D&D 5E (2014) Negative constitution modifier

[aramis erak]

Prior to 3E, you could play a character with Con 7 and it wouldn't really hurt you at all, and even a score of 4 would only put you at the same penalty as modern editions assigns a score of 8 or 9.

Not true.

Everyone benefited from Con in AD&D, BX, BECMI, and Cyclopedia... And it was possible in all of them to have PC's rolling anywhere from 1d4-3 (Con 3 wizard or thief) to 1d10+3 (AD&D fighter con 18)... and Con was also used for limiting permanency and resurrection.

Attribute	BX/BECMI/Cyclopdeia	AD&D 1E Con	OE Sup 1	OE V1
3	–3	–2	–1	–1
4	–2	–1	–1	–1
5	–2	–1	–1	–1
6	–1	–1	–1	–1
7	–1	–1	+0	+0
8	–1	+0	+0	+0
9	+0	+0	+0	+0
10	+0	+0	+0	+0
11	+0	+0	+0	+0
12	+0	+0	+0	+0
13	+1	+0	+0	+0
14	+1	+0	+0	+0
15	+1	+1	+1	+1
16	+2	+2	+1	+1
17	+2	+2 (F:+3)	+2	+1
18	+2	+2 (F:+4)	+3	+1

 

[The Crimson Binome]

Everyone benefited from Con in AD&D, BX, BECMI, and Cyclopedia...

There was some minor effect on System Shock and Resurrection, but that wasn't something that mattered on a daily basis, where HP do. In any edition, loss of HP is the main cause of death.

In any of the editions you listed, the difference between Con 6 and Con 15 is the same as what later editions gave as the difference between Con 9 and Con 12. If your idea of a dump stat is a 6, which seems like a fair criteria for that, then it wasn't nearly as suicidal as in any of the later editions (mostly because you're not forsaking the bonus of a high Con in addition to eating the minor penalty for a low Con - most characters weren't benefiting from high Con, even if it wasn't a dump stat).

If you're playing AD&D, and your idea of a dump stat is an 8 (which seems typical for members of this board), then dumping Con has no effect on your HP at all, and you're just as likely to survive injury as someone who put Con as first or second priority, with a score of 14.

 

[Dausuul]

I don't think it is a design problem, Con has never been a dump stat for any character in D&D.

In AD&D, Con wasn't the best place to put a really low stat, but if you had an 8 or a 9 that you needed to put someplace, Con would do fine. And even if you did dump it to the point of taking penalties, it wasn't as bad, because hit point totals were smaller in general. When the Con 14 fighter only has 1d10 hp/level, your Con 5 thief can get by with 1d6-1.

In 4E, Constitution made an excellent dump stat. It only cost you a few hit points, it affected hardly any skills, and it wouldn't hurt your Fort defense as long as you had a decent Strength score.

3E was the edition that made Constitution a must-have stat. Since 5E is built on the 3E chassis, it works much the same way. But it's far from universal in D&D's history.

It is never the primary stat either.

Mostly but not completely true. Infernal warlocks in 4E used Con as a primary stat. Nobody liked it much, and since warlocks were kind of pathetic anyway, they moved away from using Con as a primary in later releases, but it was there.

 

[Nathan Brennan]

I laugh at your statment of this never seeing actual play as I slowly watch my monk's health lower