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<blockquote data-quote="Altalazar" data-source="post: 1435466" data-attributes="member: 939">I think certain character concepts just about require min/maxing in one form or another.&nbsp; If you don't, those skills and things you do as your 'signature' will likely just be about the same or only slightly better than other characters who aren't focused on that trait at all.For instance, say you had a character concept that required you to be some sort of super-olympic swimmer.&nbsp; With the way the rules are set up, if you didn't min/max with your stats and such to really give yourself a high swim rating, you'd probably end up with about the same swim skill as everyone else in the group - perhaps even less if there is some sort of fighter or barb who also took swimming skill.&nbsp; Then you end up with the incongruous result of being the &quot;champion swimmer&quot; who is outswum by one or more members of the group who basically took swimming as an afterthought.&nbsp; That just isn't very fun or interesting.&nbsp; I min/maxed a character that actually wasn't all that useful in combat - this was OA, and I made a &quot;monkey&quot; race character with everything geared toward jumping, climbing, and balance.&nbsp; I maxed all of those out, I used my starting money (we didn't start at first level) to get magical items to add to that (ring of climbing, one of jumping, boots of striding and springing - all of which are actually rather cheap), and so forth.&nbsp; He was also very very smart, so he at least could do more than jump around.&nbsp; He pretty much jumped everywhere.&nbsp; He was always climbing along the walls rather than the floor.&nbsp; He did all sorts of very fancy acrobatics - mostly for roleplaying flavor than any actual use.&nbsp; (Though as I recounted in another thread, his jumping ability actually ended up being the key thing needed in the ultimate combat encounter at the end of the campaign - rather by accident.&nbsp; That the fighter screwed it up wasn't his fault...)That character was fun to play, and had all sorts of interesting roleplaying potential (he also threw things in combat).&nbsp; And he just wouldn't have been able to work without the min/maxing.&nbsp; (His jump was like up to 60 and his balance and climb were both in the 40s, i think).&nbsp; And this was at 7th or 8th level - there were racial bonuses to these as well.&nbsp; So there is absolutely nothing wrong with min/maxing.&nbsp; I think, actually, it helps to differentiate characters from each other.&nbsp; Otherwise, you end up with a bland party where everyone is just about the same as everyone else in everything but the short list of class-specific abilities.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Altalazar, post: 1435466, member: 939"] I think certain character concepts just about require min/maxing in one form or another. If you don't, those skills and things you do as your 'signature' will likely just be about the same or only slightly better than other characters who aren't focused on that trait at all. For instance, say you had a character concept that required you to be some sort of super-olympic swimmer. With the way the rules are set up, if you didn't min/max with your stats and such to really give yourself a high swim rating, you'd probably end up with about the same swim skill as everyone else in the group - perhaps even less if there is some sort of fighter or barb who also took swimming skill. Then you end up with the incongruous result of being the "champion swimmer" who is outswum by one or more members of the group who basically took swimming as an afterthought. That just isn't very fun or interesting. I min/maxed a character that actually wasn't all that useful in combat - this was OA, and I made a "monkey" race character with everything geared toward jumping, climbing, and balance. I maxed all of those out, I used my starting money (we didn't start at first level) to get magical items to add to that (ring of climbing, one of jumping, boots of striding and springing - all of which are actually rather cheap), and so forth. He was also very very smart, so he at least could do more than jump around. He pretty much jumped everywhere. He was always climbing along the walls rather than the floor. He did all sorts of very fancy acrobatics - mostly for roleplaying flavor than any actual use. (Though as I recounted in another thread, his jumping ability actually ended up being the key thing needed in the ultimate combat encounter at the end of the campaign - rather by accident. That the fighter screwed it up wasn't his fault...) That character was fun to play, and had all sorts of interesting roleplaying potential (he also threw things in combat). And he just wouldn't have been able to work without the min/maxing. (His jump was like up to 60 and his balance and climb were both in the 40s, i think). And this was at 7th or 8th level - there were racial bonuses to these as well. So there is absolutely nothing wrong with min/maxing. I think, actually, it helps to differentiate characters from each other. Otherwise, you end up with a bland party where everyone is just about the same as everyone else in everything but the short list of class-specific abilities. [/QUOTE]

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