D&D 5E The other side of dump stats (Altered ability mod progression)

[Don Durito]

hmm,

standard human point buy with this rule would be wicked:
5 scores of 14 for +3 bonus and 1 score of 11 for +1 bonus

I guess that 11 would still end up in STR or INT

Well yeah. You still need to improve Str or Int.

But I think that a lot of people fail to see that the game encourages something to be dumped. You have to be extremely punishing to a low Int (Or offer very good benefits) for it to be something (under the current attribute system) worthwhile for a Paladin to invest in - because their resources are already committed.

If you just try to fight people dumping Int by calling for more Int rolls than what you may actually be doing is just making it more fun to play a Wizard and less fun to play a Paladin or Barbarian or Monk.

 

[Tony Vargas]

(and because as a general principle of role-playing games strengthening your niche is generally more rewarding than spreading yourself around.)

Well, of D&D, in particular, anyway. Though even it's gotten less :ahem: niche-ean as the editions have gone by...

 

[Don Durito]

Well, of D&D, in particular, anyway. Though even it's gotten less ahem niche-ean as the editions have gone by...

Lots of systems really. Not all of course.

It's a common enough player behaviour that if introducing players to a system that offers diminishing returns for increasing skills (such as Savage Worlds) I feel I have to explicitly warn them of that fact.

 

[Salthorae]

I mean this idea is fine. It would give you more points to spread around mechanically.

I personally dont' have a problem with dump stats though. Especially because most of the games I play are point buy or standard array, so there is usually an 8 in there somewhere. For me it is usually in Str (if I'm playing a caster), Int (if I'm playing a dumb dumb), or Cha (if I just feel like not being weak or dumb or I'm not playing a Cha caster).

Dex/Con/Wis are always prioritized for me.

 

[abirdcall]

I don't think there being 'dump stats' in the game is a bad thing. It just means when someone has those stats they are more special. Also, having them low is a character trait.

I'm not a fan of the proposed rule change because of what it encourages; characters with lots of similar stats.

I don't think that is a good thing.