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Message: <blockquote data-quote="the Jester" data-source="post: 6296064" data-attributes="member: 1210">Hold on there, Tex- I never said that there are orcs with Cha 18 out there. Indeed, if the racial modifier for Cha is -1, my game would assume that an orc with an 18 Cha is as rare as a human with a 19 Cha- which is to say, it's beyond the human/orcish normal realm of possibility, but can be achieved via e.g. stats that increase via leveling up or magic.A racial modifier isn't just a shift in the average; it's also a shift in the range. If your race gets +1 to a stat, the range is 4-19, not 3-18. At least, that's my vision of the meaning of stat modifiers by race.But see, that's just it-- you can play a (f'rexample) charismatic orc; you simply need to work harder at it and allocate a higher stat to your starting Charisma score. This is far from forcing players to conform to the standards of a race; while the average orc is Cha 9 (as an example; I don't know off hand what the average orc's Cha score is actually like), a pc orc could be Cha 17, getting pretty far beyond the stereotypical punchin' and gruntin' that orcs are known for.And D&D has traditionally given nonhuman races both stat modifiers and specific racial abilities, traits and/or powers.I'm a huge fan of low-stat pcs. Some of the most memorable pcs I've played had very low scores (a couple of them had 3s), and one of the most entertaining pcs ever in my game had a Wisdom of 1. (Long story short, it was part of his character concept.) Another was a kobold with a Strength of 1.One thing about low mental stats is that the pc may not realize he's stupid, a boor, etc. Indeed, often what makes a fool is his certainty that he is wise. I really like it when pcs are willing to play that aspect of the low stat, and am fortunate to have been in lots of groups where the low-Charisma guy is loud and outspoken, the stupid pc is always coming up with terrible plans, etc.</blockquote>

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