D&D 5E Make Constitution great again

[Lucas Blackstone]

Trolls be trolling.

 

[Satyrn]

Huh.

I just realized that the stat I actually dump most often is Dexterity. It's simply not needed for all my plate wearing fighters.

 

[neobolts]

CON would be better if it had a skill associated with it. Perhaps strong integration into the exhaustion mechanic?

It's never a dump stat for me. Usually the dump stat is one of the mental stats, or STR if it is a DEX-based attacker.

 

[Kobold Stew]

So we all, even the original poster, now agree that Constitution isn't a dump stat. We all invest heavily in it, making it the 2nd or 3rd highest score consistently. It's a key save and helps hit points.

The question remains, should it have a skill attached to it?

For me, there is a good case to be made for Athletics and Survival, at least in some cases. I think those are the skills I've called for and sometimes asked players to roll with CON instead of Strength or Survival. But I do not think Constitution is missing anything as is.

 

[Prism]

The question remains, should it have a skill attached to it?

A skill generally seems to be something you would train to be good at and I can't really think of a skill the relates specifically to endurance. In our game we call for quite a few checks that aren't skill related like monster knowledge, or gathering information so con doesn't really stand out as being unusual. Con saves seem to be the main way of representing general endurance rather than skill checks.

On a side note, i think people over use skill checks (rather than stat checks), for example calling for an athletics check to open a door, or a persuasion check to gather information

 

[Greenstone.Walker]

I've never, ever, ever, ever in my life seen someone place their lowest ability in Constitution. Come to think of it, I can't recall anyone placing a low score in constitution.

Wehad a Bard with 8 CON in our OOTA game. It sucked even more than you might think. At 5th level he had, if I remember right, 17 hit points (he insisted on rolling and kept rolling low). Spending hit dice during short rests became frustrating from gaining 1 HP 1/4 of the time. Concentration checks were always marginal, not that he chose many spells that required them.

Even if he hadn't rolled for HP he would still have only had 25 HP.

 

[Greenstone.Walker]

The question remains, should it have a skill attached to it? For me, there is a good case to be made for Athletics and Survival, at least in some cases.

Agreed. I use the rule that proficiencies are not tied to abilities. Athletics proficiency could be used with STR, DEX or CON, depending on the situation and whether or not the player can come up with a good reason.

I could even imagine CON being used with something like Intimidation. The tall Barbarian stands in front of you, slowly and calmly eating ghost pepper after ghost pepper without flinching. Are you sure you don't want to do what he is asking you?

 

[schnee]

 

[BookBarbarian]

I really don't think I've made a 5e Character with less than 14 Con. Maybe a 12? Maybe.

 

[Prism]

I'm playing an elven fighter with 16 str, 18 dex and 12 con. 5e is very forgiving of your choices