D&D 5E Where's the Dump?

[DND_Reborn]

Gamers do seem to hate Charisma.

Sure, but what about their characters?

 

[Laurefindel]

We don’t use point-buy so there isn’t any intentionally low stats to dump, but low stats usually go in either Str, Int, or Cha. From what I’ve observed…

characters who mostly rely on high Dex often dump Str from what I’ve seen, but high Str characters very rarely dump Dex.

when Int isn’t dumped, it’s either maxed or left in a 10-12 range. I rarely see an Int 13 character just to allow multiclassing, even on eldritch knights and arcane tricksters. [edit] ok, I’ve seen 14-16 Int EK and AT, so not quite maxed, but second-best.

Cha has a more even distribution among characters, but I’ve seen way more very low Cha scores than low Dex, Con, or Wis.

interestingly, it follows the three « good » saves and three « bad » saves.

 

[DND_Reborn]

interestingly, it follows the three « good » saves and three « bad » saves.

Which was pretty much what I was expecting, too.

 

[aco175]

I seem to have made it through 5e so far only playing halfling thieves (str) and dwarf clerics (Int).

 

[Sorcerers Apprentice]

Wisdom. As long as somebody has it, everyone doesn't need it. Also, I don't see a lot of clerics and druids in my games, and in any case adventuring isn't the wisest profession anyway.

I thought everybody needed wisdom for Perception (to avoid surprise) and wisdom saves. Having low wisdom is a good way to lose the ability to take actions in combat.

 

[DEFCON 1]

No specific dump stat. The low stats usually come directly out of the class someone is playing, as each one has a usual triumvirate of ability scores they focus on. The Fighters take STR, CON & WIS and will dump any of the other three... the Warlocks usually take CHA, DEX & CON and will dump any of the other three... the Monks will take DEX, WIS & CON and dump any of the other three, the Paladins take STR, CHA & CON and dump one of the other three etc.

I have never once had that theoretical table that some others always go on about where every single character is DEX-based and dump STR and INT, because DEX is the so-called "uber-stat". I've always found those complaints completely overblown because there's always at least one player at my table that is going to go STR-based and tank or INT-based and cast, because those character archetypes are fun.

 

[jmartkdr2]

Int was the clear winner here in my experience, so that was my vote -

But I have been in parties where the strongest character was my dragonborn wizard (I wanted to dump Con to see how bad it really is - it's bad) who had all of a 14 after racial mods. So strength is definitely in second place.

 

[el-remmen]

I have found every stat to be potentially useful for any character and specifically useful for specific classes - and if some characters have a low score in one or more abilities that was the luck of the draft and what they could deal with for how they pictured their character, not because that stat was "useless."

If anything, the most "useless" stat mechanically is probably intelligence (for non-wizards) - and I have been considering granting extra proficiencies for high int (but not fewer for low int)

 

[jmartkdr2]

No specific dump stat. The low stats usually come directly out of the class someone is playing, as each one has a usual triumvirate of ability scores they focus on. The Fighters take STR, CON & WIS and will dump any of the other three... the Warlocks usually take CHA, DEX & CON and will dump any of the other three... the Monks will take DEX, WIS & CON and dump any of the other three, the Paladins take STR, CHA & CON and dump one of the other three etc.

I have never once had that theoretical table that some others always go on about where every single character is DEX-based and dump STR and INT, because DEX is the so-called "uber-stat". I've always found those complaints completely overblown because there's always at least one player at my table that is going to go STR-based and tank or INT-based and cast, because those character archetypes are fun.

This largely tracks with my own experience: no one in the group playing a strength-based character is rare. I have never seen a party where no one is playing a charisma-based character, but for non-cha classes cha is a popular low stat.

No one playing a wizard isn't rare, but even that doesn't mean everyone has below-average int, just that the highest might be a 12. And artificers may be changing that dynamic.

I can imagine something like an AL game where everyone's some variation of Dex-based paladin-multi because that's what the forums told them to be, but most players learn pretty quick that you really don't need to optimize in 5e DnD; pretty much everything works fine so just pick what sounds cool.

 

[Krachek]

I love that you went with dex for one of them!

Another issue I take with 5E, and don't enforce, is DEX penalties don't hurt your AC when wearing heavy armor. Screw that! A clumsy person in heavy armor is going to be easier to hit and thus hurt than someone who isn't clumsy.

I was playing with roll20, and it make -1 on the plate AC.
dump stat are over shun, in plate 18-1 = 17 AC is quite enough, and rolling for a DC 18 dex save, having +0 or -1 won’t make such a difference.
I just check out indeed, you don’t add penalty for negative bonus for AC, another reason to dump dex!