D&D 5E Why do ability scores cap at 20 instead of 18?

[Yaarel]

I havent done it, but I could live with a cap by tier.

1-4: cap 14
5-8: cap 16
9-12: cap 18
13-16: cap 20
17-20: cap 22
21+: no cap

 

[Yaarel]

For DMs who dislike freeform ability scores, it is easy to focus on culture.

For example, if one of the prominent gnome cultures revolves around applications of illusion magic, and Illusionists enjoy prestige and privilege, then there will be more Illusionists, thus on average, higher Intelligence.

 

[Bill Zebub]

For DMs who dislike freeform ability scores, it is easy to focus on culture.

For example, if one of the prominent gnome cultures revolves around applications of illusion magic, and Illusionists enjoy prestige and privilege, then there will be more Illusionists, thus on average, higher Intelligence.

Because...why? Do they kill off young gnomes who don't show promise as illusionists?

 

[Yaarel]

Because...why? Do they kill off young gnomes who don't show promise as illusionists?

Not at all!

It just happens that statistically more parents choose to send their kids to Wizard school so they can have a better life in their culture.

Hence, on average, a higher frequency of the population is training for higher Intelligence performance.


It is just like improving an ability score while leveling, except it happens while growing up, and more kids happen to be choosing the same ability score.

 

[GreyLord]

Man, I hope not. I hate rolling extra dice and prefer flat bonuses. Like bless, I always forget to roll the d4, but a flat +2 bonus I can easily remember.

If they go to bonus dice, I'll just stick to the average, round down.

I'm also one that prefers static bonuses to random ones, both as a player and DM. Makes it easier to plan things out.

I allow the option with some of them (not advantage or disadvantage though) to grant the average bonus rounded down (so for battlemaster's who choose that option, it can be huge). You don't get as big a bonus as you MIGHT randomly get, but you DO get a consistent bonus.

 

[GreyLord]

When people reach epic level 21, they can spend their boon to improve their ability score beyond 20.


For this reason, I dont mind the 20 cap until then.

If I were a Fighter, I'd hope to have a Belt of Storm Giant Strength by then...

If I was a Barbarian I would wonder why I didn't have a higher score.

If I were a Wizard I'd be wondering why I hadn't used books to raise my scores above that.

If I were a Cleric, I'd be wondering the same thing.

If I were a Rogue I'd be wondering why I hadn't used all my gold to retire as a rich man by that point, and be paranoid about other Rogues taking my gold.

 

[Yaarel]

If I were a Fighter, I'd hope to have a Belt of Storm Giant Strength by then...

If I was a Barbarian I would wonder why I didn't have a higher score.

If I were a Wizard I'd be wondering why I hadn't used books to raise my scores above that.

If I were a Cleric, I'd be wondering the same thing.

If I were a Rogue I'd be wondering why I hadn't used all my gold to retire as a rich man by that point, and be paranoid about other Rogues taking my gold.

It depends on what these ability scores mean.

For example, in my settings.

10 is average. 14 is extraordinary.

A 16 is something that most humans dont really come across day-to-day. There are stories about such people and their exploits, but they are often more like entertainment and legends.

18 is the peak of human possibility.

20 is superhuman. Because of magic (ancestry, fate, magical training, whatever), some humans are superhuman. But they are unique individuals in special circumstances.



Because tiers are important to set the tone in my settings, I like to keep the "apprentice tier" 1-4 (roughly college) moreorless like reallife. So a cap at 14 would help maintain this modest tone.

Then in the "professional tier" 5-8, some individuals come into their own prowess. But even then a score of 16 is rare, and life experience and dedication are part of it.

Scores of 18 and higher are non-normal.

 

[Weiley31]

Probably because I never understood STR 18/25, STR 18/75, or STR 18/100 and what it was supposed to mean or why STR 18 suddenly became a weird number like that while all the other stats never did that.

And look: I suck at percentages, okay?

 

[Shiroiken]

We use feats only in our 5e game. 5e works just fine without stat creep.

I've also considered this, but I know my group would then overvalue the half feats. I'd have to houserule the half-feats, and then you're getting to the point of diminishing returns, where the benefits don't outweigh the complications.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

That is not true in my game, nor will it ever be true.

You can homebrew as much as you ike.