Is this offensive?

[Rel]

So, which sex gets a bonus to bluff for their lying ways?

Well women of course. But only when they are lying to men who wish to believe what they are telling them. So it's a Circumstance Bonus, not a constant one.

 

[JDJblatherings]

You could read the OP...

" it is probable that women are genuinely smarter than men with regard to languages and probably social intelligence in general."

That evidence for being more socially intelligent would be the inability to vote in the U.S. until the 20th century? The inability to get an equal wage for equal work? How about the fact that 90% of the worlds leaders have not been women for the past couple thousand years? For every noteable woman in history or fiction, there are dozens if not hundreds of men.

Women have gotten the short end of the stick for such a long time I can't fathom any logic for a charisma bonus or a wisdom bonus. I'd say they are equal with the deck stacked against them.

 

[roguerouge]

So, which sex gets a bonus to bluff for their lying ways?

Well women of course. But only when they are lying to men who wish to believe what they are telling them. So it's a Circumstance Bonus, not a constant one.

I can think of any number of women in Victorian literature who'd have to disagree with you there. Or any woman who's ever been to a club. Or been on a third date.

Are you starting to see where this is going?

 

[roguerouge]

Implementation would have to look like this to me: Dig up actual research on the mean difference between men & women (surely someone can pinpoint research that's been done like that in the real world). Convert that to ability score modifiers. If the difference is less than +/-2 (in 3E), scrap it as negligible.

Don't forget that those figures on the mean difference between men & women would have to screen out the effects of environment and parenting, as both factors would change quite a bit in a fantasy setting.

 

[Elf Witch]

I would not find it offensive but I think it is pointless. I also think it would turn some women off. If I want to play a fighter it would make me pissy that if I want to play a female I have to take a -2.


Also would these stats be just for female humans or would you also make stats for females of other races?

It just seems overly complicated to me.

 

[Logos7]

Are you going to start assigning scent based trackers bonus's to track females who are menstrating?

While the idea has some merit, look at it not from the DnD logic world but from RL.

Do you want to Cram Female Character (and certainly a large percentage of female players) into certain Niches, For Example away from Melee Combat. If you do, power too you, but I would disagree I don't think it adds anything, but definitely reinforces some negative sterotypes.

Women treated equally to Men I find tend to be as strong, fast, and smart as men. The high and build issue (females being smaller in both counts) is disappearing as A> nutrition balances between the sexes, females getting better eats and men begining to experiance eating disorders B> Exercise equals out between the sexes in children.

Regardless, Player characters are special in so many ways (even the old stoggies who are like Pc's are not special, are ignoring this, Pc's get more money better stats, and are allowed to do more stupid/adventurous things than others in the world) why try to kill someone's empowerment trip?

I don't think realism is the answer, as other responses including (what about the other races...) I think agrees with me.

Logos

 

[Nifft]

Are you starting to see where this is going?

No, baby, it's just going anywhere in particular. We'll take it slow. Whatever happens, happens.

Now get in the van.

-- N

 

[drothgery]

Given the basic assumption that we're working with is 3.x D&D, I have to come down on the 'this is offensive' side, mostly because
- odd stat modifiers are evil
- it's ludicrous that the strength difference between a human male and a human female would be equivalent to the difference between a human male and a halfling male (or a half-orc male and a human male)

It's not inherrently offensive for game mechanics to reflect real-world gender differences. But I think D&D is too coarse-grained to do it, and isn't overly concerned with realism in any case.

 

[roguerouge]

- it's ludicrous that the strength difference between a human male and a human female would be equivalent to the difference between a human male and a halfling male (or a half-orc male and a human male)

Now THAT is a good analogy.

 

[roguerouge]

No, baby, it's just going anywhere in particular. We'll take it slow. Whatever happens, happens.

Now get in the van.

-- N

Congrats. That was both creepy AND funny.