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Message: <blockquote data-quote="CRGreathouse" data-source="post: 1147239" data-attributes="member: 474">In my experience, Dex is considered the most powerful stat, generally right above Str.  I find that this is fairly accurate...For a melee character, a high Dex allows tactical mobility (light armor vs. medium/heavy armor), skills (low check penalty, plus key stat for ambushes (Hide, Move Silently), mobility (Tumble, Balance), and many otehr skills.  Compare Strength which has just skills like Climb and Jump... useful, perhaps, but not nearly as good as the Dex skills.Dex modifies a save (unlike Str).  For nocturnal/imprisonment encounters, a high Dex character has a much higher AC.  With Weapon Finesse, a character can further substitute Dex for Str, widening the gap further.Dex is always the stat for ranged combat, and even fighters who prefer melee find themselves in ranged situations from time to time.  Idf they spend feats they can get good at it... but even if they don't, they'll be better than the other melee fighter with lower Dex.Finally, the importance of initiative is great.  It's difficult to raise initiative, and Dex is the easiest way to go.  The shorter a fight is, the more initiative matters, and most fights in my experience last only a few rounds.</blockquote>