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Message: <blockquote data-quote="ExploderWizard" data-source="post: 6238971" data-attributes="member: 66434">Not buying it. The CHA score of the character should play a part in determining reactions but it shouldn't play the game for the player. A tabletop rpg is a social activity that takes place in the imagination of the participants. Communication between those participants is what drives the game. If every aspect of play is pawn/mechanic driven then you are really playing a board game. The player's contribution is, at that point, to choose moves and roll dice which is pretty much the base of boardgame play. If a player is basically unable to communicate with other players then maybe roleplaying games isn't the best choice of hobby. I could see the point if unreasonable "performance" demands are being made such as requiring character voices and actual improv acting skill. But replying to a simple question like: " what do you tell the guard?"  with " I got a 22" sucks the fun out of roleplaying. Original D&D didn't have any interaction skills beyond the reaction roll for a reason. If there is someone in the group with an actual impairment, such as stuttering, you can take that into account. The quality of the message is separate from the delivery. A clever or funny delivery is extra entertainment for the table (which is its own reward) but shouldn't overshadow the content of the message. Such an impairment isn't an excuse to assume the player is dull and unable to think of some kind of meaningful response. As to CHA being the lowest stat in older editions, it is not true. If stats are generated randomly then the player isn't choosing to "put" anything into CHA, it ends up being whatever is rolled. Sometimes a high CHA would be rolled and the player would wish it was in a different stat-until the benefits of a good reaction bonus and hireling loyalty become life saving.</blockquote>

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