I've heard that AC, Reflex, Fort, and Will Defenses are going to allow for cherry-picking between the best of two different scores (Dex or Int for Reflex and AC, Con or Str for Fort, Wis or Cha for Will). I also see in our preview builds that the various powers seem to allow classes to function largely off of one ability score.
So the impression that I'm left with is that many if not most characters will wind up with several ability scores worth dumping and one worth pumping as high as it can go bar-no-expense. Once you've chosen a path such as brawny rogue or trickster rogue, the apragmatic build for a given character will be obvious and ubiquitous. To deviate from that build is to trade off a degree of practical effectiveness for conceptual satisfaction.
This thread is for people who share my sentiment of distaste for that kind of trade-off. If you don't mind such a design element in the new edition, this is not the thread for you. I don't want to argue about what ultimately amounts to personal taste, and for those that do, there are many other fine threads to choose from. This thread is also for people who like to plan their escape routes ahead of time, so please nobody offer the obligatory "gee, here's a thought: why don't you just wait for the system to come out" posts.
Now, my thoughts on the matter of ability scores has always been that they should be more than a conceptual descriptor for a character--after all, you could have twenty or fifty general descriptors that could be considered applicable to all characters. There's got to be a better reason to bother assigning a numeric value to it. If an ability score isn't providing some general value to any character that invests in it, then the justification for that ability score to exist independently of other ability scores is in question. This leads me to think that there might be some room for streamlining in 4e.
Taking a cue from how defenses are distributed in 4e, let's try slimming down from six to three ability scores:
I'm wondering if this will fly at the game table, so I'm running it up the flagpole here. Incidentally, I try to stay up-to-date on 4e news, but I am never going to be as in-the-loop as some folks in this forum, so please feel free to enlighten if I'm working from old, inaccurate data.
So the impression that I'm left with is that many if not most characters will wind up with several ability scores worth dumping and one worth pumping as high as it can go bar-no-expense. Once you've chosen a path such as brawny rogue or trickster rogue, the apragmatic build for a given character will be obvious and ubiquitous. To deviate from that build is to trade off a degree of practical effectiveness for conceptual satisfaction.
This thread is for people who share my sentiment of distaste for that kind of trade-off. If you don't mind such a design element in the new edition, this is not the thread for you. I don't want to argue about what ultimately amounts to personal taste, and for those that do, there are many other fine threads to choose from. This thread is also for people who like to plan their escape routes ahead of time, so please nobody offer the obligatory "gee, here's a thought: why don't you just wait for the system to come out" posts.
Now, my thoughts on the matter of ability scores has always been that they should be more than a conceptual descriptor for a character--after all, you could have twenty or fifty general descriptors that could be considered applicable to all characters. There's got to be a better reason to bother assigning a numeric value to it. If an ability score isn't providing some general value to any character that invests in it, then the justification for that ability score to exist independently of other ability scores is in question. This leads me to think that there might be some room for streamlining in 4e.
Taking a cue from how defenses are distributed in 4e, let's try slimming down from six to three ability scores:
- One that condenses the functions of Strength and Constitution. I tentatively call it Brawn.
- One that combines the functions of Dexterity and Intelligence. This was a tough one for me, but I think Technique covers both physical coordination and analytical thinking.
- One that combines Wisdom and Charisma. Still a little undecided, but I'm currently going with Instinct since it denotes both passive perception and active projection of attitude.
I'm wondering if this will fly at the game table, so I'm running it up the flagpole here. Incidentally, I try to stay up-to-date on 4e news, but I am never going to be as in-the-loop as some folks in this forum, so please feel free to enlighten if I'm working from old, inaccurate data.
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