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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silverblade The Ench" data-source="post: 4856115" data-attributes="member: 19083">Since I rarely ever get to be a player...sighwell You wouldn't want a dumb ass beside you in the dungeon, they are a dangerous liability.There is "not very bright" and "stupid", they aren't the same thing.And "smarts" isn't the same as "intelligent" (the former is more important in a life or death situation for sure)A "fighter", in RL doesn't have to be that strong, it's mostly skill, stamina and most importanlty, chutzpah.Size DOES matter, don't kid yourself that it doesn't, a bigger opponent can hit one hell of a lot harder and with longer reach...the number of master martial artists who're 5' 0" and 120lbs but can still kick a heavy weaight wrestler's butt, aren't exaclty in the hundreds of thousands, but they do exist.A big, young fit barbarian, and a canny older soldier can be equally as valid and useful, or dangerous. All depends on the character and cirumstance but you can't discount the fitness and upnpredictability of youth and large size...nor a person who's survived many battles even if he's nothing special to look at, but has guts and smarts.Folk in D&D adventures just wouldn't have lousy stats, maybe average or a bit below (for race etc), but not "garbage", as they simply wouldn't survive.What I think folk mistake, is CHARACTER or other flaws, for stat weakness!All of us, no matter what, have flaws. I used to be very fit, I still got a nasty illness as blatant example. I'm sure we've all known people who are gutsy,smart, solid, fit or whatever, and turn to drink, crumple when a lover dies, can't cope with life and so on.if you have the guts and ability to chose and survive conflict, you are NOT gonna be Joe Average...but everyone has flaws.post truamatic stress disorder and its woes would be quite an issue for adventurers...or maybe not so much as in D&D worlds, religon/gods are absolutely real to folk, so give a solid support and access to healers.Another thing is our very artificial and polluted urban modern life is very bad for the psyche (it is), our Medieval period if, and that's a VERY big if, you had a good life, you could mentally be more likely to be "fit".On the other hand modern life gives wide range of possible thought modes, so we can adapt easier to problem solving.I have never let a player have lousy stats, it's preposteorus in my games (Dark Sun or homebrew or Spelljammer). You are gonna be the best of the best, or one tough cookie.Personal problems though are another matter entirely.Like I've explained before, one character was a bloodthirsty, almost psychotic gladiator...I kept dropping hints about what that would do, but the player was enjoying the character, which was fine by me.the trail of bodies, innocent as well as enemy,  he left mounted up, as did the folk seeking revenge and...a god of slaughter who wanted him for an avatar!the player was asked if he'd let the god "help" him in a climatic battle he knew couldn't win against a Titan...the god agreed, "they" won the fight and the PC, became an NPC, a new avatar of a CE evil god!I pointed out to the player that he had been warned, and that god was known for being untrustworthy...and he chose to let him have control...other player was laughing his butt off at this <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f61b.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":p" title="Stick out tongue    :p"  data-smilie="7"data-shortname=":p" />the other player's character was hunted by the illithids as he had the best brain they had ever tried to taste  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />Nork,yes, loyal and competant. That's exactly who you want, anything more is a godsend <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />But in D&D you generally know your other party members are loyal and competant!Joe the fighter maybe smart as heck, or he may not be, doesn't matter long as he knows what to do and is a genuine friend.A reasonable degree of smarts, competance, loyalty and guts are the most important aspects you'd want in comrades.You never epxect them to be perfect in EVERYTHING, but you often find them good at several or many things, and sometimes outstanding at 1 or 2.I like gnomes, silly, crazy, but yet still capable gnomes. Fun is acceptable, so is quirky, in D&D never forget that. And RL folk often have very very odd talents, I've known folk who's luck is simply beyond the laws of probability, or incredibly skilled though you wouldn't think it.stats, skill to put them to good use, and the inner "fire" that makes someone a real hero, or menace, or DaVinci or whatever, well, there's no D&D mechanic for guts (wiasdom and WIll save to an extent) and that "inner fire".</blockquote>

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