D&D 5E (2014) Why go Strength over Dexterity?

[The Crimson Binome]

If you don't care about min/max, then it's because you prefer the aesthetic of a strong character over an agile one. If you do care about min/max, then Strength has better damage and AC at the expense of Dexterity save and initiative.

 

[Sunseeker]

Big weapons are str only.
You didn't roll enough stats to have high dex and high str
You class affords you ways to not need dex, such as heavy armor or spells.
You like to hit things really hard.
You're not a dex-utilizing class.
You want to make a muscle-bound type.

I mean your question is sorta two-faced, "without talking about min/maxing....here's a bunch of questions founded on min/maxing". Aside from: I think my character looks like Conan and The Hulk had a baby, the statistical arguments behind going with high strength over high dex are low. It really just depends on your class and what you want to build.

 

[Coredump]

Without focusing on min/maxing, what are the benefits to making a strength-based character over a dexterity-based one?

How do you worry about benefits, without focusing on Min/Maxing?


You pick Dex because you want to be quick, you pick Str because you want to be strong....

Now, if you care about actual benefits...

GWM, PAM, SM, and grappling all rely on Str.

 

[jgsugden]

One thing that really points against going Strength: The presence of Strength items that give you a flat strength. Girdles of Giant Strength allow you to gain the benefits of a huge strength without investing ability scores in them. Further, weapons like finesse weapons can benefit from using strength as the ability score behind the attack, so switching to the strength modifier once you get the belt is generally no problem.

 

[Dausuul]

One thing that really points against going Strength: The presence of Strength items that give you a flat strength. Girdles of Giant Strength allow you to gain the benefits of a huge strength without investing ability scores in them. Further, weapons like finesse weapons can benefit from using strength as the ability score behind the attack, so switching to the strength modifier once you get the belt is generally no problem.

Since there is no reason to believe you will ever find such an item, I don't see why that would be a major factor in your build choices.

 

[Remathilis]

Without focusing on min/maxing, what are the benefits to making a strength-based character over a dexterity-based one?
Every time I make a character, I end up going more dex than str because it just seems to make more sense.
Besides the quality of armour being worn, and encumbrance, is there any other reason for Strength being higher than Dexterity?

Barbarian rage only works on Str-based attacks.

 

[DaveDash]

Because you want a tank with heavy armour to get up in the face of enemies. Even a crossbow expert Fighter with a low strength is going to have issues when he gets stunned/knocked prone/or has to make a strength saving throw against something, and from memory Strength saving throws are the most common type in the monsters manual.

Also the first barred door you come to in your adventuring career may be an issue for you if everyone dumps strength.

 

[TarionzCousin]

If I want to play Thor or Conan then I'm going to focus on strength. If I want to play Zorro or Robin Hood then I'm going to focus on dexterity. Mechanics aren't everything, sometimes it's the concept that you want to play.

Yes, exactly.

Also, if you have one crappy stat roll (like a 7) then you should play a Strength character and put the 7 in Charisma. With a low Charisma, it's much easier to be a smelly, angry brute than a suave, dashing swordsman.

 

[Voort]

Also the first barred door you come to in your adventuring career may be an issue for you if everyone dumps strength.

This exact scenario happened last week at one of the other tables in my FLGS. The party of a rogue, bard, monk and wizard wasted most of their spell slots opening a barred door because the barbarian was out sick.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Also the first barred door you come to in your adventuring career may be an issue for you if everyone dumps strength.

That's what Fire Bolt is for.

(Seriously, I love destructible environments. That's what makes live RPGs better than computer games that aren't X-COM. One of the things anyway.)