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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Henry" data-source="post: 1970342" data-attributes="member: 158">Devil's advocate: I long ago accepted the balance of STR vs. the other stats. STR is very useful, no matter what character you are.For the person who above said strength is useless to a wizard? STR is never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever useless to ANY character. it negates an equally high DEX and CON (actually overrides the CON by .5), it enhances the encumbrance by anywhere from 3 to 16 lbs (enough for a week's rations, en extra weapon, a rope, extra loot, etc.) and it is probably the most-used stat in the game. Even characters who don't fight often use their strength at least once every other game, in my experience, for aiding another in unsticking a stuck door, if nothing else. While DEX and CON both have their advantages, STR edges each one of them out by a slight amount. Why else would the halfling get not only a DEX bonus for a STR penalty, but a fear bonus, a save bonus, a thrown weapons bonus, AND a jump and climb and move silently bonus? (I'm not counting the size mods because those are generic to all small creatures). A STR bonus or penalty is a big deal because it modifies so many things.By comparison, a dex bonus gives you a bonus to init, to hit with ranged weapons, a reflex bonus, and an AC bonus. One could argue it is the equal of strength, but because it only negates DEX, it is still slightly under the effectiveness of an equivalent STR.CON gives hit points and a fort bonus, but that's really it. if anything, CON seems to be the weakest of the three physicals. Sure, hit points is life, but not getting hit matters even more.If one feels that a double mental score penalty is too much, then the best option is to work with a DM to find an acceptable penalty - as Torm says, maybe even use a different race's stats? After all, a half-orc without an INT and CHA penalty is NOT the typical half-orc. Maybe they weren't raised in as harsh an environment, and perhaps they don't get the STR bonus because their muscles have not developed as much?To say it can be house-ruled to fit your game style is one thing, but to say it makes no sense and should be removed from the default rules entirely is another thing - and a statement I can't agree with.</blockquote>

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