What's your dump stat?

[shilsen]

Dump stats for my last few PCs, including PBeM games:

Elven ranger/rogue - Cha
Human cleric - Dex
Human paladin - Int
Orc barbarian - Int/Wis/Cha (6 each )
Human cleric - Con
Warforged fighter/wizard - Wis

Looks like I have no consistent dump stat, as I'd figured. Apparently Str was never the dump stat for any of these PCs, but the backup character concept I have right now (for when that genius of an orc charges something he shouldn't) is an ancient druid with an 8 Str.

 

[Galethorn]

I generally don't get into the whole dump stat thing. When I'm playing an incarnation of the character my posting name refers to, the only stat that even makes sense under 14 is charisma. But, because of that, I don't usually play an incarnation of Galethorn unless it's a high-powered (or otherwise blessed with powerful PCs) campaign.

So, for other characters, these are my dump stats, as listed by character type:

Rogues/fast characters: Wisdom
Barbarians/uncivilized warriors: Charisma and/or wisdom, depending on if they're a tracker.
Fighters/'thinking' warriors: Charisma or dexterity, depending on their style.
Priests: Dexterity
Arcane casters: Strength, Constitution.

So, I like my warriors socially and/or physically awkward, my rogues impulsive, my priests clumsy, and my mages unsuited to any sort of physical combat.

 

[Ahnehnois]

Charisma is the #1 choice as a general rule, but I often dump strength. It's quite simple: if you fight in melee and are not a druid or shapeshifter, you need strength. Most anyone else does not.

 

[Viktyr Gehrig]

I usually dump Strength or Constitution, even for primarily physical characters. I prefer TWF to more Strength-dependent styles, and I focus on avoiding blows more than surviving them.

Every point I don't put into a mental stat causes me great emotional distress.

 

[Xath]

One of the reasons this comes up more often for me is that in our group, we are required to have one ability score below 10 at character creation. So something has to be dumped. I find it interesting to roll my stats, and build up a character concept around the "flaw."

 

[Lord Pendragon]

With that house rule, I'd make Con my dump stat as well -- that's like having 6 extra points in Con! Sure, you'll have more trouble with Fort saves, but still. Wow.

Not me. Imagine the hp you'd have with a high con and this feat!

I tend to make Int my dump stat unless I'm playing a wizard. Skills just don't come into play a great deal in the games I wind up playing in, and those classes that have good skill lists also grant enough skills w/o a high int to be workable.

I'd make Cha a dump stat too (and before Int,) but my last couple characters have been a paladin and a bard.

 

[Zappo]

It depends a lot on the specific character, but I often tend to dump wisdom and take Iron Will to compensate. For non-meleers, I dump Strength. I almost never dump Charisma; as a general rule, I find socially inept characters boring.

 

[Orius]

for the 2000ed and 3.11ed for workgroups it is blatantly obvious Cha is the dump stat.

Has it ever _not_ been a dump stat, though?

I'm with hong on this one — Cha has always been one of the primary dump stats. And that probably goes all the way back to gameplay during the "true game" (snicker ).

From personal experience, 2e was MUCH more into using Cha dump stats than 3e. If the group I was in had a character generation system that allowed scored to be assigned (and most did), anyone not playing a bard or paladin would immediately put their crappiest score into Cha. At least 3e ties Cha to bard/sorc spells, undead turning, paladin abilities and a number of skills which makes it a little more useful than earlier versions of the game.

 

[Orius]

I usually use Charisma. It's a long-standing D&D tradition, and I like to honor tradition.

Though it also depends somewhat on class. I prefer wizards, fighters or barbarians, so that affects my dump stat choice. With a melee class, usually Int and Cha get dumped. For a wizard, I dump Str instead of Int. Con is never dumped, because the extra hps are important, I'll usually end up taking a hit, no matter how good my AC, and extra hps increase survival.

 

[Isida Kep'Tukari]

Unless I have no choice, I don't try to use Charisma as a dump stat. I like skill points and Will saves, so I rarely dump Wisdom or Intelligence. I've occasionally used Strength as a dump stat, even with fighter types, as long as I don't go into negative numbers (I figure if I'm a ranged fighter, it doesn't really matter). Armor class is often too precious to avoid dumping Dex for long.

However, I will often use Constitution as a dump stat, trusting good AC and saves to see me through the day.