks get good unarmed damage, they don't need high strength.

...but Medium BAB. Monks need Str to hit, or a Dex-based monk with Weapon Finesse can hit but probably neglected Str, so that 'good unarmed damage' becomes average damage (compared to Weapon Spec'd Fighters, SA Rogues, Spells). Monks are hard to play with 1 high stat and the rest low, although I guess it comes down to your definition of 'high' (as 18 is the highest you can begin with, before racial bonuses, I tend to think of 16+ as high).

Technik

 

[Arnwyn]

I'm not trying to be mean [/preface]

Uh, okay.

Have you played a wizard with a pair of 14s?

Sure.

 

[Seeten]

This is the funny thing, from a bunch of avowed hack and slashers, it sounds like you are trying to be elite on "high stats" as if that made people "Munchkins". These same people have their build statted out 20 levels in advance, have mathematical and statistical evidence to support how much to power attack for, have 7 classes optimized for bonuses, and then cop a "All I need is 2 14's and a 10 point buy" attitude like everyone else is some kind of powergamer.

I find it amusing almost to the point of absurd.

 

[Technik4]

Arn: Did you play this character to higher levels? Starting with a 14 in Intelligence, as a wizard, you would have an 18 Intelligence by level 16, assuming you put every ability increase in Intelligence. If you got to level 17 you would not be able to cast 9th level spells unless you had read a tome or were wearing a magical item which increases your Intelligence (Not to say this is necessarily difficult).

Your DCs would be consistently low, so monsters would have a high chance of resisting your spells. I don't think I would try, personally, but its neat to hear other peoples' stories.

Technik